Report for Destin, Florida - Nearshore

Capt. Larry Pentel
March 16, 2003
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report

Spring is officially here and the fish are running. The first cobia was caught last Monday by Cathy Wagner and her husband, Paul Dale. This team makes it a point every year to look for flatheads every pretty day from the end of Feb. on so they can catch the first "Beach" fish. Once again their perseverence paid off. This year tho the gates opened almost immediately afterward. While the cobia usually dribble in until the last week of March they seem to be running pretty good already. On Thursday both Okaloosa and Navarre piers saw 20 fish with 4 being landed in Ft. Walton and 6 in Navarre. The boats that are going are seeing some but the most I heard of being landed in a day was 3.Hopefully this heralds a jam up season.

I'm still tied up at Indian Pass puting the finishing touches on the campground/store/fuel/boat launch etc. I hope to be back at Grayton looking for flatheads within 10 days or so tho-.

All the rain we had last week slowed the trout bite down a bunch when the fresh water came down the river and into the bay. Capt.'s Tim Harvey and Randall Jones were running limit catches from the Pass untill mid last week.( They are probably my best 2 guides) Catches slowed to 6 or 8 "keeper" fish and they said they had to work for 'em. Even so, catching a dozen and keepin' 6 on a half day is pretty good under adverse conditions.

I booked Capt. (Doc) Earl on a bottom trip out of Indian Pass Thurs. with two brothers from Michigan. They came in with a limit of Amberjacks, 16 Black Grouper ( one "copper belly")and a nice Red. Earl said he didn't go any where special, there were fish every where he checked. The brothers were very exited and had tales of 20 lb. snappers (closed till the 15th of April)they photoed and released. Sounds like bottom fishin'is hot.

It's killing me to have a new boat and I'm bookin' trips for other people but the campground is looking real good and we saved it from being more condos. We have a web site up for over there: www.indianpasscamp.com-check it out. I'm sure when I'm Tarpon fishing in July or chasing redfish on the flats in Dec. 5 years from now I'll be glad we kept the Pass "public" but--- Boy I wish I was chasing cobias this week!!!!

Capt. Larry Pentel

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