In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya covers a strong mid-May fishing window from Panama City to Destin and Choctawhatchee Bay. This episode features Capt. Harris Scruggs with Triple B Fishing Charters and Capt. Blake Nelson of Last Cast Charters. The big theme this week is that Northwest Florida anglers have plenty of opportunity right now, from a long red snapper season and an excellent vermilion snapper bite offshore to redfish, trout, and Spanish mackerel action inshore, but success depends on fishing smart, adjusting to pressure, and matching tactics to the conditions.
Conditions Recap
Northwest Florida is moving into a classic late-spring pattern, with better weather windows, more bait showing up, and fishable options both offshore and inshore. Offshore, the newly announced red snapper season gives anglers a long stretch of access, while vermilion snapper, scamp, mangrove snapper, triggerfish, red grouper, bonito, king mackerel, and live bait are all part of the conversation around Panama City.
Inshore, the Destin and Choctawhatchee Bay area is seeing redfish and trout on the flats, pogies becoming the easier live bait option, and Spanish mackerel still available around roll-downs, bridges, and bay structure. A calm weather stretch should make it easier to move around, sight fish, and safely explore new water.
Offshore Report – Capt. Harris Scruggs With Triple B Fishing Charters
Capt. Harris Scruggs with Triple B Fishing Charters says the vermilion snapper bite out of Panama City has been excellent, with quality fish coming quickly on traditional bottom-fishing setups. He has been using three-hook chicken rigs, cut Boston mackerel, squid, half cigar minnows, and Boston mackerel heads, with some of the bigger vermilions coming on single-hook rigs and larger baits.
With red snapper season opening June 1 and running deep into October for the for-hire fleet, Harris expects heavy pressure on public wrecks, barges, and reefs. Early in the season, he likes to start with heavier tackle and fish well-known public numbers before pressure makes the fish more selective. As the season goes on, he may scale down leader and tackle to keep getting bites, but he prefers to begin heavy when larger snapper are possible.
Harris also breaks down how he fishes big public wrecks by reading the bottom machine, checking multiple angles, watching where fish are holding in the water column, and positioning the boat over the most productive part of the structure. For anglers trying to build better numbers, he recommends keeping detailed waypoint notes by year, season, species, and whether a spot is still showing fish. He uses Simrad electronics and color-codes waypoints so he can track when a location produced and when it went quiet.
While red snapper will be the headline, Harris encourages anglers to think beyond simply catching a limit. Scamp, mangrove snapper, triggerfish, red grouper, vermilion snapper, and other bottom fish can make a better mixed box, and a few well-cleaned fish can go a long way for fresh meals. He also cautions that the long season could put real pressure on the red snapper population and says anglers should consider taking only what they need.
Inshore Report – Capt. Blake Nelson Of Last Cast Charters
Capt. Blake Nelson of Last Cast Charters says the Destin and Choctawhatchee Bay inshore bite has shifted into a late-spring pattern, with redfish and trout on the flats and Spanish mackerel still available by trolling. Blake has moved from relying heavily on greenies to using more pogies because pogies are easier to find right now and are showing up well around the bay.
For live bait, Blake is fishing flats from Four Mile Point toward the mouth of the sound, using Carolina rigs, knocker rigs, and fly-lined baits depending on bait size and location. When he is fly-lining, live chumming can help get fish more active, but he is not using chum to locate fish as much as to fire them up once he is in a productive area.
Blake also shares a detailed look at how he breaks down unfamiliar water when traveling for redfish tournaments. His first priority is safety, especially around oyster bars, sandbars, rocks, limestone, and shallow flats. He uses Florida Marine Tracks to help identify safe routes, shallow hazards, depth changes, and areas where he can safely come off plane or get back on plane.
When fishing new areas, Blake starts by looking at habitat and then choosing the lure that works best for that terrain. In thick grass, he likes a weedless paddle tail on an Owner TwistLock weighted hook. Around mud, he may use a jig head and soft plastic. Around spooky fish on flats, a topwater can work well, while a weedless gold spoon can be a strong option when grass is present but still fishable.
The Spanish mackerel bite has slowed from the peak March and April action, but trolling is still producing fish. Blake has been using Christmas tree rigs, Clark spoons, small planers, and light weights to cover roll-downs, bridges, and bay structure. Productive areas include the south-bank roll-downs near Eglin, Bluewater, Legendary Flat, the Mid-Bay Bridge, and areas around the Destin Bridge. He says anglers should focus on the five- to twelve-foot range when trolling roll-downs, while continuing to move until they find active fish.
Gear And Tackle Mentioned In This Report
This week’s offshore gear discussion included three-hook chicken rigs, single-hook rigs, cut Boston mackerel, squid, cigar minnows, live bait, heavy snapper tackle, and Simrad electronics. The inshore discussion included Florida Marine Tracks, weedless paddle tails, Owner TwistLock weighted hooks, gold spoons, topwaters, Carolina rigs, knocker rigs, Christmas tree rigs, Clark spoons, and small planers.
