We had a great week of good weather, clean water, tons of bait schools and even fish caught. The water is still hot and remains in the high 80’s. The pier has been crowded mainly in the early mornings. The crowd of anglers caught the following species: King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Mahi, Red Drum, Flounder, Bonita, Hardtails, Pin fish, Cigar minnows, and Alewives.
Big summer Bonita, 10 plus pounds, have been on fire early mornings. Coolers full of Bonita were carted off the pier several mornings. The bite has been the best from daylight until about 10:00am. However, a few were caught throughout the day. The vast majority of fish were caught free lining live bait fish. This worked out well as bait was stacked around the pier. Here is a sample of the ones decked:
King and Spanish Mackerel were few and far between, but a few were landed this period. We saw 5 Kings decked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday combined. Tuesday and Wednesday saw small catches of Spanish.
Mahi came through Thursday and were feeding on the schools of bait. There were two chicken Mahi landed.
In other action, Chuck O. caught a nice slot Red Drum Friday, just in time to invite it for his birthday dinner Saturday. Jeffrey landed a nice flattie Friday as well. It stretched 20-inches on his ruler. This was the first Flounder in quite some time.
FYI: The Bay County Commission voted to eliminate the parking fee for Bay County residents. If you are a Bay County resident and have already purchased an annual parking pass, they will refund your cost.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 86.9 – 88.5 Bonita, Mahi
Friday: water temp 88.7 – 876 – 88.3 Slot Red Drum, one 20-inch Flounder.
Saturday: water temp 87.6 – 89.1 Bonita, Cigar minnows, Alewives, Small Hardtails, baby Bonita.
Sunday: water temp 87.8 – 88.7 Lots of Bonita, Cigar minnows, Alewives, Small Hardtails, baby Bonita.
Monday: water temp 86.5 – 88.5 Bonita, one small King Mackerel, and lots of bait.
Tuesday: water temp. 86.4 – 88.5 Lots of big Bonita, two small King Mackerel, a few Spanish Mackerel and lots of bait.
Wednesday: water temp 85.3 – 87.1 Bonita, two King Mackerel (Willy and Jose), a few Spanish Mackerel, one Tarpon hooked (David B), and lots of bait.
Red Tide status: The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected statewide over the past week.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Sunday Aug. 04, 2024 Full Moon Monday Aug. 19, 2024 -
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:06am Sunset: 7:29pm
Thursday 08th. 5:44am Low 0.9 3:04am High 0.9
8:19pm Low 0.8 1:23pm High 1.2
Friday 8:13am Low 0.8 2:43am High 1.0
7:12pm Low 0.8 2:14pm High 1.0
Saturday 10:39am Low 0.7 2:10am High 1.0
Sunday 2:53pm Low 0.6 2:17am High 1.4
Monday 3:40pm Low 0.4 2:50am High 1.5
Tuesday 4:24pm Low 0.2 3:37am High 1.7
Wednesday 14th.. 5:07pm Low 0.1 4:40am High 1.8
Sunrise: 6:09am Sunset: 7:23pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
West winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Wave Detail: West 4 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds around 15 knots. Seas around 3 feet. Wave Detail: West 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
FRIDAY
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly in the morning.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SATURDAY
Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet in the morning, then 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (93/80 rain 07% wind W-14)
FRIDAY (92/82 rain 09% wind WSW-10)
SATURDAY (91/80 rain 21% wind WSW-09)
SUNDAY (91/79 rain 23% wind WSW-08)
MONDAY (90/80 rain 33% wind SSW-08)
TUESDAY (91/81 rain 24% wind WSW-08)
WEDNESDAY(91/81 rain 19% wind W-09)
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
