We experienced dirty water most of the period and the water temperature remained between 61.5 and 65.5. Bait schools were still missing until today when a few schools of Menhaden passed through. Squid is still around with the best catches after sunset. The following species were caught, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Black Drum, Bluefish, Pompano, Whiting, Sheepshead, small Shark, Croaker, Catfish, Menhaden, and Squid.
Small Spanish Mackerel were caught several days. Sabiki rigs were the most productive, but a few were caught on Gotchas.
Both Red and Black Drum were caught. All were over-slot and returned healthy. Most of the Reds were caught on fresh Squid and the Blacks were on Shrimp. The best fish story was Monday when Caleb had a big Red to pull his Rod and Reel over the rail. Fellow anglers quickly assisted by casting over his line to try to recover his rig. The first attempt hooked the line but came off. Then another angler hooked Caleb’s line and pulled it back to the pier. Caleb was able to recover his rod and then landed the fish to boot. It was his lucky day. Several other big Reds were caught like these that Jack and Sam decked. A young angler from Tennessee, Miles, decked a “Big Ugly” Black Drum.
A few Pompano were around. Steve got his limit Sunday morning. Then Hai got one Tuesday afternoon. Sand fleas were the ticket.
Several Whiting were caught during the week with one that was huge. Mike thought he had a Red drum until he got his catch onto the pier for a closer inspection. What a surprise to catch and measure a 19 inch Whiting.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 61.5 – 63.1 Red Drum and small Sharks. The water was dirty.
Friday: water temp 61.7– 63.0 A few Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish. A Sheepshead (Mikel), a Black Drum (Miles) and 2 Red Drum.
Saturday: water temp 63.0 – 64.2
Sunday: water temp 64.0 – 63.9 One Red Drum (Jack), One Black Drum (Miles from TN), several Pompano (Steve M.)
Monday: water temp 62.8 – 63.5 Lots of Squid before daylight, two Red Drum (Caleb, Jack) a huge Whiting and some Bluefish.
Tuesday: water temp.62.2 – 65.5 The water was dirty. One small Black Drum, a Pompano, several Whiting and Catfish.
Wednesday: water temp 63.3 – 63.7 a few small Spanish Mackerel, a few Whiting, Croakers and, some Menhaden schools came through.
Red Tide status: The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected from or offshore of Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Levy, or Pasco counties. No samples from Santa Rosa, Walton, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Citrus, or Hernando counties were analyzed this week.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Saturday Mar. 29, 2025 - Full Moon Saturday Apr. 12, 2025 -
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Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:54am Sunset: 6:49pm
Thursday 13th. 6:24am Low 0.1 12:30pm High 0.3
4:01pm Low 0.3 11:35pm High 0.7
Friday 6:00am Low 0.2 12:16pm High 0.5
5:37pm Low 0.2
Saturday 5:37am Low 0.3 12:41am High 0.6
6:55pm Low 0.1 12:07am High 0.6
Sunday 4:41am Low 0.4 1:56am High 0.4
8:10pm Low 0.0 11:41am High 0.8
Monday 9:29pm Low -0.1 11:48am High 1.0
Tuesday 10:53pm Low -0.1 12:17pm High 1.1
Wednesday 19th. 12:56pm High 1.2
Sunrise: 6:46am Sunset: 6:53pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY NIGHT
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: South 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
FRIDAY
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: South 2 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest 4 feet at 6 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet, building to 5 to 8 feet, occasionally to 10 feet in the afternoon. Wave Detail: South 6 feet at 6 seconds, becoming south 7 feet at 7 seconds. Protected waters rough. A slight chance of showers.
SATURDAY NIGHT
South winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Seas 6 to 9 feet, occasionally to 11 feet. Protected waters rough. A chance of thunderstorms. A chance of showers in the evening, then showers after midnight.
SUNDAY
Southwest winds 15 to 20 knots, becoming west 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 6 to 8 feet, occasionally to 10 feet. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 10 to 15 knots, increasing to 15 to 20 knots after midnight. Seas 5 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers, mainly in the evening.
MONDAY
North winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Protected waters choppy.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (70/64 rain 58% wind S-14)
FRIDAY (73/65 rain 23% wind SSE-15)
SATURDAY (75/65 rain 44% wind SSE-21)
SUNDAY (72/52 rain 64% wind WSW-11)
MONDAY (68/50 rain 01% wind NNW-14)
TUESDAY (70/56 rain 02% wind ESE-07)
WEDNESDAY(73/61 rain 11% wind SSE-13)
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
