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Report for Destin, Florida - Nearshore
Capt. Larry Pentel
December 3, 2001
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's definately winter in Florida the way the weather has gotten so eratic and the bookings have slowed down. Luckily the fishing has been staying from pretty good to down right fantastic. I ran a father son trip the day before Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a 4 hour but 2 hours into the trip dad asked if we could make it a 6 since they were having so much fun. We fished up in shallow water at first and put about 7 nice flounders in the boat. It took 'em a while to figure it out but once they did they thought that was pretty neat. Then we went and caught some triggers, then some amberines. Then we tried for some groupers but my folks got outgunned. We went back to triggers and even caught a couple of lane snappers ( still legal even with reds closed) and a black snapper. When we came in and I was cleaning fish Mom said she didn't know who was more excited, her husband or son. They're going again in the spring!
The weather turned pretty rough for the next week and I had to cancel several gulf trips. I did do a little trout fishing at Indian Pass one afternoon last week that was incredible tho--. I took a "regular" who bottom fishes with me a lot and told him I'd show him some spectacular bay fishing. I had planned on sight fishing reds on the flats but the front had the tide so high and the water so turbid that sight fishing was tough. After about an hour of poling with a stiff breeze and lots of missed fish he connected with a good red that just made the cut at 26 inches. Allright, mission accomplished, lets go trout fishing. The same conditions that made flats fishing hard had the trout so hot we about wore out the rotater cups in our shoulders ! The trout were chasing schools of shrimp up to the top and the gulls would get right in the middle of the activity and show us exactly where to fish. The fish might stay up for 2 minutes or 20 but it was a bite every cast when it was happening. When one school would go down we'd run to the next flock of screaming gulls. We probably caught 50-60 trout up to 4# in a little over 2 hours. I talked to another guide the next day who found the same thing. Probably the best bite I've seen since the '70's.
The weather yesterday and today was back to chamber of commerce material and I was lucky enough to get to spend all day yesterday and a 4 hour in the gulf today. I only had one gentleman (local and experienced) yesterday. We caught a limit (8) of grouper up to about 20# ,a BUNCH of triggers, a limit of amberines, and 3 almaco jacks. We even got a 15# King (in December?). I got to fish some and caught the biggest snapper I've got to reel in myself in a year ('bout 17#). It's a shame I couldn't hang her on my rack and make a picture. Everybody else always gets the big ones while I'm driving! Todays trip had one grouper in the boat that kept and about 10 that were an inch short. We also found some amberines and lots of triggers. One trigger I thought was a grouper coming up it bent the rod so hard. It probably went 8# !
The fishing is still great. Just watch the weatehr and go on the pretty days. It not like we're up North where its winter for months. We always seem to get a little bit summer every week--- my guy yeterday got sunburned!!!!
Capt. Larry Pentel
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