Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 83.1 NE 4-6mph in the a.m. / 84.6 SSW 8-13mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There was a decent Spanish Mackerel bite in the morning. The fish were small to average size. The afternoon saw a few more Spanish Mackerel and Ladyfish. There were Cigar Minnows available for live bait.
Friday: water temp 83.8 NNE 4-7mph in the a.m. / 85.5 SSW 9-14mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There was a good Spanish Mackerel bite in the early morning. The afternoon was slow with only a couple of Spanish, a few Hardtails and big Ladyfish. Young Nathan from Dothan caught a nice Spanish. About 6:15, John C. found a unicorn. Finally, a nice King Mackerel that weighed 30.5 pounds. There were Cigar Minnows around for live bait, but they were hard to get.
Saturday: water temp 84.2 ENE 6-9mph in the a.m. / 85.8 W 9-15mph in the p.m. The water was clean. Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish and Hardtails. Cigar Minnows were around for live bait, but it was hard to get them to bite.
Sunday: water temp 84.4 ENE 7-9mph in the a.m. / 85.3 N 8-15mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were a few Spanish Mackerel and Ladyfish. Cigar Minnows were around for live bait, but it was hard to get them to bite.
Monday: water temp 84.7 NNE 8-12mph in the a.m. / 84.4 E 3-10mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were a few early morning Spanish Mackerel. The afternoon brought Ladyfish and a few Hardtails. James spotted a school of Pompano in the shallows as he was leaving the pier. He managed to deck one 15 inch one. There were Cigar Minnows and Spanish Sardine available for live bait.
Tuesday: water temp 82.6 NE 8-20mph in the a.m. / 83.7 ENE 7-14mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were less than a dozen Spanish Mackerel decked all day. Small Ladyfish were around all day and willing to bite. There were big Hardtails too. Live bait was scarce.
Wednesday: water temp 82.2 ENE 5-11mph in the a.m. / 83.5 NNE 6-12mph in the p.m. The water was clean. There were a few Spanish Mackerel caught all day. Small Ladyfish were around and there were big Hardtails. Cigar Minnows were there but hard to catch.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Escambia County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Sunday Sept. 07, 2025 New Moon Sunday Sept. 21, 2025 –
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 6:25am Sunset: 6:52pm
Thursday 11th. 10:01am Low 0.4
Friday 12:02pm Low 0.3 12:36am High 1.9
Saturday 1:51pm Low 0.2 1:26am High 2.0
Sunday 3:09pm Low 0.1 2:25am High 2.1
Monday 4:10pm Low 0.1 3:39am High 2.1
Tuesday 5:01pm Low 0.1 5:36am High 2.0
Wednesday 17th. 5:44pm Low 0.3 7:17am High 1.9
Sunrise: 6:28am Sunset: 6:45pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
FRIDAY
Northeast winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
FRIDAY NIGHT
North winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
SATURDAY
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
MONDAY
East winds around 5 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
MONDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds around 5 knots, becoming northwest after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters smooth.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (90/69 rain 02% wind NNE-09)
FRIDAY (90/70 rain 03% wind NE-09)
SATURDAY (90/69 rain 03% wind NE-10)
SUNDAY (89/70 rain 02% wind NE-10)
MONDAY (89/71 rain 03% wind NE-08)
TUESDAY (89/72 rain 08% wind ENE-09)
WEDNESDAY(89/72 rain 18% wind ESE-08)
2025 Bay County Outdoors King Mackerel Tournament
(As of 09/10/25 we have 55 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.
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
