Monster reds, fun-fighting trout, bluefish, Spanish, ladyfish and even the pesky catfish; the fishing has been very good the past two weeks.
I've been hitting the water at various hours, from early morning as the sun comes up to late trips in the afternoon. I am picking my times to work best with the tides, and sometimes it's nice not having to be up before the rooster crows.
The trout bite on the flats has been halfway decent with most of the fish ranging from 14" –18" and very few fish over 20". Most of the fish have been caught on MirrOlure's Top-Dog Jr. and Suspending Twitch Baits and the new Paul Brown bait or live bait under a popping cork. Remember, if you use the new Paul Brown bait, don't use it near bluefish or Spanish mackerel; they will rip chunks out of it and at 8 bucks a pop, it can get pretty costly.
I've also been catching some of the biggest reds I've ever seen in Pensacola Bay and the Pass. Live bait is the key, but you can still catch them on artificials from time to time. The key is to watch the tides and the proper tackle and bait will make or break you when it comes to catching and landing these big reds. Pass fishing can sometimes be frustrating, but don't let it discourage you. If you are new to the area or want to learn a little about fishing the pass and bay, please give me a ring and I'd be happy to set up a 4hr trip to show you how to fish these areas.
Other fun species are Spanish and Grouper, and over the past few days we've caught plenty of both. Today (6-30-11) we boated a nice 24" gag that we had to throw back, which was a bummer but rules is rules. But my client still had a good time fighting the fish, and it even had a hook in its mouth from being hooked before. Talk about lucky.
Spanish are getting thick in the bay and pass; some schools are the smaller 12 –15" fish, but if you get lucky you'll find a few bigger fish mixed in.
I've not been offshore due to the seas being rougher than I like, but with all the excitement of inshore fishing, why bother? There's plenty of fishing inshore to keep an angler busy.
Stay tuned for more inshore action aboard the Mega-Bite.
Tight Lines.
Capt. John
