Panama City Fishing Report — March 2026
Spring arrives in Panama City.
Inshore & Nearshore Fishing
Cobia following rays through St. Andrews Bay and along the beach. Spanish mackerel at the Panama City Beach Pier. Seatrout and redfish on warming flats.
Offshore Fishing
Spanish mackerel on nearshore structure. State waters snapper.
Top Techniques This Month
Cobia at St. Andrews: Fish the entrance to the Bay, around the shipping channel buoys, and along the East Pass jetty.
Fishing Outlook
Excellent spring fishing.
Regulations
Cobia: 33″ minimum. Verify current regulations at state fishing regulations.
Plan Your Trip
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Cobia Season Opens — Sight Cast Season
The Florida Panhandle cobia migration is in full swing in March, and Panama City is one of the best spots in the country to chase them. Boats are running the beach at slow trolling speeds (3–6 knots), watching for fish in 10–30 feet of water. Sight-casting with bucktails (1.5–2 oz, chartreuse and white are the standard colors) is the high-percentage approach when you spot a fish. Anchor and chum live eels or pinfish to draw cruising fish to the boat. The migration peaks in mid-to-late April but the first wave starts now — and the leading fish are often the biggest of the season. Look for fish around the sea buoys, the artificial reefs in 30–60 feet, and along the beach east of St. Andrews Pass.
Spanish Mackerel on the Beach, Pompano Strong
Spanish mackerel have arrived with the warming water and are blitzing on bait pods just off the beach. Gotcha plugs from the Russell-Fields and MB Miller Piers, or trolled silver spoons on a wire leader behind a planer from a boat. Pompano are running on the beach — sand fleas, FishBites, and Fishgum on a pompano rig fished 30–60 yards out. Last hour of incoming tide is the prime window. The surf from Panama City Beach east to Mexico Beach is producing fish daily.
Sheepshead Transitioning, Inshore Warming
Sheepshead are transitioning from their winter pattern into pre-spawn movements. The Hathaway Bridge and DuPont Bridge pilings are still producing fish but they’re starting to scatter toward the offshore reefs for spawning. Fiddler crabs on a 1/0 jighead remains the standard. Inshore, speckled trout are starting to feed up on the grass flats of St. Andrews Bay as water temps climb. Topwater plugs in the first hour of light. Redfish are on the flats and at the creek mouths — early-spring patterns.
Conditions, Hotspots, Regulations
Water temps 65–70°F and climbing. Florida saltwater license required. Cobia 33-inch minimum with 1-fish bag (verify current FWC). Spanish mackerel 12-inch minimum, 15-fish bag. Sheepshead 12-inch minimum, 8-fish bag. Spotted seatrout slot 15–19 inches, 5-fish bag. Pompano 11-inch minimum, 6-fish bag. Hotspots: the beach east of St. Andrews Pass for cobia, the piers all day for Spanish, the Hathaway Bridge for late-season sheepshead, St. Andrews Bay grass flats for trout. Tight lines.