In July, St Joe Bay will be home to several species of our favorite fish. Tripletail will return to their hangouts which include any floating debris, bridge and channel marker pilings, and crab trap buoys. Once sighted, a large fresh shrimp fished below a bobber will provide the angler a delicious fish dinner. The returning anglers will encourage tripletail activity by building their own fish habitat – be aware of FWC rules/regulations. Speckle trout will be in their summer pattern, shallow in the early morning, late evening, and most of the night, and in the deeper channels and potholes in the heat of the day. Soft plastics, top water lures, and live pinfish or finger mullet 3 to 5 inches long on a lightly weighted Carolina rig catches the gator trout. Bull redfish will haunt the shallows, both the weed beds and surf, during hours of darkness looking for an easy meal of bait fish and crabs. Cut bait and live bait will give the angler the most action. Legal size redfish will be found in the bay at the channel ledges and pot holes. Drift fishing the flats with Mirrolures, popping corks with soft plastics or live bait, and plastic jerk baits will cover a lot of prime fishing territory. Spanish mackerel will continue to rip line off reels from Eagle Harbor north to the peninsula tip. Mackerel trolling rigs, Gotcha plugs, and spoons are the best choices for a full ice chest. Flounder will be scattered throughout the bay with the evening hours being the best for shallow water fishing. Targeting the mouth of the St Joe Canal, the flats off Windmark housing area, and the Oil Docks are the locals’ favorite spots. Fishing during daylight hours and flounder gigging at night will guarantee a fun filled experience. Tarpon will be feeding on the prolific schools of baitfish outside St Joe Bay. The Crooked Island area and the Gulf side off the southern end of Cape San Blas are the best locations to find the silver king. Live bait, large soft and hard plastic swimming lures provokes a fishing memory none will forget. Patience is a virtue while fishing for tarpon, because where there is bait there are also sharks and catfish. Catching sharks is exciting and if you are brave enough there are plenty of different sizes and kinds of sharks. From bulls, to hammerheads to the acrobatic spinner sharks in the bay and surrounding areas, the master predators will give you numerous opportunities to test your fish fighting prowess.

Near shore fishing will largely be devoted to king mackerel for that will be the most prolific and exciting fish to catch. Trolling duster rigs with cigar minnow or lipped hard plastic lures will locate many a king. Free lining live bait over reefs is guaranteed to get the fisherman’s heart pounding; a line depleting king mackerel run is an unforgettable experience.

Further off shore red snapper will continue to be sought out for the first half of July. Also, the blue water pelagics, such as Wahoo, sailfish, dolphin, and black fin tuna can be found and brought to the boat.

Gag Grouper opens July 1st and Red Snapper closes July 10th so it will be time to switch gears and head to a little deeper water and bigger baits for grouper with snapper season ending. 
 
Bottom Fishing
For grouper the best fishing will be 100 to 300 foot depths fishing natural coral bottom, wrecks and man made reefs. Whole northern mackerel, live threadfin herring, live cigar minnows and butterfly jigs will all work well. Along with the grouper you should find a steady supply of red, snapper, triggerfish, vermillion snapper, red grouper and amberjack.
 
Trolling Nearshore
Kings are the main focus using live baits and lures. Plenty of chicken dolphin and some tuna action will also keep you busy trolling.
 
Trolling Offshore
Offshore fishing stays great inJuly and is a great time to try your hand for wahoo, dolphin, tuna, marlin and swordfish. It is starting to really heat up weather wise so make sure to have some deep diving lures and downriggers for wahoo as they will be going deep looking for cooler water.
 
Surf Fishing
As long as the water in the surf stays nice the pompano, whiting and ladyfish should be easy targets. Plenty of sharks after dark on cut bait.
 
Pier Fishing
When we get weather fronts coming by, early most mornings and in the afternoons when the trade winds blow there will be kings, spanish and bonita. For the kids plenty of ladyfish and hardtails to keep them busy. Should be good numbers of tarpon at the pier most days. 
 
Bay Fishing
Trout on the flats very early and very late in the day. Some good trout action can also be had after dark on docks with lights to attract baitfish. Reds will be in deep water most of the day trying to escape the heat so fish bridges, channels and drop offs near the bayou mouths.

The middle of the summer brings some great early in the morning and late in the afternoon King mackerel fishing. Use a size 4 Hayabusa sabiki rig with a 1 ounce bell sinker to catch live cigar minnows and herring around the pilings of the piers. Take those live baits and attach them to a #4 treble hook with a 40lb single strand wire leader and cast off the very end of the pier.

Spanish will be caught using 7/8 ounce Gotcha plugs with a 30 pound mono leader. Just remember that Spanish are a schooling fish so when they come by the pier get ready for some fast action.

There have been quite a few schools of big bull redfish cruising the second sand bar. Cut cigar minnows, cut squid, and dead shrimp all work very well for these fish. Just remember there is a 18-27 inch slot limit for redfish and most of the fish caught off the pier will be over that 27" limit.

July brings out some fantastic night fishing on our Panama City Beach piers. For some hard head catfish and small one to three foot sharks, use a 3/0 hook with a 50lb wire leader and any kind of cut bait fished right on the bottom. For those wanting something with a little more pull, bring out your big game reels spooled with no less than 80 pound test line. Use a whole Bonita attached to two 14/0 hooks with 1/16 steel cable. Remember to make the leader two to three foot bigger than the shark you want to catch as their bodies are infamous for being rough and breaking leaders. Night fishing is also a little easier on the fishermen as the temperatures are a little more pleasant. Hope everyone has a great fishing month.

King mackerel will be caught early in the morning and late in the day on cigar minnows fished with a #4 treble hook with a 40lb wire leader off the end of the piers.

 

Spanish mackerel will also be caught on Gotcha plugs, silver spoons, and bubble and straw rigs fished erratically close to the surface. Some Bonita will also be caught using the same methods as for Spanish.

 

Those fishing cut bait on the bottom will be catching the occasional small flounder, bluefish, and big bull redfish throughout the day.

 

For those who want to night fish, a good number of Bonita and Remora will be caught on cut squid.

 

For those wanting a little bigger fish, use whole Bonita floated off the end at night for good size bull and black tipped sharks. We have stores located at both piers open 24 hours a day for all your pier fishing needs.

Red is the color for June, why you might ask? Well finally after months of waiting Red Snapper Season is here!!!

Bottom Fishing
First and foremost Red Snapper will be one of the easiest fish to target. Fishing wrecks, man made structure and natural bottom. Anywhere from 50 to 300ft depths will produce. You can jig for them, us live baits or frozen cigar minnows. Using a larger bait will help to get a better grade of fish. Along with the red snapper you should find a steady supply of triggerfish, vermillion snapper, red grouper and amberjack.

Trolling Nearshore
Kings are the main focus using live baits and lures. Plenty of chicken dolphin and some tuna action.

Trolling Offshore
With the nice June weather and several tournaments along the coast now is a great time to try your hand for wahoo, dolphin, tuna, marlin and swordfish.

Surf Fishing
Pompano should be around unless the seaweed starts to accumulate in the surf. There is a summer bloom of alge we call June grass, sometimes it starts in June and last about 6 weeks some years it does not happen until August. As long as the water in the surf stays nice the pompano, whiting and ladyfish should be easy targets. Plenty of sharks after dark on cut bait.

Pier Fishing
When we get weather fronts coming by, early most mornings and in the afternoons when the trade winds blow there will be kings, spanish and bonita. For the kids plenty of ladyfish and hardtails to keep them busy.

Bay Fishing
Trout on the flats very early and very late in the day. Some good trout action can also be had after dark on docks with lights to attract baitfish. Reds will be in deep water most of the day trying to escape the heat so fish bridges, channels and drop offs near the bayou mouths.

June will be the hot month for all types of fishing in the Port Saint Joe area. Blue water fishing, bottom fishing, surf fishing, bay fishing, and freshwater fishing – were any left out? The biggest anticipated fishing event will be the red snapper season opening June 1. The present abundance of large red snapper being caught (and released) by fishermen while fishing for other species foretells an awesome red snapper season. Remember the quantity limits and release unharmed the smaller snapper for you will surely catch larger ones. The bait of choice will be the larger frozen mackerel and live bait, such as hard tails, grunts, squirrel fish, and pin fish. The savvy fisherman will have live bait on hand before going fishing thus saving valuable fishing time. This is where large holding pens for live bait come in handy. Artificial lures will also bring in the larger snapper; Williamson jigs, Shimano Lucanus jigs, and Diamond jigs are a few of the popular ones. And grouper will be in the same general areas as the red snapper so be prepared. Remember Gag grouper cannot be kept this month. Don’t be caught unaware, cobia, king mackerel, and amberjack will be above the same snapper reefs, have an extra rod & reel ready for the bonus fish for you will surely reach your snapper limit early. And if any floating debris is sighted while motoring to/from your bottom fishing hot spots a large fresh dead shrimp tossed along side will provide a dolphin for the ice box. Bird activity will also pinpoint kings and Spanish mackerel feeding, and if Spanish mackerel are around you can beat there are plenty of large predator fish nearby.

Inshore, with the water temperature getting warmer, the bait fish will be thick and so will be the redfish, trout, and flounder. This past spring fishing action has been fantastic and I don’t see a slowdown in June, only more species showing up in greater numbers, such as tripletail and tarpon. The trout and redfish will still be in the shallow grass flats in the early morning and at twilight, hitting top water lures or that favorite soft plastic shrimp imitation below a popping cork. The Windmark area and around Eagle Harbor are likely opportunities for gator trout. The potholes and channels fished with light-weighted Carolina rigged live shrimp will give mid-day fishermen plenty of action. June rain showers will boost the fish activity right before, during, and immediately after – the weather’s change of pace will trigger a feeding frenzy.

Surf fishermen will still be targeting pompano with live sand fleas, jigs, fresh dead shrimp, and bottom rigs baited with Fish Bites. The washes between sandbars are favorite spots. And with the clear Jun water boat fishermen will be sight fishing with their lucky pompano jigs. Be ready for the hungry cobia that will surely appear in the shallow water when you least expect it! At night from the beach, the shark fishermen will experience the adrenalin rush of a large shark testing the reel’s drag system and stripping line from the reel at an unbelievable rate. The larger sharks will have arrived and will consume the largest bonita or stingray offered.

What a great place to fish, live, play; enjoy the Forgotten Coast!

SURF FISHING
June is the start of the real summer here in the panhandle. The temperatures will continue to climb and we will see our usual thunderstorms pop up. The Pompano fishing will most likely slow a little this month. The Spanish mackerel will still be around, but not in the numbers you saw in the spring. Ladyfich (skipjack) will be available all summer long, there may be some Bluefish mixed in with them. From here on out it is best to fish early in the morning and late afternoons. Fishing the hottest part of the day can be very slow.

SOUNDS, BAYS AND RIVERS
The grass flats will remain a great place to fish this month. A lot of the gamefish will remain here for the spring, summer and early fall. They will be feeding on the shrimp, menhaden and pinfish that make their home there. This is a good time to try some shallow water sight fishing early in the morning for Redfish and Trout. There is also some great top water fishing opportunities for the Speckled Trout. Flounder will be invading the bays and sounds too. All these species are structure oriented fish and you should pay attention to docks, bridge pilings, oyster bars and drop offs. Early morning and late afternoon will be the better times to fish.

NEARSHORE GULF
This month will offer a lot of the same fishing opportunities. The Reds should be available to bottom fisherman, but on occasion the Redfish get on top and can provide some excellent top water fishing. The schools of Spanish mackerel will be in the pass and some King mackerel will be mixed in with them. The Bonita and occasional Bluefish will be near the pass as well and offer some great light tackle angling. Be sure to check out the buoys in and near the pass, this time of year they will hold some Cobia. Trolling for King mackerel and Spanish mackerel just outside the pass and along the beach will bring many angling opportunities. Don’t be surprised if you hook into a bull Redfish, monster Jack Crevalle, Cobia or even a Dolphin.

OFFSHORE GULF
June doesn’t change this fishery much either. The King mackerel should be on the beach or very near it along with the Spanish mackerel. Slow trolling live baits, spoons or Duster rigs are very effective. The Grouper, Scamp and Amberjack bite should remain good in 100 to 200 plus feet of water and possibly less. Don’t forget that Red Snapper now has a season and be sure to check out when it opens and closes. The Trigger fish bite will be good this month as well. As warmer water continues to push its way to the north the Dolphin, Wahoo and other game fish will become more accessible.

May is a great month to be in Destin, before Memorial Day it is fairly quiet in town and you can have great fishing without the crowds.

Inshore---Plenty of Redfish around the bridges, most structure and on the flats. Trout will be on the flats and most boat docks. Sheepshead will be around the bridge pilings and jetties biting on live shrimp and sand fleas.

Pier Fishing---There should be Kings most mornings and in the afternoon when the wind is blowing. Spanish, Pompano, Bonito and Whiting will be caught almost daily.

Surf Fishing---Pompano, whiting and ladyfish most all day and plenty of sharks at night.

Trolling Near Shore---Kings will be the main target; they will be mixed with Bonito, Black Fin tuna, Spanish mackerel and some Chicken Dolphin.

Trolling Offshore---Wahoo, Bull Dolphin and tuna will be 20 to 30 miles offshore. Blue and White marlin should be on rips and grass lines 30 to 60 miles offshore.

Bottom Fishing---Lots of choices for bottom fishing in May, close to the beach in 60 to 150 depths you will find scamp, triggerfish, mingo snapper and some red grouper. Going a little deeper 125 to 300ft you will find a better grade of red grouper, scamp, amberjack, almaco jacks and some black grouper. And lastly fishing 300 to 600ft deep there will be some nice snowy grouper, yellow eye grouper and some swordfish.

SURF FISHING
May is here and everything should be in full swing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us and bring very little wind. The Pompano fishing should remain good all this month. . The Spanish mackerel should be attacking anything that resembles a small bait fish, and the skip jack (Ladyfish) will begin to show themselves more as well. You may even find some Spanish mackerel, Bluefish and Skipjack crashing schools of glass minnow's right on the beach. From here on out the weather and the fishing will continue to get hotter.

SOUNDS, BAYS AND RIVERS
All the fish have returned from the rivers to the grass flats to feed and grow on the ever present bait fish and shrimp. They will remain here for the spring, summer and early fall. This is a good time to try some shallow water sight fishing early in the morning for Redfish and Trout. There is also some great top water fishing opportunities for the Speckled Trout.  Flounder will be invading the bays and sounds too. All these species are structure oriented fish and you should pay attention to docks, bridge pilings and oyster bars and drop offs.

NEARSHORE GULF
Don't overlook the pass for some oversized Redfish fun. The Reds should be available to bottom fisherman, but on occasion the Redfish get on top and can provide some excellent top water fishing. The schools of Spanish mackerel will be in the pass and some King mackerel will be mixed in with them. The Bonita and occasional Bluefish will be near the pass as well and offer some great light tackle angling. Be sure to check out the buoys in and near the pass, this time of year they will hold some Cobia. Trolling for King mackerel and Spanish mackerel just outside the pass and along the beach will bring many angling opportunities. Don't be surprised if you hook into a bull Redfish, monster Jack Crevalle, Cobia or even a Dolphin.

OFFSHORE GULF
The King mackerel should be on the beach or very near it along with the Spanish mackerel. Slow trolling live baits, spoons or Duster rigs are very effective.  The Grouper, Scamp and Amberjack bite should remain good in 100 to 200 plus feet of water and possibly less. Don't forget that Red Snapper now has a season and be sure to check out when it opens and closes. The Trigger fish bite will be good this month as well. As warmer water continues to push its way to the north the Dolphin, Wahoo and other game fish will become more accessible.

May will continue to have great numbers of Spanish and King mackeral being caught. The early morning and late afternoon bites seem to be the best. Even though the Cobia run has been a little slow here in Panama City Beach this year, the first part of the month will still see a few fish caught on jigs and live eels.

The spring run of Pompano has been excellent so far with great numbers of fish coming at first light and a very good bite the last hour or two of the day. Pompano will be caught on sand fleas and pompano jigs.

There should also be a few big Redfish caught this month as well. These fish are being caught with squid or live and dead minnows fished on the bottom. Just remember the slot limit of 18'-27", most pier fish will be over the maximum slot length.

May brings us one of the first great months for shark fishing off the piers. Those most successful shark anglers will be using cut or whole Bonita with a 12/0 hook attached with a 300-400lb wire leader.

May is one of the most productive months for pier fishing here on Panama City Beach. Grab your rods and come out and enjoy some fantastic fishing.

May will continue to have great numbers of Spanish and King mackeral being caught. The early morning and late afternoon bites seem to be the best. Even though the Cobia run has been a little slow here in Panama City Beach this year, the first part of the month we'll still see a few fish caught on jigs and live eels. The spring run of Pompano has been excellent so far with great numbers of fish coming at first light and a very good bite the last hour or two of the day. Pompano will be caught on sand fleas and Pompano jigs. There should also be a few big Redfish caught this month as well. These fish are being caught with squid or live and dead minnows fished on the bottom. Just remember the slot limit of 18'-27", most pier fish will be over the maximum slot length.

May brings us one of the first great months for shark fishing off the piers. Those most successful shark anglers will be using cut or whole Bonita with a 12/0 hook attached with a 300-400lb wire leader.

May is one of the most productive months for pier fishing here on Panama City Beach. Grab your rods and come out and enjoy some fantastic fishing.

The fishing forecast for May will require an extremely large crystal ball. The lack of typical winter weather this past winter coupled with an amazingly warm spring will only continue to yield outstanding fishing in May. So far in April, Sailfish have been sighted off Crooked Island in twenty foot of water, Tarpon have been hooked off the St Joe Marina seawall, and King mackerel have been landed from the same seawall. Also, the St Joe Bay around Black's Island has given up Triggerfish! Not a standard April.

So here goes the guess-estimate for May – more of the same.

Surf fishing will provide a delicious fare of Pompano, Whiting, and the occasional Bull Redfish. Fresh sand fleas, peeled shrimp, and Fish Bites will entice the wary surf raiders. For extra excitement, Spanish mackerel will play havoc on the unsuspecting surf fishermen. Also, King mackerel will chase baitfish into the surf and the prepared angler could get lucky and hook into a smoker. The sharks will come into the closest sandbar trough during the hours of darkness and can be caught with bonita, skates, or rays.

St Joe Bay fishing will be smorgasbord of fish. Trout will be gorging themselves on greenback baitfish in the shallows during twilight hours and at the edges of channels during the day. Schools of redfish will be travelling the outside weedline from Eagle Harbor north and around the flats off Windmark. Flounder will be in the potholes in the grass flats and in the channels during the day and in the shallow sand flats near the mouth of the intercoastal waterway at night – excellent time and location for fun-filled gigging expedition.  

Offshore reefs will be the place to find amberjack, snapper, and grouper – just keep abreast of the most recent regulations. Sheepshead will be at the channel markers off Mexico Beach and dolphin will be around any floating debris 6-10 miles offshore. Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association, MBARA, has an excellent website and marked reef sites for public use. Wahoo and other pelagics will be relative close-in with warm water and ballyhoo getting closer to the beaches than in the recent past. 

Get out and enjoy the Forgotten Coast, the outdoors is a wonderful place for family, friends, and fish!

SURF FISHING
May is here and everything should be in full swing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us and bring very little wind. The Pompano fishing should remain good all this month. . The Spanish mackerel should be attacking anything that resembles a small bait fish, and the skip jack (Ladyfish) will begin to show themselves more as well. You may even find some Spanish mackerel, Bluefish and Skipjack crashing schools of glass minnow's right on the beach. From here on out the weather and the fishing will continue to get hotter.

SOUNDS, BAYS AND RIVERS
All the fish have returned from the rivers to the grass flats to feed and grow on the ever present bait fish and shrimp. They will remain here for the spring, summer and early fall. This is a good time to try some shallow water sight fishing early in the morning for Redfish. There is also some great top water fishing opportunities for the Speckled Trout.  Flounder will be invading the bays and sounds too. All these species are structure oriented fish and you should pay attention to docks, bridge pilings and oyster bars.

NEARSHORE GULF
Don't overlook the pass for some oversized Redfish fun. The Reds should be available to bottom fisherman, but on occasion the Redfish get on top and can provide some excellent top water fishing. The schools of Spanish mackerel will be in the pass and some King mackerel will be mixed in with them. The Bonita and occasional Bluefish will be near the pass as well and offer some great light tackle angling. Be sure to check out the buoys in and near the pass, this time of year they will hold some Cobia. Trolling for King mackerel and Spanish mackerel just outside the pass and along the beach will bring many angling opportunities. Don't be surprised if you hook into a bull Redfish, monster Jack Crevalle, Cobia or even a Dolphin.

OFFSHORE GULF
The King mackerel should be on the beach or very near it along with the Spanish mackerel. Slow trolling live baits, spoons or Duster rigs are very effective.  The Grouper, Scamp and Amberjack bite should remain good in 200 plus feet of water and possibly less. Don't forget that Red Snapper now has a season and be sure to check out when it opens and closes. The Trigger fish bite will be good this month as well. As warmer water continues to push its way to the north the Dolphin, Wahoo and other game fish will become more accessible.

Inshore
Everything is pretty much in full swing during May.  You can expect to catch beeliners, triggerfish and amberjack over wrecks and reefs. King mackerel will make their presence during this month. People will generally slow-troll a lipped lure like a Mann's stretch 30, or a duster/cigar minnow combination for the kings. Another very popular and effective way to catch king mackerel is flat-lining a live cigar minnow. Spanish mackerel will be caught along the sand bars as well.

Pier
Pompano, Spanish mackerel, Lady Fish, Blue Fish and King Mackerel will be easy to target from the piers this month.  Pompano can be caught using jigs tipped with shrimp, sand fleas, or fish bites strips; or use a two hook rig weighted with a pyramid sinker.  The Spanish, Lady Fish and Blue Fish can be caught using spoons and gotcha plugs.

Offshore
As the warmer waters move inshore the tuna, dolphin and marlin become reachable. Watch the satellite temperature charts to see where the warm waters are to save time and money. Wahoo and dolphin will show up first with tuna right behind. Many people will troll high- speed lures, such as the panhandler, to find the fish or tide line then use natural or live bait to really focus on the fish. The grouper bite should be very good in water 150+ feet deep.

Bay
The speckled trout and redfish will return to the grassy flats. As the water gets nice and warm during this month the fish will become more active and start hitting top water baits. Live shrimp is still the preferred bait but top water plugs like Yo-Zuri crystal minnow are lots of fun to use. Generally, the better tide to fish is the high tide and the first few hours of the outgoing tide. Bull redfish can be found in the along the jetties. Mangrove snapper will be around most structure in the bay as well as at the jetties. Spanish mackerel will be around all month, and it best to troll with a mackerel tree with a Clark spoon. Early in the month use a size 00 Clark spoon and change to a size 0 mid month as both the Spanish and the baitfish get bigger.

The cooler waters we experience in November should result in excellent surf fishing. Pompano should be cruising the beaches and providing anglers with great action. Not only do pompano put up a good fight on light tackle, they are also excellent table fare. The two main tactics to catch these fish are to bounce a pompano jig off the bottom, or set up a two-hook bottom rig, using fresh shrimp or sand fleas for bait and a Owner 1/0 mutu-lite circle hook attached with 15-20 pound fluorocarbon leaders and a 1 or 2 ounce pyramid style lead. Mixed in with the pompano will be some redfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and whiting.The fall run of blackfin tuna are here this month. Try pulling small tuna tango plugs or small Illander lures with small ballyhoo rigged behind. Try chumming and chunking with small chunks of cut minnows to keep the fish on the feed and near the boat. Once the feeding frenzy has begun simply attach the next chunk of minnow on a 25 pound spinning outfit for some great fun and good eats.Flounder are migrating out of the bay this month and can be targeted at the mouths of creeks and canals as well as any sandy area close to the pass. Live bull minnows, finger mullet or ly's Carolina rigged is a good choice for live baits. Plastic grubs tipped with shrimp or squid bounced along the bottom is a great artificial choice. Trout start to head towards the mouths of the creeks and canals and can be caught on live shrimp, plastic baits under popping corks or a suspending type lure. Redfish will be found in these same areas.

The big bull redfish will be running in full swing on the beaches this month. Most anglers will be using live bull minnows or small pinfish. Try using a basic Carolina rig but instead of an egg sinker use a pyramid type, which will allow the weight to stay put. Attach live bait to a 3/0 Owner mutu-light circle hook with no more than 30 pound leader. Putting your rod into a sand spike will allow you to fish multiple rods at once. Cooling gulf water combined with the warmer water pushing out of the bays this month bring spanish mackerel to the jetties in huge schools. Try using bubble and straw rigs early into the morning and switch to Gotcha plugs as the day warms up. Most experienced spanish mackerel fishermen will fish a #1 Clark spoon with 3 feet of 50 pound mono behind a 2 ounce casting weight. By letting the spoon fall to the bottom after the cast and rapidly retrieving it back you will catch more than you can eat.October brings a wide variety of species into the piers. Spanish will be caught all day long on bubble and straw rig and Gotcha plugs. Kings will show strong runs early mornings and late afternoons, try fishing live baits caught on the pier pilings with stinger rigs. Flounder will be caught using heavy grubs and live bull minnows fished right along the base of the pilings. The first of the pompano and whiting will also start to show towards the end of the month.The fall run of large wahoo will be here in good numbers in the middle of the month. Try trolling large Yo-Zuri bonita lures in purple or black and orange. Many locals also like pulling locally made Marlin Man heavy head panhandler lures because they have found that they can troll these at a bit faster pace (up to 13 knots) and cover more water this way. Whichever bait you use, be sure to check your drags frequently as the initial strike will be a rod bending, drag- screaming affair.Trout fishermen are finding some nice gator-size fish working the flats hard in the early morning hours. Try throwing floating Mirro-lure plugs for the first few hours of daylight. Big bull reds will be caught around the pass using cut bait and large topwater plugs. On an outgoing tide try the areas just off the points of both jetties. Flounder will also start the migration towards the mouth of the pass to move offshore where they will spawn. Try fishing 1/4 ounce jigheads with root beer colored jig bodies around deepwater point and the kiddie pool.

The king mackerel will be the hottest bite near shore this month. Troll lipped plugs or cigar minnow/duster combos for best results. Find the bait clusters and you will find the kings. Mahi-Mahi dolphin will still be in the area around weed lines and patches. Usually September is the last month you will find them in our inshore waters, as they will migrate to warmer waters for the winter. Usually in September we see the red snapper bite turn on a bit as well.The water temps offshore should still be warm enough this month to still hold plenty of wahoo, dolphin, marlin (white & blue) and swordfish. The offshore bottom fishing generally picks up this month as well.September is typically a very good month to be fishing in the bays. The water is starting to cool off just a bit and you can generally catch nicer fish throughout the day. Live shrimp and finger mullet or small pinfish should be great bait for both the trout and redfish. Spanish mackerel will still be caught in the bay this month, but if you want them, this will likely be the last month of the year you can find them in our waters, as they will begin to migrate out of our area. Speaking of migrating, towards the middle to the end of the month the flounder will begin their fall migration out of the bay and into the gulf to spawn for the winter. This is an excellent time to target them around most sandy areas of the bay using a live bull minnow or plastic grub for bait.

Everything is pretty much in full swing during April. Cobia will be migrating along the beaches. Blue Fish, Lady Fish, Pompano, Whiting, Jack Crevalle, and Spanish mackerel will be roaming the beaches.You can expect to catch beeliners, triggerfish and amberjack over wrecks and reefs. Amberjack will be hanging around the bridge spans and bigger wrecks. Red Snapper will be plentiful for some catch and release fun. King mackerel will make their presence later this month. People will generally slow-troll a lipped lure like a Mann's stretch 30, or a duster/cigar minnow combination for the kings. Another very popular and effective way to catch king mackerel is flat-lining a live cigar minnow. Spanish mackerel will be caught along the sand bars as well.The speckled trout and redfish will return to the grassy flats. As the water gets nice and warm during this month the fish will become more active and start hitting top water baits. Live shrimp is still the preferred bait but top water plugs like Yo-Zuri crystal minnow are lots of fun to use. Generally, the better tide to fish is the high tide and the first few hours of the outgoing tide. Bull redfish can be found in the past between the number 5 buoy and the jetty, again on an outgoing tide. Mangrove snapper will be around most structure in the bay as well as at the jetties. Spanish mackerel will be around all month, and it best to troll with a mackerel tree with a Clark spoon. Early in the month use a size 00 Clark spoon and change to a size 0 mid month as both the Spanish and the baitfish get bigger.

Everything is pretty much in full swing during May. A few Cobia will still be around and can be caught along the beaches. Blue Fish, Lady Fish, Pompano, Whiting, Jack Crevalle, and Spanish mackerel will be roaming the beaches.Dan Russell Pier is Open for fishing with the outlying buildings scheduled to open sometime around July 4th Weekend! Great fishing on the Pier right now. Pompano, Whiting, King Mackerel, and Spanish mackerel will be biting all month.As the warmer waters move inshore the tuna, dolphin and marlin become reachable. Watch the satellite temperature charts to see where the warm waters are to save time and money. Wahoo and dolphin will show up first with tuna right behind. Many people will troll high- speed lures, such as the panhandler, to find the fish or tide line then use natural or live bait to really focus on the fish. The grouper bite should be very good in water 150+ feet deep. You can expect to catch beeliners, triggerfish and amberjack over wrecks and reefs. King mackerel will make their presence during this month. People will generally slow-troll a lipped lure like a Mann's stretch 30, or a duster/cigar minnow combination for the kings. Another very popular and effective way to catch king mackerel is flat-lining a live cigar minnow. Spanish mackerel will be caught along the sand bars as well. Amberjack will be hanging around the bridge spans and bigger wrecks.The speckled trout and redfish will return to the grassy flats. As the water gets nice and warm during this month the fish will become more active and start hitting top water baits. Live shrimp is still the preferred bait but top water plugs like Yo-Zuri crystal minnow are lots of fun to use. Generally, the better tide to fish is the high tide and the first few hours of the outgoing tide. Bull redfish can be found in the past between the number 5 buoy and the jetty, again on an outgoing tide. Mangrove snapper will be around most structure in the bay as well as at the jetties. Spanish mackerel will be around all month, and it best to troll with a mackerel tree with a Clark spoon. Early in the month use a size 00 Clark spoon and change to a size 0 mid month as both the Spanish and the baitfish get bigger.

The water will start to cool down this month and it will make the surf fishing really good. This should be the hottest month for catching Pompano in the surf. Live sand fleas are the bait of choice. However, they will hit live shrimp, frozen shrimp, frozen sand fleas and Pompano jigs. Bonita, Spanish Mackerel, Skipjack (ladyfish), Bluefish and Redfish will be in the surf as well. Cast