Panama City Fishing!!! Trout, Sharks, Pompano, Triple Tail
Capt. Rob Womble
July 21, 2008
Panama City - Saltwater Fishing Report
OK well the Tarpon and Triple Tail wasn't exactly caught in Panama City but it was close enough to call it. The fishing has been pretty good over the last couple weeks. We have been busy running trips and fishing in our spare time. What are we catching…… almost everything on the flats and near the beach. The waters are extremely warm and the bait is in, and that means frantic topwater action for trout, lady fish, blue fish, Spanish and others.
The redfish bite is pretty good right now although the topwater action for these guys has tapered off just a bit. We have been starting out with gold spoons and sinking minnows. Find a deeper hole or cut and fish it slow bringing the bait over the target area with the current.
The trout are biting on topwater plugs in the morning and sinking minnows, suspending baits and popping corks later in the day. The popping corks are actually producing more afternoon trout than any other lure we use. We have caught Blue's, Ladies, Spanish and the occasional Pompano. We like to use 3 or 4 inch Gulp Shrimp on a 1/4oz jig head about 12 to 18 inches below the float. Just keep in mind the catfish like the Gulp Shrimp too so be ready to un-hook a couple sail cats.
The middle grounds and the flats between Shell Island and Tyndall Air Force base have been on fire for both redfish and trout. The water is clear and there isn't a lot of boat traffic. Be ready to land the occasional pompano if you're going to use a popping cork.
Sharks are common in the bay this time of year and a blast to catch!
So I met up with Bobby Weir and his wife Danielle over at Indian Pass for some Tarpon fishing. I have been talking with him for several weeks now trying to set up a day of fishing and we finally got it down on Sunday. Bobby has been hammering the Tarpon so I figured I had a good shot. We headed out right at sun-up and went looking for the bait……..well we didn't find the bait as quickly as we had hoped and to get to the point we didn't catch any Tarpon but we did hook a couple sharks. After a few hours of that we headed to some buoys in search of the Triple Tail……well I have to say we did much better on the triple tail than we did the Tarpon. Now I'm no pro at catching Triple Tail but the basic set-up is, look for them floating on the outside or look for them near docks, poles and buoys. We used a DOA shrimp but I have been told that live shrimp is by far the best. Bobby was kind enough to get me started in the right direction over at Indian Pass and I'm looking forward to returning the favor over in Saint Andrews Bay. Hopefully they will be biting on my end.
Bobby with a very nice Indian Pass Tarpon!
If you can't catch Tarpoon..Triple Tail aint bad.
Trading trips is a good way to get out there and catch some different fish or learn some different waters. This September Capt. Todd and I are heading up north for a guided Bow hunt. We traded a couple of fishing trips for a good hunting trip up north. There are a couple web-sites out there that specialize in trading hunting and fishing trips. Just type in trade a hunting or fishing trip and start from there. Good Luck
As always good luck on the water.
Capt. Rob Womble & Capt. Todd Jones
Back Bay Adventures
Panama City Fishing Forecast:
Should stay real good for the next couple of months.
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