We enjoyed clean water over the past 7 days. The water temperature has been as low as 64.4 and as warm as 68.2. Flounder and Spanish Mackerel were the catches of the week with one last day of King Mackerel bites There was also Bonita in the mix. Other catches for the week were small Sharks, Red Drum, Cigar minnows and Alewives.
Thursday morning brought a surprise as we had one more day with a good King Mackerel bite. It started very early and was over by mid-morning. There were over a dozen hit the deck with the largest about 20-pounds. Along with the Kings were lots of winter Bonita. The report was 26 were landed. The Spanish Mackerel turned on too with some anglers getting their limit. Here’s a shot of a mixed group of fish caught.
The remainder of the week was Flounder, Spanish Mackerel and an occasional Red Drum. There were lots of Spanish but other than a couple of fish, they were 15-inches and smaller. Lots of Flounder were caught with about one in five caught being legal. Bull minnows or belly strips fished on a Carolina rig seemed to get the most action.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 65.7 – 68.2 Over a dozen King Mackerel, 25 Bonita and lots of Spanish Mackerel early morning. Flounder and Spanish the remainder of the day. Cigar minnows and Alewives but not thick.64.2 – 66.4 Flounder, a few Spanish Mackerel, small Sharks, only a few Cigar minnows and Alewives -
Friday: water temp 64.8 – 65.8 Flounder and a few Spanish Mackerel
Saturday: water temp 65.1 – 65.7 Flounder, one Red Drum, and a few Spanish Mackerel and Whiting
Sunday: water temp 65.1 – 66.4 Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, Cigar minnows and Alewives.
Monday: water temp 66.4 – 67.3 Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, one 28” Red Drum, two small Bonita, only a few Cigar minnows and Alewives.
Tuesday: water temp.66.7
Wednesday: water temp 66.9 – 65.8 Midnight was the high and the temp dropped all day. The wind increased, and the water got rough. Gale force gusts. The water temp had dropped to 65.8 by 5:00 p.m.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations in one sample collected offshore of Pasco County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Sunday Dec. 15, 2024 New Moon Monday Dec. 30, 2024 -
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:29am Sunset: 4:43pm
Thursday 12th 4:57am Low -0.4 6:38pm High 1.5
Friday 5:48am Low -0.6 7:12pm High 1.6
Saturday 6:45am Low -0.8 7:58pm High 1.7
Sunday 7:43am Low -0.9 8:51pm High 1.7
Monday 8:36am Low -0.9 9:46pm High 1.6
Tuesday 9:24am Low -0.8 10:38pm High 1.5
Wednesday 18th. 10:03am Low -0.7 11:20pm High 1.3
Sunrise: 6:33am Sunset: 4:45pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave Detail: West 4 feet at 8 seconds and northeast 3 feet at 4 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
THURSDAY NIGHT
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Wave Detail: East 4 feet at 5 seconds and west 1 foot at 7 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Wave Detail: East 4 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY NIGHT
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet. Wave Detail: East 4 feet at 4 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers after midnight.
SATURDAY
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet. Wave Detail: East 5 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers in the morning.
SATURDAY NIGHT
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers in the evening, then a chance of showers after midnight.
SUNDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop.
MONDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop.
MONDAY NIGHT
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (59/42 rain 02% wind NE-11)
FRIDAY (67/52 rain 02% wind ENE-11)
SATURDAY (70/57 rain 05% wind ENE-13)
SUNDAY (73/57 rain 06% wind E-11)
MONDAY (72/59 rain 08% wind ESE-09)
TUESDAY (72/53 rain 16% wind NNW-08)
WEDNESDAY(69/53 rain 06% wind ENE-07)
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
