We had a couple of days with slightly stained water, but it has been clear the remainder of this report period. The water temperature began at 68 degrees and dropped slightly over the week. The species caught was limited to Red Drum, Spanish Mackerel, Bonita and Squid.
Several Red Drum gave anglers a thrill with a couple lost to the pilings and some decked. Steve, Jim and an unknown angler decked over-slot fish and after a quick picture, released their fish healthy. Lee got the only in-slot Red that I’m aware of. Fresh Squid fished on a Carolina rig seemed to be the best option.
Surprisingly, Spanish Mackerel have been around in significant numbers. Most were small but legal size. Several anglers managed to get as many as 10 keepers in a day. Brenda got one of the larger Spanish and Terry had good catches for his day of fishing.
Squid have been thick except when the schools of Spanish were around. There were much better catches late afternoon and after sunset. Reports of catching a bucket full were common. There were several large Squid caught like this one George nicknamed “Kraken”. Terry got in on the fun too.
Thursday, during the storms, a couple of Bonita were decked. Late morning today, they came in better numbers. Ther were a dozen 2 to 4 pounders caught using bubble Rigs with a fly and small jerk baits. Check Quang’s smile as he holds one of his Bonita.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 68.0 -67.6 There were heavy thunderstorms all morning. Several Red Drum hooked, one 29”, Two Bonita, a Black Drum hooked and lost and Squid.
Friday: water temp 65.7 – 66.7 Spanish Mackerel in the am. Several Red Drum hooked with one decked. Squid.
Saturday: water temp 66.0 – 67.1 A Red Drum, a few small Spanish Mackerel.
Sunday: water temp 67.1 – 67.8 Small Spanish Mackerel, Squid, a Red Drum.
Monday: water temp 63.0 – 67.3 A Red Drum, small Spanish Mackerel, Squid
Tuesday: water temp.63.7 – 65.1 Small Spanish Mackerel, one slot Red Drum and Squid.
Wednesday: water temp 64.0 – 65.1 A cold rain all morning. A few small Bonita, small Spanish Mackerel, one over-slot Red Drum and a few Squid.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Okaloosa County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Thursday Feb. 27, 2025 - Full Moon Friday Mar. 14, 2025
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:17am Sunset: 5:35pm
Thursday 20th. 2:22am Low -0.4 2:17pm High 1.0
Friday 3:10am Low -0.5 3:20pm High 1.1
Saturday 3:53am Low -0.6 4:39pm High 1.2
Sunday 4:33am Low -0.7 5:58pm High 1.2
Monday 5:12am Low -0.7 7:04pm High 1.3
Tuesday 5:49am Low -0.7 8:04pm High 1.3
Wednesday 26th. 6:22am Low -0.6 9:06pm High 1.2
Sunrise: 6:11am Sunset: 5:39pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY NIGHT
North winds around 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet, occasionally to 8 feet. Wave Detail: North 5 feet at 6 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave Detail: North 4 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Northeast 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SATURDAY
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: East 2 feet at 4 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
North winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers in the morning, then a chance of showers in the afternoon.
SUNDAY NIGHT
North winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers, mainly in the evening.
MONDAY
North winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers in the morning.
MONDAY NIGHT Northwest winds around 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (50/30 rain 03% wind N-18)
FRIDAY (53/40 rain 00% wind NE-12)
SATURDAY (59/44 rain 02% wind NNW-06)
SUNDAY (61/47 rain 24% wind N-05)
MONDAY (65/51 rain 06% wind NNW-07)
TUESDAY (69/54 rain 05% wind W-09)
WEDNESDAY(71/59 rain 10% wind SSW-08)
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
