August 16, 2017
By Florida Sportsman
Recent fishing reports from the Panhandle region.
Panama City Bay Redfish
Florida Sportsman member: Reel Expen$ive
We tried to get out Saturday morning out of Panama City Beach, but we couldn't, due to heavy rain. It started to clear around 11am and we decided to fish in the bay by the bridge. My niece caught a 22 pound red on a small freelined pinfish. She handled this fish like champ. It was a great fight and was released.
Click here for full forum report.
Fishing for Cobia with Eels
Florida Sportsman member: PanhandlePoon
With the fish still down and out of sight, Jonathan dropped the eel over the side and the big one ate it, pulled drag for about five seconds and spit the hook. Jonathan free spooled his bait, and she ate a second time. 25 minutes later, she's in the boat.
Click here for full forum report.
Destin Drums
Florida Sportsman member: PanhandlePoon
We caught two upper slot keepers at the Mid-Bay Bridge this morning and a hand full of rats in the bayous nearby. We also released a pair of over slots and a black drum.
Click here for full forum report.
Choctawhatchee Bay Variety
Florida Sportsman member: PanhandlePoon
We're catching a lot of bull redfish around bridges and under diving birds, using deep diving lures like the Mann's +25 and jigs, as well as soaking live shrimp. The sheepshead have moved from the Destin Bridge to the jetties and nearshore wrecks.
Click here for full forum report.
It's Crappie Time
Florida Sportsman member: stingwray
It's time to crappie fish. It took a while to find some willing to chew, but when I finally found them they were chewing the hooks off. The fish wanted no part of the minnows, but were more then ready for some jig action.
Click here for full forum report.
Panama City Beach Surf Fishing
Florida Sportsman member: creekgeek
As I was setting up in the good area, my dad's rod doubled over and he was into a big fish, another 38"+ red. Not long after that, his rod bent over double and line was going south and he was into a second bull that was just over 39".
Click here for full forum report.
Escambia River Mixed Bag
Florida Sportsman member: pcola-reds
Right off the bat I catch a hybrid on top water. I change to a matrix and the specks have arrived. Ranging from 12 to about 18 inches. The next spot has a lot of fish on my fishfinder. On my second cast, I snag a nice redfish. I fished the spot for a while pulling in redfish and specks.
Click here for full forum report.
Bull Redfish in the Bay
Florida Sportsman member: pcola-reds
The weather was 75 degrees, sunny and low wind. No better conditions for looking for the schooling redfish. I found a few schools cruising the bay. Large schools of hundreds were busting the water, chasing bait. I ended up catching two on topwater and one on a bucktail jig.
Click here for full forum report.
Bass in the River
Florida Sportsman member: stingwray
We had to fight some 15-20mph winds during the day. We had a great time ending up keeping a few bass and crappie for dinner releasing most to fight another day.
Click here for full forum report.
Big Drum from the Beach
Florida Sportsman member: Garbo
Shannon gets tired after 20 minutes or so, she hands it off to lucky young Angler. Upon being handed the fully loaded rod he looked up to his mother and said "It is so strooong."
Click here for full forum report.
Pensacola Bulls
Florida Sportsman member: pcola-reds
The bull reds have made it into the bay and are everywhere. We went out for a couple hours on 11/19 and found the reds running in the bay. Finally total was 11 with the smallest being 30 inches.
Click here for full forum report.
Pompano Jigging with a Surprise
Florida Sportsman member: 85okhai
Got out there and caught a few sheepshead and decided to tie on a jig that Garbo gave me a few months ago. I have never caught a pompano on a jig and don't even know when the last time I even caught a pompano was. Third or fourth cast in hooked into something nice and what I thought was a pompano ended up being a nice sheepshead.
Click here for full forum report.
Herding the Sheep
Florida Sportsman member: 85okhai
Hit up the pass today and did pretty well on the sheephead. fished with live shrimp, swells were pretty big. Ran out of bait and we were getting hungry so we ended the day with 31 sheephead.
Click here for full forum report.
Panhandle Pass Fishing
Florida Sportsman member: 85okhai
With the heavy current and little bigger bait we were using a little heavier tackle and 6 ounce weights and they were barely holding bottom with the current. Ended up catching one red on the smallest rod and reel and smallest bait. Fished another hour or so and didn't have any action so decided to call it a day
Click here for full forum report.
Burnt Mill Creek Speckled Trout & Redfish
Florida Sportsman member: Old Dog
I like fishing a falling tide and since high tide was about 8:00 a.m., we got on the water in time to get to our first spot and get ourselves ready for what we hoped would be a fish-catching frenzy. The fish cooperated and nearly every place we stopped we caught fish. Nearly all the trout we caught were too small to keep but the action was steady and since for me the fun is in the catching, I was happy.
Nudging 71, I have caught a few trout and reds, and I enjoy catching a few keeper trout and reds for the fryer, especially trout, but it's not the chief reason I fish. For me I like the bite. I like to feel the thunk of a strike, and if it's a keeper fine, but I also like being outdoors with good friends and a good fish bite is just icing on the cake.
Click here for full forum report.
Schooled on Redfish
Florida Sportsman member: Garbo
More than 10 years later…today we are going to fish together again. We arrive at Crooked Island Sound, trade places I back the boat into the water and Joey pulls it off the trailer, I park the truck, walk back to the boat and we are off smooth as if we had fished together for the past 10 years. On the way to the open water of the sound we make plans to fish the shell beds first then Wild Goose Lagoon. Joey takes to the upwind side of the shell beds and he shuts the motor down and drops the trolling motor. It takes a few cast but Joey is the first to hook up and sticks a really nice trout. Joey zig zags the shell beds and many cast later I luck up and get a decent trout. The trip is already way cool as we share stories and talk as if we have known each other forever but in reality we have only fished together once before today. The rest of the shell beds didn't produce anything to speak of so we made our way to Wild Goose Lagoon.
After shutting down in Wild Goose within seconds Joey looks up and spots a pod of Redfish as they wake down the bank…then a second pod…then a third pod. We both do our best to get our fakes into the right place at the right time and it just doesn't come together for either of us. We work the complete bank and eventually cross to the opposite bank in an effort to find some fish that want to play. Not long after getting to the opposite side Joey makes a long cast at some rolling fish and after a few turns of his reel handle comes tight on a Redfish that has plenty of shoulder.
Click here for full forum report.
Reds on Fire
Florida Sportsman member: KayakMacGyver
Went 9 for 9 this a.m. on Bull Reds in the pass. What a BEAUTIFUL morning. We got to the pass just before the the wind kicked up (6:30 a.m.) , and it only took about 10 minutes to get the first fish on. I am a firm believer in both the early sunrise bite (also sunset), as well as the tidal bite (last 2 hours of any tide) when it comes to Redfish. Tides always take precedent, and I WILL sleep in if it looks like garbage for a sunrise. Wind died to nothing around the tide change (appx: 11:30). Took a SMOOOOOOTH power in at lunch [...]
Click here for full forum report.
Destin Inshore Fishing
Florida Sportsman member: Capt. Blake Nelson
We had a good day with the trout. Everything was caught on live shrimp under a popping cork in 3-5 ft of water by a creek mouth. The average fish we caught was in the 14"-15" range...seemed like they were all 14.75". We managed 35 keepers for the day, the biggest was 21.5".
Click here for full forum report.
Another West Bay Trip
Florida Sportsman member: donald811
Went back to West bay Saturday. Thought it was gonna be too warm, the no see-ums like to eat us up. There was still fish in the deep holes though. When the water started moving in they started biting. Had a few fish close to 20 inches [...]
Click here for full forum report.
ICW Monster Redfish
Florida Sportsman Member: Jeepchief
I put in the other day around 12 under 79 with a livewell full of shrimp and a bunch of frozen shad about 8 in. long that I caught the day before at Lake Powell under the bridge. I caught a bunch of small reds and small trout on shrimp. I started chumming with the shad and hooked into this redfish, it was 38 inches and weighed 18 pounds. It was all messed up from either a boat or a shark or something, it was a good fish [...]
Click here for full forum report.
