It was a productive 7 days at the pier. Water conditions were good and the temperature hovered between 68 and 72 degrees. Bait was around most of the period and the bite was good. A variety of species were caught including King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Pompano, Bonita, Flounder, Sheepshead, Rabbit fish (Smooth Puffer) and Cobia. Squid and Cigar minnows were around. Pin fish have arrived!
Cobia anglers have been spending hours on the rail looking for that slob to come in. Sunday afternoon their patience paid off as Hachid made his jig connect to the first Cobia for the year. The battle got a little intense close to one of the pilings, but he was able to force the fish to Casey B. for the perfect gaff. High fives and excitement erupted as Hachid was congratulated for his catch. It weighed 37 pounds. Another under size Cobia was hooked on a Gotcha Monday afternoon but was lost to a pulled hook before we could get the net into the water.
King Mackerel were missing most of the period. Only two fish would be decked. Friday, Jose got a 14.5 pound fish and Saturday morning, Jessee W. decked a smoker. Jessee’s fish was 30 pounds. The rest of the period would result in only a few bites, but no fish caught.
The Spanish Mackerel bite has been outstanding. Many limits of Spanish were caught. The standard lures and live bait got their attention. Most fish were average size but a few were caught that could be considered ”axe handle” fish. Thursday was the slow day but it was on fire after that. Anthony B. and his crew made a turn and burn drive from out of state but it paid off with all getting their limit. Ben and George got big Spanish. Many other anglers filled their coolers with their limit.
Red Drum have been in the shallows and Friday they kept Chuck O. hopping. He would hook fish back to back ending his day with a 34, 32.5, 30 and 24 inch Red, not counting the ones lost. Live small Cigar minnows were the bait of choice.
Pompano have been here most every day. Good catches were recorded during the past 7 days. Several anglers caught their limit using both set rigs and jigs. It didn’t hurt to have a Sand Flee tipper to tempt a bite. Butch F. and Joe C. were only a couple of the anglers to get nice catches.
Flounder are not completely gone as Mikel found out today. He was fishing a small Cigar minnow hoping for a slot Red when he got hit. He didn’t expect to see a Flounder on his hook but what a bonus. Guess what was on the menu for dinner.
Casey W. was jigging his Sabiki rig trying to get a live Cigar minnow when suddenly his rig got hammered. The fight was on. He couldn’t put much pressure on the fish because of the light tackle. He did manage to bring the fish to the surface, and everyone was surprised to see what had hit his rig. A 7-pound Sheepshead. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 68.4 – 68.9 One Spanish Mackerel
Friday: water temp 68.9 71.1 Chuck O:first Red of the day was 34" and a beast. That fight lasted about 5 minutes since he ran me about 80yds off the Pier. Second was a 32 1/2", third was 24", and fourth was 30"; Spanish Mackerel, A couple of Pompano, One King Mackerel with two others lost and three more missed, one Smooth Puffer, One Sheepshead caught on a Sabiki rig, Cigar minnows and Pin fish.
Saturday: water temp 71.1 – 70.9 One King, few Spanish and Pompano
Sunday: water temp 70.9 – 72.1 First Cobia of the year decked, Lots of Spanish, a few Pompano, one King hit but no hook-up
Monday: water temp 72.0 – 73.0 Spanish Mackerel and Pompano, one small Cobia hooked and lost, Cigar minnows
Tuesday: water temp 72.7 – 70.5 A few Spanish Mackerel
Wednesday: water temp 70.5 – 69.3 Pompano, a few Spanish Mackerel and Bonita, a Flounder, Squid, a few Cigar minnows
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Bay County, and at background concentrations in two samples collected from Gulf County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Tuesday Mar. 21, 2023 Full Moon Wednesday Apr. 05, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:34am Sunset: 7:00pm
Friday 4:53am Low -0:2 6:53pm High 1.1
Saturday 5:19am Low -0.1 8:04pm High 1.1
Sunday 5:25am Low 0.0 9:07pm High 1.0
Monday 5:13am Low 0.2 11:49am High 0.5
2:43pm Low 0.5 10:15pm High 0.9
Tuesday 5:07am Low 0.3 11:18am High 0.6
4:40pm Low 0.4 11:32pm High 0.7
Wednesday 05th. 4:54am Low 0.5 11:06am High 0.8
5:56pm Low 0.2
Sunrise: 6:26am Sunset: 7:04pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
FRIDAY
Southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a
dominant period of 4 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY NIGHT
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 4 feet with
a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SATURDAY
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 4 feet with
a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
West winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 3 feet
with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a light
chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the
evening.
SUNDAY
North winds around 10 knots, becoming east in the
afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds.
Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light
chop.
MONDAY
Southeast winds around 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light
chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light
chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (76/61 rain 04% wind ESE-09)
FRIDAY (77/70 rain 08% wind SSE-16)
SATURDAY (77/59 rain 59% wind SW-15)
SUNDAY (76/63 rain 06% wind E-09)
MONDAY (76/68 rain 52% wind SE-12)
TUESDAY (80/71 rain 22% wind SSE-13)
WEDNESDAY(80/70 rain 23% wind SSE-14)
PIER MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bay County Parks and Recreation – 5304 Majetti Tower Road Panama City, FL 32404
850-248-8730
Joy Saddler – Bay Co. Parks Division Manager –850-248-8730
Vince Martin – Bay Co. Asst. Parks Division Manager - vmartin@baycountyfl.gov - 850-896-6580
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
