The beginning of summer tourism kicked off this Memorial Day weekend with a very crowded pier. Rail space was a premium along with the rare available parking space. However, catches of fish didn’t match the number of anglers on the pier. Conditions could not have been better as the water was clear, warm, and held plenty of bait. This photo was taken early Memorial Day morning:
King Mackerel were caught only two of the seven days. Thursday through Monday morning was dead for King bites. Finally, Monday brought a few small Kings to the pier and several bites happened between the presence of “Flipper” hanging around. Our Dolphin friends seemed to hang near the pier most of the time. Three small Kings were decked Monday late afternoon. Tuesday afternoon, we saw a few Kings but got only one bite. I was drifting a live Cigar minnow when it got hammered. The fish began a slow run but took off stripping almost 250 yards of line from the reel. That is when the “Tax Man Flipper” and a couple of his friends converged on my fish. We played tug of war for a few minutes before they took everything but the head. This is all they left after eating most of the King:
Spanish Mackerel were a little more cooperative. There were a few good runs during the week with nice size fish decked. I didn’t hear of any limits caught but several anglers left with multiple fish in their coolers. Ann and Don R. had a great Memorial Day catching Spanish like these from the pier:
Bonita came in, both Thursday and Wednesday mornings. The bite was short and very early. Multiple fish were caught both days.
In other action, a couple of Skipjack Tuna and lots of Hardtails were caught. I had a report of a couple of Bull Red Drum hooked but lost.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 78.8 – 79.7 Bonita, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Cigar minnows
Friday: water temp 78.4 – 79.2 A Bonita, a Skipjack Tuna, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Cigar minnows
Saturday: water temp 78.3 – 79.2
Sunday: water temp 76.8 – 79.0
Monday: water temp 77.5 – 78.0 Three small Kings, Spanish and Hardtails, Cigar minnows
Tuesday: water temp 76.6 – 78.8 Few Spanish and Hardtails, one nice King (only got the head decked-Flipper ate it), Cigar minnows
Wednesday: water temp 76.1 – 76.6 Bonita, Hardtails, a couple of Spanish Mackerel, Cigar minnows
Red Tide status: Over the past week in northwestern Florida, red tide was observed at background concentrations in Santa Rosa County, and low and medium concentrations in and offshore of Pasco County.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Saturday June 03, 2023 New Moon Saturday June 17, 2023
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 5:41am Sunset: 7:39pm
Thursday 01st. 6:35pm Low 0.0 7:53am High 1.4
Friday 7:27pm Low -0:2 8:17am High 1.6
Saturday 8:24pm Low -0.4 8:56am High 1.8
Sunday 9:20pm Low -0.5 9:44am High 1.9
Monday 10:14pm Low -0.5 10:39am High 2.0
Tuesday 11:04pm Low -0.5 11:37am High 2.0
Wednesday 07th. 11:50am Low -0.4 12:33pm High 1.9
Sunrise: 5:40am Sunset: 7:42pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
East winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Protected waters rough. Showers with a chance of thunderstorms.
THURSDAY NIGHT
East winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters choppy. Showers likely. A chance of thunderstorms, mainly in the evening.
FRIDAY
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 with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet with a dominant period of 5 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY
North winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet with a dominant period of 4 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Northwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY
North winds around 10 knots, becoming northwest in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
SUNDAY NIGHT
West winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
MONDAY
North winds around 10 knots, becoming west in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
MONDAY NIGHT
West winds around 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (81/69 rain 55% wind ENE-13)
FRIDAY (86/68 rain 09% wind NE-10)
SATURDAY (86/69 rain 24% wind NNW-07)
SUNDAY (87/71 rain 16% wind S-08)
MONDAY (85/71 rain 15% wind SSW-10)
TUESDAY (84/73 rain 15% wind WSW-12)
WEDNESDAY(85/73 rain 20% wind WSW-12)
PIER MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bay County Parks and Recreation – 5304 Majetti Tower Road Panama City, FL 32404
850-248-8730
Joy Saddler – Bay Co. Parks Division Manager –850-248-8730
Vince Martin – Bay Co. Asst. Parks Division Manager - vmartin@baycountyfl.gov - 850-896-6580
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
