Report for 08/31/2007
Salt Water
DESTIN - The white marlin bite has started and they are good just south of the nipple. We had some good reports of dolphin and wahoo in the area also. on the next moon phase i would expect a good bit of blackfin tuna near the edge also. The sanpper bite and the amberjack along with almaco jacks have been very good. There has been very little talk of a grouper bite, I have heard of a few red groupers around the funnels and a few scamp in deep water. The kings are in the broken bottom and Nickey grounds. The Jetties are producing good numbers of reds, some blues and a few black snapper. In the bay the reds are the best bet and a few trout at night now that it is not blistering hot. Flounder gigging has been on and off. We have also had a report or two of some pompano starting to return to the surf with some whiting and lots of sharks. On the pier the catches have been small, they are getting the opccasional king ot bonito but most of the catches have been ladyfish, hardtails and blues. On a few days they have gotten a lot of spanish but they have been on the small side.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite is still very slow. 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 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. 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 and schools are being seen around the mouth of Grand Lagoon. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Live Shrimp, LY’s, 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.
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - Several King mackerel were caught at the tower, buoy line, and car bodies this week using live hard tails and trolling dusters with cigar minnows. Nearly as many Spanish mackerel were caught too. Seas are relatively clam this week but scattered thunderstorms are popping up daily so watch out for them. Go out a little deeper for snapper/grouper fishing might be the best bet for offshore fishing.
ST JOSEPH BAY - This week the redfish are around the grass flats and sand bars but the area between Eagle harbor and Pompano point produced the most the last few days. The Capt Mikes spoon with the green reflective tape is hot right now. Anchor up on a sand bar, get out, and wade to catch the schooling reds on the edges of the thick grass and fish an outgoing tide. The trout are mixed in with these schooling redfish and are swallowing LY’s whole. A few nice trout are being caught outside Pigs Island and around the head of the bay. Use a topwater and artificial baits in the morning and late afternoon as these are catching nice trout and redfish as well. Flounder continue to be caught on the sand bars and potholes in the bay and some in the Mexico beach canal and in the canal under the George C. Tapper Bridge. Live bull minnows Carolina rigged with a #1 hook and a fluorocarbon leader should put them in your cooler.
Fresh Water
APALACHICOLA /WHITE CITY FRESHWATER - The water is settling down and the bite right now is channel cats in the east river off Apalachicola by way of Howard’s Creek. The largemouth bass are at the tributaries and hitting spinner baits regularly. For the big boys, fish wild shiners along the grass lines, or if you want to use an artificial, your best beat will be shallow running jerk baits and topwater along the shore. The late summer Shell cracker and Bluegill bite is going strong
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.
DESTIN - The white marlin bite has started and they are good just south of the nipple. We had some good reports of dolphin and wahoo in the area also. on the next moon phase i would expect a good bit of blackfin tuna near the edge also. The sanpper bite and the amberjack along with almaco jacks have been very good. There has been very little talk of a grouper bite, I have heard of a few red groupers around the funnels and a few scamp in deep water. The kings are in the broken bottom and Nickey grounds. The Jetties are producing good numbers of reds, some blues and a few black snapper. In the bay the reds are the best bet and a few trout at night now that it is not blistering hot. Flounder gigging has been on and off. We have also had a report or two of some pompano starting to return to the surf with some whiting and lots of sharks. On the pier the catches have been small, they are getting the opccasional king ot bonito but most of the catches have been ladyfish, hardtails and blues. On a few days they have gotten a lot of spanish but they have been on the small side.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS - The King Mackeral bite is still very slow. 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 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. 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 and schools are being seen around the mouth of Grand Lagoon. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Live Shrimp, LY’s, 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.
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE - Several King mackerel were caught at the tower, buoy line, and car bodies this week using live hard tails and trolling dusters with cigar minnows. Nearly as many Spanish mackerel were caught too. Seas are relatively clam this week but scattered thunderstorms are popping up daily so watch out for them. Go out a little deeper for snapper/grouper fishing might be the best bet for offshore fishing.
ST JOSEPH BAY - This week the redfish are around the grass flats and sand bars but the area between Eagle harbor and Pompano point produced the most the last few days. The Capt Mikes spoon with the green reflective tape is hot right now. Anchor up on a sand bar, get out, and wade to catch the schooling reds on the edges of the thick grass and fish an outgoing tide. The trout are mixed in with these schooling redfish and are swallowing LY’s whole. A few nice trout are being caught outside Pigs Island and around the head of the bay. Use a topwater and artificial baits in the morning and late afternoon as these are catching nice trout and redfish as well. Flounder continue to be caught on the sand bars and potholes in the bay and some in the Mexico beach canal and in the canal under the George C. Tapper Bridge. Live bull minnows Carolina rigged with a #1 hook and a fluorocarbon leader should put them in your cooler.
Fresh Water
APALACHICOLA /WHITE CITY FRESHWATER - The water is settling down and the bite right now is channel cats in the east river off Apalachicola by way of Howard’s Creek. The largemouth bass are at the tributaries and hitting spinner baits regularly. For the big boys, fish wild shiners along the grass lines, or if you want to use an artificial, your best beat will be shallow running jerk baits and topwater along the shore. The late summer Shell cracker and Bluegill bite is going strong
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.
Half Hitch Tackle
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2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
