Most of you know our good friend and fishing partner Paul Bennett passed away 01-05-2024. Instead of honoring him with a bench, I have gotten approval to order a brass plaque to be mounted onto the pier. I have obtained a quote for a plaque from: International Bronze Co. out of Ft. Myers, Fl. Their quote was $1140.00. It would look something like this:
We plan to affix the plaque to one of the pier rail posts just below the light. The plaque would be 14” x 14” with a single line beveled border. The following would be on the plaque:
In Loving Memory
Of
Paul H. Bennett
Jul. 03, 1931 – Jan. 05, 2024
Forever
Fishing Heaven’s Pond
Many of Paul’s numerous friends have expressed an interest in contributing towards this Memorial. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact me by email SLP053@BELLSOUTH.NET ; by cell at: 770-265-2879 or in person on the pier. THANKS!
We began the period with dirty water and ended with dirty water but had good days between. The water temperature slowly climbed to 70 degrees Monday afternoon. We have had Cigar Minnows, Threadfin Herring and Alewives around, but the first King Mackerel has not been caught. The Spanish Mackerel bite has been good.
Only a couple of Red Drum were hooked. Chuck decked one that was 29.5 inches, but it had to go back.
We had a great week with a hot Pompano bite. Both jigs and Sand Fleas got their attention. Many anglers reached their daily limits. A couple of mornings, there were too many fish to count caught. The big fish weighed almost 4 pounds. Here are a few shots of the ones decked:
Rapala and Bay County Outdoors will be giving gear to the first angler to deck a legal King Mackerel and a legal Cobia - Also, the first Tarpon brought to the pier and quickly released. The tackle will consist of a 1200-yard spool of Suffix 832 braid 50#, a $136.00 value along with a few other items. To claim the gear, you will need to provide your name and a contact number, a picture, the date and time caught plus a witness name with a contact number. We do not want to risk killing the Tarpon so a picture with the fish within 25 feet of the pier side will be accepted. This only applies to fish caught from M. B. Miller (County) Pier. This info must be provided to me via TEXT, Email or messenger at 770-265-2879 or SLP053@BELLSOUTH.NET Sam Patrick
No pre-registration is required, and all anglers are eligible.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 65.3 – 66.7 Dirty water. Dead
Friday: water temp 64.9 – 67.1 Dirty water. Pompano
Saturday: water temp 65.7 – 68.2 Pompano
Sunday: water temp 67.1 – 69.8 Pompano, Spanish Mackerel
Monday: water temp 69.3 – 70.7 Pompano, a few Whiting
Tuesday: water temp 70.0 – 70.2 Pompano, a few Spanish Mackerel, a few Whiting, Cigar minnows, Threadfin Herring and Alewives.
Wednesday: water temp 69.6 – 70.0 A few Spanish Mackerel, a few Pompano, some Cigar minnows, Threadfin Herring and Alewives.
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 Monday Apr. 08, 2024 Full Moon Tuesday Apr. 23, 2024
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:47am Sunset: 7:04pm
Thursday 04th. 4:47am Low -0.4 7:14am High 1.3
Friday 5:21am Low -0.2 8:50pm High 1.2
Saturday 5:38am Low 0.1 11:46am High 0.5
2:07pm Low 0.4 10:27pm High 1.0
Sunday 5:25am Low 0.4 11:02am High 0.6
4:47pm Low 0.2
Monday 4:36am Low 0.7 12:17am High 0.8
6:22pm Low 0.0 10:38am High 0.9
Tuesday 7:58pm Low -0.2 10:08am High 1.2
Wednesday 10th. 9:35pm Low -0.3 10:36am High 1.4
Sunrise: 6:20am Sunset: 7:07pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
West winds 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
THURSDAY NIGHT
West winds 15 to 20 knots. Gusts up to 30 knots in the evening. Seas 4 to 6 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
FRIDAY
Northwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds, subsiding to 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds in the afternoon. Protected waters a moderate chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
West winds 10 to 15 knots, becoming northwest after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SATURDAY
North winds 10 to 15 knots, diminishing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming northeast after midnight. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds in the evening, then 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 3 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 3 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (69/52 rain 00% wind WNW-19)
FRIDAY (71/50 rain 01% wind WNW-14)
SATURDAY (71/55 rain 03% wind WNW-09)
SUNDAY (72/62 rain 04% wind SE-11)
MONDAY (75/65 rain 22% wind SSE-15)
TUESDAY (76/66 rain 30% wind SE-15)
WEDNESDAY(76/67 rain 58% wind SE-18)
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
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
