Had the pleasure of being invited to Cobia fish aboard the HEBE out of Destin Sunday. She is a gorgeous 45′ G&S and was a blast to fish from. We had a slow day going 3-8 but it was a great time watching Dawna and Jenny smoke these fish!!!
Tag Archive: destin
Posted by Capt. Brant Peacher on Mar-28-2011
The Emerald Coast Fishing team of Brant Peacher and Jeff Russell made the top ten in the IFA professional redfish tournament in Destin Florida this past weekend weighing in 11.3lbs. But, they were not the only local team to have success. Captain Brad King with South Again Fishing charters also had a great finish weighing in a two fish bag of 11.6lbs. Both teams did a great Job representing Pensacola! The winning team was the Panama City team of Jake Matney and Joey Sostheim with a monster bag of 13.9lbs!
The IFA gulf coast division makes stops in Destin, Panama City, and Orange Beach Alabama. The top teams from every division will then compete in a two day tournament of champions in Louisiana to see who will be crowned redfish champions of 2011. We are very happy to make the top ten in our first event this year. This will allow us to make a good run at team of the year provided that we have a good finish in the Panama City event. Panama City is the only event we are concerned about since we are not very familiar with those waters.
For our team…. the fishing day started out very tough. We ran 70 miles one way to a spot which had been holding good fish all week. Unfortunately, when we arrived, all of the water was gone and the fish had left. We knew that with an incoming tide it wouldn’t be long before the water started pushing bait and fish back into our spot. We decided to wait it out and the decision paid off! After a couple hrs of waiting I boated the first fish which was a 25in 5lb fish. Not a giant fish like we had been catching all week but definitely a respectable one. Not long after, Jeff boated a big fish but it ended up measuring just a hair over the 27in mark so we had to release him. That was a heartbreaker! Since we made such a long run we were pressed for time and only had about 45 minutes left to fish, with only one fish in the livewell. I knew that if we remained patient we would get another good bite. I was right! With 5 minutes of fishing time left I hung what I knew was a very nice fish. I told Jeff to grab the net and about 30 seconds later we netted a fat 25 in redfish that weighed 6.3lbs! That fish definitely made the 70 mile run back to Destin much easier. We could now breath easy knowing we were heading back to the scales with a top ten finish!
Thanks to the IFA for putting on another great event! See everyone in Panama City!
Brant Peacher
www.fishtheemeraldcoast.com
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be able to donate a fishing trip to the Wounded Warrior Foundation. The trip was Thursday and was set up to become an amazing event. The WWF and the IFA joined up to host this trip out of Legendary Marine in Destin.
We had six Captains show up to take out the 10 warriors and their families. My plan for the day was to get my guys on fish and LOTS of them. I was joined by Lance Gieselmann and Ryan and Jim Carr. We blasted out of Legendary and headed West towards the pass. We quickly found a few large schools of Spanish, we were able to troll up a couple but the bite quickly shut off. We also found a small school of Redfish nearby and quickly boat a few fish out of it! The rest of the day was alot of fun, especially once we found our selves sitting in the middle of about an acre of Spanish.
This was a great event that I will participate in again next year. I was honored to have these Soldiers on board with me and I am very thankful for their service and sacrifice. These Men have deserve our respect.
With the warm spring weather on the brink and everyone getting the itch to hit the water now’s a good time to check and make sure your fishing license is current. Last August the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) implemented the shoreline saltwater fishing license, which anglers who fish from shore or a structure affixed to shore must buy.
Who needs a license?
Resident licenses can be purchased by any person who has resided in Florida for 6 continuous months prior to the issuance of a license and who claims Florida as his/her primary residence or any member of the United States Armed Forces who is stationed in Florida (includes spouse and dependent children residing in the household).
You do not need a hunting, freshwater fishing, or saltwater fishing license if you are a child under 16 years of age, you are a Florida resident age 65 or older possessing proof of age and residency, you are a Florida resident certified as totally and permanently disabled and you possess a Florida Resident Disabled Person Hunting and Fishing Certificate, or you are a resident who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, you are not stationed in this state, and you are home on leave for 30 days or less, upon submission of orders.
Buying a License
Fishing and hunting licenses can be purchased from the tax collectors office for the amount shown or from a license vendor such as tackle stores for the license cost plus an issuance fee.
They can be purchased over the phone by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356) or 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). A $3.25 + 2.5% surcharge of total sale per person will be added to your purchase.
If you would like to buy one online you can follow the links at myfwc.com. A $2.25 + 2.5% surcharge of total sale per person will be added to your purchase.
Where to fish without a license?
The only places you can fish in Florida without a fishing license are on piers or charter boats that possess a license that covers everyone. Several good places for land locked anglers in Pensacola that provide a license are the Pensacola Bay Fishing Bridge, Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier, and Fort Pickens Pier.
Cost of License
Annual Saltwater Fishing
1-year $17.00
5-year $79.00
Nonresident Saltwater
Annual $47.00
3-Day $17.00
7-Day $30.00
Saltwater Shoreline
$9.00
Annual Freshwater Fishing
1-year $17.00
5-year $79.00
Nonresident Freshwater
1-year $47.00
3-Day $17.00
7-Day $30.00
Saltwater/Freshwater Combo
1-year $32.50
Saltwater/Freshwater/Hunting Combo
1-year $48.00
- Captain Chris Phillips
