Daily activity:
Thursday 16th. water temp 82.8 WSW 8-10mph in the a.m. / 83.7 SW 7-10mph. The water was mostly clean except for the shallows. It was nasty. The morning was slow with a couple of Bonita and Spanish Mackerel. The afternoon continued slowly until about 3:00. The first King bite was on a bubble rig with mono line. The fight lasted longer than expected but the mono finally got in the way of the teeth. Alan hooked a nice King only to have the hook pull. There were five Kings landed after that. Eleven-year-old Brandt put the first one on the deck then Jose, Sam, K.J., Camden (from Woodstock, Ga.) and Joe S. landed their fish. They were all similar in size with Jose’s fish, the biggest at about 15 pounds. Several Bonita and a few Spanish Mackerel came over the rail too. Live bait was available, but you had to work for it – Cigar minnows, Spanish Sardine, Alewives and baby Bonita.
Friday: water temp 83.7 NNW 5-9mph in the a.m. / 8?.4 SW 6-9mph in the p.m. The water was mostly clean except for the shallows. It was still dirty. The morning brought a Bonita frenzy with a lot of “summer” Bonita Caught. Brandt got the King Mackerel started with a fish just over 13 pounds. The afternoon was one of our best for the year. There were over a dozen King Mackerel decked and as many missed or lost. I got my best fish for the year at 19 pounds 10 ounces. Pictured below are Brandt, Brandon, Jason (Jose’s son), and me with a sample of the Kings caught today There were more “summer” Bonita decked, weighing up to 12 pounds. Even a few Spanish Mackerel in the mix too- like this one Matthew, from Milan, Ga, caught. Live bait was available and was the preferred bait. Dead bait and artificial got a few bites but live was the ticket.
Saturday: water temp 8?.6 SW 10-12mph in the a.m. / 82.0 N 11-18mph in the p.m. The water was clean except for the very shallow water. It was full of June grass. It was a stormy day whish brought in the Bonita and King Mackerel,
Sunday: water temp 81.9 ENE 8-10mph in the a.m. / 84.6 Se 7-10mph wind in the p.m. The water was clean. There were over a dozen Bonita and a small King Mackerel in the morning. A large school of Red Drum were hanging out in the shallow water. Brenda was able to catch one, but it had to be released.
Monday: water temp 83.7 NNE 7-12mph in the a.m. / 84.6 ESE wind 5-12mph in the p.m.. The water was clean. Big Bonita were thick and being caught on live bait and lures. There was a good King Mackerel bite early in the morning with at least 6 small ones decked and more missed or lost. Mid-morning, Hayden N. decked a “schoolie”. A few Spanish Mackerel and Hardtails were brought over the rail too. Trevor hooked a Tarpon. The afternoon wasn’t bad either. Check the photos with Hayden and Trevor.
Tuesday: water temp 83.1 ENE 9-15mph in the a.m. By 11:00a.m. it was ENE 15-28mph. The water was very rough and silty. We are under a TROPICAL STORM WARNING. By 2:00p.m., the wind was SE at 45, gusting to 57mph. Both piers were closed due to the high gusts. At 6:00p.m. the wind was still SE 30-39mph with the water temp 83.7. A few fishermen braved the elements very early in the morning and had some luck. There were a few Bonita and lots of Ladyfish before the wind got so strong. Dave S. also decked a nice Jack Crevalle.
Wednesday 22nd. water temp 82.9 SSE 24-32mph in the a.m./ 84.4 S 21-29mph in the p.m. The water was rough and very nasty. Nothing but Catfish.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Tides for the upcoming week:
Full Moon Wednesday July 29, 2026 - New Moon Wednesday Aug. 12, 2026
Sunrise: 5:56am Sunset: 7:41pm
Friday 5:58pm Low 0.0 5:57am High 1.7
Saturday 6:38pm Low 0.0 7:03am High 1.7
Sunday 7:18pm Low -0.1 8:02am High 1.8
Monday 7:54pm Low -0.1 5:55am High 1.8
Tuesday 8:24pm Low 0.0 9:41am High 1.8
Wednesday 29th. 8:45pm Low 0.1 10:23am High 1.8
Sunrise: 5:59am Sunset: 7:37pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
FRIDAY
North winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest 3 feet at 7 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest 2 feet at 6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: South 2 feet at 6 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
West winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SUNDAY
West winds 10 to 15 knots, increasing to 15 to 20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning.
SUNDAY NIGHT
West winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
MONDAY
West winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the morning.
MONDAY NIGHT
West winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 4 feet. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
(local forecast).
FRIDAY (91/78 rain 20% wind WNW-5-10 in am / WNW 5-10 in pm)
SATURDAY (90/80 rain 19% wind WNW 10-15 in am /WNW 5-10 in pm)
SUNDAY (90/81 rain 24% wind W-10 -20in am / W 10-15 in pm)
MONDAY (91/81 rain 24% wind W-10-15 in am / W 10-15 in pm)
TUESDAY (90/82 rain 23% wind WSW-10-20 in am / WSW 10-15 in pm)
WEDNESDAY(89/80 rain 39% wind WSW-10-20 in am / WSW 10-15 in pm)
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
