In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya checks in with Blake Hunter with Reel30A, Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters, and Capt. Adam Peeples with One Shot Charters.
The big theme this week is that Northwest Florida fishing is still being shaped by fronts, wind, grass, bait availability, and short weather windows, but there are plenty of good opportunities for anglers who adjust. Pompano are still moving through the surf, trout and redfish are active on the flats, Spanish mackerel are strong nearshore, and offshore bottom fishing is producing when boats can safely get out.
Conditions Recap
May is starting with an unusual mix of late cool fronts, rough surf, June grass, and changing wind directions. In the surf, Blake Hunter says the pompano run is not over, and cooler water may actually help keep fish around longer instead of pushing them through too quickly. The challenge is bait. Live sand fleas have been hard to find from Miramar Beach and Destin toward Panama City, which has forced anglers to work harder, travel for bait, or rely on alternatives like Fishbites, fresh dead shrimp, dead sand fleas, ghost shrimp, and blue crab knuckles.
On the inshore side, Brandon Barton says the grass flats, docks, potholes, and drop-offs around the sound are holding hungry speckled trout and redfish. Low-light periods, overcast skies, and the days around the full moon should give anglers a strong shot at better trout, especially before and after the front.
Offshore, Capt. Adam Peeples says the weather has made spring frustrating, but the fishing is close. Swordfish were slower than expected despite good water, but bottom fishing has been productive, bait is thick around East Pass, Spanish mackerel are biting well, and king mackerel should continue improving as May progresses.
Surf Pompano Report – Blake Hunter With Reel30A
Blake Hunter with Reel30A says this has been a strange surf season, but not a bad one. The pompano showed up later than expected, and he believes May could still be very good because the water has not warmed too quickly. Reports from farther east suggest more fish are still coming, and if the cooler temperatures hold, those fish may take their time moving down the beach.
The biggest issue right now is bait. Blake says live sand fleas remain the best option when anglers can find them, but they may need to search at night, look for nests, or drive to areas such as Navarre or Okaloosa Island where bait has been more available. When live fleas are not an option, he is still keeping Fishbites in the rotation, along with fresh dead shrimp, dead sand fleas, ghost shrimp, fiddler crabs, and blue crab knuckles.
Blake spent time explaining how to rig blue crab knuckles for pompano. He likes to pop the top off the crab, break it down, cut the knuckle sections into small baits, and leave enough leg material attached to hold the hook. In windy conditions, a small piece of Fishbites can help pin soft bait in place, but lately he has often been fishing straight blue crab knuckle.
June grass and rough surf have made line management a major part of the surf game. Blake says if he has to clear rigs every 10 minutes or his baits are sliding down the beach, he starts changing sinkers or moves. His normal approach is to begin with five-ounce bank sinkers, then move to pyramids, and eventually Sputnik-style sinkers if he needs more holding power. When the grass is too bad, the best move may be to run east or west and find cleaner water.
For location, Blake says a southeast or southerly wind often pushes fish closer to the beach or just behind the bar, while a north wind after a front may push them deeper once the surf lays down. In heavier surf, he uses bigger floats and 20- to 25-pound fluorocarbon leaders. As conditions calm, he may scale down to smaller floats, no floats, beads, or lighter 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon.
Color choice is another key part of his pompano strategy. In clear Emerald Coast water, Blake likes softer combinations such as yellow and white, green and white, and purple and white. In dirtier water, he shifts toward brighter colors like orange and white, pink and white, and chartreuse and white. His bigger point is that anglers should not get locked into one rig. He likes to put out a full buffet of colors, beads, and float combinations until the fish show a preference.
Inshore Trout And Redfish Report – Brandon Barton With Emerald Waters Kayak Charters
Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters says he has been spending most of his time inshore because offshore kayak windows have been limited. The good news is that the sound and intercoastal areas are producing plenty of speckled trout and redfish around grass flats, docks, potholes, and edges.
Brandon’s current lure lineup is simple but effective. In low light, at first light, last light, or under overcast skies, he starts with topwater plugs to cover water and draw fish up. When fish short-strike the topwater, or when he wants to work faster along docks, points, and banks, he switches to a wake bait. He says redfish have been especially aggressive on wake baits because they can be reeled quickly, fished just under the surface, and worked through choppy conditions without needing the cadence of a walk-the-dog topwater.
One of Brandon’s favorite wake baits right now is the Southern Salt Bait Company GOAT. He likes it because it casts better than many wake baits, comes rigged for saltwater, includes quality hooks, and works well on both trout and redfish. He also noted that a wake bait is a good option for kids or less-experienced anglers because it can be fished with a simple cast-and-retrieve approach.
When the sun gets high and the water turns clear, Brandon moves toward jerkbaits, twitch baits, and sometimes downsized artificial shrimp. He normally likes 20-pound braid and 20-pound fluorocarbon because there is always a chance of running into a bigger fish, but he recently downsized to 12-pound fluorocarbon and a two-inch artificial shrimp when bigger trout were acting spooky on clear flats. The lighter presentation immediately produced bites.
Brandon says the key on the flats is to look beyond the obvious bank. Redfish and trout may be shallow enough to sit in a foot of water or less, but they also use sand holes, grass edges, potholes, dock shade, and the drop where a flat falls into deeper water. He likes to cast past grass patches and work lures through the sandy openings where baitfish naturally travel.
For docks, Brandon fishes both parallel to the structure and off the deeper ends where boats usually sit. He also makes casts between docks because redfish and trout are often roaming instead of sitting tight to one piece of structure. Once he catches a trout, he may slow down because more fish could be nearby. With slot redfish, he usually keeps moving because many of those fish are cruising the flat rather than stacking tightly in one spot.
Going into the front and full moon, Brandon says he would rather fish right before the weather arrives and again after it passes. Fish often feed before a major change, then may shut down during the biggest temperature, wind, or salinity shift. For anglers looking for a bigger trout, the combination of the full moon and front could be worth planning around.
Destin Offshore Report – Capt. Adam Peeples With One Shot Charters
Capt. Adam Peeples with One Shot Charters says the offshore season out of Destin is getting close, but anglers are still having to work around rough spring weather. His first rule is simple: determine whether the trip can be done safely and whether the crew can realistically accomplish what they want to do.
Capt. Adam says the boat, crew, target species, distance, sea direction, and timing all matter. A forecast may look borderline, but anglers still need to think about whether conditions are building or improving. Going out on the front side of worsening weather creates more risk, especially if a mechanical issue or other problem comes up while the seas are already getting uncomfortable.
Out of Destin, Adam says a north wind is one of the directions he respects most, especially offshore. Even a small swell from the south can get ugly when a hard north wind stacks on top of it. When possible, he likes to plan routes that work with the sea instead of simply following a straight GPS line to a spot. Sometimes the smarter choice is to change the target, fish closer to the beach, or let the Gulf dictate the day’s plan.
On the fishing side, Capt. Adam says the water offshore has looked excellent, with beautiful blue water and temperatures around the mid-70s, but swordfish were still slower than expected. He covered water from areas such as the Elbow, the Nipple, the Spur, and the areas in between, and while the conditions looked right, the bite never fully turned on. He still believes it could happen quickly once the weather settles.
Bottom fishing was much better. Capt. Adam found good deep-drop action for tilefish and strong bottom fishing that included large mangrove snapper. He also noted that bait has been excellent around East Pass, with tinker mackerel, cigar minnows, and even squid available on sabiki rigs. Those small tinker mackerel have already made a difference for scamp and other bottom species.
Nearshore, Spanish mackerel fishing has been very strong, while king mackerel are still a little early and scattered. Capt. Adam expects king mackerel to get more reliable by the second or third week of May, though larger fish can still be found close to the beach before the main push settles in.
For anglers who want easy action for kids or less-experienced crews, Spanish mackerel are a great target right now. Capt. Adam recommends trolling tree rigs and small diving plugs such as Rapala-style minnows or Crystal Minnow-style baits. Once a boat gets bit, he recommends circling back and working the same area because Spanish mackerel are usually schooled up.
