We began our report Thursday with the water temperature hovering 60-61 degrees and almost no bite. We had clean water and it remained clean all week. Friday things began to warm and so did the bite. By Sunday, the water was 65+ and the variety of fish around the pier was better than we have seen in weeks. Monday and Tuesday were exceptional as the bite exploded. We saw Flounder, Red Drum, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Bluefish, small Sharks and even a few Squid hit the deck. Wednesday brought a slow down in activity just ahead of another cold front expected this weekend. By Friday our high temperature is forecast to be in the 50s and lows in the 30s are expected. Hopefully this doesn’t shut the bite off.
Scott has been targeting Flounder all week and was not disappointed. He was able to deck multiple fish each day. However, getting a fish that met the new 14” rule was more challenging. Live Bull minnows seemed to be the best bait and he did manage several nice keepers up to 19” during the week.
Red Drum were around but you had to be persistent and search for them. Sight fishing was much more productive than just using a set rig. Ghost shrimp, Sand Fleas and even a Spro Bucktail jig got results. Terry got a pretty multi-spot fish Sunday. I got one Monday that was just over-slot and Paul D. got a Bull Tuesday on the Spro jig.
Black Drum were around in greater numbers than the Reds. Small groups were hanging close to the pilings several days and were willing to eat if you had the right bait. I was able to pump fresh Ghost Shrimp Monday and that was almost a guaranteed bite if you got in front of the drums. I managed to put five “Big Uglys” on the deck Monday and Tuesday that ranged between 23” and 34”.
Large schools of Bluefish were prowling the sides of the pier most of the week. They were not picky and would attack almost anything you put in front of them. Most fish were legal size like this one Hai is pictured with.
The surprise came as we began to see Spanish Mackerel in good numbers. Bubble rigs seemed to work best. Early morning produced the best catches but a few were scattered through-out the days. Gordon had a good morning Monday as you can see in this shot of him at the cleaning table.
Pompano made an unexpected visit this week. There were a couple caught early this reporting period like this one Casey caught, but Tuesday morning was unbelievable. Around 10:30, a group of Pomps showed up on the east side of the pier between the first Tee and the outer sand bar. By 11:00, the school was easily over 500 fish that hung around for several hours. Anglers began to gather and the Pomps began to come over the rail. This frenzy continued until after noon with several anglers catching their limit. The best bite was on Ghost shrimp but a few were caught on Sand Fleas and live Shrimp. I would estimate at least 70 Pompano were caught before the school moved on. I was too busy fishing to get many pictures but here are a couple showing my limit and the limit Steve L. caught.
Sheepshead were gathering around the pilings in big numbers several days. However, typical behavior was the norm as there were only a few caught. Friday, Mikel spent hours dangling live Shrimp in front of numerous fish only to be totally ignored. He finally was able to get one fish to eat and took if home for dinner. Saturday and Sunday brought a better bite, and I had a report that one angler decked 4 fish. Bob R. managed 2 fish Sunday like this one.
Daily activity:
Thursday: - water temp 60.6 – 61.7
Friday: One Sheepshead, 4 Flounder (1 keeper), one small Shark - water temp 61.9 – 66.6
Saturday: Flounder and Sheepshead - water temp 66.2 – 65.8
Sunday: Small Cigar minnows, one Pompano, Sheepshead around pilings, small Spanish, Red Drum and Bonita in the shallows -water clear, temp 65.8 – 65.5
Monday: Red Drum, Black Drum, Flounder, Pompano, Sheepshead, Bluefish - Cigar minnows early morning - water temp 65.5 – 66.6
Tuesday: Lots of Pompano, Red Drum, Black Drum, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish and Cigar Minnows – Sheepshead around but would not bite - water temp 65.8 – 66.0
Wednesday: Flounder, one Bonita, Bluefish and Cigar minnows - water temp 65.3 – 66.4
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
New Moon Saturday Jan. 21, 2023 Full Moon Saturday Feb. 05, 2022
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:39am Sunset: 5:02pm
Thursday 12th. 9:07am Low -0.2
Friday 8:41am Low -0.1 12:06pm High 0.5
4:34pm High 0.4
Saturday 7:02am Low 0.0 4:11pm High 0.5
Sunday 3:48am Low -0.1 3:58pm High 0.8
Monday 3:47am Low -0.4 4:26pm High 1.0
Tuesday 4:15am Low -0.6 5:14pm High 1.2
Wednesday 18th. 4:57am Low -0.9 6:11pm High 1.3
Sunrise: 6:38am Sunset: 5:07pm CDST
Water temperature:
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CST THIS MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
TODAY
South winds 15 to 20 knots, becoming southwest 20 to
25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots this afternoon. Seas 3 to
5 feet with a dominant period of 4 seconds, building to 5 to
7 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds this afternoon.
Protected waters rough. A slight chance of showers early this
afternoon, then a chance of showers with a slight chance of
thunderstorms late.
TONIGHT
West winds 20 to 25 knots, becoming northwest after
midnight. Seas 6 to 8 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds.
Protected waters rough. Showers and thunderstorms.
FRIDAY
Northwest winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to
30 knots. Seas 6 to 8 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds.
Protected waters rough.
FRIDAY NIGHT
North winds 25 to 30 knots, diminishing to 20 to
25 knots after midnight. Seas 6 to 9 feet with a dominant period
of 7 seconds. Protected waters very rough.
SATURDAY
North winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots,
diminishing to 15 to 20 knots in the afternoon. Seas 5 to 7 feet
with a dominant period of 7 seconds, subsiding to 3 to 5 feet
with a dominant period of 7 seconds in the afternoon. Protected
waters rough.
SATURDAY NIGHT
North winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet
with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
SUNDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a
dominant period of 3 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots, increasing to
15 to 20 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 feet with a dominant
period of 4 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
MONDAY
Southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a
dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy.
MONDAY NIGHT
South winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet with
a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters ch
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (75/57 rain 99% wind Sw-23)
FRIDAY (53/35 rain 04% wind NNW-21)
SATURDAY (54/36 rain 03% wind NNW-14)
SUNDAY (59/47 rain 03% wind SE-06)
MONDAY (68/58 rain 11% wind SE-13)
TUESDAY (74/63 rain 46% wind SE-13)
WEDNESDAY(76/67 rain 45% wind SE-11)
PIER MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bay County Parks and Recreation – 5304 Majetti Tower Road Panama City, FL 32404
850-248-8730
Vince Martin – Bay Co. Beach Operations Manager - vmartin@baycountyfl.gov - 850-896-6580
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
