In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya checks in with Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing Charters, Blake Hunter of Reel30A, and Brandon Barton of Emerald Waters Kayak Charters. The overall theme is that Northwest Florida is right on the edge of a true spring transition. Offshore, nearshore, and surf anglers are all seeing signs that things are about to open up, but most of the better bites still depend on timing, water temperature, and staying flexible. Panama City is offering solid six-hour bottom fishing opportunities, the surf zone is producing bull reds, black drum, and a few local pompano while everyone waits on the main push of migrators, and Pensacola’s clear inshore water is setting up for subtle presentations to trout and redfish.
Conditions Recap
Across the region, the main story is warming water that still has not fully crossed over into a stable spring pattern. Offshore and nearshore, the weather windows are improving, but they are still short enough that being able to adjust quickly matters. Along the beaches, contributors are watching for that magic temperature range when the pompano migration really lights up. Blake Hunter says the beaches still are not seeing enough 68-degree water along the Emerald Coast to signal a full-on run, though the bays and pass areas are getting close. Inshore around Pensacola, Brandon Barton is finding very clear, shallow water that rewards stealth and precise presentations more than noise and speed.
Panama City Offshore Report
Capt. Harris Scruggs says the in-close fishing out of Panama City has been especially good for the six-hour crowd. There are plenty of undersized fish around, but there are also enough keepers mixed in to make these short trips worth doing. Triggerfish remain one of the main targets, with good chances at legal fish, and the vermilion snapper bite has also been strong when dolphins are not interfering. Harris also reports a good red grouper and scamp bite over the last couple of weeks, giving anglers several options on these shorter spring runs.
The most interesting tactic in Harris’s report is his continued confidence in targeting better triggerfish off the bottom. Instead of only parking baits right on the structure, he likes a flat-line knocker rig that keeps a larger bait up in the water column. When anglers know triggerfish are present, he recommends a bigger strip bait such as bonita, squid, or even a whole cigar minnow, presented on a light line and small wire hook. That lets anglers target the bigger fish that rise up in the column instead of letting every bait get picked apart right on the bottom by smaller fish and mixed reef species.
For gear, Harris says 30- to 40-pound line is the sweet spot for this type of triggerfish fishing, with one- to three-ounce weights depending on depth and current. He has also been using weighted circle hooks with the weight molded just below the eye, especially in lighter setups on spinning tackle. For anglers hoping to stay versatile, that is a useful setup because it can move quickly from triggerfish duty into general bottom fishing without a major re-rig.
When the focus shifts to grouper, Harris recommends keeping baits within about five or six feet of the bottom. He has been catching red grouper and scamp on the same general triggerfish drifts and knocker-rig presentations, often while using half minnows, whole minnows, squid, and Boston mackerel. His heavier chicken rigs have been taking fish too, especially when conditions allow anglers to stay more vertical over the structure.
Dolphins have been a real problem on some spots, and Harris says the only real answer is to run. Short moves have not always been enough. In his experience, once dolphins get locked onto the boat, it can take a longer run of several miles to shake them and get back to fishing cleanly.
Nearshore, Spanish mackerel have started to show, and Harris says they have been better on the outgoing tide than the incoming tide this week. King mackerel are not really in yet, but the bait is getting closer, and he expects that to change soon. His go-to Spanish setup is simple and efficient: long 30-pound mono leaders with the smallest Clarkspoons, staggered behind different egg-sinker weights so the spread fishes at different distances from the boat. That system lets anglers cover water and then quickly swap those rods over for bottom fishing when the opportunity changes.
Emerald Coast Surf Report
Blake Hunter says the surf is in that frustrating but exciting stage where anglers know the main pompano migration is close, but it still has not truly broken open. Right now, most of what he is seeing looks like local fish instead of a full wave of migrators. The bites are scattered, with small flurries separated by long quiet periods, and the water still needs to get into that more dependable 68-degree range for the better beach action to really kick off.
Blake’s read is that anglers should keep a close eye on the days leading into the full moon. He points to late March and the first days of April as the period when things could change in a hurry. Until that happens, this is not the time to just walk onto any beach access, throw out a set rig, and expect the migration to come to you. Instead, he says anglers need to hunt structure and fish specific spots with confidence.
His best beach features right now are places with multiple holes, hard drop-offs, and deep contour changes between the bars. He wants water that falls off sharply and gives bigger fish a place to hold, circle, and ambush. He also says this time of year favors fishing farther east, closer to where those fish are first arriving, then gradually working west as April progresses.
For bait, Blake says the local pompano are trending bigger, but they are still early enough in the season that they are not overly picky. Shrimp and Fishbites are working fine right now. Once more bait shows up and the run matures, he says anglers should expect those fish to get fussier. At that point, he would scale down the terminal tackle and simplify things. For anglers trying to target a true big fish around the full moon, his advice is to go with a single-drop presentation and a big sand flea in a good hole.
Blake also says anglers should not overlook the bull redfish and black drum bite while waiting on pompano to really fire. He has specifically been targeting those fish with blue crabs and cut mullet. For black drum, he likes half a crab, while for bull reds he will use larger mullet cut in half. That gives surf anglers a good backup plan when the pompano action is still scattered.
One of the more useful pieces of advice in this segment is how Blake adjusts to tide and fish position. On low tide, especially early and late, fish can run surprisingly short, sometimes right on top of the bar. As the sun gets up, they may slide deeper. Because of that, he still recommends staggering baits short, medium, and long until the bite tells you exactly where the fish are traveling.
Pensacola Inshore Report
Brandon Barton has mostly stayed inshore this week, and he says spring is one of his favorite times to target bigger trout in the sound and Intracoastal areas around Pensacola. The fish are there, but he believes the system still needs a more stable warm trend before those better trout fully settle into the most predictable spring patterns. Even so, there are plenty of slot-sized speckled trout and redfish available right now.
The biggest challenge is not finding water with fish in it. It is dealing with water that is very clear, shallow, and low. That has turned much of the inshore bite into a stealth game, which plays well for kayak anglers. Brandon says kayaks let anglers move quietly and set up naturally on fish without the noise and pressure that can ruin a flat in these conditions.
His best advice is to think in terms of staging areas. He is looking for points, docks, potholes, and the seams where sand and grass meet. Those areas give trout and redfish ambush points, especially when the water is clean enough to sight fish. When the sun is up and the water is slick, Brandon says being able to quietly position and visually track fish becomes a real advantage.
For lures, one of his top choices right now is the weedless Savage Gear Shrimp. He likes it because it is subtle, realistic, and light enough to land softly in skinny water. That matters in these conditions, because too much splash can spook fish before the cast even has a chance. He is using it around grass flats and sandy potholes where redfish and trout are sitting and waiting to ambush.
When he shifts to covering more water, especially around deeper docks and edges, Brandon likes a small jerkbait. He says a topwater is still one of his favorite search baits, but if fish are not showing any interest at all, he switches quickly. His jerkbait retrieve is aggressive but controlled: several hard snaps, followed by a longer pause. Most of his bites are coming when the bait stops and either suspends, sinks, or slowly rises. That pause gives fish the opening they need to commit.
Gear-wise, Brandon likes smaller-profile shallow-diving jerkbaits for this pattern. He specifically mentions the Rapala X-Rap in a roughly three-inch class and notes that he prefers baits that stay subtle in the upper water column. In the clear, shallow water he is fishing, downsizing and matching the conditions matters more than forcing a louder presentation.
He also gives a useful tip for pothole fishing. When he sees a fish sitting in a sandy opening surrounded by grass, he does not throw directly into the pothole. Instead, he casts past it and works the bait through naturally. With the shrimp, that might mean letting it sink and then slowly hopping or dragging it across the bottom in a way that mimics a real shrimp. That slower, natural movement can be the key when fish are sitting still and waiting for an easy target.
