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 Tournament will begin at 05:00 a.m. Sunday, October 01, 2023, and end Sunday, November 12th. at 6:00 p.m.
Registration is FREE. You can enter by sending your Name, contact E-mail and your Phone Number to Sam by Texting or E-mail here: Text-770-265-2879 or E-mail- SLP053@BELLSOUTH.net
Tournament prizes will be fishing tackle, provided by the following sponsors: Rapala, D.O.A. and Howell Tackle. NO CASH. There will be two places:
1st: $500.00 equivalent of tackle
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 6:00pm. 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 05:00 a.m. October 01 and ends November 12, 6:00 p.m. and will award 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 on the Bay County Outdoors King Mackerel Tournament web site prior to entering a catch. Registration is free and only requires your name, email, and a contact phone number.
5: Sam Patrick is the designated Tournament Official and will register and certify all entries.
6: Rapala, D.O.A. and Howell Tackle are the prize sponsors.
7: Official weigh-in will be between 10:00am and 6:00pm Sundays through Fridays and between 1:00pm and 6:00pm 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.
PIER REPORT:
Our water continued to cool some as it hovered between 84 and 82 degrees the past seven days. The clarity has been good. We have enjoyed an improved bite with Kings, Spanish, Bonita, Ladyfish, Hardtails, Yellowtail Jacks, Pompano and even a Sailfish making the species list.
Most mornings, the Bonita bite has been outstanding. As many as 40 Bonita hit the deck a couple of mornings. Bubble rigs with a spoon, straw or small jerk bait were the hot baits. Here is George with the typical size Bonita that were here:
Mornings and evenings proved to be great fishing times for the Spanish. Waves of fish would come through with sizes ranging from below legal to almost two pounds. The same bait of choice for the Bonita worked on the Spanish.
Lots of tiny Kings hit the deck all week. We did have several nice Kings caught along with one “Smoker”. Natural bait was the best choice for the larger Kings. The 26th and 27th saw the big fish caught. Larry put a 15.9 pound on the deck Tuesday morning. John got the “Smoker” Tuesday afternoon. The 27.45 pound fish ate a live Hardtail. Not long after that, Cory (only gets to fish a few times per year), got his first King in almost five years. This morning, Jimmy decked a very respectable King.
Daily activity:
Friday: water temp 82.8 – 84.6 A couple of tiny Kings, a few Spanish, Ladyfish and Hardtails, One Sailfish hooked but the angler got spooled and lost it.
Saturday: water temp 82.8 – 84.7
Sunday: water temp 82.2 – 84.6
Monday: water temp 82.8 – 84.9 Spanish in the am, few Spanish and a couple of tiny Kings in pm, Alewives and Hardtails.
Tuesday: water temp 84.4 – 83.1 Lots of Bonita and a few Spanish in the am, Kings in pm- John – 27.45# ate a live Hardtail, Larry- 15.9# and Cory visiting from GA 1st King in 5 yrs., several other schoolies, Pompano in shallows, Cigar minnows.
Wednesday: water temp 82.0 – 82.2 Bonita, Spanish, Tiny Kings with one nice King that Jimmy caught, Ladyfish, Yellowtail Jacks, Hachid had a Sailfish hit but no hook-up, Cigar minnows 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
Full Moon Friday Sept. 29, 2023 New Moon Saturday Oct. 14, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:34am Sunset: 6:32pm
Friday 4:46am Low 0:8 12:28pm High 1.4
5:37pm Low 1.2 11:14pm High 1.3
Saturday 6:23am Low 0.6 10:25pm High 1.6
Sunday 7:57am Low 0.4 10:52pm High 1.8
Monday 9:36am Low 0.3 11:34am High 1.9
Tuesday 11:10am Low 0.3
Wednesday 04th. 12:35pm Low 0.2 12:21am High 2.0
Sunrise: 6:37am Sunset: 6:24pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
FRIDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
East winds 10 to 15 knots, increasing to 15 to 20 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SUNDAY
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of thunderstorms. A chance of showers, mainly in the morning.
SUNDAY NIGHT
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY
Northeast winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (83/69 rain 23% wind ENE-12)
FRIDAY (87/71 rain 05% wind NE-12)
SATURDAY (89/71 rain 06% wind ENE-11)
SUNDAY (88/68 rain 04% wind ENE-13)
MONDAY (86/67 rain 04% wind ENE-12)
TUESDAY (86/67 rain 03% wind NE-11)
WEDNESDAY(86/68 rain 04% wind ENE-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
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
