Inshore
Believe it or not the speckled trout and redfish reports have been excellent this week from people fishing the flats and residential docks. Live croakers, menhaden, and alewives have all been working well, but you should be able to catch some fish with lures as well.
Spanish mackerel continue to be a popular target for a lot of anglers and most have had no trouble tracking them down. Just head out Pensacola Pass and look for them around the buoys, USS Massachusetts, and up and down the beaches.
Offshore
Red snapper is now closed for federally permitted charter boats, but is open for recreational anglers and state licensed charter boats on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through August. The bite has been great so now’s the time to go.
There’s good news for anyone looking to get offshore for some trolling or head for the rigs in search of tuna and that’s the fact that we’ve got another weekend with 1 foot or less seas being forecasted.
The king mackerel bite has picked up, so you should have no trouble getting some bites around the nearshore wrecks or natural bottom. As usual, you can slow troll with live bait or troll with dead cigar minnows and dusters.
Piers & Beaches
King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and hardtails are being caught on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier and Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. If you’re going out there be sure to bring some cigar minnows, sabiki rig, and a Gotcha Lure.
Some fish are being caught, but nothing very consistent day after day on the Pensacola Bay Fishing Bridge or Bob Sikes Bridge. Although mangrove snapper, redfish, flounder, white trout, bluefish, and ladyfish are all possible catches.
Freshwater
Jim’s Fish Camp, which is located off Highway 90 in Pace near the Escambia River, reported that the water has started cleaning up and anglers have been doing decent with the bluegill and shell cracker. He said you’ll want to fish with a combination of crickets and worms.