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Panama City Beach Fishing Report 9-4-26
Bay Fishing
The bay is loaded with schools of rain minnows and pilchards right now. So many, in fact, that the Spanish mackerel bite has been good around the schools of bait.
The redfish have been taking advantage of these bait schools at times, and the trout have been getting in on them as well. If you find one of these schools pushing up on a flat, there is a good chance that bait school will produce some action very soon, and you may be able to pick off some nice fish in the process.
We are also seeing more snook caught in this area than we have in the past. We used to rarely see them, but that has changed over the last several years. There seem to be a few more caught every year around the pass, where they hang out and occasionally get caught.
A note of caution: If you are fishing in Grand Lagoon, I would probably recommend catch and release right now. There was a sewage line spill of an estimated 198,000 gallons into the head of the lagoon. The Florida Department of Health has issued a cautionary statement due to the spill.
Pier Fishing
The water is fairly warm and has been very calm. There is a lot of bait hanging underneath the piers that can be caught and used for bait.
The Spanish mackerel have probably been the most consistently caught fish, but the bite comes and goes throughout the day and from one day to the next. King mackerel have been caught, but the bite has been very slow.
There have been a few pompano and a redfish or two caught, but there hasn't been much in the way of steady action. Overall, pier fishing has been on the tough side.
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!
