The water quality was acceptable all week. The water temperature held in the low to mid 80’s. Bait fish were plentiful with the following species around during the week: Cigar Minnows, Alewives, Speedos, Spanish Sardine, Goggle Eyes and Hardtails. Taxes were high this period as “Flipper”, the tax man, accessed a high percent on our catches and bait. The pier population was very high as anglers and spectators crowded the pier for Memorial Day Weekend.
Fortunately, there were a few King Mackerel hooked during the week. “Flipper” took more than his “fair share” but we still were able to deck a few. Most of the fish were “snakes”. Jose took the big fish for the week and the second biggest King for the year with his 29.14-pound catch. Live and fresh bait as well as lures were productive. Early mornings and just before sunset seemed to be the better bite. Here is Jose’s big fish along with the fish caught by Quang and Tommy:
The Spanish bite was cool this week. There were a couple of mornings with decent catches but only a few fish were landed mid and late days.
In other action, there were 3 small Mahi landed,- 1 Friday, 1 Saturday and 1 Sunday. There were tons of Hardtails and Ladyfish caught each day. A few small Bonita were decked in the 1 to 2 pound range, however, they were very hard to tease to bite. A tiny jig worked behind a bubble rig or a large Sabiki rig were your best chance of hooking one.
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 81.7 – 83.3 Three “Scoolie” King Mackerel in the am, 1 “Snake” at lunchtime and a 29# late afternoon, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails and Ladyfish. Lots of Cigar Minnows and Alewives. (Dat-2, Quang-1, Grainger-1 and Jose the big one)
Friday: water temp 81.0 – 84.0 Five King Mackerel hooked in the am, 2 small ones decked, 2 taken by “Flipper” and the other lost due to leader failure, A few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Lots of Cigar Minnows and Alewives.
Saturday: water temp 82.6 – 84.2 A King Mackerel, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails and Ladyfish. Cigar Minnows.
Sunday: water temp 81.3 – 83.8 King Mackerel hooked but lost to “Flipper”, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails and Ladyfish. Cigar Minnows.
Monday: water temp 82.6 – 85.1 King Mackerel hooked but lost to “Flipper”, a few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails and Ladyfish. Cigar Minnows.
Tuesday: water temp. 83.7 – 85.8 A few Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Cigar Minnows and Alewives. “Flipper” was active all afternoon.
Wednesday: water temp 81.9 – 82.6 A couple of Spanish Mackerel, Hardtails, Cigar Minnows, Alewives, a few Goggle Eyes and Spanish Sardine.
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 Thursday June 06, 2024 Full Moon Friday June 21, 2024 -
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 5:41am Sunset: 7:39pm
Thursday 30th. 12:56am Low 0.0 2:50pm High 1.3
Friday 1:04am Low 0.2 3:24pm High 1.0
Saturday 12:42am Low 0.5 8:08am High 1.0
5:14pm Low 0.6 8:35pm High 0.6
10:39pm Low 0.6
Sunday 5:37pm Low 0.2 7:56am High 1.2
Monday 6:23pm Low -0.1 7:52am High 1.4
Tuesday 7:16pm Low -0.3 8:03am High 1.7
Wednesday 05th. 8:12pm Low -0.4 8:36am High 1.8
Sunrise: 5:40am Sunset: 7:42pm CDST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: Northwest 1 foot at 2 seconds and northeast 1 foot at 3 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Wave Detail: East 1 foot at 3 seconds and southwest 1 foot at 5 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
FRIDAY
East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: Northeast 1 foot at 3 seconds. Protected waters a light chop.
FRIDAY NIGHT
East winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less, then around 2 feet after midnight. Wave Detail: East 1 foot at 3 seconds, becoming east 2 feet at 3 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southeast 3 feet at 5 seconds. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY
Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a moderate chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southeast after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening.
MONDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southeast after midnight. Seas around 2 feet. Protected waters a light chop.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (88/72 rain 01% wind E-08)
FRIDAY (87/74 rain 09% wind ESE-11)
SATURDAY (82/73 rain 24% wind SE-16)
SUNDAY (80/72 rain 51% wind SSE-12)
MONDAY (84/73 rain 20% wind SSE-10)
TUESDAY (85/73 rain 18% wind SSE-09)
WEDNESDAY(86/74 rain 20% wind S-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
