Report for 07/27/2007
Salt Water
DESTIN - Kings are back on this week right outside of the pass near the sea buoy. The snapper bite has been steady, on charter boat reported plenty of keeper amberjack on the landing craft only 16 miles from the pass. The grouper are mainly on natural bottom and edges. On the pier there have been some tarpon, a couple kings and lots of ladyfish and hardtails. The jetties are holding a good number of blues and some mangrove snapper. On the surf expect a few pompano, lots of ladyfish and sharks at night. In the bay the reds are good near most bridges and the coast guard station. We here the blue water is just off the edge and the wahoo and dolphin have been there. I hear there is a good amount of weeds just north and west of the squiggles. The marlin and tuna bite has been good. Overall fishing is good for everything but trout.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite has remained good. Several large kings in the 20# class have been caught regularly over hard bottom areas. Troll Dusters and free-line live or dead bait for the most action. Try a large Drone Spoon with 4-6 oz.s of lead for bigger kings. The Tarpon bite has been very good and should only get better into August. These fish are extremely spooky, do not run up on them with your motor. They simply will not eat. Anchor on the sandbar and wait for the fish to come to you. 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. The Wahoo are being found in greatest numbers far offshore, but a few can be caught around the 8-10 mile mark. High speed trollers like the Panhandler and Yo Zuri Bonita in back and purple colors are working best. Also, try slow trolling rigged ballyhoo or live hard tails. Mahi Mahi are showing up in greater numbers. Lots of chicken dolphin are being caught around many of the offshore wrecks and bigger dolphin are being caught from 25 miles out. The Grouper bite has been very good lately. Best catches have been in the 100 to 200 foot areas on mainly hard bottom. Live bait, whole boston mackerel and jigs(Shimano Butterfly or Williamson) 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 or AJ Jig) will trigger the most bites. Snapper action is still going strong. Squid, cigar minnows and chunks of northern mackerel are working well. 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.
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM - Flounder are being caught on drop-offs in the bays and on the edges of grass flats. Use a Carolina rig with live bull minnows for the best results. For artificial bait fishermen, use an 1/8 oz. jig with Gulp Curl Tail Minnows in a variety of colors. The Trout bite has been excellent the last few weeks. Target spotty bottom grass flats in the 1-3 foot range. Big trout can be caught early in the day on topwater plugs close to the shoreline. An excellent technique for drifting the flats is to rig a Berkley Gulp 4” Shrimp weedless with a standard wide gap worm hook and no weight. The bait will sink slow and with each twitch will dart erratically. The trout will nail it on the fall! Redfish are not schooling up very much right now but are biting good around docks with deeper holes and shallow marshy areas with a bit of clay bottom. Gulp, Gold Spoons and Soft Jerk Baits are working well. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, try throwing topwater baits (Spook Jr with a Red Head and White Body) for some explosive action.
DAN RUSSEL PIER - Spanish mackerel and a few Kings are being caught every day at the pier right now. Sharks, Pompano, Whiting, Blue Fish, and Lady Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
MEXICO BEACH/OFFSHORE - The hot species this week are king mackerel. They are haunting most of the local reef and wreck sights. The Air force tower and Virginia reef in particular have produced some very nice fish this week. Water temperatures are hovering at and above eighty five degrees, so those of you who prefer trolling should weight your rigs, or better still, use down riggers to get your baits in cooler water. Most reports coming in from local anglers suggest trolling depths of about twenty-five feet or so. Surface trolling will still produce Kings but they are typically small. Your best option for a big Kingfish is using a Sabiki rig to catch hard-tails or blue runners and free line them, while drifting and/or drifting over structure.
ST JOSEPH BAY - Tarpon fishing is still hot this week and large numbers of these giants are caught daily. Tarpon are feeding heavily between Money Bayou and Indian Pass. Cast net yourself a few pogies and use a 9/0-10/0 Owner SSW circle hook with 80lb fluorocarbon leader and drift your baits through the schools of baitfish. St. Joe Bay is alive with trout and redfish but Because of the shortage of live shrimp this time of year anglers are taking advantage of the plentiful pinfish and using them or bull-minnows for bait. Both will work very well for these species.
Fresh Water
APALACHICOLA /WHITE CITY
Fresh water fishing reports are very good this week; however, bass anglers are saying they are catching both redfish and trout in their favorite honey holes. Water salinity is higher due to lack of rain and a few saltwater species are migrating further up the watershed this season than in wetter seasons. Several local bass fishermen reported bull sharks shearing off their bass behind the gills in Lake Wimico.
Fishing Report prepared by Half Hitch Tackle Staff.
The Captains Corner Fishing Report is provided by local charter captains and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Half Hitch Tackle.
Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
www.halfhitch.com/
