Report for 07/06/2007
Saltwater
DESTIN - Offshore fishing remains hot, this week a 700lb pluss blue marlin won the Pensacola International Billfish tournament. Reports of big dolphin from the nipple out to the spur and over torards the squiggles. Several people have reported nice rips running from the spur to the squiggles. There have also been many blue and white marlin hook ups. I have seen several pictures lately of people bringing marlin into the baot for pictures and then releasing them please remember the billfish foundation has asked everyone to take pictures of the fish while they are in the water and not to baot the fish. This increases survival rates by as much as 400%. On the pier there have been lots of tarpon hookups and a few kings, throw in a few ladyfish and hardtails. The surf is pretty quiet unless you fish at dusk for blues and sharks. Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper is steady and there is a very good bite of kings in the gulf. The bay is doninated by reds and ladyfish, trout have been very slow for most people. the best catch of trout I have heard of was a guy catching 20 in the sould one morning but only haveing 4 keepers. Tim Broom
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - King Mackerel fishing has been exceptional this week. A lot of kings are 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 Tarpon are showing up in greater numbers every day. Several fish are being seen every day and plenty of hook ups. 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 bite has been steady. For best luck, run out to the south west and look for weed lines forming at about 20-25 miles. 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 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 - Flounder are being caught on drop-offs in the bays. 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 spotty. A lot of dinks 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 and no weight. 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 (Spook Jr with a Red Head and White Body) 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. Sharks, Pompano, Whiting, Blue Fish, and Lay Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - The snapper bit is hot on near and offshore structure. The Grouper bite has also been great, but for good numbers you need to head south to at least 150 foot of water. Reports have the best numbers at 25-40 miles out, just look for bottom structure and you cannot go wrong. Live bait is plentiful and is easy to catch around buoys and over wrecks and reefs close in. the King Mackerel bite is good with large numbers reported around local structure. 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. For your best bet trolling, head out a couple miles from the buoy line and troll through the schools of baitfish.
ST JOSEPH BAY - Scalloping is great this season, reports say there are large numbers in the bay with average sizes between an inch and an inch and a half in diameter. The best spots are the head of the bay behind black’s island. The summer trout bite is in full swing. Redfish are good this week. Live shrimp is working well and for artificial bait use Berkley Gulp in a three-inch shrimp imitation spoon. Fish the flats from Pig Island all the way to Pompano point and you should be able to catch nice redfish and trout on top water lures like the Mirrolure top dog juniors. You can use live Alewives and live shrimp under a Cajun thunder float too. Choice spots are around Black’s island and in the channel by Pigs bayou. The Flounder bite is slowing, but a few are caught on a daily basis. Bull minnows Carolina rigged with a size 1 circle hook using fluorocarbon leader material and a 1 oz or smaller egg weight is probably the best rig for this species. For more information contact;
Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
www.halfhitch.com/
