Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 83.1 NNE 4-6mph in the a.m. / 83.7 NNE 5-9mph in the p.m. The water was clean. Spanish Mackerel were caught in the early morning. A few Hardtails were decked in the afternoon. There were Cigar Minnows around for live bait.
Friday: water temp 82.2 NE 5-7mph in the a.m. / 83.8 NE 6-12mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were a few Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish and Hardtails. Sheepshead were schooled up in the shallows but would not eat. Noah caught a Bull Red Drum that was prowling the skinny water. There were a few Cigar Minnows available for live bait.
Saturday: water temp 82.2 ENE 6-9mph in the a.m. / 83.3 W 9-15mph in the p.m. / The water was clean. One large Sailfish hooked but lost to a broken line. Two King Mackerel hooked, one lost to “Flipper” and the other a pulled hook. There were a few Spanish Mackerel and Ladyfish. Cigar Minnows were available for live bait.
Sunday: water temp 81.9 NNE 5-7mph in the a.m. / 84.7 NE 6-12mph in the p.m. The water was clean. One small Sailfish caught on a lure. A few Spanish Mackerel were caught. Two Flounder were hooked. Cigar Minnows were available for live bait.
Monday: water temp 84.7 NE 6-8mph in the a.m. / 83.8 WSW 8-11mph in the pm. The water was clean. Spanish Mackerel, one small Sailfish, two undersize Flounder and two undersize Pompano in the morning. Spanish Mackerel in the afternoon. Cigar Minnows were available for live bait. Naturally, live bait got the most attention.
Tuesday: water temp 84.6 N# 5-7mph in the a.m. / 83.8 SW 6-10mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were a few Spanish Mackerel in the morning. The afternoon brought the first King Mackerel in a while. By 5:00, there had been 6 hooked and 5 decked. Dom caught the first one which was his first pier King. It ate a spoon. Then Allan, Hachid, Sam, Chandler and David hooked fish with four of the five decked. David’s fish was probably the largest but broke off just before the gaff. Several other Kings were missed. Several tiny Sailfish were spotted but did not bite. A few Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish and Hardtails were caught as well. Cigar Minnows were around but very hard to catch.
Wednesday: water temp 82.8 NE 5-8mph in the a.m. / 84.0 SW 9-12mph in the p.m. The water was clean. The morning was very slow. The afternoon delivered a few Spanish Mackerel. Four small King Mackerel were hooked. Danny caught the first one on bait, then Dom hooked one on a spoon. but it shook the hook as he tried to lift it onto the pier. Noak hooked one on a jerk bait, but it pulled the hooks before it could be gaffed. I got a barely legal one on bait just before 5:00. Dom decked another King about 7:15. There were Cigar Minnows around but were very hard to catch.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Bay County.
2025 Bay County Outdoors King Mackerel Tournament
(As of 09/17/25 we have 63 registered)
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.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Sunday Sept. 21, 2025 – Full Moon Monday Oct. 06, 2025
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:29am Sunset: 6:44pm
Saturday 5:48pm Low 0.9 10:35am High 1.5
11:31pm High 1.3
Sunday 4:23am Low 0.9 11:43am High 1.3
5:18pm Low 1.0 11:21pm High 1.3
Monday 5:43am Low 0.8 1:01pm High 1.2
4:33pm Low 1.1 10:52pm High 1.4
Tuesday 6:53am Low 0.7 10:40pm High 1.6
Wednesday 24th. 8:02am Low 0.6 11:05pm High 1.7
Sunrise: 6:32am Sunset: 6:36pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
(local forecast).
SATURDAY (89/73 rain 24% wind SSE-07)
SUNDAY (90/73 rain 09% wind ESE-08)
MONDAY (88/73 rain 17% wind SE-08)
TUESDAY (86/74 rain 24% wind SSE-09)
WEDNESDAY(85/72 rain 24% wind SW-10)
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
