It is the week Gulf Coast anglers wait for all year — red snapper season is open, and Pensacola is putting fish in the box. Add a strong king mackerel run, cobia stragglers, and a good surf bite, and the first week of June is loaded. Here is what is happening on the water.
What’s Biting
Red snapper headline the offshore scene now that the season is open, with limits coming easy on the public reefs and wrecks in 80–140 feet. King mackerel are thick nearshore, with the last of the cobia run still producing a few sight-fishing shots. Inshore and in the surf, slot redfish, speckled trout, pompano, and Spanish mackerel are all in play. Triggerfish and mingo snapper add to the bottom mix.
Where to Find Them
Run to the public reefs and natural bottom in 80–140 feet for red snapper — the bite is fast right now. Troll the nearshore reefs and around the pass for kings and Spanish. In the surf along Pensacola Beach and Navarre, work the troughs for pompano and reds. Inside the bay, the grass flats and the bridge rubble are holding trout and slot reds.
Tides & Conditions
Settled early-summer weather has the Gulf laying down most mornings — pick your day and run early before the afternoon sea breeze. Water is in the low 80s. Watch the marine forecast closely; June afternoon storms can build fast offshore.
Tackle & Tactics
For red snapper, drop cigar minnows, squid, or live bait on a two-hook bottom rig with 50–80 pound leader and enough lead to hold bottom. Slow-troll live menhaden or ribbonfish for kings with a stinger rig. In the surf, pompano rigs tipped with sand fleas or Fishbites fished on the bottom are the ticket. Trout fall to popping corks and soft plastics on the flats.
This Week’s Tip
Snapper season is short and the public numbers get crowded fast. Have two or three backup spots marked before you leave the dock, and don’t be afraid to keep moving — a fresh piece of bottom that hasn’t been picked over all morning will produce bigger fish and faster limits than waiting out a hammered community hole.