Report for 07/13/2007
Salt Water
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - King Mackerel fishing is still strong. Troll dusters, Stretch 25’s or big Rattle Traps from 4-6 knots for the best action. The Tarpon bite is getting better. 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. Wahoo are still being caught in good numbers. 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 steady 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.
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.
This report is dedicated to the memory of Al Hubbard. Al Hubbard was a field editor for Florida Sportsman magazine, an outdoor writer for the News Herald and a board member of the Florida Outdoor Writer's Association. Mr. Hubbard was also the owner of Al's Outdoors Outfitting Services.
For more information contact;
Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, FL 32408
www.halfhitch.com/
