We enjoyed great water clarity with bait gathered around the pier most of the past 7 days. The water temperature was above 70 degrees much of the time. Bonita were very active early mornings and Spanish were biting well. Pompano are showing up with larger schools passing by. Other species caught were: King Mackerel, Red Drum, Flounder, Sheepshead, Whiting, Bluefish, Pinfish, Cigar minnows and Squid.
King Mackerel:
The first King of the year came Sunday afternoon. Allen had made three trips from Louisiana and the third trip finally paid off, as he decked a 16-18 pound fish. We would wait until Wednesday morning before another one bit. Nori J. got his first King this morning that weighed 13.8 pounds.
Spanish Mackerel:
Spanish were hot most of the period. Good catches happened most days with several anglers easily getting their daily bag limit. Bubble with straw rigs, Spoons, Gotchas, and live Cigar minnows worked well. Even some of the Spring Break participants got in on the action like Jack from Virginia.
Bonita:
Bonita action was off the scale two mornings. The bite began about daylight and dozens of fish hit the deck in short order. It didn’t last long but if you were there early you were almost guaranteed a strike.
Red Drum:
Red Drum were scattered but a few did give us a thrill. Fresh Squid or live Cigar minnows fished on a Carolina rig got their attention. Chuck O. and Steve W. were a couple of anglers that landed their fish.
Pompano:
Schools of Pompano began streaming through this week. Large wads would pass and totally ignore bait and then a couple would eat. They teased us more than bit, but quite a few fish were caught. Both Sand Fleas and Jigs got fish. Here are a few shots of Tabitha B., Ernie C., and Paul D., with one of the fish they caught.
Flounder:
The Flounder bite has been absent for a while. I had a report of a couple of small fish being caught Monday but couldn’t confirm it. Today, I decided to target them using live Cigar minnows. It was slow to start but I managed two keeper fish at the end of my day. They were not big but at least they were over the 14 inch mark.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 71.6 – 71.1 Casey W., Casey B. and Nori got a Bonita. One Red Drum, a few Spanish Mackerel and some Cigar minnows.
Friday: water temp 71.1 – 72.9 Lots of Spanish Mackerel late pm, Several Red Drum, several King Mackerel bites. Only one hooked that was immediately eaten by “Flipper”.
Saturday: water temp 71.6 – 71.8 Spanish Mackerel and a Pompano
Sunday: water temp 71.8 – 72.3 One King (1st), Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Bonita, Bluefish, Cigar minnows
Monday: water temp 71.8 – 72.1 Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Bonita, Bluefish, Cigar minnows, Squid
Tuesday: water temp 70.9 – 70.2 Bonita were thick at daylight, couple of Pompano and Cigar minnows
Wednesday: water temp 69.1 – 67.1 – 70.5 Bonita in early am, one King Mackerel, a few Spanish Mackerel, one Sheepshead, several Pompano, a bull Red Drum, 2 Flounder, several Whiting, Cigar minnows and squid
Red Tide status:
Southwest Florida is experiencing a full bloom red tide. Here is the latest report for us: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Bay County, and low to medium concentrations in and offshore of Pasco County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Tuesday Mar. 21, 2023 Full Moon Tuesday Mar. 07, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:51am Sunset: 6:51pm
Friday 5:14am Low -0:7 7:10pm High 1.4
Saturday 5:59am Low -0.6 8:32pm High 1.4
Sunday 6:41am Low -0.4 9:49pm High 1.2
Monday 7:13am Low -0.2 11:08pm High 1.0
Tuesday 7:08am Low 0.2 12:26pm High 0.4
4:46pm Low 0.2
Wednesday 22nd. 6:20am Low 0.4 12:32am High 0.8
6:34pm Low 0.1 12:13pm High 0.6
Sunrise: 6:43am Sunset: 6:55pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
FRIDAY
South winds 20 to 25 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet with a
dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters rough. A chance of
showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 20 to 25 knots, becoming west
after midnight. Seas 5 to 7 feet with a dominant period of
7 seconds. Protected waters rough. Showers with a slight chance
of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY
North winds 20 to 25 knots, diminishing to 15 to
20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 7 feet with a dominant
period of 7 seconds. Protected waters rough. A slight chance of
thunderstorms. Showers, mainly in the morning.
SATURDAY NIGHT
North winds 15 to 20 knots, increasing to 20 to
25 knots after midnight. Seas 4 to 6 feet with a dominant period
of 7 seconds. Protected waters rough. A slight chance of showers
and thunderstorms in the evening.
SUNDAY
North winds 20 to 25 knots, diminishing to 15 to
20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 feet with a dominant
period of 5 seconds. Protected waters rough.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A
slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
(local forecast).
FRIDAY (78/50 rain 78% wind S-18)
SATURDAY (60/46 rain 48% wind N-17)
SUNDAY (58/41 rain 01% wind NNE-16)
MONDAY (62/47 rain 01% wind NNE-12)
TUESDAY (65/51 rain 39% wind NE-12)
WEDNESDAY(71/62 rain 21% wind ESE-10)
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
