In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya lines up an early-spring transition playbook from Pensacola to Panama City with three contributors who cover the whole spread: Capt. Evan Wheeler of Tall Pines Tight Lines (inshore trout and big-fish tactics), Capt. Harris Scruggs of Triple B Fishing (nearshore bottom fishing and spring-break offshore options), and Blake Hunter of Reel30A (the first real signs of the pompano push and how to fish the “cusp” period).
Conditions Recap
The big headline is a welcome stretch of stable, fishable weather: light-to-moderate southeast winds with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s. That steady southeast flow is a classic “spring is trying to show up” signal across the Panhandle, but the inshore story still has winter fingerprints, especially the persistent negative tides and low, stagnant water that have made fish location and presentation more day-to-day than “set it and forget it.”
In the bays and rivers, that combination of low water and shifting fronts keeps speckled trout bouncing between deeper thermal refuge and shallow warming zones. Offshore and nearshore out of Panama City, water quality has been clean green with good visibility on incoming tides, and bait is beginning to show in the 3–5 mile range with bonitas showing up, setting the stage for more life to roll in behind them.
On the beach, surf conditions are trending the right direction. Southeast winds can help push cleaner water and fish toward the sand, and the first “big fish before the schools” pompano pattern is starting to show. This is the window where location and beach structure matter more than anything, and where a single productive hole can carry the entire bite.
Panama City Beach This Weekend: Emerald Coast Boat & Lifestyle Show
If you’re in town and want to quit guessing on boat layouts, storage, and comfort, the Emerald Coast Boat & Lifestyle Show runs March 6–8, 2026 at Aaron Bessant Park (by Pier Park). Friday and Saturday are 10 a.m. to sunset, Sunday is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free and kids 12 and under get in free. Expect more than $40 million in marine inventory plus coastal lifestyle vendors, Half Hitch seminars, food trucks, live music, and adult refreshments.
For details and tickets, visit emeraldcoastboatshow.com.
Inshore Report: Pensacola and the Transition Trout Pattern with Capt. Evan Wheeler
Capt. Evan Wheeler describes the current phase as the messy middle: it’s not “classic winter” anymore, but it’s not consistent spring either. Recent fronts have come through without the traditional 30-degree temperature crash, and the fish respond differently when the change is more rain-and-stagnation than hard cold. Add in unusually persistent negative tides and consistently low water, and you get a fishery where trout can be present but stubborn, and where small adjustments can turn a dead stretch into a bite.
Evan’s baseline for post-front days is still to prioritize deeper water near shallow warming options, especially interfaces like river mouths, feeder creek mouths dumping into deeper tributaries, and areas with adjacent mud that can warm quickly. The “signs of life” he’s keying on are birds and bait, and he notes that in late February and early March a single pelican diving or a small cluster of loafing birds can matter a lot more than it would in summer.
The tactical theme is slowing down until you’re convinced you’re slow enough. Evan described trips where the bite only turned on after changing cadence from a more aggressive rip-and-glide to subtle hops and near-deadstick pauses. This is also where “small gear choices” become big: jighead weight controls how quickly the bait falls and how much glide you get, and in this period a slower fall and a more controlled presentation can be the difference.
Product and gear mentions from Evan’s segment include: a Ned rig style presentation for slow bottom contact, weedless jerk shad style baits for skinny grass, topwater plugs for prospecting and targeting larger trout when conditions make sense, suspending “jerkbait” style lures (including MirrOLure style profiles), and paying attention to leader material stretch to avoid pulling hooks on violent strikes.
Evan’s general-purpose inshore setup for spring includes 20 lb braid on most reels (30 lb braid on 4000-class reels and live-bait outfits), paired with a 15 lb fluorocarbon leader for all-around use. When throwing topwaters and certain hardbaits, he often prefers a mono leader for added stretch, especially to survive the first headshake-and-run from bigger fish. A simple, do-most-things combo he likes is a 7’ medium rod with a 3000-class reel, 20 lb braid, and a 15 lb fluorocarbon leader.
On timing, Evan puts real weight on moon phase and time of day. He favors the lead-up to the full moon for afternoon “moon rise minor” activity windows, especially when paired with a daytime warm-up. He also explains why morning trips can be tougher right on a full moon if fish fed hard all night, and why a few days after the full moon can improve the sunrise bite as the moon sets closer to daylight.
Offshore and Nearshore Report: Panama City with Capt. Harris Scruggs
Capt. Harris Scruggs is in spring-break mode with four- and six-hour trips focused on economical, high-action nearshore bottom fishing. The main targets right now are triggerfish and vermilion snapper (beeliners/mingos), with the reality that you’ll sort through plenty of undersized fish to find the keepers. On short trips, he’s typically working inside roughly 10 miles (often 6–8 miles on a four-hour run) and stretching to the low teens on six-hour trips if it makes sense without cutting fishing time too hard.
Harris’s triggerfish advice is all about fishing the way down. Triggers are notorious for stealing bait mid-drop, and he encourages anglers to watch for subtle changes in sink rate or “something feels different” on the descent, then get tight immediately. He also suggests stopping the drop high in the water column at times to see if fish will rise to the bait. If you’re struggling to hook them, he notes that a smaller light-wire hook can help, and downsizing bait can let smaller mouths get the hook.
Product and gear mentions from Harris’s segment include: chicken rigs/knocker rigs, Carolina rigs with 1–2 oz egg sinkers, lighter wire hooks, Boston filet and squid strips for bait, sensitive light tackle (including slow pitch jigging rods used as “feel everything” bottom rods), and small speed jigs for banded rudderfish and almaco jacks when you want a fun catch-and-release option while soaking a live bait.
For beeliners, Harris is finding better class fish around wrecks and larger public structures versus live bottom right now, often working the edges to avoid getting hung in structure. For longer runs (8–12 hours), you add more opportunity for red grouper and scamp grouper, plus more time to work toward limits on triggers and beeliners. He also notes that mangrove snapper can be targeted with good live bait (menhaden/pilchards) and lighter line presentations higher in the water column, similar in spirit to yellowtail-style finesse.
On the “what’s next” front, bonitas have arrived and bait schools are starting to show in the 3–5 mile range, with the expectation that more consistent bait (herring and menhaden) and king mackerel will follow as conditions hold.
Surf Report: South Walton to Panama City Beach with Blake Hunter
Blake Hunter says the beach is sitting right on the cusp of turning on, and the next 7–14 days look like the start of real spring behavior. His surf focus is pompano, and he’s seeing the early pattern that veteran surf anglers love: bigger fish show first, then the schools arrive roughly 10–14 days later. He’s already hearing reports of trophy-class fish, and he and his crew were into early action, landing fish and losing a couple that would have made the day even better.
This early window is less about chasing a “run” and more about setting up in the right structure. Blake’s most important location tip right now is to find a hole or depression that gives fish a natural place to slide up, investigate, and feed. It does not have to be a raging rip. In this transition phase, that one piece of structure can concentrate the bite, and he described a trip where rods set outside the hole never got touched while the rods in the hole got all the action.
Bait-wise, Blake is leaning on shrimp right now because he hasn’t found sand fleas yet, though he expects that to change soon. He talks about coquina clams as a natural forage in those holes and troughs, and he’s not putting much stock in color at this stage. His view is that right now, visibility and scent do the heavy lifting, and fish are willing to eat across different float and jig color combinations as long as you are in the right water.
Product and gear mentions from Blake’s segment include: surf floats in multiple colors (used more as attractors than “must match” this early), shrimp as primary bait, and the importance of fishing beach structure (holes and depressions) rather than simply spreading out random casts. He also referenced using Hilton’s imagery and data to keep tabs on sea surface temperatures and salinity movement along the Emerald Coast.
Calendar guidance for out-of-town anglers is straightforward. For the highest odds of multiple pompano in Walton, Okaloosa, and Bay County, Blake likes the last week of March through the first two weeks of April. If you’re sliding farther west toward Gulf Shores, later April into early May becomes a better target. He also notes that full moon timing can influence when fish feed best, and he’s comfortable building a plan around the most productive feeding windows rather than assuming “first light is always best.”
