This week on the Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe checks in with surf fishing expert Blake Hunter of Reel 30A, plus offshore/inshore guide Captain Tyler Massey of Hot Spots Charters, and inshore guide Captain Evan Wheeler of Tall Pines Tight Lines (watch his content on YouTube here). The common theme: winter weather windows are everything, but there are still plenty of fish to be caught from the sand to 400 feet of water if you adjust your approach and pick your timing.
Conditions Recap
The end of the year brought a long stretch of mild, spring-like weather that kept the beach bite rolling and opened up more offshore opportunities than you’d expect for mid-winter. Now that true January patterns are settling in, the best fishing continues to be tied to short breaks between cold fronts: pre-front and the first 12–18 hours after a front can be excellent, while strong north winds and “laid out” conditions often slow things down until the next warming trend. Inshore, big winter negative tides and clear, skinny water are forcing anglers to think about navigation, stealth, and finding deeper “stable” water nearby.
Surf Report: Pompano, Drum, and Winter Redfish with Blake Hunter
Blake reports a fun winter mix on the beach, highlighted by quality pompano—not always huge numbers, but some true “grade-A” fish in the 2–3 pound range with an occasional 4-pounder mixed in. Alongside those pompano, anglers are seeing plenty of black drum (including more “puppy” drum than Blake normally expects late in the year) and the always-reliable winter target: redfish, which tend to run tighter to the beach as the water cools.
Beach-reading still matters in winter. Blake’s advice is to avoid featureless stretches and instead scout for the best-looking holes, rips, and subtle current seams—even on calm days. He’s looking for water that “pushes” out toward the second bar, or any spot that shows a consistent ripple/flow that can concentrate bait and fish. If you’re fishing near inlets and passes (Pensacola, Destin, Panama City), you’re stacking the odds in your favor because fish naturally funnel around moving water and structure.
Gear and bait recommendations (surf): For black drum, Blake likes blue crab (frozen works great if you stock up during the fall crab run), plus shrimp and cut mullet. For winter redfish, he leans heavily on cut mullet (especially if you’re hoping for a bull), with shrimp as a reliable backup. Rig-wise, he’s targeting reds with a single-drop rig placed near the first bar or just behind it, because those fish often cruise close to shore in colder water.
If you’re targeting pompano specifically: Blake tightens his focus to the best current-fed holes and spends time “hole-hopping” until he finds the right pocket. His main bait is shrimp, and he also likes Fishbites in winter—especially fast-acting Fishbites because scent dispersal can be slower in colder water. He recommends carrying multiple colors/scents (yellow, orange/white, and pink came up as consistent producers) and using your rig to test options efficiently.
Rig tweak that matters: When dialing in the bite, Blake prefers a two-drop rig so you can offer two different looks at once. With three rods, that can mean six different scent/color combinations in the water quickly, helping you “lock in” what the fish want on that day.
Timing and soak strategy: With fewer bait stealers in winter, you can soak longer, but Blake still treats ~20 minutes as a practical check/reset rule when fishing real bait. Sometimes simply re-casting (even to the same spot) triggers a bite—likely by stirring sand, repositioning the bait, or changing the presentation angle. For best odds, he likes fishing the last part of the incoming tide and into the first stretch of the falling tide, with special attention to pre-front and immediate post-front windows.
Hybrid Offshore/Inshore: Vermilion Snapper, Scamp, and Winter Windows with Captain Tyler Massey
Captain Tyler Massey says winter offshore success is all about taking advantage of weather windows, and when conditions cooperate, the fishing can be outstanding. His January focus has been steady action on vermilion snapper (a dependable “meat fish” bite) along with a strong push to fish for scamp grouper before potential seasonal changes limit opportunity.
Scamp regulations talk: Tyler notes ongoing discussion and public comment around a scamp closure concept that could potentially span January through June, reopening July 1. His preference is almost always reduced bag limits over full closures, because complete shutdowns often lead to unnecessary discard mortality—especially when fish are caught incidentally in deep water where survival rates are lower.
Where Tyler is fishing for scamp: He’s commonly starting in the 180–190 foot range and working out to 400 feet on natural rock structure. He expects scamp in that whole zone, and notes that strong current days can change which rig is easiest to fish effectively.
Offshore bait and lure recommendations: This winter has featured unusually good live bait availability for the season, including cigar minnows, sardines, and small hardtails. Tyler’s philosophy is simple: when live bait is plentiful, use it—but scamp also respond very well to artificials. He specifically calls out diamond jigs, vertical jigs, and slow-pitch jigs as strong options, with some days producing without bait at all.
Tyler’s go-to scamp rigs: He rotates between a Carolina rig (typically a 4–5 foot leader, often 60–80 lb leader material, and enough weight to stay vertical) and a single-drop rig with a bank sinker when current is ripping and bottom contact matters. His key tip is controlling your drop—thumb the spool, keep tension, and avoid “free-falling” so your leader doesn’t helicopter and wrap your main line. If a leader gets badly twisted, he often re-ties immediately because the line “remembers” and tends to tangle again.
Bonus catches and what else is happening offshore: While scamp fishing, Tyler has also been seeing solid bites from almaco jacks and even ran into a surprise winter treat: African pompano around natural rock structure—fish that don’t typically show up in that setting for his area. He also discusses the new FAD opportunities off the edge: closer than some traditional runs, and a potential place to pick off a wahoo when you’re first on the buoy, though he considers winter wahoo a “chance, not a guarantee.”
Inshore Report: Winter Negative Tides, Trout Positioning, and Jig Head Strategy with Captain Evan Wheeler
Captain Evan Wheeler loves this time of year because serious anglers still want to fish, and winter conditions can actually simplify the puzzle—if you know what to look for. This week’s standout inshore factor has been big negative tides, which impact everything from ramp access to where fish can comfortably hold and feed. Evan’s practical advice: plan for skinny water with the right tools in the boat and truck (a real push paddle and backup gear can save a day), and avoid pushing into areas you can’t safely exit as conditions change.
How Evan thinks about trout in winter: He’s looking for deeper water relative to the surrounding flat because it stays more stable through cold nights. Shallow water can warm quickly in sun, but it also “freezes out” first overnight. Evan also adds a layer many anglers overlook: sun angle and bank/slope orientation. In cold water, the bank that gets first light or holds sun longer can become a warmer micro-zone, and those small temperature differences can matter when water is clear, tides are low, and fish are spooky.
Artificial-first approach: Evan will carry shrimp, but his confidence is built around soft plastics fished from roughly 2 to 22 feet. The heart of his winter system is jig head selection—not just weight, but the hook keeper style and head design that keep plastics perfectly aligned. His point is simple: if your bait isn’t straight, it can corkscrew, kill your presentation, and cost you bites when feeding windows are tight.
Products and tackle concepts Evan emphasized (inshore): He breaks jig heads into practical categories: weedless options for grass/structure; heads that hold elastic plastics like Z-Man securely (he referenced I Strike style keepers for elastic materials); and more traditional heads for common paddle tails. He also discusses screw-lock / twist-lock styles for darting baits over grass, using loop knots when needed, and keeping leader length long in clear, low-current winter water so the braid stays well away from the bait.
Sheepshead note and conservation: Evan expects more sheepshead activity as the season progresses, and while bridges and jetties get the spotlight, he also finds them around docks and pilings as they stage and travel. His simple dock plan is minimal weight and a well-presented shrimp. He also encourages anglers to self-regulate harvest—especially around the spawn—because improved electronics and structure-oriented behavior make fish like sheepshead easier than ever to over-harvest.
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