Perdido Key to Cape San Blas
Includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Panama City and Port St. Joe.

July 3-6

This week’s 4-cast will be somewhat abbreviated from you are used to. I’ve been especially busy over the last week and with the approaching weekend it isn’t slowing down one bit, if anything it’s going to be busier. The coming week is shaping up to be one of the hottest for summer if the weatherman is right, providing everyone plenty of chances to get out on the water. Pretty much everything that swims in our waters will be available for reds, tout and flounder inshore and snapper, kings and yellowfin tuna offshore.

Inshore schools of Spanish, ladyfish and bluefish should be feeding around the tide line first thing in the morning. Slow trolling mackerel trees, casting Got-Cha plugs or ½ oz silver spoons will keep everyone busy reeling these hard fighting fish. Fishing in the back bays is offering anglers top water speckled trout action early in the morning. Even though the numbers are not up to where they were the past few weeks the quality of fish should be good as they get over the next week. If you are looking for numbers fishing lighted docks at night will be your best time to see big numbers of specks landed. Besides the numbers it’s a lot cooler and the fishing can be non-stop after dark. For the early morning bite a walk the dog presentation with a big top water mullet imitation plugs such as Rapala’s Skitter Walk has been the top bait. Color is not as important as the action, just get whatever looks good to you and practice walking the dog and you’ll catch some monster specks this time of the year. Redfish are schooling up on the flats early, but are showing up more consistently around deeper docks in the middle of the day. Quarter ounce gold spoons are a go to bait up for the reds right now. Work the spoons just above the grass stopping ever so often to imitate an injured baitfish or crab in order to get leery fish following the lure to strike. There are also sharks, grouper, red snapper, mangrove snapper, king mackerel, cobia and even the tarpon moving into the bays right now. It’s almost too much to handle this time of the year, so just pick what you want to do and just do it!

The surf this week should continue to see an outstanding Spanish bite. Casting half ounce Clark spoons, bubble rigs, and trolling mackerel trees will land you a limit in no time. Blues, ladyfish and small sharks are also available for those fishing from the beach or area piers. Tarpon are also making a good showing this week along with an unexpected cobia surge. Tarpon have shown up on the beaches for their annual migratory run so when targeting them be extremely stealthy, throw live baits, and keep your fingers crossed for a hook up! The cobia are making an unusual mid summer run along the Panhandle this week that will hopefully last into the coming week.

Offshore red snapper are still making an outstanding show as well as king mackerel, amberjack, grouper, cobia, lane snapper, mangrove snapper, triggerfish, Spanish mackerel, bonita, chicken dolphin, tripletail and sharks of several different and very large species, to name just a few are all available on both near shore and offshore reefs and wrecks. The 15- to 30- pound dolphin bite has been steady, and reports have put them 20 to 40 miles out. Look for the weed lines and then troll small Boone jet baits or ballyhoo. Wahoo are patrolling in 30-50 mile range, trolling Yo-Zuri’s Bonita and Islander lures with ballyhoo are top baits right now. Yellowfin and blackfin tuna are making a good showing 40 to 100 miles out. Blue or blue green water has been the key to catching the tuna. Billfish are also in the same areas from the Nipple on out to the Steps and Squiggles.

Until next week, tight lines!

By Capt. Rob Cochran
www.lightlinescharters.com
850-621-6956

* 4cast updated each Thursday by 6 p.m. Click the refresh button if the report date isn't current.