Report for 08/24/2007
Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - King Mackerel remains the prime target in this hot weather with a few caught off the buoy line and inshore wrecks on drone spoons and dusters. The bigger schools are about 20 miles out with a hot spot around the number thirty buoy off Cape San Blas. Using a downrigger or planer will improve the quality of your catches. Remember, the MBARA King Mackerel Tournament is this Saturday, August 25th. Bottom fishing slowed this past week, as the water temperatures increased, but the bite should pick back up as cooler weather arrives. Snapper is improving in 80-90’ of water and grouper were further out with the keepers starting at 150’ of water. Carolina rigs with 6’ of 40 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 5/0 circle hook for the snapper and a 3’ 80lb fluorocarbon leader with a 10/0 circle hook. Live baits are working best.
ST JOSEPH BAY - Look for schooling redfish on the outskirts of the thick grass on an outgoing tide. Be patient and they will come to you. The trout are in with these schooling redfish and topwater artificial baits will catch both. Fish a Mirrolure or Yozuri or a Cajun Thunder popping cork rigged with a Gulp artificial shrimp. The Flounder bite is good on the sand bars and potholes in the bay and some in the canal under the George C. Tapper Bridge. Live bull minnows Carolina rigged with a #1 hook and a fluorocarbon leader should do the trick. A few pompano were caught along Mexico Beach and Cape San Blas this week.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite has remained hit or miss. Try the Box Cars and Fountain Blue for inshore kings. Better reports are coming from hard bottom areas well offshore. Troll Dusters and free-line live or dead bait for the most action. Try a Stretch 25 or large Drone Spoon with 4-6 oz.s of lead for bigger kings. The Wahoo bite is still hot and they are being found in greatest numbers far offshore (50 miles) around the Squiggles and Nipple. 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 out there but you have to find them. Lots of chicken dolphin are being caught around many of the offshore wrecks and bigger dolphin are being caught from 25 miles out. Chicken Dolphin can be caught using small hair jigs tipped with shrimp or gulp. The Grouper bite is still good over hard bottom areas. 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 some of the best we have seen in years. 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. Half Hitch Tackle
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM - Flounder are still 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 is very good early and late in the day. 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. When the sun gets up, throw a Rebel Jointed Minnow in Gold or Silver. Redfish are all over the jetties right now. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Bull Minnows and Cut Bait are working well. Late in the day, when the tide is rolling out, the reds are coming to the surface. Throw a topwater plug and hold on! 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 Lady Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
Fresh Water
The big bite right now is Channel catfish in the East river off Apalachicola, and late evening topwater plugs for bass. Largemouth Bass are stationed near openings of tributaries and hitting spinner baits regularly. For the big boys, fish wild shiners along the grass lines.
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.
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - King Mackerel remains the prime target in this hot weather with a few caught off the buoy line and inshore wrecks on drone spoons and dusters. The bigger schools are about 20 miles out with a hot spot around the number thirty buoy off Cape San Blas. Using a downrigger or planer will improve the quality of your catches. Remember, the MBARA King Mackerel Tournament is this Saturday, August 25th. Bottom fishing slowed this past week, as the water temperatures increased, but the bite should pick back up as cooler weather arrives. Snapper is improving in 80-90’ of water and grouper were further out with the keepers starting at 150’ of water. Carolina rigs with 6’ of 40 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 5/0 circle hook for the snapper and a 3’ 80lb fluorocarbon leader with a 10/0 circle hook. Live baits are working best.
ST JOSEPH BAY - Look for schooling redfish on the outskirts of the thick grass on an outgoing tide. Be patient and they will come to you. The trout are in with these schooling redfish and topwater artificial baits will catch both. Fish a Mirrolure or Yozuri or a Cajun Thunder popping cork rigged with a Gulp artificial shrimp. The Flounder bite is good on the sand bars and potholes in the bay and some in the canal under the George C. Tapper Bridge. Live bull minnows Carolina rigged with a #1 hook and a fluorocarbon leader should do the trick. A few pompano were caught along Mexico Beach and Cape San Blas this week.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite has remained hit or miss. Try the Box Cars and Fountain Blue for inshore kings. Better reports are coming from hard bottom areas well offshore. Troll Dusters and free-line live or dead bait for the most action. Try a Stretch 25 or large Drone Spoon with 4-6 oz.s of lead for bigger kings. The Wahoo bite is still hot and they are being found in greatest numbers far offshore (50 miles) around the Squiggles and Nipple. 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 out there but you have to find them. Lots of chicken dolphin are being caught around many of the offshore wrecks and bigger dolphin are being caught from 25 miles out. Chicken Dolphin can be caught using small hair jigs tipped with shrimp or gulp. The Grouper bite is still good over hard bottom areas. 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 some of the best we have seen in years. 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. Half Hitch Tackle
ST ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM - Flounder are still 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 is very good early and late in the day. 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. When the sun gets up, throw a Rebel Jointed Minnow in Gold or Silver. Redfish are all over the jetties right now. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Bull Minnows and Cut Bait are working well. Late in the day, when the tide is rolling out, the reds are coming to the surface. Throw a topwater plug and hold on! 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 Lady Fish are also being caught. Call 850-233-5080 for the latest pier fishing information.
Fresh Water
The big bite right now is Channel catfish in the East river off Apalachicola, and late evening topwater plugs for bass. Largemouth Bass are stationed near openings of tributaries and hitting spinner baits regularly. For the big boys, fish wild shiners along the grass lines.
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.
