The new Northwest Florida Fishing Report is live, and this week’s episode covers a little bit of everything anglers are thinking about right now across the Panhandle. Host Joe Baya checks in with Justin Reed for a surf update out of the Pensacola to Navarre stretch, talks with Jim Cox about the upcoming Wharf Boat and Yacht Show in Orange Beach, gets an inshore report from Capt. Blake Nelson of Last Cast Charters in Destin, and wraps with an offshore look from Capt. Tyler Massey of Hot Spots Charters in Pensacola. The big themes this week are transitional conditions, spotty but improving spring fishing, and a shared sense that things are close to breaking open as we move toward late March and April.
Conditions Recap
Conditions across Northwest Florida are still in that in-between phase that makes March both exciting and frustrating. Surf temperatures are flirting with the range needed for a real pompano push, but not holding there consistently enough to keep fish on the beach in big numbers. Justin Reed said the pre-full-moon window produced a few fish and even some limits for anglers in parts of Pensacola, but the bite faded after the moon, and he believes the fish may have pushed back off after spawning activity in the surf.
Inshore around Destin, Capt. Blake Nelson said trout and redfish are still the most dependable targets, with fish using grass flats, bayous, and freshwater-fed creeks based more on food availability than pure temperature. He expects the coming cold front to tighten fish up a bit rather than completely shut the bite down, which could actually make them easier to pattern.
Offshore, Capt. Tyler Massey said the weather has remained inconsistent enough to limit back-to-back offshore opportunities, but when boats can get out, there is still a solid meat-fish program built around vermilion snapper and newly reopened triggerfish. He also said the next month should bring more of the spring species into play, with Spanish mackerel improving first and king mackerel, cobia, and other pelagics following as the water stabilizes.
Surf Fishing Report: Pompano Are Close, But Not Here in Full Yet
Justin Reed said the surf bite from Pensacola to Navarre has given anglers just enough action to keep everyone fired up, but not enough consistency to call it a true run. Right before the last full moon, he and friends were putting together six-fish days, and he heard of a couple of limits caught in Pensacola. Since then, though, he said the bite has been a struggle, with redfish, whiting, and catfish making up most of the action…