Panama City-End of June

[QUOTE=JUSTINHALL;508457]I 2nd the 1 hr drive to Destin, the fishing is better out of Destin and you don’t have to go as far from Destin. I drag the boat to Destin to fish about every 6-8 weeks and it is amazing. Grouper, red snapper and Amber jack are the most plentiful. The farthest I usually go out is 16 miles which is just loaded with red snapper,



You know your Panhandle bottom fishing don't you? I know the place you mention. You can see the high rises of Destin, Ft. Walton and Pensacola from there. The AJ's there are tackle busting arm killers for sure. The only thing I will add is the wonderful triggerfish fishing there too. I won the female triggerfish division in the Destin Fishing Rodeo several years back with a 9+ pounder from that area. Triggers are one of the best eating fish there is, second only to Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) in my book. Have you ever ate at Jim N Nicks Barbeque? If not you gotta try it.

I caught a triggerfish the time I went out on the headboat (before seasickness set in) but it was maybe three or four pounds. I had no idea they were even edible back then or I would have kept it. So like I said, it pays to be educated on the fishery you are going to.

You know your Panhandle bottom fishing don't you? I know the place you mention. You can see the high rises of Destin, Ft. Walton and Pensacola from there. The AJ's there are tackle busting arm killers for sure. The only thing I will add is the wonderful triggerfish fishing there too. I won the female triggerfish division in the Destin Fishing Rodeo several years back with a 9+ pounder from that area. Triggers are one of the best eating fish there is, second only to Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) in my book. Have you ever ate at Jim N Nicks Barbeque? If not you gotta try it.[/QUOTE]

I prefer to use live bait vs cut bait so I have only caught a few trigger fish there but have managed to catch a few. Some days live bait doesnt work so you have to kill the live bait to get bit. Just a dead fish doesnt always cut it though but if you fillet each side of the fish backwards so he (or she) has a flap of skin and meat on each side of spine flaping BAM! you are on. Still too big for trigger fish but grouper love it. The triggers' small mouth needs much smaller cut baits, but yes you are right they are delicious and congrats on your rodeo win. I'm not a fan of mahi mahi I eat it like all fish but its not my favorite, sea bass #1 and snapper a very close 2nd in my book. Not many sea bass out of Destin but another place I go farther south called Cedar Key is loaded with them you can catch as many as you want and there is no size or qty limit so I take kids there don't have to go far and drop it in and reel it up. They are so aggesive even if they are not hooked they hang on to the chunk of meat and wont let it go. 1 out of 3 you pull up they are just hanging on to the meat. Watch the gill plates though them fish know how to work them things for sure, but they are delicious.
Next trip to Destin 1 1/2 weeks away cant wait.

"Just a dead fish doesnt always cut it though but if you fillet each side of the fish backwards so he (or she) has a flap of skin and meat on each side of spine flaping BAM! you are on."

We always call that a butterfly. You're right, I works great on the big boys. Sometimes better than liveies. I use a 2 hook dropper rig with 2/0 circle hooks for the triggers with the lead on the bottom of the rig. Triggers won't run with the bait but you'll feel them chewing on it. Start reeling without setting the hook and you've got them. I use 80# mainline with a 6' 80# flouro leader and 8/0 gammy 4x circle live bait hook for the gags and snappers. (fish finding rig) Weight depends on current and depth. Let them run with the rig till your out of slack and reel like the devil. Use the biggest hardtail or pinfish you can get for bait. Good luck on your coming trip.

Sweetwater, I have questions about Alabama (living there) I would like to ask you but I didn't want to put it all on here. I was going to PM you but apparently that can't be done.

[QUOTE=Carter1;508581]Sweetwater, I have questions about Alabama (living there) I would like to ask you but I didn't want to put it all on here. I was going to PM you but apparently that can't be done.[/QUOTE]

I've kept it turned off. I'm a little leary of some of the messages I could get, if you know what I mean. I've turned the PM on if you'd like to contact me.

PM sent.

Look up Cpt Dan Van Treese, Perfect Cast Charters for some back bay fishing. awesome redfish, specks, flounder

We were down in Florida in December for a kind-of emergency help your parents out thing. Had to buy a cheap medium spinning rig, some weights, and a triple hook and bead rig so that I could do some surf fishing. We stayed at Henderson Beach State Park in our motor home. Great place. Walked to the beach and was the only one fishing that I could see in either direction. Similar to an above post hooked into a nice fish with live shrimp and took about a half an hour to real in. Had about 4 people watching at this point. When I landed the fish, no one knew what it was so I put him back. After getting back to the camper and looking up the fish, it was a 27" redfish, that I would have cleaned.

I continued to surf fish the next day with no luck, but there is a pier about a couple miles down the road that folks were catching a lot of fish. It is like $7 for all day and that includes your license.