Inshore
The speckled trout and redfish bite was as good this past August as it has been in years and that should continue considering we’ll see the temperature drop before long which ordinarily improves fishing across the board.
Of course, there are tons of Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish, and hardtails around Pensacola Bay and along the beaches in the Gulf. A long list of techniques will work, but I prefer just trolling with a speck rig or mackerel tree.
Mangrove snapper fishing still is a good option for anyone looking for action in Pensacola Bay. Just get some live shrimp or catch some small fish baits and fish around one of the local bridges or rock piles.
Offshore
It doesn’t look like the weather is going to cooperate, Hurricane or not, this weekend for anglers to get offshore and take advantage of the limited triggerfish season. The bite was excellent throughout Labor Day weekend, so you should have no trouble finding fish if you can get out there.
Red snapper is now closed along with amberjack in both state and federal waters, so if you’re going bottom fishing and looking for species you can keep you’ll want to go after gag grouper, vermillion snapper, white snapper, scamp, and black snapper.
Piers & Beaches
Everyday has been a little different, but recent catches on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier and Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier include Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, redfish, hardtails, and jack crevalle.
Bob Sikes Bridge continues to be a good spot for land locked anglers. As I’ve said the last few weeks you want to fish for mangrove snapper, redfish, Spanish mackerel, and flounder using live shrimp and alewives. One of the big factors out there is the tide so make sure you have some moving water when you go.
Freshwater
Anglers on the local rivers are still dealing with water conditions that make for some tough fishing. Hopefully the water level drops and the water cleans up before long so we can have a decent bite of bass and bream this fall.