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Snapper heading further out into the Gulf
Mark Clabaugh
Hello from Paradise!
Folks, the big storms have stayed away so far and there has been plenty of good fishing going on. Also, now that the big storms have moved on it has been pretty nice out here on Pensacola Beach with the great weather and good fishing. I will continue performing my "No Storm Dance" in case that is what is working for us.
OK, now on to something I do know a little about and that is fishing around the island. It seems as if the close-in Snapper bite is still slacking off and the fish have moved further offshore. We expect this at this time of year due to the fishing pressure and water temperature.
The good Captains know that the fish are deep and they run further offshore to get to the better bites. In fact, last week Captain Buddy Rogers, aboard "The Reel Eazy," was working the offshore wrecks really hard and hooked into some nice Snapper and grouper.
Pictured in this article and proud of his whopping Red Snapper, Cody Harris and his mom went out fishing on a charter aboard The Reel Eazy. They brought home plenty of Red Snapper; it was Cody's first Charter and being with his mom made it even more special.
 | | ABOVE: Cody Harris and mom Michelle with his snapper. |
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Red Snapper are being caught using cigar minnows and snail rigs which seem easier than circle hooks these days. If you are unsure of a snail rig that is a hook tied below a hook on a swivel leader 2 ft. below a slip lead. We are seeing a few King Mackerel; however, the low salt and dirty water has them further offshore too. Triggerfish are hanging out in close on the taller wrecks. Hard Tails can be caught some days in the pass for Amberjack bait; however, you have to look for the large flocks of birds and troll for them. In short, if you want AJs in the morning you might have to get bait the evening before.
This month I had an opportunity to explore some other piers in central Florida so I visited Flagler Beach, Daytona Beach and a pier just south of Daytona Beach near Port Orange. None of these piers are as long as ours all averaging way less than 1000 ft. As you may know Pensacola Beach's Pier is 1471ft making it the longest in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. The longest fishing pier in Florida is the Skyway Fishing Bridge in Tampa which used to be rivaled by the Pensacola Bay Fishing Bridge.
The catches on their piers are a little different than ours. They catch a few King Mackerel, Bluefish, Flounder, whiting and Sheepshead like we do. However, they also pull in some Snapper, Almaco Jacks and Common Snook which we do not see. Personally, I think that the Gulf Fishing is more exciting with our Ling and King Mackerel. They do catch a few, but nothing like here.
Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is stepping up to the plate and the King Fishing starts as soon as the first bait was in the water in the morning. Kings are taking hard tails and minnows caught here at the pier. Also, there have been some nice Spanish visiting the pier fishermen that are prepared with light tackle and a gotcha rig.
Another great big fish catch at the pier is the Tarpon. They are taking live bait caught at the pier or bigger jigs. So far no one has landed one of these 100 pound plus fish, but has had a great time losing some line. As a side note, if you are fishing for Tarpon on the Pensacola Beach Pier, be sure to have your fishing license with a Tarpon endorsement on it. The pier's master license does not cover Tarpon.
In other pier news, site fishing for Pompano is pretty good now since the water clarity is up. In addition, they are also being caught on live and dead shrimp at 1/3 pier. Fishermen fishing with small grubs with a taste of shrimp are hooking Flounder in the late evenings and early mornings. Remember that Flounder are tough because they will not come to you so retrieve very, very slowly and move around for best results. If you pick up some live shrimp on the way to the pier, you can get some nice Flounder and Pompano. I noted one man with a nice cooler of fish and that was his secret weapon!
Inshore, the guys are saying that the Redfish are out and the Speckle Trout are in. East of the Bob Sikes Bridge has been producing the best results. In fact, just east of Portofino has been really productive for the last couple weeks with both Speckle Trout and Redfish. In the last week we have seen some fishing activity in Little Sabine Bay which is a good bet with the reduced fishing pressure. So, take some time, take a charter, fish from the pier, the beach or the bridge.
Fishing is good.
SHELLEY'S CURRY BAKED SNAPPER Shelley Reynolds recommends that you try this recipe when you do want to fry your fish, but would like a very yummy low fat simple fish dish. 1/3 Cup Mayo 3/4 Tsp Creole Mustard 3/4 Tsp Lemon Juice 3/4 Tsp Hot Sauce 3/4 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder 1/8 Tsp Curry Powder 2 1/2 Dozen Ritz Crackers 4 Nice Red Snapper Filets
Combine Mayo, Creole Mustard, lemon Juice, Hot Sauce,Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Curry Powder. Brush the mixture on both sides of the filets. Crush the Ritz Crackers and place in pan. Dredge fish filets through the crushed crackers coating the fish. Place filets on lightly greased baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or slightly longer if the filets are really thick.
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