Panhandle Fishing Report 4-24-08

Report for 04/24/2008

Salt Water

PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Snapper season opened in state waters on the 15th with a bang! There seems to be no shortage of Red Snapper in our waters. Boats are catching their limits in short order. Best baits include chunked cigar minnows, squid, live shrimp and small pinfish. The boundary line for State Waters is out to 9 miles. Be sure to go outside of 9 miles for your Grouper and AJ’s before catching your Snapper limit! FWC will be watching. The Federal Snapper season opens June 1st. At that time all boats fishing for reef fish will be required to use a Venting Tool, De-hooker and Non-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks.
The Grouper bite is still going strong! Excellent reports coming out of the 5-10 mile mark. Several Black and Red Grouper and Scamp are being caught within state waters over hard bottom areas. Live bait and butterflied Spanish Mackerel are the best bet.
Amberjack remain plentiful over several of the Bridge Spans with larger fish being caught farther offshore. Live bait, Williamson Jigs, and Butterfly Jigs will bring savage strikes!
Spanish Mackerel are being caught in large numbers. Try the jetties, inside St. Andrews Bay and along the sand bars off the beach.
The Cobia bite is hot and cold. Some days are much better than others. An 84# fish was weighed at the store on Wednesday! Live Eels and Jigs are all you need.

ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM


84LB Cobia Caught by Mark Hamilton on the Fly-N-Fish


Our very own Half Hitch employee Marian Mazczsak with a 27LB Bull Redfish!

Sheepshead are still around the jetties, although not as plentiful as earlier this month. They will take live shrimp and fiddler crabs readily. Use a Carolina rig with a #4 hook, 15-20# fluorocarbon leader and light lead for best results. Trout are feeding on the flats now. Target the deeper grass flats with live shrimp under a popping cork for best results. Redfish are still working the pass in good numbers. Live Shrimp and Pin Fish are the baits of choice. Large schools have been roaming Grand Lagoon around the State Park and Bay Point. These schooling fish can be very spooky, so a quite approach with long casts will work the best. Throw a live Shrimp on a light lead head or weightless for best results. Pompano are being caught along the beaches in greater numbers. Most fish will be on the inside edge of the first sand bar. Throw a jig tipped with shrimp, sand fleas, or gulp. They are also being caught using frozen sand fleas and shrimp, rigged on a 2 hook leader and pyramid sinker.

DESTIN
What a great week of fishing! The weather is finally turned for the good, nice temps, mild wind and calmer seas. Highlights of the week include a 91lb Cobia on the Finest Kind and a 68lb Cobia on the Mother Load by a 12 year old girl. She threw at it, hooked and landed the fish.

A friend of mine, Capt Phil Rooks said that his charter boat the Fish Finder did not have a trip on Tuesday, so he and I went out looking for Cobia with another friend and his girl friend. We fished west of Destin near Navarre for about 4 hours before we spotted our first Cobia. It turned out to be a great day we saw 4 fish and caught all 4. The fish weighed about 25, 35, 40 and 45lbs. (See Pictures Below)



The Snapper has been very good with plenty of Snapper, a few Grouper and good numbers of Jacks.
Along the beaches the Pompano bite has been awesome, a few Whiting and a couple of Reds.
On the pier the action has been slow to medium. Only a few Pompano, a couple good Spanish runs and a couple Cobia.

Half Hitch Tackle
850-234-2621
2206 Thomas Dr
Panama City, Fl 32408
www.halfhitch.com/

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.