Report for 10/19/2007
Salt Water
RED TIDE UPDATE
The best available information says red tide continues to hold to the east and south of St. Joe bay. However, the wind and rain from this last cold front may have helped scatter the red tide. As of right now, there are still pockets of red tide in the bay and along Mexico Beach and in Crooked Island.
MEXICO BEACH AND OFFSHORE
Remember! Red snapper season closes the end of this month in state and federal waters. Grouper closes in federal waters only for November and December. The red snapper bite is still good around the wrecks and reefs. Big Spanish mackerel and bluefish schools are along the shoreline, at the buoy line and around the Air Force tower. Throwing gotcha plugs and trolling Clark spoons will work very well.
ST JOSEPH BAY
With red tide in the bay, common areas for fishing is inhibited, so look for clear water. Some trout are moving to the deeper pockets as the waters cool down. Expect trout to start their move into the intercostals, creeks, and tributaries soon. Fishing live shrimp on the bottom with light lead on a Carolina rig is your best bet. Black’s Island is a good spot for redfish and trout where the water is clear. Fishing outside the flats with live bait works well. For artificial baits, try some pink pompano jigs and green gotcha grubs with a light green jig head in the afternoon and red/white topwater in the morning. Gold spoons are almost always great for the redfish.
DESTIN
Can you say MAKO SHARK, well this week in the Destin Rodeo we had the largest fish ever brought to the dock in the 59 year history of the Destin Fishing Rodeo. While we are all about tagging and releasing sharks this one was amazing. To date we have 2 vessels tied with 5 tagged sharks each the Charter Boat Twighlight with Captain Robert Hill had a 844.2 pound Mako. This Mako is the new bench mark for the Destin Fishing Rodeo, to even bring a shark to the dock it has to beat the previous rodeo record which was 339.6 pounds and now the new official record after the Mako was drawn is 638.6 pounds. The Twighlight was grouper fishing when the huge shark started eating the groupers they were catching 70 miles from shore. Then the massive Mako came to the surface. They used a 20 pound amberjack for bait to catch the beast. It took over 30 minutes to catch the shark and even with the help of 10 men they could not get the fish in the boat. They eventually ended up tying the fish to the boat and dragging it to the dock. Once at the Destin Fishing Rodeo dock, it took over 30 minutes and a block and tackle to get the giant Mako from the water and onto the dock to be weighed. As for what is happening with the fish for those concerned that such a magnificent fish was killed; the Mako is an excellent eating fish and it was cleaned at the Fleet Marina Docks. The patrons, captain and crew divided up much of the fish for them selves. They also gave some to the dock helpers for there friends and family and the rest was donated to a local fish market for distribution to those in need. Lastly the angler is having the head mounted for his house. On other fronts the black fin tuna bite is awesome right now along the edge. One of our customers tagged and released a blue marlin estimated at 450-500 pounds Sunday at the nipple. As for bottom fish, the Legal Dose had 3 snapper over 20 lbs one day along with a nice scamp near 15 lbs and then a 170.4 lb Yellow Fin tuna to top off the box. The kings have been good this weekend and the flounder bite off the Pier was really hot on Monday morning. Around the jetties and the bay the redfish are very good, some flounder and a few trout are being caught. As the weather cools off even more expect the bite to get even better. For those of you that love the elusive red snapper make sure you take advantage of the next 16 days as the snapper season closes November 1st.
PANAMA CITY AND OFFSHORE
The red tide has started to diminish tremendously. Grand Lagoon and St. Andrews Bay are nearly free of any signs of the bloom. Offshore, there are still sporadic patches, but it seems to be vacating our waters. The King Mackeral bite is still slow. 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 Grouper bite is good well offshore 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 very good. 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
Mangrove Snappers are all over the jetties right now. They are easy to catch and great to eat. Use live shrimp or chub minnows with light weight and small hooks for best results. Flounder are starting to move and are still being caught on drop-offs in the bays and on the edges of grass flats. Try the deep channel leading into the Spanish Shante in St. Andrews Bay. 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 and with the cooler weather have been biting throughout 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 biting good again in Grand Lagoon. Gulp, Gold Spoons, Live Shrimp, LY’s, Bull Minnows and Cut Bait are working well. Many more bull reds are starting to move into the pass. Live bull minnows, shrimp and LY’s work best.
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 bluegill bite is hot right now. Fish live crickets and wigglers along the drop offs in 5-6 ft of water to catch some slabs.
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/
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.
