Report for 06/15/2007 Salt Water
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS: Schools of Tarpon have been spotted cruising the beaches just off the sandbars. Use live mullet, pin fish, pogies, cigar minnows or menhaden on a 7 to 12/0 circle hook with 60 to 100# fluorocarbon leaders and 20 to 30# main line. We are still waiting for some good weedlines to form offshore, but a few Wahoo are being caught as close in as 15 miles. High speed trollers like the Panhandler and Yo Zuri Bonita in back and purple colors are working best. Mahi Mahi are also making their appearance known. Lots of chicken dolphin are being caught around many of the offshore wrecks. King Mackerel fishing has really come on strong with the warmer temperatures we are experiencing. Smaller kings are still being caught trolling Dusters and free-lining live or dead bait. Larger Kings are being caught slow trolling live bait at a depth of 30-40 feet. Use downriggers or heavy egg sinkers with long leaders to attain the depth range needed. The Grouper bite is still steady in the 100 to 200 foot areas on mainly hard bottom. Live bait, whole boston mackerel and jigs are working well. Jigs with a glow color to them are a sure bet. Amberjack are on many of the inshore wrecks and reefs in good numbers. Try the Bridge Spans for lots of action. The larger fish will be well offshore over hard bottom. Live cigar minnows or pinfish will entice the larger fish, while jigs (Williamson Jig) will trigger the most bites. Snapper action is still going strong. A killer technique is to use live shrimp on light wire 3/0 or 4/0 circle hooks with 30# fluorocarbon leader. Live shrimp will catch good numbers of snapper, especially when the bite is hard to come by. Squid, cigar minnows and chunks of northern mackerel are working well also. The bag limit for state waters remains four snapper per person and 16” length, however in federal waters only two snapper per person and 16” length. Federal waters start basically nine miles from land, and is noted on your maps as the Natural resources boundary. Ladyfish, Bluefish and Bar Jacks are everywhere up and down the beaches right now. Throw Pompano Jigs, Gotcha’s and Spoons on light tackle for a lot of fun. Half Hitch Tackle
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM: The Trout bite is picking up some. They are on the flats and roaming the grassy areas. Big trout can be caught early in the day on topwater plugs. An excellent technique is to rig a Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp weedless with a standard wide gap worm hook. The bait will sink slow and with each twitch will dart erratically. The trout will nail it on the fall! The redfish action is still going strong. Gulp, Gold Spoons and Soft Jerk Baits are working well. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, try throwing topwater baits (Top Dog Jr in Bone) for some explosive action. Half Hitch Tackle
DAN RUSSEL PIER: Spanish mackerel and a few Kings are being caught every day at the pier right now. Pompano, Whiting, Blue Fish, and Lay Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
DESTIN: We have had a great week of king mackerel fishing. The pier has been getting them good in the early morning hours and in the afternoon. Drift fishing with cigar minnows is best. The boats have been getting them trolling the broken bottom and pole spot. The blue water fishing is also excellent with plenty of dolphin and wahoo around the nipple and elbow. Several marlin were caught this week and the Mother Load had 3 nice swordfish mid week, one was close to 80lbs. The snapper and grouper have been ok if you fish with light leaders and small hooks. In the bay the reds have been very good all over the bridges but the trout have been very slow. I guess the fact we have had very little rain and the bay is so salty the trout have pushed back into the rivers. In the surf there is a good supple of ladyfish and hardtails during the mornings and late afternoon along with plenty of sharks after dusk. Tim Broom
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE: NOAA reports expect seas to be calm around 1-3 feet throughout the week. The Snapper/ Grouper bite is steady; the pattern should remain constant throughout this week. Reports have the best numbers in or about one hundred fifty feet of water. Live bait is plentiful and will continue to be easy to catch over wrecks and reefs close in. Mahi-Mahi, although small are showing up close inshore this season with several caught trolling close to the air force tower. To be the first with a big bull dolphin go further offshore and look for a weed line or flotsam. Troll small Boone jet baits or ballyhoo until you find a school and remember to keep a Mahi in the water at all times to attract the others to the boat, and then toss any variety of jigs and lures. The King Mackerel bite is full on this week with good numbers caught near shore and on off shore structures. Look for bait schools around the bottom structure and along the buoy line. Your best bet is trolling dusters and flat lining over structure where bait is holding.
ST JOSEPH BAY: Afternoon thunderstorms can pop-up at any time so watch out for them and be safe. You can expect calm to moderate chop in bay waters and lots of sunshine throughout the week. The Trout bite is on and Redfish too, many great catches this past week and barring significant weather changes this pattern may well continue. Live shrimp are working well and those of you who prefer artificial baits try the Capt. Mike’s spoon. The flats from Pig Island to Pompano point are all productive so go to it. The Flounder are still biting strong, but definitely slowing. Your best spots for flounder remain the George C. Tapper Bridge, and the PSJ marina. Bull minnows Carolina rigged with a size 1 circle hook using fluorocarbon leader material and a 1 oz or smaller egg weight remains the bait of choice.
FRESHWATER: Shell cracker and Bluegill bite is hot and if you have a fly rod it is more fun than you can imagine. If you are not a fly angler then fish the bottom in three to four feet of water with wigglers. For Bass you cannot go wrong with a Bang-o-lure. Bass are hitting in both sandy bottoms and mouths of tributaries, typically about two feet from shore so be ready to set your hook. Bass are also hitting soft baits like the Zoom brush hogs and 6’ to 10” ribbon tail worms. Pitch these baits around structure and cross their eyes when they strike.
For more information contact;
Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, FL 32408
www.halfhitch.com/
