You could have fried an egg on the pier deck this period. The big thing this week was trying to stay hydrated. At least we enjoyed beautiful water and some wind to help with the heat. As you would expect, the water is hot but that didn’t seem to hurt the fishing much. The morning bite was good with the following species caught, Bonita, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, plus a variety of bait fish and the usual junk fish. There were a few Tarpon hooked but lost and one small Sailfish hooked briefly.
King Mackerel made a return this week with several caught, Thursday, Friday and Monday. Most were small. Tremane, Anthony and Marisela decked nice fish. Brandon got the largest one for the week and George hooked a monster that ended in a heartbreak. After a lengthy fight, George brought his “smoker” close to the gaff to only have the hook pull. Several anglers confirmed the fish was easily 40 plus pounds. The picture doesn’t do it justice but with no reference, it is hard to see in the water.
Summer Bonita were thick again this period but began to taper off from the early numbers by Monday. Early mornings were on fire with numerous fish hooked simultaneously. The angler dance and subsequent tangles made for some spicy conversation but, it all worked out in the end. Most fish were in the 10-pound range. Here are a few shots of fish that were caught by Brenda, George, Anthony, Steve, Mark and Ivan’s cooler.
Spanish Mackerel made an appearance two mornings. Tuesday and today they came in early morning. Quite a few were caught although they were small. Some were below the 12-inch minimum.
Skinny water has been very active with Red Drum. They have been thick with multiple schools prowling the shallow water. The bite was explosive at times and the fish were super picky other times. Only a few of the fish were in the slot. A majority were huge “Bulls”. Live bait free lined worked best. At times, the schools would get fired-up feeding on the surface and were hitting jerk baits. Seth from Alabama and Steve show a couple of fish they caught. Many fish were intentionally broken off or returned by net.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 84.0 - Lots of summer Bonita, Several Kings caught with other bites, 3 Tarpon hooked and lost, one small Sailfish hooked and lost, lots of bait fish.
Friday: water temp 83.5 – 85.5 Lots of summer Bonita, several King Mackerel, George lost one that was 40+ before the gaff, skinny water was thick with Red Drum, tons of bait fish.
Saturday: water temp 84.0 – 86.4 Big Bonita’ bait.
Sunday: water temp 84.9 – 87.8 Big Bonita, Red Drum in the shallows, bait
Monday: water temp 84.7 – 87.4 A few King Mackerel and Bonita-then “Flipper” came in and took some of each. Lots of “Bull” Red Drum in the shallows eating freelined live bait, schools of bait present.
Tuesday: water temp.84.7 – 88.2 Spanish Mackerel in early am, Red Drum in the shallows, lots of bait fish.
Wednesday: water temp 84.4 – 86.4 Small Spanish Mackerel in the am, Lots of Red Drum in the shallows, bait schools.
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
Full Moon Monday Aug. 19, 2024 - New Moon Monday Sept. 02, 2024
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:10am Sunset: 7:22pm
Friday 6:35pm Low -0.1 7:16am High 2.0
Saturday 7:18pm Low -0.1 8:25am High 2.1
Sunday 7:59pm Low 0.0 9:28am High 2.1
Monday 8:35pm Low 0.2 10:32am High 2.0
Tuesday 8:58pm Low 0.4 11:40am High 1.8
Wednesday 21st. 8:43pm Low 0.7 12:52pm High 1.6
Sunrise: 6:13am Sunset: 7:16pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
FRIDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: East 3 feet at 4 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the morning.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southeast 2 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
SUNDAY
West winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
West winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
(local forecast).
FRIDAY (91/77 rain 09% wind SE-09)
SATURDAY (91/80 rain 15% wind S-09)
SUNDAY (91/79 rain 24% wind W-12)
MONDAY (91/77 rain 24% wind WNW-11)
TUESDAY (92/78 rain 15% wind NW-09)
WEDNESDAY(92/78 rain 18% 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
