Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, November 5, 2026
This Panama City fishing report is a seasonal outlook for St. Andrews Bay, the pass and the beaches of Panama City Beach. Cooler water has flounder staging near the pass, redfish working the flats and jetties, and sheepshead moving onto bridges. Wind and tide at the pass shape the best windows for the week.
What’s Hitting
Flounder are gathering near St. Andrews Pass and bay edges ahead of their movement offshore, with the best action expected into early November. Redfish are on the grass flats and around the jetties, and sheepshead are starting on the bridge pilings. Speckled trout hold on the grass, and Spanish mackerel and bluefish linger off the piers on warm days. The Panama City Beach pier and the jetties also hold bluefish and whiting on mild afternoons, which gives shore anglers an easy second choice.
Where to Find Them
The jetties at St. Andrews Pass hold flounder and redfish on the outgoing tide. The Hathaway Bridge and the Tyndall Parkway Bridge pilings hold sheepshead, and the grass flats of St. Andrews Bay near Shell Island hold trout. Along the beach, Dan Russell Pier and Pier Park area access produce mackerel and whiting. Shell Island’s bay side and the grass flats along Hathaway Bridge hold trout and redfish when the water clears after a front.
Tides & Conditions
With the moon waning, tide strength is easing, but the pass still moves strongly on the outgoing tide. Slack tide at the bridges is the best window for sheepshead. A northerly wind can drain shallow flats and push fish toward deeper edges, so plan around protected shorelines after a front. Plan trips around the tide change, not the clock. The hour before and after slack at the pass often produces the best activity.
Tackle & Tactics
Mud minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina rig for flounder, and live shrimp under a popping cork for trout and redfish. For sheepshead, fiddler crabs or shrimp on a small strong hook fished tight to pilings. Use 15 to 20 pound fluorocarbon, and slow your retrieve in cooler water. A soft-plastic paddle-tail on a quarter-ounce jighead works the grass flats, and a small gold spoon covers redfish near the jetties.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes St. Andrews State Park, Dan Russell Pier, and ramps near the Hathaway Bridge. Fish concentrate at the pass on the outgoing tide and along bridge pilings. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish, especially flounder and redfish. Additional shore access includes the St. Andrews Bay shoreline near Lynn Haven and the Bay County Pier at Panama City Beach.
This Week’s Tip
Don’t strike on the first tap. Flounder grab and hold bait before swallowing, so a short pause improves your hookup rate.
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