The weather was fantastic, and we had clean water. The water temperature continues to fall slightly with 62.4 the coolest during this report period to a high of 66.2 today. We are expecting a cold blast coming in on Friday night with nighttime temperatures in the 30’s, so expect the water to cool more for the weekend. The species caught were Whiting, Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, Bluefish, Pompano, Red Drum, Sheepshead, Mullet, Cigar minnows and small Alewives.
The Whiting began coming in Friday with a few caught. Saturday through today, the shallows were thick with small Whiting. Hundreds were caught. Fishbites, fresh Shrimp, and cut Squid produced bites. Most anglers were using Carolina rigs. Only a few fish were over 12-inches.
Surprisingly, Spanish Mackerel are here in this cool water. Several were caught each day. They are running deep so fish accordingly. Many anglers were having success dropping a Gotcha to the bottom and working it deep. Big Sabiki rigs fished deep also worked. They were even caught on Bull minnows fished on the bottom for Flounder.
A few Pompano have begun to show and several good sized ones were caught. Sand Fleas and Ghost Shrimp seemed to be the ticket for now.
Sheepshead have been congregating on the pilings all week. However, it has been tough to entice a bite. I fished all afternoon Monday specifically targeting them with fresh Ghost Shrimp. I managed two fish for two bites. Since then, we have had Fiddler Crabs, live Shrimp and Ghost Shrimp for bait with almost no takers. Today there were lots of Sheepshead on the pilings but they ignored our baits completely
Here are a few pictures of our catches of the week:
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 63.0 – 65.3 A few Flounder, Spanish Mackerel and a couple of Red Drum. Cigar minnows and small Alewives.
Friday: water temp 62.4 – 64.0 Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, 3 Pompano, a few Whiting, and a few Cigar minnows.
Saturday: water temp 63.0 – 65.3 Whiting, Spanish Mackerel and a few Flounder.
Sunday: water temp 63.3 – 65.3 Whiting, Spanish Mackerel, a few Bluefish, Pompano, and Flounder.
Monday: water temp 63.7 – 65.1 Whiting, Mullet, Flounder, a few Pompano and two Sheepshead.
Tuesday: water temp.64.4 – 65.7 Lots of small Whiting, a few Spanish Mackerel, Pompano and Flounder.
Wednesday: water temp 65.5 – 66.2 Lots of small Whiting, a couple Flounder, a few Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish, one Red Drum and a few Cigar minnows.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations in one sample collected from Franklin 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: 6:33am Sunset: 4:46pm
Thursday 19th 10:29am Low -0.5 11:50pm High 1.1
Friday 10:30am Low -0.3
Saturday 10:14am Low -0.1 12:10am High 0.9
Sunday 9:55am Low 0.1 12:20am High 0.6
6:04pm High 0.5
Monday 8:36am Low 0.1 5:35pm High 0.7
Tuesday 4:25am Low 0.0 5:29pm High 0.8
Wednesday 25th. 4:29am Low 0.2 5:30pm High 1.0
Sunrise: 6:36am Sunset: 4:49pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
North winds around 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Wave Detail: East 1 foot at 3 seconds and northwest 1 foot at 3 seconds. Protected waters smooth to a light chop. A chance of showers in the morning.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds around 10 knots, increasing to around 15 knots after midnight. Waves 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Northwest 2 foot at 3 seconds, becoming northwest 3 feet at 3 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
FRIDAY
Northwest winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet near shore and 3 to 4 feet further offshore. Wave Detail: Northwest 3 feet at 4 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY NIGHT
North winds around 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet near shore and 4 to 6 feet further offshore. Wave Detail: Northwest 5 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
SATURDAY
North winds around 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas subsiding to 2 to 3 feet near shore and 3 to 5 feet further offshore. Wave Detail: Northwest 4 feet at 6 seconds and north 3 feet at 2 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters choppy.
MONDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to around 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters choppy.
MONDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots, becoming east 15 to 20 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of rain after midnight.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (70/47 rain 08% wind WNW-08)
FRIDAY (65/37 rain 05% wind NW-11)
SATURDAY (55/38 rain 02% wind N-12)
SUNDAY (58/39 rain 03% wind NE-09)
MONDAY (62/46 rain 02% wind ENE-12)
TUESDAY (67/55 rain 07% wind E-11)
WEDNESDAY(70/59 rain 62% wind SE-11)
The next report will combine the upcoming week and Christmas week, covering December 19th through the 31st 2024. I wish each of you a Merry Christmas. Be safe and enjoy your time with family!
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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
