Wade, Andrew, and myself went on a search for snapper today. We quickly found our limit at about 20 miles south of Pensacola pass. It took about 10 seconds for our live pinfish to get smashed on the bottom. The bonita and Aj’s were everywhere too. At around 85ft, the aj’s were bustin on the surface. A couple of times, we could see some 40lbers chasing our snapper to the top. We jigged up a couple dozen with the biggest at around 35in. Not too bad of a day
Wade with a beauty
The limit.
20 miles out, we could see small globs of oil. Most were quarter size but we did see some bigger masses. We decided to head in once we saw our lines and boat were turning brown.
Then coming into the canal, we were greeted with this awesome site. Wow…
I have done a lot of bottom fishing running both private boats as well as my boat this month. Running Private boats we have been running 50-70 miles offshore and finding a great Scamp bite! Most of the scamp have been 10-15 pounds and have been caught in 260-300ft of water. Shimano Butterfly jigs and live bait have both been productive while looking for the scamp. The Red Snapper bite in 300ft of water has been steady as well.
While running several trips in my boat this month we have found that the Mingo Snapper have been giving it up on almost every spot we have been at. It is a challenge to get away from the “nearly extinct” Red Snapper, but if you can get away from them you can expect to catch your limit of Mingo Snapper very quickly. Cut Bait and small hooks will do the trick for catching the Mingo Snapper. The triggerfish have also been biting well this month but it seems like when you find one that is 13 1/2 inches you will find 1,000 that are 13 1/2 inches. Just keep at it and you will find a few legal ones.
The 2010 Cobia Migration has been one of the better ones I can remember during the last 5-6 years. There has not been a 100 pounder caught yet this year, but the amount of 50-60 pounders has been rediculous. We have had plenty of days when we have caught 10 or more fish this month. The migration will come to an end during the next 2 weeks or so, but there will be plenty of cobia taking up residence on wrecks. While bottom fishing keep an eye our for that cobia that is curious and comes swimming up to your boat to check you out. You should always have a rod rigged and ready for this to happen.
Inshore
Sheepshead can be caught around jetties and bridge pilings with ease right now. However it’s been a little tougher so far this year so don’t expect to fill the cooler up like you may have in past years.
The white trout fishing around the Pensacola Bay Bridge has been pretty good. You might not catch as many fish as you often do, although the size will likely surprise you.
Redfish stories have varied from one angler to another. There have been some fish scattered along the docks on the north side of Santa Rosa Sound for those looking for slot size fish. Meanwhile bulls are being caught along the beach and around Pensacola Pass.
Offshore
If you’re looking for fun there is plenty to be had bottom fishing right now. Just be prepared to practice a lot of catch and release considering red snapper and gag grouper seasons are both currently closed. You should be able to hit some of the big wrecks like the Oriskany or Avocet and find keeper size amberjacks.
You shouldn’t have any trouble finding blackfin tuna at the floating rigs, but the yellowfins reports haven’t been very good unless you’re willing to travel to the rigs south of the Mississippi River.
Piers & Beaches
It seems like surf fishing is improving every day, but it’s still not up to par considering it’s the third week of March. The water temperature is rising quickly so if the weather cooperates this could be the breakout weekend.
Fishing has been slow recently on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier, but any given day the pompano and cobia will start making an appearance.
Freshwater
A consensus of several reports is that the bass fishing is improving in a hurry for those looking for action on the rivers. With a little cooperation from the weather the beds will be heating up.
Captain Chris Phillips
www.hotspotstackle.com
Hey Everyone. I am Captain Jon Pinney. I am a third generation fisherman in Pensacola. My grandfather was one of the founding members of the Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club decades ago. I offer a variety of charter fishing on my boat including inshore fishing in the bay and deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
I also offer and have years of experience running private boats. If you own your own boat and are new to any type of fishing give me a call. I will spend the day or weekend with you and your friends and family showing you the tricks I have spent years learning. A few hours with hands on training can save you years of trial and error. I specialize my guide trips around Bluewater fishing offshore for Billfish, Tuna, Dolphin and Wahoo.
I look forward to posting reports as sheepshead season is heating up. I will also be fishing several billfish tournaments on the “Reel Worthless” out of Orange Beach, Alabama and will keep you up to date on the offshore scene during tournament season. Give me a call or shoot me an email if I can help you out this year.
Captain Jon Pinney
www.captainjonpinney.com
850-393-4524
Inshore
If you looking for the bull redfish the place to be seems to be along the beach between Pensacola and Perdido Pass. Those fishing Pensacola Pass at night have also been catching their share of fish.
You can pretty much bet on being able to catch some white trout around the Pensacola Bay Bridge, but the consensus has been that many of them are small.
Sheepshead have been another pretty consistent find for inshore anglers lately. Look for them around structure with barnacles like bridge pilings, rock jetties, or deep docks and sea walls.
Offshore
If you can brave the weather there’s some good action to be had in the Gulf. It’s an excellent time for a rig trip in search of tuna. From the latest reports there are quite a few yellowfins along with plenty of blackfins around the floating rigs.
Finding a good box of bottom feeders shouldn’t be too tough of a task either. Amberjack should be a very easy find on the larger wrecks and the triggerfish, vermilion snapper, and grouper reports have been pretty good as well.
Piers & Beaches
The reports have been different each day, but the cold weather will definitely keep the bonita feeding around the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier.
Those fishing on Bob Sikes Bridge still are finding a fair amount of sheepshead along with some redfish, black drum, ground mullet, and white trout.
Surf fishing reports have been few and far between, but this is ordinarily a good time to fish for whiting and there’s always a good chance you hook into a bull red.
Captain Chris Phillips
www.hotspotstackle.com
