Destin fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. The bait has been thick outside East Pass this week and the kingfish have been on it, with the nearshore boats catching fish within a few miles of the beach. The bull reds have started staging in the pass, and the Spanish mackerel are running the beaches and around the pier. It has been a good week for the light-tackle anglers and the nearshore trollers alike.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week is kingfish. Fish from 10 to 30 pounds are on the bait pods and the nearshore wrecks in 40 to 80 feet just outside the pass, and the trolling has been steady. Bull redfish are staging in East Pass and around the jetties on the tide changes, with some fish over 40 inches. Spanish mackerel are along the beach and around the Okaloosa Island Pier and the Destin jetties. In Choctawhatchee Bay, trout are on the grass at dawn and slot reds are along the shorelines and docks. Flounder are beginning to show along the jetty rocks.
Offshore, the deeper wrecks and reefs are holding amberjack, vermilion snapper, and some grouper, and there have been mahi on the weedlines.
Where to Find Them
Kingfish are on the bait pods and the wrecks in 40 to 80 feet from just outside the pass east toward the Okaloosa Island area. Bull reds are in East Pass on the tide changes and around the jetty rocks. Spanish are along the beach wherever the bait is and around the pier. In the bay, trout are on the grass flats near the Destin Bridge and along the north shore, and reds are on the docks and shorelines from Fort Walton to the Mid-Bay Bridge. Flounder are along the jetty rocks and the sandy edges of the pass.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings strong tides through East Pass, and the bull reds feed hardest on the hard outgoing. Winds have been east at 10 to 15 with a light chop nearshore and afternoon storms inland. Gulf water is in the mid-80s and clear along the beach. Seas nearshore have been 1 to 3 feet on most mornings.
Tackle & Tactics
For kingfish, slow-troll live cigar minnows or hardtails on a stinger rig, or pull dusters and spoons at 6 to 8 knots around the bait. For bull reds, cut mullet or a live pinfish on a 7/0 circle hook with a Carolina rig in the pass, or a 2-ounce bucktail when the fish are on top. Spanish are taking Gotcha plugs and small spoons on a fast retrieve. In the bay, topwaters at dawn then soft plastics under a cork for trout, and live shrimp on the docks for reds.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Destin Harbor public ramp at the east end of the harbor is closest to the pass, the Legion Park ramp in Fort Walton Beach serves the west end of the bay, and the ramp at the Mid-Bay Bridge covers the middle of Choctawhatchee Bay. Shore anglers have been catching Spanish and some kings from the Okaloosa Island Pier and reds and flounder from the Destin jetties. Fish are concentrating in the pass on the tide changes and on the bait pods just outside. Check current FWC and federal regulations before keeping fish — bull reds over the slot must be released, and the red snapper seasons in state and federal waters change and should be confirmed before targeting them to keep.
This Week’s Tip
Kingfish on the nearshore bait pods are usually below the school, not in it. Troll your baits past the edge of the pod and let one drop deeper on a downrigger or a planer. The big fish this week have all come on the deep bait.
More Destin Resources
All Destin fishing reports · Seasonal fishing calendars · Submit your own report
Planning a trip to Destin / Florida Panhandle?
This report tells you what happened. ReelAI tells you what to do about it — a briefing for your date, your target species and how you're fishing, built from our reports plus live NOAA and USGS data.
Powered by ReelAI — fishing.digital's intelligence layer. Answers are generated from fishing.digital reports and public NOAA, NWS and USGS data, and may be incomplete or out of date. Regulations and marine safety information are summaries only; always confirm with the responsible authority before you fish.