We experienced a mixed bag of water clarity the past 7 days. The water temperature has climbed from 70 to 77 this period. Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there were a dozen King Mackerel caught. Other species caught were: Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Sheepshead, Red Drum, Bluefish, Hardtails, Ladyfish, Cigar Minnows, Threadfin Herring, and Alewives. There were a couple of Cobia spotted but no fish decked yet. A few Tarpon schools were spotted.
The best news is that King Mackerel finally came in. Saturday 4 hit the deck. Tuesday morning 1 was caught and 6 more hit the deck before sunset. Today another was gaffed. Most were schoolies but Nathan got a 21-pound fish and Jose’s fish was 19.65 pounds. Hachid got two fish on his homemade Cigar Minnow lure. Most ate natural bait.
Spanish were caught in limited numbers throughout the days. A few fish were over 2-pounds, but most were average size. Both natural bait and lures worked. Here’s a shot of one Blaz decked:
Skinny water produced its share of the action where Pompano, Red Drum and Sheepshead were caught. The Pompano bite has dropped off significantly. Reds were around several days and a few were netted. James landed a Sheepshead in an unusual way. He saw several Sheepshead moving along the bottom and cast his Pompano jig tipped with a fresh Sand Flea. To his surprise, one of the Sheepshead inhaled the jig. Check these shots of Brenda with her Red and James with his Sheepshead:
Just a heads-up, the City Pier will be closed May 01 through May 06 for the inaugural Gulf Coast Salute Air Show – presented by Tyndall Air Force Base. . Expect the County Pier to be crowded and parking to be a premium.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 70.2 – 73.9 Four Pompano, 3 Sheepshead, a few Spanish Mackerel and Hardtails.
Friday: water temp 70.7 – 75.4 A few Pompano, Red Drum, Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Cigar Minnows and Spanish Sardine.
Saturday: water temp 73.6 – 74.8 Morning- Pompano, 5 King bites, 4 decked, one lost to “Flipper” and one missed on a large Hardtail.
Sunday: water temp 73.2 – 74.8
Monday: water temp 72.5 – 75.0 A few Pompano, a few Spanish Mackerel, 2 Bluefish, a few Ladyfish, small Sharks, Cigar Minnows, Threadfin Herring and Alewives.
Tuesday: water temp. 73.4 – 74.5 Seven King Mackerel, a few Spanish Mackerel, a Bluefish, Threadfin Herring and a few Cigar Minnows
Wednesday: water temp 74.1 – 77.5 One King Mackerel, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, and Ladyfish
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Escambia County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Tuesday May 07, 2024 Full Moon Thursday May. 23, 2024
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 5:57am Sunset: 7:215pm
Saturday 3:17am Low 0.4 9:43am High 0.8
3:02pm Low 0.6 9:32pm High 0.8
Sunday 2:41am Low 0.6 9:21am High 1.0
Monday 6:19pm Low 0.0 9:02am High 1.2
Tuesday 7:40pm Low -0.2 8:57am High 1.5
Wednesday 08th. 8:53pm Low -0.4 9:27am High 1.7
Sunrise: 5:53am Sunset: 7:25pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.
SATURDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming east after midnight. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
East winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southeast in the afternoon. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southeast after midnight. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
SATURDAY (81/70 rain 15% wind SSE-10)
SUNDAY (82/71 rain 15% wind SSE-12)
MONDAY (82/72 rain 11% wind S-13)
TUESDAY (82/73 rain 12% wind S-13)
WEDNESDAY(81/74 rain 09% wind SSW-14)
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
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
