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Panama City Beach Fishing Report 9-25-26
Bay Fishing
The bay fishing has been decent. As mentioned in the last report, there is still a lot of bait in the bay. We have had some good reports of folks trolling around these bait schools and catching some decent Spanish mackerel.
Clark spoons would be my choice. I like a two-rod setup using a 4-ounce and a 6-ounce lead, with about 10 feet of 40-pound mono and a loop knot on the spoon. Some folks like the mackerel trees, and if that is your preference, go with it. Use the same basic setup and troll around 5.5 mph.
There has also been some good action around the bridges for redfish, especially on an outgoing tide with live bait. Most of the redfish are over slot and are getting fat this time of year. They are eating well!
Another good option, as detailed in the last report, is fishing from a dock in a canal, lagoon, or bayou. The tides are going to be perfect as soon as we get through the neap tide and it flips to a later-in-the-night high tide. If you need the details, go back and read last week's report for all the information on the suggested rig.
The mangrove snapper are still holding on structure, especially in or near the pass. They can also be caught around bridges and other structure. The pass is probably one of the first spots I would look.
Pier Fishing
The pier was kind of slow this week, with some yellow jacks reported, as well as some smaller bonito and a few Spanish mackerel. A handful of king mackerel were also caught, and someone was even reported to have hooked a sailfish on a Gotcha plug! Unfortunately, it broke off or shook the hook.
Overall, it was very slow, but the bait is there. Hopefully, as the water cools a bit, it will spark a better bite!
Trolling Inshore
Right now, the best bet may very well be Spanish mackerel around the pass area or off the sandbars. They have been very cooperative in the bay, as mentioned above.
The king mackerel bite has been very slow.
Surf Fishing
The water has cleared up nicely, and there is no widespread grass to deal with right now.
There have been decent catches of pompano very early in the morning and again in the evening. We have also had reports of some really big bluefish cruising through the surf, with some reports of fish pushing 10 pounds. That is a big bluefish for the Gulf!
For pompano, try live sand fleas. For bluefish, use cut bait or frozen/cut finger mullet.
The bluefish have mostly been reported during the early morning hours or after dark, so it is definitely worth giving it a try. Scout the area you plan to fish and make sure you locate the cuts in the surf. If you get set up in the right place, things can happen pretty quickly during those early and late feeding windows!
Bottom Fishing
Well, most everything has opened up, and the catches have been nice!
We are seeing lots of gag grouper, red grouper, triggerfish, red snapper, mangrove snapper, and vermilion. There have also been some decent amberjack caught.
I have seen some big amberjack, but I have seen more of the smaller legal-size fish coming in. Those smaller fish are usually better eating and tend to have fewer worms. If you do get one with worms, simply cut those areas out and keep the rest of the meat.
Live bait is especially productive for amberjack and grouper. The snapper and vermilion should eat cut bait, but they will eat live bait as well. Have plenty of both because the fish get to choose what they want on any given day!
Keep an eye out for mahi while you are bottom fishing. The inshore mahi are getting a little bigger than they were back in May. I would have at least two or three rods rigged and ready so you can quickly pitch a lure or cut bait to them when they show up.
Offshore
Offshore, I have mostly heard reports of blackfin tuna, wahoo, and mahi. There has also been some good swordfish action.
If you are bottom fishing offshore, there are plenty of nice grouper being caught as well. There is a lot of variety available right now, so there are plenty of options depending on what you want to target!
