Panama City, FL

[killerdoberman]

Hi guys and gals,

I am heading down to Panama City to see my dad and he has a 17' center console Boston Whaler. In the past we have just fished the St. Andrews Bay for whatever bites. But now that I have been here in New Jersey for the past 3 years, I have had a blast heading out in the ocean and catch me some BIG whatever bites. I have become very good friends with a buddy who has a 28' Rampage that has shown me the ropes on catching Tuna, Bonita, Bluefish and Makos. With techniques of trolling, high speed trolling, mid-column drifting, and chumming.

So, my question is that has anyone fished near Panama City outside of St. Andrews Bay? I pulled up the chart from www.freeboatingcharts.com and it looks like a lot of structure there to explore within 4nm from the inlet, max depth 60-70 feet. The weather looks pretty good with winds about 6 knots, so would it be worth the venture out about 3-4 nm and do some fishing in a 17' without taking a beatin' out there? And if it does, what kind of fishing? Should I try trolling, dead bait, live bait, and/or free lining? Will smaller tuna rigs work for Spanish or King Mackerels? How about Dolphin around floating weeds? Is there a good place to start looking for live bait? Stick with spoons or plastic skirts? What should I use to tip the skirts? We have picked up a bunch of hardtails in the past on the beach just outside of the inlet, are these good to freeline over the structure?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[reel fishy]

I don't fish up there much but have in the last year. This time of year is good for tripletail. Look around the markers, bouys and floating debris for them. Toss live shrimp on a small hook freelined or with a bobber. Those are some tasty fish, kind of like sheepshead. For grouper and snapper the 100' and deeper structure is better this time of year, but that is pushin your luck in a 17' boat. Any artificial reef in the area can hold some good fish, deeper is better this time of year. Amberjack will be your best bet for a big tug, try wrecks in the 70' range and watch the bottom finder. Use big blue runners to entice the AJs. Snapper use 30lb main line,3'-5' 30-50lb fluro leader, 1-2oz weight, 1/0-3/0 hook and live shrimp or pilchard for bait. Grouper 50-80lb test 50-100lb leader, 2-6oz weight, 5/0-7/0 hook and dead sardine or live pinfish for bait. Spanish macks will be under the fry bait pods off the beach or in the sound, throw clark spoons or swimming minnows like yo-zuri crystal minnow on a 50lb fluro leader. Big reds can be found at the jetties along with black drum, half a cut crab is a good bait. Mahi can be found in close at times but don't count on it. Watch out as the gulf will kick up pretty nasty around storms, chop will get very steep.

[Bert Rodgers]

Years ago I fished Destin in Sept. The fellow I fish with has passed on a few years back and mostly fished for Bills, but we did troll just off the beach a few times for king macs and spaniards. The technique was slow trolling with skirted sardines. The locals down their have a treble hook rig they use for the sardines.

They also always keep a spinner with a big pink bucktail ready in case they see cruising cobias.

One thing tha sticks in my memeory, the Redneck Riviera Coast seems like the hottest place on earth this time of year.

Bert