We tried all week to get the water temperature up to 60 degrees, but it never got there. It ranged from 57.0 to 59.2 degrees. We should hit 60 by the upcoming weekend given the forecasted weather. There was a mixed bag of conditions from rough to calm and from mostly clean to dirty and back. Bait continues to be MIA. We did have a better species catch as Red Drum, Black Drum, Pompano, Flounder, Sheepshead, Bonnethead Shark and Squid hit the deck. The Squid were few in number, and you needed to fish after sunset to get them.
Shallow water was the place to fish except for the Sheepshead. Many of the fish were caught on Ghost Shrimp, but live Shrimp, dead Shrimp and Fiddler Crabs got bitten too. Thursday was a little more active with several Red Drum hooked but lost, plus one hitting the deck, two Pompano decked and a Black Drum. Friday was the most frustrating day as there were schools of Red Drum, Pompano, Whiting, and Sheepshead prowling the pilings all morning. However, only one Red, one Black and a small Whiting hit the deck. We tried every bait we had but they just ignored it. Saturday and Sunday saw three Reds decked and released. Also, several Whiting made their way into coolers. Monday was a bust. Today only saw one nice Sheepshead caught. There were several Bonnethead Shark caught throughout the period. Check these shots of the catches:
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 57.0 – 58.3 One Red Drum, two Pompano and one Black Drum decked. Several Red Drum hooked and lost.
Friday: water temp 57.7 – 59.7 One Red Drum (Jim), one Black Drum (Sam), one Whiting (Terry) and a Bonnethead Shark (Jack). Lots of Red Drum, Sheepshead and Pompano around the pier but would not bite. A few Squid late evening.
Saturday: water temp 58.5 – 59.7 A few Whiting and three Red Drum.
Sunday: water temp 59.4 – 58.8 Rain, wind, and rough water. Some Whiting.
Monday: water temp 58.5 – 59.0 dead
Tuesday: water temp 57.9 – 59.5 A small Flounder, one Sheepshead and some Bonnethead Sharks.
Wednesday: water temp 58.1 – 59.2 One Sheepshead. (Ghost Shrimp)
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 Friday Feb. 09, 2024 Full Moon Saturday Feb. 24, 2024
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:28am Sunset: 5:25pm
Thursday 08th. 6:40am Low -1.0 8:41pm High 1.4
Friday 7:24am Low -0.9 9:44pm High 1.3
Saturday 8:02am Low -0.7 10:50pm High 1.1
Sunday 8:26am Low -0.7 11:58pm High 0.8
Monday 8:13am Low -0.1 1.56pm High 0.2
5:08pm Low 0.1
Tuesday 7:16am Low 0.1 1:13am High 0.5
8:26pm Low 0.0 1:40pm High 0.4
Wednesday 14th. 5:02am Low 0.2 3:01am High 0.2
1:28pm High 0.7
Sunrise: 6:23am Sunset: 5:30pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 4 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 4 seconds. Protected waters a light chop. Patchy fog after midnight.
FRIDAY
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 4 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. Patchy fog after midnight.
SATURDAY
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon.
SATURDAY NIGHT
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers.
SUNDAY
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
South winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
MONDAY
Southwest winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet with a dominant period of 7 seconds. Protected waters choppy. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Protected waters choppy. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Showers likely, mainly in the evening.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (66/56 rain 06% wind SE-09)
FRIDAY (68/62 rain 11% wind SSE-13)
SATURDAY (70/64 rain 24% wind SSE-13)
SUNDAY (70/64 rain 88% wind S-10)
MONDAY (67/43 rain 86% wind W-15)
TUESDAY (60/42 rain 03% wind NNW-12)
WEDNESDAY(62/46 rain 03% wind NNW-06)
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
