The western Panhandle is in its hot-water pattern. Bay temperatures are near 90 in the afternoon and the productive inshore fishing has compressed into the first two hours of daylight. Offshore has been the better play on the calm mornings, with the nearshore wrecks holding good numbers of fish. The new moon arriving this week will strengthen the tidal flow through Pensacola Pass.
What’s Hitting
King mackerel are the most consistent nearshore target, working the bait around the wrecks and towers in 60 to 100 feet. Bottom fishing has been productive on the public reefs — vermilion snapper, triggerfish and gag grouper are all in the mix, with season status varying by species. Inshore, speckled trout are feeding on the deeper grass at first light and redfish are working the bars in Big Lagoon and Escambia Bay. Tripletail are showing on the channel markers and floating structure, and Spanish mackerel are on the pass on the morning tide.
Where to Find Them
Pensacola Pass and the Fort Pickens jetty area are the best inshore structure on the moving tide. The grass flats along Big Lagoon and the Santa Rosa Sound hold trout at dawn. Nearshore, the public artificial reefs south of the pass and the natural bottom in 70 to 100 feet are producing kings and bottom fish. Tripletail are on the markers running out of the bay and along the ICW.
Tides & Conditions
Bay water is 87 to 90 degrees, nearshore mid-80s. Morning seas have been running 1 to 2 feet with a light land breeze before the afternoon sea breeze and storms build. New-moon tides mean a stronger exchange through the pass this week, which will improve the mackerel and tripletail action along the edges. Bay clarity is fair, better near the pass.
Tackle & Tactics
Slow-trolled live hardtails or cigar minnows on stinger rigs remain the standard king program. Bottom fishing calls for a knocker or chicken rig with 60- to 80-pound leader and fresh cut bait. Inshore, a quarter-ounce jighead and a soft plastic worked on the deep grass edge covers the trout; live shrimp under a popping cork is the easy version. For tripletail, ease up on a marker and pitch a live shrimp on 30-pound fluorocarbon — no weight, no leader-shy hesitation.
Local Intel This Week
Sherman Cove and the Bayou Chico ramps handle pass and nearshore access; Galvez Landing puts you on Big Lagoon quickly. Shore anglers are catching mackerel and the occasional king from the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier. Fish are concentrating on the pass, jetties and nearshore structure rather than the open bay. Federal and state seasons for red snapper, grouper and triggerfish change through the summer — check current FWC and NOAA Gulf regulations before keeping any bottom fish.
This Week’s Tip
Idle, don’t run, when you approach a channel marker for tripletail. The fish sit within a few feet of the piling and will slide off if you come in on plane. Kill the engine 60 yards out, drift in, and make your first cast count.
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