Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 27, 2026
This Panama City fishing report covers the week of August 20, 2026, and in late August the bait situation is the whole story, with Spanish mackerel as the lead species. Glass minnows and small threadfin pile into St. Andrews Pass and along the beaches, and everything with teeth follows them in. The Gulf lays down flat in the mornings, which makes nearshore work easy, and the pass fishes from the jetty rocks all the way out to the bar. Plan around the morning fall and an early finish ahead of afternoon storms.
What’s Hitting
Spanish mackerel are the most consistent fish in the area, working the pass and the beach troughs in good numbers with a few kingfish mixed in. Mangrove snapper are excellent on the jetty rock and the nearshore hard bottom. Flounder begin to show on the sandy edges next to structure, the early signal of the fall pattern. Redfish work the St. Andrews Bay grass flats and the bridge pilings, trout sit on the deeper grass at first light, and offshore bottom fishing is steady in 100 to 150 feet.
Where to Find Them
St. Andrews Pass and the jetties are the highest-percentage water, with macks and snapper on the rock and flounder on the sand transitions on either side. Work the beach troughs from the pass east toward St. Andrews State Park for mackerel and pompano. Inshore, the grass flats in North Bay and West Bay hold trout and reds at dawn, and the Hathaway Bridge pilings hold snapper and reds through the tide. Nearshore reefs in 50 to 90 feet are worth a look for kings.
Tides & Conditions
The Panhandle tide is small and largely a single daily exchange. The useful movement in late August is the morning fall through the pass, which is also when the water is cleanest. Gulf water sits in the mid 80s and bay water in the upper 80s. Mornings are glass calm with a light breeze, and the sea breeze fills by late morning. Afternoon thunderstorms build inland daily and drift toward the coast after two.
Tackle & Tactics
- Spanish: a 2500- to 3000-size spinner with 15-pound braid, a two-foot 30-pound fluorocarbon leader and a small silver spoon retrieved fast. Go to light wire only if you lose too many to kings.
- Snapper: 15-pound fluoro, a small hook and a live shrimp, fished on the up-current side of the rock.
- Flounder: a quarter-ounce jighead with a paddletail or a live bull minnow dragged slowly across the sand next to structure.
- Trout and reds: a soft plastic on a light head along the deep grass edge.
Local Intel This Week
The Carl Gray Park ramp and the Earl Gilbert ramp serve St. Andrews Bay well, and the Sun Harbour ramp is the practical launch for the pass. Shore anglers can fish the St. Andrews State Park jetty walkway and the Russell-Fields Pier on the beach; watch for glass minnows showering along the rocks and pilings. Fish concentrate on the bait, so find the glass minnows and you find the macks. Snapper, grouper and flounder seasons in the Gulf change between state and federal waters and through the year. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
When Spanish are blitzing glass minnows and refusing your spoon, downsize hard. A quarter-ounce spoon that actually matches a two-inch minnow gets eaten when a three-quarter-ounce one gets ignored. Add a longer, lighter leader and speed the retrieve up rather than slowing it down.
Planning a trip to Panama City?
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.
