In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya checks in with Capt. Justin Leake of Panama City Inshore, Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters, Capt. Evan Wheeler of Tall Pines Tight Lines, and Jim Cox with the Destin Boat & Yacht Show. The big theme this week is that spring fishing across Northwest Florida is opening up in a lot of different directions at once, but anglers are doing best when they stay flexible, match their plan to the weather, and take advantage of the short calm windows between fronts.
Conditions Recap
The biggest factor this week is still wind. Capt. Justin Leake says spring has reached that point where anglers can have all four seasons in a day, with hard frontal weather pushing them deep into creeks and bayous one day, then slick calm Gulf conditions opening nearshore reefs the next. Capt. Evan Wheeler says the Pensacola side has also been dealing with very salty, clear, warm water and heavy wind swings, which has kept trout patterns changing but has also created good conditions for big fish when anglers get their presentations right.
The upside is that more spring options are showing up every week. Creek trout, bay redfish, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and Spanish mackerel are all in play on protected days, while the calmer windows are producing good reef action on red grouper, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, bonita, and more. Bait is also getting easier to find offshore, and the overall picture looks like a classic mid-spring transition where anglers can do very well as long as they stay disciplined about wind, timing, and where they choose to fish.
Spring Game Plan and Boat Control – Capt. Justin Leake
Capt. Justin Leake of Panama City Inshore says this is one of his favorite times of year because each weather pattern opens a different fishery. On the hardest front days, when sustained wind pushes beyond 20 knots, he likes to tuck way up into creeks and bayous where anglers can still catch trout, a few redfish, and even bass mixed in. On the in-between days after the front, when the Gulf is still ugly but the bay is fishable, he focuses on jetties, passes, bridges, and open bay water for redfish, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and Spanish mackerel. Then, when the weather settles and sustained winds fall under about 10 knots, he says it is time to jump on the nearshore reefs and take advantage of red grouper, snapper, bonita, Spanish mackerel, and even a few early kings.
Justin also spent a big part of the conversation explaining how modern networked boat systems can make anglers more efficient. He talked through how a Humminbird APEX paired with the One-Boat Network helps him manage waypoints, radar, motor data, charts, audio, shallow-water anchors, and trolling motor control from the same system. He says features like side imaging, drift mode, Spot-Lock, and jog functions are not just conveniences. They help anglers hold the right line, stay on fish longer, and make better presentations on everything from creek banks to pressured live bottom stretches. For anglers interested in using more technology to catch more fish, his advice was to start with side imaging and drift mode, then build from there as they learn what fits their style of fishing.
For the creek trout bite, Justin likes hard jerkbaits such as the Berkley Stunna 120, worked with plenty of erratic action and long pauses. He also says a popping cork with a shrimp and a small split shot is tough to beat in those protected areas, especially when anglers let the bait drift naturally down a bank instead of overworking the cork. Around the jetties, he prefers live shrimp on a Carolina rig or drop-shot style presentation and stresses that anglers should fish the base of the rocks where the sand meets the structure instead of throwing too deep into the rocks and hanging up.
When he shifts to bay and pass fishing, Justin looks for birds to find Spanish mackerel. For families and beginners, he likes trolling Clarkspoons behind leads at about five to six miles per hour. For anglers who want to cast, he says just about any small flashy artificial will work if it moves fast enough. Offshore, his current mix is built around three levels of bait. Smaller cut baits keep younger anglers busy with vermilion snapper and triggerfish, live pinfish on long leaders pick up mangroves and bigger reef fish, and large butterfly-cut dead baits on the bottom are producing some of the best red grouper of the week.
Nearshore Reef Bite – Capt. Harris Scruggs
Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters says the offshore fishing out of Panama City has improved noticeably with warmer weather. His recent trips have found fish willing to bite on a wide range of spots, with plenty of small triggerfish and vermilion snapper around, lots of bonita, and enough bait outside to keep things moving. Most of his recent action has been in roughly 60 to 100 feet of water, often still fairly close to the pass, which is giving four- and six-hour trips good opportunities when the weather allows.
Harris says bonita have been easy to find by trolling for Spanish mackerel with Clarkspoons, and he is also catching them on cedar plugs and bubble rigs when schools show on the surface or on the machine. He likes bubble rigs because they let anglers throw a very small fly or feather that matches the glass minnows and other tiny bait those fish are feeding on. For anyone keeping bonita for bait, Harris recommends cutting them into strips and bagging them before freezing rather than freezing whole fish that take forever to thaw.
On the reef side, Harris says anglers are finding red grouper, triggerfish, vermilion snapper, and even some scamp in the mix. He continues to like a knocker rig or weighted flat-line setup for a range of species, including bigger triggerfish, and says both consistent bottom fishing and opportunistic flat-line bites are happening day to day. He also encourages anglers to spend more time learning natural bottom instead of relying only on obvious artificial reefs. His advice is to keep notes, make repeated passes over productive areas from different angles, and remember that live bottom often looks subtle on the machine until fish rise up and start showing around the boat once baits hit the water.
Destin Boat & Yacht Show Preview – Jim Cox
Jim Cox says the new Destin Boat & Yacht Show is designed to reflect just how diverse boating is in the Destin area. Set for May 1 through 3 at Sunset Isle Yacht Club on Okaloosa Island, the show will feature more than 300 boats, with over 60 in the water and roughly 250 more on land. He says that range will cover everything from center consoles and bay boats to tritoons and luxury yachts, which fits a market where anglers may want to fish offshore one day and spend the next day around the harbor or Crab Island.
Jim says the show is also meant to feel easy and family-friendly, not overwhelming. In addition to the boats themselves, he says visitors can expect marine accessories, fishing tackle, coastal lifestyle vendors, food, beer, cocktails, and seminars from Half Hitch. He also notes that the venue has easier parking and a more relaxed pace than some larger shows, which should make it easier for families to walk the docks, compare boats, and spend time asking questions without feeling rushed. For people shopping, he says the real value is getting to see a wide range of boats in one place and talk directly with dealers and manufacturer reps about the small details that can make a huge difference once the boat is actually in use.
Big Trout Tactics – Capt. Evan Wheeler
Capt. Evan Wheeler of Tall Pines Tight Lines says the Pensacola side is dealing with very salty, clear water and plenty of wind, but those conditions are still producing big trout for anglers who stay precise. On windy days, he likes to target protected water where fish can still be found in creeks, bayous, and other tucked-away areas, but he says the key is understanding how wind and current work together. His preferred setup is to present baits into the current whenever possible so the offering sweeps naturally toward the fish instead of over its back. On calm days, he says anglers can expand into open grass flats, sounds, river mouths, and beach-front zones, with the exact location depending more on how the angler likes to fish than on one single hot spot.
Evan says he is throwing mostly larger artificials right now, especially topwaters and soft plastics in the five- to seven-inch range. He wants the lightest jig head possible unless the wind forces him heavier, and he has been putting a stronger emphasis on the Nervous Bait Company OG Slick when he wants a larger profile for bigger fish. He says the weighted version becomes especially useful when the wind is up because it still keeps the lure in the strike zone and lets anglers work it effectively without it skating uselessly across the surface. He also stressed that there are times when anglers waste too much daylight trying to force the wrong lure to work instead of changing to a bait that better matches the conditions.
For live bait, Evan likes to stay as light as possible and match the bait to the situation. In shallower water, mullet and other natural baitfish already present in the area tend to make the most sense, while deeper spots may call for different presentations. He likes free-lining when conditions allow, but says current and wind can make truly weightless baits ride too high. In those situations, he adjusts with split shot, knocker rigs, or Carolina rigs depending on water depth, current, and bottom type. His bigger point was that anglers should think of live bait the same way they think about lures: the right weight, right hook, right rod, and right presentation all matter if they want the bait to move naturally and stay believable.
Evan also gave some excellent advice for landing a trophy trout once it bites. His first rule was simple: be cool. He says anglers need to stay in touch with their bait well enough to notice when it gets nervous before the fish ever fully commits, then resist the urge to jerk. He prefers kale-style hooks for big trout and says steady pressure is everything because trout have soft mouths and can shake free quickly if anglers get sloppy. If a big fish starts to come up and shake its head, he wants anglers to lower the rod and pull its head back down instead of letting it jump and throw the hook.
