Great water clarity was the norm for the past 7 days. Our water temperature has ranged from 78 in the mornings to 85 mid-afternoons. We had a variety of species caught this period including King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Mahi-Mahi, Bonita, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Red Drum, Tarpon, Hardtails, Pin fish, Cigar minnows, Alewives, Threadfin Herring and Moon Pies. The angler population was lighter than last week but still crowded at times.
The King Mackerel bite was better than average although no big fish were decked. Most were “schoolies” but we had a few up to 15-pounds. Both lures and natural bait got hits and the best time was mid-afternoon. The tax man, “Flipper” was a constant presence and got more than his fair share of our fish and bait. Here is a sample of pictures of fish that were caught by: Hachid, Charlie, Sam, Dat, and Hai, plus one that “Flipper” took from Brenda.
Spanish were caught early mornings in larger numbers than any other time of day. A few fish were above average size, but most were in the 12-to-15-inch range. Gotchas, Bubble rigs, Spoons, Jerk bait and live bait were productive. Here is one of the Spanish Will (visiting from Chattanooga, TN) caught:
Bonita came in a couple of days with several decked each day, Thursday through Sunday. These were the bigger Summer Bonita and averaged about 9-pounds. Connor and Jemel were a couple of the lucky anglers to catch Bonita.
Mahi-Mahi made another appearance this period with several nice fish hitting the deck. Friday was the best day for them with 6 fish being caught. Hector, Sam and Jose were some of the lucky anglers to catch them.
Most of our Tarpon anglers have given up as the season has been slow. However, several fish were hooked this period. Steve M. brought one to the pier Monday and several other fish were hooked briefly. Today, Wednesday, we had a triple hook-up as Sam, Danny and Cole hooked fish as a school passed through. Danny’s fish fought hard and eventually broke off. Cole’s fish fought back and forth across the front of the pier, rolling on the surface several times before shooting the pilings and cutting the line. Sam’s fish took him all the way to the beach before breaking the leader on a final jump just yards from the swimmers. Cole had had a previous hook-up that ended in seconds with the first jump.
Shallow water has not been productive in a while, but a few Red Drum returned this week. Chuck tried his luck this week. He ended a long dry spell with a nice Bull Red.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 79.9 – 84.6 King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Bonita, a few Mahi, Alewives and Threadfin Herring
Friday: water temp 82.4 – 87.4 Ten small King Mackerel, 5 Mahi, Several Bonita and Spanish Mackerel, Threadfin Herring, Cigar Minnows, Alewives
Saturday: water temp 82.6 – 83.1 A couple of King Mackerel, a few Bonita and Spanish Mackerel, Alewives and Cigar minnows
Sunday: water temp 81.0 – 83.7 One King Mackerel, a few Bonita, Cigar minnows
Monday: water temp 78.6 - 84.9 Tarpon brought pier side by Steve M. in am, lots of Spanish Mackerel early and a few small Kings, Alewives
Tuesday: water temp 78.4 – 85.5 A few Small Kings and some Spanish in the morning, 5 Kings and a few Spanish during the afternoon (Hai, Dat, Sam and Jose got keeper Kings, one short throw back, Hachid and Glen had hooks pull pier side), More
Kings after I left at 5:00,Alewives
Wednesday: water temp 78.3 – 85.1 Lots of King Mackerel spotted but only a few small ones bit, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, a triple Tarpon hook-up, Alewives
Red Tide status: The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected from or offshore of Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Dixie, Levy, Hernando, or Pasco counties. No samples were analyzed this week from Escambia, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, or Citrus counties.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Monday Aug. 01, 2023 New Moon Wednesday Aug. 16, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 5:58am Sunset: 7:39pm
Thursday 27th. 5:02pm Low -0.1 4:45am High 1.6
Friday 5:43pm Low -0:1 5:41am High 1.7
Saturday 6:30pm Low -0.2 6:47am High 1.9
Sunday 7:21pm Low -0.4 7:55am High 2.0
Monday 8:11pm Low -0.4 9:03am High 2.1 (Full Moon)
Tuesday 8:59pm Low -0.3 10:10am High 2.1
Wednesday 02nd. 9:41pm Low -0.1 11:16am High 2.0
Sunrise: 6:02am Sunset: 7:35pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
THURSDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming east after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. A slight chance of showers in the evening, then a chance of showers after midnight.
FRIDAY
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less, then around 2 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds in the afternoon. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
FRIDAY NIGHT
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers. A chance of thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers. A chance of thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
SUNDAY
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then a chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
MONDAY
West winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (89/77 rain 15% wind SE-08)
FRIDAY (88/77 rain 24% wind SE-07)
SATURDAY (88/79 rain 40% wind S-08)
SUNDAY (89/81 rain 24% wind WSW-08)
MONDAY (89/80 rain 24% wind WSW-08)
TUESDAY (90/79 rain 24% wind SW-09)
WEDNESDAY(90/80 rain 24% wind SSW-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
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
