We had dark tea colored water all 7 days. The water temperature has cooled slightly and has been from 80.2 to 85.1 degrees during this report period. The following species were caught during the week: Red Drum, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Pompano, Flounder, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Yellowtail Jacks, Sailfish, Hardtails, Alewives and a few Cigar minnows.
We had several days with multiple King Mackerel caught. The early morning bite was best, but a few were scattered throughout the day. Both natural bait and lures got strikes. There were no big fish caught but several in the teens hit the deck. Here are a few shots from the week’s catch:
The 2024 BCO King Mackerel Tournament began Sunday morning. As of present, we have 98 anglers registered. Registration will remain open throughout the tournament. More information is listed below in this report. A few very small Kings were caught. However, no anglers chose to weigh the small fish. Today, there were two King Mackerel entered into the tournament. About 10:45, Taras B., a visiting angler decked a 10-pound 5-ounce King. Taras is now sitting in 1st place. Then about 3:15om, Marisela P hooked her King and brought it to the scale. Marisela’s fish was 8-pounds 13-ounces and puts her in second place. The two pictures are quite deceiving since Marisela is very petit which makes her fish look much bigger.
Spanish Mackerel were around all week and good numbers were caught. Many of the fish were too small to keep but some nice fish were decked. Here’s one example of the better size fish caught.
Skinny water was productive this period. Flounder, Pompano and Red Drum were caught. Usually, most of our Red Drum are over-slot but this week, we saw several keepers. Chuck, Ivan, Brenda and Gary were among the anglers that invited their catches for dinner.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 83.5 – 85.1 Red Drum, Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, 2 dozen King Mackerel, one Sailfish hooked, Hardtails, Alewives and a few Cigar Minnows.
Friday: water temp 83.5 – 84.2 Lots of “scoolie” Kings, a few Spanish, Red Drum, Alewives, Hardtails and Cigar minnows
Saturday: water temp 83.3 – 83.1 Ladyfish.
Sunday: water temp 82.8 Early morning-Two very small Kings, a couple of Bonita,a few tiny Spanish, Dan from Atlanta got a Sailfish back to the pier and broke off, Lots of Ladyfish
Monday: water temp 80.6 – 83.7 Water dirty. Nothing but Remora and Pinfish. A few Alewives showed after noon.
Tuesday: water temp.80.4 – 82.4 Slow morning. Afternoon saw a few Spanish, Flounder, Bluefish, Pompano and a lot of Lady fish. Several Tarpon schools passed but no bites.
Wednesday: water temp 80.2 – 83.3 A few small King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Lady fish, a couple of Red Drum, Hardtails, Yellowtail Jacks, and Alewives. One Sailfish hooked for about 5 seconds. Several Tarpon schools passed but no bites.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
2024 Bay County Outdoors King Mackerel Tournament
BAY COUNTY OUTDOORS (BCO) in cooperation with Bay County Recreation is promoting a King Mackerel Pier Tournament on the M. B. Miller Pier. Registration is FREE! It is simple to register and only requires your Name, contact Phone Number and Email. The Six Week Tournament began at 05:00 a.m. Sunday, October 06, 2024, and will end Sunday, November 17th. at 6:00 p.m.
Registration is FREE. You can enter by sending your Name, contact E-mail and your Phone Number to Sam by Texting, Messenger or E-mail here: Text-770-265-2879 or E-mail- SLP053@BELLSOUTH.net
Tournament prizes will be fishing tackle, provided by the following sponsors: Rapala and 3rd Coast Lures, NO CASH. There will be two places:
1st: $500.00 equivalent of tackle
2nd: $350.00 equivalent of tackle
Sam Patrick will be the Tournament Official to weigh and record all entries. He will weigh fish Sundays through Fridays between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm and on Saturdays between 1:00pm and 6:00pm. If he is not on the pier, you can call him at: 770-265-2879 during the listed weigh-in hours. If you weigh-in the top two fish by weight, you can win both places. In case of a tie, the first fish weighed will take the lead in that category. The fish must be caught from the M.B. Miller Pier. The fish must be hooked and caught by a single angler using a lure or natural bait. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) laws and regulations, all Bay County Pier regulations, and Tournament Rules must be followed, or the angler will be disqualified.
Tournament Rules
1: Tournament begins 05:00 a.m. October 06 and ends November 17, 6:00 p.m. and will award a 1st and 2nd place winner.
2: Fish must be caught from the M. B. Miller (County) Pier.
3: Fish must be hooked and caught by a single angler using a lure or natural bait. No assistance landing the fish other than by a net or gaff.
4: Anglers must be registered with Bay County Outdoors - King Mackerel Tournament prior to entering a catch. Registration is free and only requires your name, email, and a contact phone number.
5: Sam Patrick is the designated Tournament Official and will register and certify all entries.
6: Rapala and 3rd Coast Lures are the prize sponsors.
7: Official weigh-in will be between 10:00am and 6:00pm Sundays through Fridays and between 1:00pm and 6:00pm on Saturdays. Sam can be contacted at 770-265-2879 during the official weigh-in times to enter a catch.
8: In the event of a tying weight fish, the first caught will take priority. A single angler may win both 1st and 2nd place with two qualifying fish.
9: All Tournament rules, FWC laws, Bay County Recreation and Pier rules must be followed, or the angler will be disqualified
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Thursday Oct. 17, 2024 New Moon Friday Nov. 01, 2024 -
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:41am Sunset: 6:17pm
Friday 3:23pm Low 0.2 3:23am High 1.9
Saturday 4:01pm Low 0.2 4:41am High 1.8
Sunday 4:29pm Low 0.4 6:30am High 1.7
Monday 4:41pm Low 0.7 8:23am High 1.6
10:44pm High 1.0
Tuesday 2:51am Low 0.9 10:07am High 1.4
4:30pm Low 0.9 10:16pm High 1.2
Wednesday 16th. 4:42am Low 0.7 12:13pm High 1.2
3:11pm Low 1.2 9:38pm High 1.4
Sunrise: 6:45am Sunset: 6:11pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next seve
FRIDAY
Northeast winds 20 to 25 knots, diminishing to 15 to 20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet. Wave Detail: North 6 feet at 6 seconds. Protected waters rough.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave Detail: Northeast 4 feet at 5 seconds and northeast 2 feet at 2 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
SATURDAY
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Wave Detail: Northeast 3 feet at 5 seconds and northeast 2 feet at 2 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
MONDAY
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
MONDAY NIGHT
West winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less, then around 2 feet after midnight. Protected waters a moderate chop.
(local forecast).
FRIDAY (80/58 rain 01% wind NE-10)
SATURDAY (80/62 rain 03% wind NNE-06)
SUNDAY (82/70 rain 02% wind WNW-05)
MONDAY (85/64 rain 04% wind W-10)
TUESDAY (78/56 rain 15% wind N-13)
WEDNESDAY(72/54 rain 01% wind NNE-12)
PIER MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bay County Parks and Recreation – 5304 Majetti Tower Road Panama City, FL 32404
850-248-8730
Vince Martin – Bay Co. Parks Division Manager - vmartin@baycountyfl.gov - 850-896-6580
Timothy Pentice- Bay Co. Asst. Div. Mgr. – tprentice@baycountyfl.gov – 448-217-4219
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
SLP053@BELLSOUTH.NET
770-265-2879
