Pensacola inshore / nearshore report:
Capt. John Rivers
July 7, 2009
Pensacola - Saltwater Fishing Report
What a week of fishing here on the gulf coast. I've been itching to get out and go king fishing, so when the gulf calmed down for a few days, I dusted off my king rods and took them out for some quality king time. I hadn't been out king fishing much due to the awesome inshore speck bite, but a few of my trips wanted to do some nearshore light tackle king fishing. Now I'm torn every time we go out, because the king bite has been incredible the past few days, with some double hook ups and even a triple.
A few captain friends have reported landing some decent king mackerel in the bay, so even if it is too bouncy to leave the pass, you can go after these fun fighting fish in the calmer waters of the bay. It's hard to decide what kind of fish to target because the bite is so good for trout, too. I have to attribute this awesome speck bite to all the rain we got back in April.
We had over 26" of rain in just 3 days and it pushed most of the specks that lived up in the upper bay systems onto the flats. It's almost like they found a good thing here and don't want to leave. Not that I'm complaining. Not only has the bite been great, but also I've caught more big specks this year than I have in the past.
Moving onto a few other species, let's first talk about Spanish mackerel. They definitely have shown up in Pensacola Bay. Just look for the birds diving on all the bait pods and you'll definitely find schools of Spanish nearby just underneath the bait or crashing the bait pods looking for a morning meal.
Next on the menu is redfish, although the redfish bite is not what it was back in April and May. June was fair for reds, but as the water temp has heated up the red fish bite has cooled off. I've been to a few docks and caught a few, with most of them on the small side, but occasionally one in the upper slot. The red fishing really won't start to pick up again until mid September and then it will really be on fire starting around mid October and lasting until January.
My favorite time to catch redfish is November. You gotta see it to believe it.
Tackle Shop:
Let's talk tackle for Kings. Quantum Cabo # 16 trolling reels are just the right size for king fishing and have a great drag system that can handle the shear power of kings when they hit a bait. A few other styles of reels I'm using are my new Boca spinning reels. I purchased some 30's for my winter red fishing and drifting the pass for big sheepshead. So I thought, let's see how they do for schoolie kings, and so far I'm impressed. I'm getting ready to purchase a couple of the Boca 50's. These reels are just a little larger than the 30's, and also have the same type of drag system that the 30's have. So if I happen to hook up with a bit bigger king, I won't worry about getting spooled or being able to stop him in his tracks. My typical king rig is 38 – 44 lb single strand steel leader, 3ft long with either a 1/0 J hook or #4 treble in front. I almost always use a stinger hook, which is usually a #4 treble hook. I use a variety of baits, it really just depends on the conditions of the water. When I can I almost always use live baits, (cigar minnows are a must), live herring works well, and so do medium-sized hard tails. If you can't get live bait, don't fret. A fresh frozen cigar minnow behind a duster / skirt will usually get you the strike you're looking for. My color of choice has to be PINK! I don't know what it is about pink, but it works on big reds in the fall and kings in the summer.
I know one thing, if I was ever swimming out in the gulf I would make sure I wasn't wearing any pink. What am I saying? I better get back to tackle. Other good color dusters are blue/ silver mix and pink/ blue mix. Any of these dusters rigged with either a live or dead cigar minnow will definitely boost your odds on catching a king.
My inshore trout reels are much smaller. I'm using the Catalyst 20, spooled with 10 lb Berkley braid and a 15 lb fluorocarbon leader. Sometimes I tie on a 20 lb leader, but only if I'm fishing docks. Most of my trout are being caught on two distinct lures. The first one is a hard body bait, the Mirr0dine 17MR in a few different colors. This bait is a trout catching machine.
The other lure is Bass Assassin's 5" jerk shad in two colors. One is electric chicken and the other is golden bream. Rigged on a 4/0 worm hook with a 1/8oz bullet weight, this set up will put some quality fish in the boat. The last set up is bullet proof, a Bass Assassin popping cork with 2 ft of 15 lb mono leader with a 1/0 Kale hook with a live medium pinfish or small croaker. This set up is great for novice anglers and kids. It catches a lot of fish; sometimes they are big and sometimes they are not, but it's not always about putting big fish in the boat, it's about having a good time with the family on the water. Of course putting big fish in the boat is always welcomed.
These are just a few ways I'm catching my fish. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and go fishing. If you don't have a boat, hit the surf, or give me a ring, I'd be happy to stop typing, and spend the day out on the water watching you catch the big one.
Tight Lines.
Capt. John Rivers
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
850-341-9816
Thanks to my sponsors:
Mann's Lures, Power-Pole, SPRO Fishing Tackle
Gamakatsu Hooks, Fenwick Rods, Pure Fishing - Berkley,Stren,Quantum
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