We enjoyed our emerald, green water all week. The water temperature rose from 68.9 to 76.8 degrees during the period. We had good winds with bait schools each day. The pier was crowded as we are in the last couple of weeks of spring break. We had great catches of Pompano and Spanish Mackerel. Five King Mackerel were decked, and the first Sailfish of the year was caught. There was also Jack Crevalle, Red Drum, Black Drum, lots of Cigar minnows and huge Squid caught.
We are 5 days into the Cobia Tournament with no fish caught during the week. The details and rules are listed below. We are having technical issues with the registration page so if you were registered in last year’s tournament, you are automatically registered this year. If you need to register and cannot get the website to work, TEXT or Email me your Name, E-mail address and Phone number and I will get you registered. Text to 770-265-2879 or E-mail @ SLP053@bellsouth.net
Hachid is showing his skills as he got the first Cobia last week (before the tournament began) and this week on Saturday, brought the first Sailfish to the pier. The last couple of years, we have not seen the numbers of Sailfish as we did for several years so this is encouraging. The fish was released so hopefully some other angler will have an opportunity in the future.
King Mackerel bites were scattered and few. There were 2 nice fish caught on Friday. Stacy decked a 17-pound and Hunter a 23-pound King. Saturday, Danny from Atlanta decked two “schoolies”. After a dead spell, Ron caught a 20-pound fish this morning. There were a couple other fish hooked during the week but lost. Fish were caught both on bait and lures.
Spanish Mackerel have been on the chew all week. Early and late in the day was the best bite with some scattered throughout the day. Lures and bait worked. Spanish up to 5-pounds were decked but the majority were less than 2-pounds. Here is one of the nicer ones caught by Jacob H:
Pompano have been thick most of the week. Many anglers went home with their daily limit often during the period. Fishbite and fresh Sand Flea combo on a set rig as well as jigs were the go-to tackle. Here are a few shots of fish George and Brenda got.
Casey W. worked on the Red Drum again. A Carolina rig with either a live Cigar minnow or fresh Squid were a shoo-in for a Red to bite. Casey got these two on Thursday.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 68.9 – 70.2 A few Pompano, Red Drum and Spanish Mackerel,
Friday: water temp 70.2 – 71.6 Lots of Pompano and Spanish Mackerel, Spanish up to 6-lb, 2 King Mackerel, 2 Red Drum, small Cigar minnows.
Saturday: water temp 71.2 – 73.0 One Sailfish, 2 small King Mackerel, Pompano, Spanish
Sunday: water temp 71.4 – 73.0 Spanish and Pompano
Monday: water temp 71.8 – 74.7Spanish and Pompano
Tuesday: water temp 74.1 – 76.1 Spanish and Pompano. Two King bites but no hook-up
Wednesday: water temp 75.0 – 76.8 One King decked and one lost, Pompano, Spanish Mackerel, Jack Crevalle, one Black Drum, Cigar minnows and lots of big Squid.
- Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Santa Rosa County, and low and medium concentrations in and offshore of Pasco County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Wednesday Apr. 19, 2023 Full Moon Friday May 05, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:25am Sunset: 7:08pm
Thursday 06th. 3:56am Low 0.6 1:01am High 0.6
7:08pm Low 0.1 10:40am High 0.9
Friday 8:23pm Low 0:0 10:45am High 1.1
Saturday 9:43pm Low -0.2 11:14am High 1.3
Sunday 11:04pm Low -0.3 11:53am High 1.4
Monday 12:40pm High 1.6
Tuesday 12:27am Low -0.4 1:32pm High 1.6
Wednesday 12th. 1:45am Low -0.4 2:31pm High 1.6
Sunrise: 6:18am Sunset: 7:08pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with
a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
THURSDAY NIGHT
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with
a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
FRIDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a
dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming east after
midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds.
Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and
thunderstorms after midnight.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds around 10 knots, becoming south in
the afternoon. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of
6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers
with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light
chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SUNDAY
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet with
a dominant period of 3 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet
with a dominant period of 3 seconds. Protected waters a moderate
chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. A chance of showers,
mainly in the evening.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (81/68 rain 15% wind SSE-09)
FRIDAY (81/69 rain 09% wind SSE-09)
SATURDAY (75/60 rain 74% wind S-10)
SUNDAY (67/55 rain 24% wind NE-16)
MONDAY (68/56 rain 34% wind NE-15)
TUESDAY (72/58 rain 16% wind NE-13)
WEDNESDAY(75/61 rain 15% wind ENE-12)
Bay County Outdoors 2023 Cobia Tournament
BAY COUNTY OUTDOORS in cooperation with Bay County Recreation is promoting a Cobia Pier Tournament on the M. B. Miller Pier. Registration is FREE and the form will be on the BCO web page. It is simple to register and only requires your Name, Phone Number and Email. Entry begins 04-01-2023 and the close of the Tournament will be May 13th. at 6:00 p.m. Here is a link:
https://www.baycountyoutdoors.com/23cobiatournament
Tournament prizes will be tackle provided by the following sponsors: Rapala, D.O.A. and Howell Tackle. 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 to 6:00pm. If He is not on the pier, you can call him at 770-265-2879 during the listed weigh-in hours. BCO said if you are lucky and have multiple fish, you can win in 1 or 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 jig, lure or natural bait. FWC laws and regulations must be followed. All Bay County Pier regulations must be followed.
Tournament Rules
1: Tournament begins 06:00am April 01 and ends May 13, 6:00pm 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 jig, lure or natural bait. No assistance landing the fish other than by a net or gaff.
4: Anglers must be registered on the Bay County Outdoors Cobia Tournament web site prior to entering a catch. Registration is free and only requires your name, email and a contact phone #.
5: Sam Patrick is the designated Tournament Official and will register and certify all entries.
6: Rapala, D.O.A. and Howell Tackle 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. He 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 qualifying fish.
9: All Tournament rules, FWC laws, Bay County Recreation and Pier rules must be followed, or the angler would be disqualified.
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
