Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 84.9 W 13-15mph in the a.m. / 85.6 W 8-11mph in the p.m. The water was a little cloudy. Small to average Spanish Mackerel and big Hardtails. Small Hardtails and Alewives were available for live bait.
Friday: water temp 85.6 N 3-7mph in the a.m. / 87.4 w 8-13mph in the p.m. The water was slightly cloudy. There were small to average Spanish Mackerel all day. Big Hardtails and a few Ladyfish were caught too. Two King Mackerel were hooked in the afternoon. One was on a lure and was lost beside the pier due to a hook pull. John D decked the other King on live bait. We didn’t weigh it, but it was appr. 22-Pounds. There were small Hardtails and Alewives available for live bait.
Saturday: water temp 85.6 NNE 5-7mph in the a.m. / 88.2 W 9-11mph on the p.m. The water was clean. Small to average Spanish Mackerel.
Sunday: water temp 85.6 NE 2-5mph in the a.m. / 87.65 W 7-9mph in the p.m. The water was clean. Small Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish and baby Bonita caught in the morning. One tiny Sailfish caught on a bubble rig. Two huge Tiger Sharks passed through. Cuba C decked a “SMOKER” King mackerel in the mid-afternoon that weighed 45 pounds. Cuba caught it on a lure. At least four Tarpon were hooked with Brad W being the only angler to get his back to the pier. There were small Hardtails and Alewives available for live bait.
Monday: water temp 86.9 NNE 3-5mph in the a.m. / 88.7 WSW 6-8mph in the p.m. The water was clean. Medium sized Spanish Mackerel and several schools of Bull Red Drum were marauding the small Alewives from the shallows out to the outer sand bar. Several Reds were caught but were over-slot. The Tarpon bite turned on in the afternoon. Several were hooked including two by John C. Average to big Spanish Mackerel were caught in the p.m. like this one Rick decked,
Tuesday: water temp 87.6 E 3-8mph in the a.m. / 87.6 NNE 8-13mph in the p.m. The water was clean. We had a good Spanish Mackerel bite in the morning with fish up to 3-pounds. Nort hooked a Sailfish but lost it. A few more Spanish in the afternoon plus lots of Hardtails. There were Alewives available for live bait.
Wednesday: water temp 86.0 NE 5-7mph in the a.m. / 88.2 WSW 5-8mph in the p.m. Four Sailfish spotted in the morning with no bites. There was a nice Spanish Mackerel run in the morning and a few more caught in the afternoon. Several small King Mackerel were caught plus two decent sized ones hooked and lost. Red Drum were active in the shallows with several over-slot fish caught. We had several Tarpon roll on our bait, but none were hooked. There was a huge Tiger Shark hanging around the end of the pier in the afternoon. Goggle Eyes, small Hardtails and Alewives were available for live bait.
2025 Bay County Outdoors King Mackerel Tournament
BAY COUNTY OUTDOORS (BCO) in cooperation with Bay County Recreation is promoting a King Mackerel Pier Tournament on the M. B. Miller Pier. Registration is FREE! It is simple to register and only requires your Name, contact Phone Number and Email. The Six Week Tournament will begin at 06:00 a.m. Sunday, September 28, 2025, and end Sunday, November 09, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
Registration is FREE. You can enter by sending your Name, contact E-mail and your Phone Number to Sam by Texting, Messenger or E-mail here: Text-770-265-2879 or E-mail- SLP053@BELLSOUTH.net
The tournament prizes will be fishing tackle, provided by the following sponsors: Rapala and 3rd Coast Lures, NO CASH. There will be two places:
1st: $500.00 equivalent of tackle plus a bonus prize provided by Bay County Recreation Department.
2nd: $350.00 equivalent of tackle
Sam Patrick will be the Tournament Official to weigh and record all entries. He will weigh fish Sundays through Fridays between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm and on Saturdays between 1:00pm and 7:00pm. If he is not on the pier, you can call him at: 770-265-2879 during the listed weigh in hours. If you weigh in the top two fish by weight, you can win both places. In case of a tie, the first fish weighed will take the lead in that category. The fish must be caught from the M.B. Miller Pier. The fish must be hooked and caught by a single angler using a lure or natural bait. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) laws and regulations, all Bay County Pier regulations, and Tournament Rules must be followed, or the angler will be disqualified. Tournament Rules
1: Tournament begins 06:00 a.m. September 28, 2025, and ends November 09, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. and will be awarded a 1st and 2nd place winner.
2: Fish must be caught from the M. B. Miller (County) Pier.
3: Fish must be hooked and caught by a single angler using a lure or natural bait. No assistance landing the fish other than by a net or gaff.
4: Anglers must be registered with Bay County Outdoors - King Mackerel Tournament prior to entering a catch. Registration is free and only requires your name, email, and contact phone number.
5: Sam Patrick is the designated Tournament Official and will register and certify all entries.
6: Rapala and 3rd Coast Lures are the prize sponsors. One bonus prize, donated by Bay County Recreation, will be awarded to the 1st place winner.
7: Official weigh-in will be between 10:00am and 6:00pm Sundays through Fridays and between 1:00pm and 7:00pm on Saturdays. Sam can be contacted at 770-265-2879 during the official weigh-in times to enter a catch.
8: In the event of a tying weight fish, the first caught will take priority. A single angler may win both 1st and 2nd place with two qualifying fish.
9: All Tournament rules, FWC laws, Bay County Recreation and Pier rules must be followed, or the angler will be disqualified.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Saturday Aug. 23, 2025 – Full Moon Sunday Sept. 07, 2025
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:13am Sunset: 7:16pm
Thursday 21st. 7:48pm Low 0.1 9:29am High 2.0
Friday 8:22pm Low 0.3 10:26am High 1.9
Saturday 8:35pm Low 0.6 11:21am High 1.7
Sunday 7:43pm Low 0.8 12:16pm High 1.5
Monday 5:23am Low 0.9 1:33am High 1.0
7:11pm Low 0.9 1:14pm High 1.3
Tuesday 7:12am Low 0.8 1:20am High 1.1
6:09pm Low 1.0 2:20pm High 1.1
Wednesday 27th. 8:52am Low 0.7 12:49am High 1.3
Sunrise: 6:17am Sunset: 7:09pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
West winds around 5 knots, becoming southwest in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots, diminishing to around 5 knots after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
FRIDAY
Southwest winds around 5 knots, increasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots, diminishing to around 5 knots after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly in the evening.
SATURDAY
West winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth. Showers and thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
West winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth. Showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
SUNDAY
Northwest winds around 5 knots, becoming west in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers and thunderstorms likely.
SUNDAY NIGHT
West winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly in the evening.
MONDAY
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming north after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (89/78 rain 24% wind W-10)
FRIDAY (87/77 rain 20% wind WSW-09)
SATURDAY (85/76 rain 66% wind WNW-08)
SUNDAY (86/77 rain 42% wind WNW-08)
MONDAY (89/76 rain 24% wind WNW-08)
TUESDAY (92/75 rain 15% wind N-08)
WEDNESDAY(87/73 rain 17% wind NNE-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
