August Fishing Report

Fishing around Panama City Beach has been lights out lately. Baitfish schools are thick, and the fish are chewing. There are great bites to be found in the bay, on the flats, and along the beaches.

Early morning topwater fishing on the flats is still yielding lots of action from speckled trout and redfish. Most of the redfish, whether in small packs or as single fish, are cruising along the shoreline or lying up in sandy potholes. Bigger groups of fish have been in slightly deeper water, between 3 and 10 feet. Lots of schools have been holed up under docks, tucked tightly beneath whatever shade the dock might provide. Most of the time, you can catch redfish around docks with soft plastic jigs, but if they are picky, a medium-sized pinfish with a light split shot will usually do the trick.

If you want to catch the big bull reds, target the bridges on the bottom half of a strong outgoing tide. You can also catch them on the bottom in the pass around the points or over the submerged rocks.

Look for speckled trout in 2 to 5 feet of water around grass flats, points, the mouths of creeks and bayous, oyster bars, and other similar features that give them cover and a place to feed. Artificial shrimp, jigs, surface lures, and all kinds of live bait work well for specks.

There are still lots of mangrove snapper around all different types of structure. Inshore, I like to target them in about 5 to 10 feet of water; however, some of the better fish have been closer to deeper water. Drop-offs with good current and some type of structure are what I’m typically looking for. If you have pilchards, try throwing out a few free-lined baits to see if anyone is home. Have one ready to toss if you see fish busting the chum or simply see them coming up.

Although I have not really been targeting them, when I’m fishing for redfish on drop-offs in about 10 feet of water, I’ve been catching some really nice Spanish mackerel mixed in. Not numbers by any means, but a couple of 4-pound fish here and there make for a nice bonus. They’ve been hitting jigs more than anything else, especially when I’m using a faster retrieve.

If you have additional questions about what’s biting, how to catch them, or if you would like to book a trip, I encourage you to give me a call or shoot me a text.