Salt Water
MEXICO BEACH/PORT ST JOE OFFSHORE
Expect afternoon thunderstorms and lots of sunshine. Snapper and Grouper have been steady this past week. Reports have the bottom bite in 150-200 feet of water. The Black Snapper bite has been good on near shore structures. Live bait is plentiful and will continue to be easy to catch at the buoys and over wrecks and reefs close in.
The Mahi-Mahi bite has remained strong, but reports have put them further out this week, in the thirty-mile range. Look for weed lines or flotsam. In addition, do not forget to watch for those color changes from blue green to ink blue.
The king mackerel bite is steady over the past week. Look for bait schools around the bottom structure and along the buoy line.
The Spanish bite has slowed this week, but trolling with a mackerel tree and Clarks Spoon is working. You can catch them off the buoy line to east beach and around the cape shoals area.
Wahoo catches at 30-50 mile range, trolling panhandlers and islander lures with ballyhoo are working.
ST JOSEPH BAY
With afternoon thunderstorms popping up in near shore waters, pay attention watch out. The trout bite has been steady both in the head of the bay and over near the peninsula side. Your best bet this week will be along the St. Joe side of the bay across from the hospital for Redfish. Live shrimp are working well and for artificial, use a Capt Mikes spoon. Fish the flats from Pig Island all the way to Pompano Point and you should be able to catch nice trout on top water lures like the Mirrolure top dog juniors.
Flounder continue to bite, but the numbers are not as good as weeks past. Your best beat is still George C. Tapper Bridge, or the PSJ marina.
Pompano are still with us in small numbers, and the hot spots are still the stump hole at Cape San Blas and along the Beach of St Joseph Park.
The Whiting bite is still on with the most fish caught late in the afternoon.
PANAMA CITY OFFSHORE AND BAYS
Chicken Dolphin are all over the place offshore. Tons of weed lines and clumps are present from 3 miles out. Small jigs, spoons and cut bait work well.
King Mackerel are plentiful offshore and near shore. Trolling has picked up while most of the fish are being caught free-lining live baits.
The Red Snapper bite has slowed slightly in state waters while the fish in federal waters are still biting very well. Best baits include chunked Cigar minnows, squid, live shrimp and small Pinfish.
Grouper are being caught over hard bottom areas from 7 – 25 miles out with larger fish being caught from 35-45 miles off. 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!
ST. ANDREWS BAY SYSTEM
Trout are feeding on the flats now. Bayous with nice grass points are producing well and target the deeper grass flats with live shrimp under a popping cork for best results.
Redfish are being caught all over the bay systems. Throw a live shrimp on a light lead head or weightless for best results. On a high tide, the Redfish will be laying up in the flooded Spartina Grass. Weedless jerk baits and gold spoons will take these fish out of the grass.
DESTIN
What a wonderful week of fishing! We had one customer catch a very nice King Mackerel from his kayak trolling live hardtails near the Miss Louise. They beach launch near Crystal beach and make the several miles offshore each weekend. They also boated several Chicken Dolphin.
Bill Connally and his crew of Tom Perry & Bird Mcbride finished first, second and fourth in the Dolphin division of the Big Bend Saltwater Classic winning $3000.00 and had a sixth place Wahoo weighing 39 lbs. For every fish they weighed they had their name put in a raffle for a 2008 21 foot century center console and Bill won the raffle. They netted out about $43,000. They fished 20 miles Southeast of the Weather Buoy or about 110 miles out of Destin Pass.
Closer to home the King bite at the pier has been good some mornings and then very good in the afternoons. Also at the pier there has been a good supply of Hardtails, Ladyfish and Blues from 5pm until just after dark. They have caught a few Tarpon also this week.
The boats are doing well on Snapper, Grouper and Amberjack. There have been a few reports of very good action on triggers; while this is pleasant surprise we usually don’t get them this good this time of year.
The Tuna bite was very good near the rigs this week and quite a few Marlin hooked, caught and released. One customer brought me a nice package of Yellow Fin Tuna they caught over the weekend and it was wonderful. One night we had it grilled with bacon and the next night we had blackened and it was great.
Trout and Reds have been good very early in the morning and then from 6pm until just after dark. They are getting them drifting the flats with live shrimp and ly’s
Fresh Water
If you get up early, you will find the bass in the shallows, but as the sun comes up, they will move to deeper water. Artificial lures and soft plastics are accounting for the most fish but live shiners are working well in deeper water. Shaky head rigs with straight-tailed worms in black, June bug; black-grape are all fine color choices right now. For bluegill and shell, crackers break out your beetle spins or open a can of worms. Red wigglers fished in the two to four feet of water will fill the skillet.
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.
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