May Fishing Report

There’s something to be said for being able to live, work, and play in an area with as much diversity as we have here in Panama City Beach and the surrounding area. June offers about as much diversity as we will see all year when it comes to fishing. Hungry predators of all makes and models will be on the prowl, often with cruel intentions toward any fish unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Each part of our diverse ecosystem provides habitat for its own variety of specialized predators, and the flats are no exception. The speckled trout, a perfectly developed shallow-water ambush hunter, has shown up in much better numbers lately. Shallow-water grass flats have been holding lots of nice, slot-sized fish. For the bigger fish, you want to look for and target good ambush spots like sandy potholes, along the edge of the shoreline, and around the mouths of ditches and creeks flowing into the bay. Redfish are also making a great living in the shallows right now, working along shallow shorelines and grazing on small shrimp, crabs, eels, and a variety of baitfish. During periods of high water, the topwater bite for redfish is especially fun; however, jigs and spoons will get it done when just about nothing else will work. You can always throw live bait at them too. It works.

Nice-sized mangrove snapper have taken up residence on lots of shallow-water structures throughout the bay. Docks, bridges, seawalls, and all other forms of miscellaneous submerged structure can hold fish. I like to fish them in 15–20 feet of water or so using light tackle and as little weight as possible. Other common catches when targeting shallow structures are sheepshead, redfish, black drum, flounder, red snapper, and the occasional grouper.

Along the beaches, the water is as clear and beautiful as it can be. The fishing is great, with lots of big fish to target like jacks, king mackerel, barracuda, cobia, bull reds, and let’s not forget the mighty tarpon, whose strength and acrobatics draw anglers from far and wide. Since you never really know what the next fish to come along will be, it’s best to have several rods rigged with different offerings. A topwater plug, a small jig, a large jig, and some form of swimbait are typically enough to entice a strike. A bonus pitch rod for live bait is always a great backup option or something to throw at finicky fish.

Good luck. If you have additional questions about what’s biting, how to catch them, or if you would like to book a trip of your own, I encourage you to give me a call or shoot me an email.