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Panhandle Fishing Report - Pensacola Bay & Choctawhatchee Bay
Capt. Eddie Woodall
August 1, 2004
Pensacola - Saltwater Fishing Report
Inshore -
Hello fellow fishermen and fisherwomen, as usual July has brought all kinds of fishing adventures to the Northwest Region of Florida. With only a few days off this past month, I’ll be the first to tell you it’s all good! Fishing the Bays and Sounds for the Specks has been a little off from the last few seasons, due to the lack of rain in the early spring. It has upset the normal migration pattern of the fish. Most of the fish hung out in the rivers and North ends of the bays till late in the season, then all the big Specks headed out into the Gulf. We are catching mostly small ones with a good one every now and then. The Reds have been more dependable than the Specks. If you can find a dock or other structure holding fish then you can have a blast catching them. I’m having my most productive trips using live Shrimp, but you have to be quick to keep the Pin Fish from stealing your bait. Use a 10lb. spinning outfit with a #2 light wire live bait hook, and toss the shrimp as far up under the dock as you can, if there are any Reds there you will find out real quick. They can’t resist a free lined shrimp, but if you let the Shrimp sit to long the trash fish will eat everything but the hook. The summer Flounder are doing real well now also- you will catch them in the same places as the Reds, around structure and on the sand around the grass flats. Small Bull Minnows on a 1/8oz. jig head does the trick for these doormat size Flounder.
Nearshore –
O.K. here is where the fun is. For the last month the weather has been just PERFECT! 90% of my charters have been out in the Gulf. You know, this is where the big dogs live, and we have been catching them. Kings have been real dependable, there is tons of bait all around Pensacola Pass now and the Kings and Spanish have been feasting. My two biggest fish for the month have been a 50 pound King, caught by Wanda Noel from Memphis Tenn. and a 47 pound Amberjack caught by Eric Thompson from here in Navarre FL. There have been a lot of nice fish to go along with these fish, also. Like the 200 pound Bull Shark that Tim Hill from Cumming GA. had battle with for 45 minutes. Lots of 20 to 30 pound Kings and some of the biggest Barracuda’s that I’ve seen in a long time. Lot’s of big Jack Crevalle, huge schools of False Albacore (Tiny Tuna), and there have been a few nice Cobias put in the fish box. The Bull Reds are hanging around for the food also. Yesterday, we eased up to a pod of Blood Minnows getting hammered- thinking big Jacks, but it was a school of 30 pound Bull Reds causing all the commotion. Just for fun catching-throw a Clark spoon into school of Lady fish on light tackle or it might just be a school of Blue fish that you cast to, they will test the drag on a light weight spinning outfit. All this is going on now, August and September usually prove to be better fishing than July, and I’m chomping at the bit to get out from under this desk so I can get back out there and see what’s next!
I know one thing for sure-- you ain’t going to catch’em sittin’ on the couch, get out there and take a kid fishing!
Tight Lines and Screaming Drags. Till next time, God Bless.
Professional Fishing Guide
Capt. Eddie Woodall
Full Net Charters
Fullnetcharters.com
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