Northwest Florida Fishing Report

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya covers fall fishing across the Emerald Coast following Hurricane Isaias, with redfish feeding on the flats, Spanish mackerel showing up around Destin, and blackfin tuna season approaching. This episode features Capt. Blake Nelson of Last Cast Charters and Brandon Barton of Emerald Waters Kayak Charters. Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry also joins Joe for a conversation with Mitchell Smith of Pike Consulting Group about boating and workplace safety. Capt. Blake reports that water clarity around Choctawhatchee Bay has remained surprisingly good following the storm, with redfish continuing to feed on the flats. He shares tips for sight fishing with paddle-tail soft plastics, explains why cut mullet and ladyfish have been outperforming live bait, and discusses the arrival of larger Spanish mackerel. Mangrove snapper are also biting around bridges and other structure near Destin. Brandon discusses improving kayak fishing around Navarre, where anglers are catching king mackerel, mahi, red snapper, and amberjack despite lingering dirty water. He explains how to prepare for the approaching blackfin tuna run, including trolling Rapala X-Raps and monitoring pier reports and water conditions. Brandon also shares his nighttime topwater tactics for targeting bull redfish around bridges, focusing on moving water, shadow lines, and tidal changes. To close the episode, Butch talks with Mitchell Smith of Pike Consulting Group about boating safety, emergency communication devices, and the importance of workplace safety programs. Mitchell explains how OSHA compliance, employee training, and proactive safety practices can help businesses prevent accidents, avoid costly violations, and protect their employees. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes KillerDock Hilton's Realtime Navigator

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya covers fishing conditions across the Emerald Coast following Hurricane Isaias, including dirty offshore water, improving surf fishing, and blue water pushing closer to shore with promising opportunities for fall wahoo. This episode features Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters, Justin Reed of Justin Reed Surf Fishing Charters, Angelo DePaola of The Coastal Connection, and Tom Hilton of Hilton's Realtime Navigator. Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry also joins Joe and Tom for a detailed look at finding wahoo using satellite imagery. Capt. Harris explains how the hurricane affected offshore fishing around Panama City, with dirty water extending nearly 20 miles offshore and fish becoming harder to locate on the bottom machine. Despite the conditions, red snapper, triggerfish, and vermilion snapper are still biting. Harris shares why patience, precise boat positioning, and keeping multiple baits in the water with chicken rigs can make the difference when fishing in poor visibility. He also discusses navigating storm debris and finding productive bottom when fish aren't showing up on the electronics. Justin reports surprisingly clean surf conditions around Pensacola and Navarre, with pompano already being caught following the storm. He explains why the second half of October should bring improving pompano, redfish, black drum, and whiting fishing as water temperatures drop. Justin also breaks down how to target black drum in the first trough using fresh shrimp and blue crab, including how to prepare crab baits, choose the right hooks, and keep bait stealers from ruining your presentation. Angelo discusses how the hurricane has affected Gulf Coast waterfront properties and why demand for deepwater access and luxury boating communities remains strong despite higher interest rates and storm concerns. He also shares updates on Abaco Orange Beach and explains what buyers should consider when evaluating waterfront properties. To close the episode, Tom Hilton joins Joe and Butch to explain why offshore conditions may actually be improving after the hurricane, with blue water moving closer to the coast and creating promising opportunities for fall wahoo. Using Hilton's Realtime Navigator, Tom demonstrates how to combine chlorophyll imagery, temperature breaks, currents, bottom contours, and nearshore FADs to identify productive trolling areas. The group also walks through building an efficient offshore trip using Hilton's Trip Planner, targeting wahoo, sailfish, blackfin tuna, and mahi while emphasizing the importance of sharing a float plan before heading offshore. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes KillerDock Hilton's Realtime Navigator

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya looks back at some of the best recent conversations from across the Gulf Coast, including Capt. King Marchand of Capt. Mike's Deep Sea Fishing, Capt. Branden Collier of Capt Collier Charters, Tanner Deas of Dauphin Island Fishing Charters, Dylan Kiene aka Dr. Doormat, Brandon Barton of Emerald Waters Kayak Charters, Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters, Capt. Justin Leake of Panama City Inshore, and Capt. John Ward of Sea Tow Destin. Capt. King breaks down the live-bait and live-chumming tactics that produced a 209-pound yellowfin tuna, including the small circle hooks that have improved his landing percentage and why bigger tuna may require significantly more live chum to trigger a bite. Joe and Butch also revisit a Panama City grouper trip with Branden, Tanner, and Dylan, where patience, tough live baits, slack-line presentations, and learning how fish relate to low-relief natural bottom made the difference. Justin explains how live chum, light fluorocarbon, and moving water can produce oversized fall Spanish mackerel, while Brandon discusses the challenges of fighting big snapper and grouper from a kayak, including drag settings, rod length, leader length, and keeping fish out of structure. Harris covers an early-fall wahoo bite around Panama City, with fish caught surprisingly close to shore while trolling over productive water and natural bottom. The episode also revisits Capt. John Ward's breakdown of what an unexpected boat tow can actually cost and the difference a towing membership can make. To close things out, Brandon shares an unusual triple-tail encounter, and Justin explains how kite fishing with live bait can turn windy fall conditions into opportunities for sailfish, mahi, kings, and other pelagics. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes KillerDock Hilton's Realtime Navigator

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya talks with Brandon Barton of Emerald Waters Kayak Charters, Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters, and Capt. Justin Leake of Panama City Inshore about an outstanding early-fall push of blue water, bait, and pelagic fish from Pensacola to Panama City. Sailfish, mahi, blackfin tuna, king mackerel, and even wahoo are showing up close to shore, while red snapper, gag grouper, and triggerfish round out the bottom-fishing opportunities. Brandon breaks down the Pensacola kayak bite, where crystal-clear water and huge concentrations of bait are creating excellent opportunities for sailfish, mahi, kings, and blackfin tuna. He explains how he catches cigar minnows and other live bait on small fluorocarbon Sabiki rigs, why live bait gets the nod when sailfish are around, and the tradeoff between trolling fluorocarbon for better sailfish hookups and wire when kings, Spanish mackerel, and a possible wahoo are in the mix. He also discusses trolling one live bait alongside a deep-diving lure and why sometimes the best answer to triggerfish overwhelming a bottom spot is simply to move. Capt. Harris reports wahoo, blackfin tuna, and sailfish moving closer to Panama City, including wahoo caught in just 85 and 125 feet of water. He explains trolling around 80 to 120 feet over natural bottom and structure, using deep-diving plugs, skirted baits, and a combination of heavy mono and wire leaders. Harris also covers how to set a trolling spread based on speed, sea conditions, prop wash, and lure action, along with why anglers without satellite imagery can start by working around major public structures holding herring, hardtails, and cigar minnows. Capt. Justin explains why Panama City is already showing the signs of a strong October, with exceptional amounts of pilchards, pogies, pinfish, Spanish sardines, threadfin herring, and cigar minnows supporting redfish, trout, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, jacks, mahi, and other pelagics. Mahi have been especially impressive in state waters, with fish holding around buoys and occasionally large floating debris. When fall northeast winds make running-and-gunning difficult, Justin switches to kite fishing, drifting live baits through productive water for sailfish, mahi, kings, and other pelagics. He breaks down drift speed, bait placement, kite spacing, trolling-motor control, and why getting the presentation right can turn a windy fall day into some of the most exciting fishing of the season. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes KillerDock Hilton's Realtime Navigator

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya joins Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry, Capt. Branden Collier of Capt. Collier's Charters, Capt. Tanner Deas of Dauphin Island Fishing Charters, and Dr. Dylan Kiene, aka Dr. Doormat, to recap a wild Panama City grouper trip that produced gag grouper, red grouper, red snapper, triggerfish, and plenty of lessons about fishing natural bottom. Joe and Butch also talk with Tom Hilton of Hilton's Realtime Navigator about using chlorophyll, sea-surface temperature, current, and altimetry imagery to locate productive offshore water and plan more efficient trips. Branden, Tanner, Dylan, and Butch break down what worked while targeting grouper on low-relief natural bottom around Panama City. Live pinfish were the most dependable bait, especially with aggressive triggerfish quickly destroying softer cigar minnows and dead baits. The group found that patience mattered, with some spots requiring 15 to 30 minutes before the grouper bite developed, and many of the best bites coming with baits laid directly on the bottom with slack line. Heavy 60- to 100-pound leaders still resulted in plenty of break-offs when gags reached holes and ledges. Slow-pitch jigging also produced, with JYG and Johnny Jigs getting bites when live bait became difficult to fish. One of the biggest takeaways was using electronics to find productive zones rather than relying on a single waypoint, then drifting and repeatedly working the surrounding natural bottom. Despite trolling-motor problems, engine trouble, a flat tire, and eventually breaking down offshore, the crew still put together a strong box of fish and emphasized the importance of offshore preparation, a hardwired VHF, and having Sea Tow available. Tom Hilton explains how anglers can use Hilton's Realtime Navigator to build a more complete offshore picture when individual chlorophyll images are limited by cloud cover. Three-day chlorophyll views combine actual satellite shots to fill gaps, while sea-surface temperature imagery can be used alongside chlorophyll and altimetry to identify temperature breaks, color changes, current edges, weed lines, and areas likely to concentrate bait and pelagic fish. Hilton also demonstrates the Trip Planner, which allows anglers to map a route, calculate distance and estimated fuel use, save the trip, and compare the same route across different imagery layers. You can watch the full Hilton's Realtime Navigator segment here to see the imagery and trip-planning tools discussed in the episode. With cleaner water and favorable current features pushing into the northern Gulf, the conditions discussed in this episode show why stacking multiple sources of real offshore data can help anglers spend less time searching and more time fishing. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Sea Tow Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes KillerDock Hilton's Realtime Navigator