Panama City fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. The bait has been thick along the beaches this week and the Spanish mackerel have been on it every morning, with birds working from St. Andrews State Park down past the county pier. Bull reds have moved into the pass, and the flounder are starting the fall migration that will peak in October. It is a good time to be on the water in Bay County.
What’s Hitting
This week Spanish mackerel are the easy fish. Schools are blitzing bait along the beach and around the pass, and the jetties at St. Andrews have had steady action on both tides. Bull redfish are in the pass and around the jetties, with fish from 30 to 45 inches. Flounder are showing up along the jetties and the docks near the pass. In the bays, trout are on the grass at dawn and slot reds are along the shorelines of West Bay and North Bay. Kingfish are on the nearshore wrecks in 50 to 90 feet.
Offshore, the deeper wrecks and reefs are holding amberjack and vermilion snapper, and there have been some wahoo reports on the edge.
Where to Find Them
Spanish are anywhere you see birds along the beach — the stretch from the pass west to the Russell-Fields Pier has been most consistent. For bull reds, the jetties at St. Andrews Pass on the tide changes and the deeper holes just inside the pass. Flounder are on the rocks at the jetties and the sandy edges near the pass. In the bays, the grass flats in West Bay and along the north shore of St. Andrews Bay have trout, and the docks in Grand Lagoon hold reds and snapper.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings strong tides through the pass, and the bull reds feed best on the hard outgoing. Winds have been east to northeast at 10 to 15 with a moderate chop, and afternoon storms have been building inland and drifting toward the coast. Gulf water is in the mid-80s and clear along the beach. Seas nearshore have been 2 to 3 feet.
Tackle & Tactics
For Spanish, a Gotcha plug or a small silver spoon cast at the schools, retrieved fast, with a short wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader. For bull reds, cut mullet or live pinfish on a 7/0 circle hook with enough weight to hold in the pass, or a 2-ounce bucktail. Flounder want a live mud minnow or finger mullet on a 1/2-ounce jig head worked slowly along the bottom. In the bays, topwaters at dawn then soft plastics or live shrimp under a cork for trout and reds.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the St. Andrews State Park ramp is closest to the pass, the Carl Gray Park ramp on the Panama City side covers St. Andrews Bay, and the ramp at the Hathaway Bridge serves the west side. The Russell-Fields Pier and the St. Andrews jetties are the best shore spots this week. Fish are concentrating at the pass on the tide changes and along the beach wherever the bait is. Check current FWC and federal regulations before keeping fish, and note that flounder has a fall closed season in Florida that anglers should confirm before targeting them to keep.
This Week’s Tip
Spanish mackerel move fast and the schools are here and gone. When you see birds, get ahead of the school rather than chasing it from behind, shut down, and let the fish come to you. A fast retrieve is essential — these fish will not eat a lure that stops moving.
More Panama City Resources
All Panama City fishing reports · Seasonal fishing calendars · Submit your own report
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.