In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya is joined by Butch Thierry and Angelo DePaola for a wide-ranging Gulf Coast report covering a 790-pound bluefin tuna, improving offshore swordfish and dolphin action, heavy sargassum in the blue water, kayak trout and redfish patterns around Pensacola, nearshore reef opportunities, and the kickoff of Gulf billfish tournament season. This episode features Capt. Adam Peeples with One Shot Charters, Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters, and Jim Cox with the Orange Beach Billfish Classic.
The big theme this week is that Northwest Florida anglers have plenty of opportunity from the flats to the deep Gulf, but the details matter. Offshore anglers are dealing with scattered grass, changing current, big-game possibilities, and the need to be prepared for truly massive fish. Inshore and kayak anglers are finding trout and redfish on open grass flats, potholes, points, and structure, while nearshore reefs are beginning to offer more amberjack, snapper, grouper, king mackerel, and even mahi opportunities as summer patterns build.
Conditions Recap
Northwest Florida is moving into a late-spring and early-summer setup, with warm blue water offshore, stronger southerly flow, and improving signs for swordfish, dolphin, blue marlin, and other pelagic species. Capt. Adam Peeples reported 78-degree blue water, some current, and plenty of life in the right places, but scattered sargassum is making trolling difficult and forcing anglers to constantly clear lines, rethink presentations, and adjust how they fish live baits.
Inshore, the Pensacola-area sound is producing trout and redfish on open flats with grass and sand potholes, especially during early, late, cloudy, or wind-driven windows. Brandon Barton says the flats are also seeing more ladyfish, jack crevalle, and other warm-season signs. Nearshore, the reefs are starting to come alive with amberjack, snapper, grouper, king mackerel, and mahi showing up as conditions improve.
Offshore Report – Capt. Adam Peeples With One Shot Charters
Capt. Adam Peeples with One Shot Charters gives the offshore report after landing a 113-inch, 790-pound bluefin tuna while live baiting for blue marlin. The fish ate a live blackfin tuna and was fought on a Penn 70 with 150-pound hollow core braid backing, 130-pound mono top shot, 200-pound fluorocarbon leader, and a 12/0 Mustad Perfect Circle 4X hook. Adam says the fish fought for about an hour and a half before dying and sinking in 2,200 feet of water, turning the rest of the effort into a long, difficult retrieval from the bottom.
Adam stresses that anglers targeting this kind of offshore fishing need to think beyond the bite itself. A block and tackle would have made getting the fish into the boat much easier, and he says anyone fishing where bluefin are a real possibility needs a large fish bag, plenty of ice, and a real plan for caring for the meat. His crew had a large Reliable blanket and 500 pounds of ice, which helped keep the fish in excellent condition by the time it was cleaned.
The offshore bite is not limited to bluefin. Adam also reported a 38-pound dolphin, another dolphin that he estimated at more than 40 pounds, a good swordfish day where they went four for five, and a big pomfret. He says the swordfish bite is finally starting to look like it should for this time of year, and the blue water is fishy when anglers can find current, bait, and cleaner conditions.
The biggest offshore challenge right now is sargassum. Adam says the grass is scattered everywhere and can make trolling a grind. For anglers trying to work through it, he recommends avoiding grass-catching lip plugs, Nomad-style divers, and wahoo plugs when conditions are bad. Single-hook rigs, lures, dead baits paired with lures, and weedless-rigged ballyhoo can help, but the main thing is keeping presentations clean. A lure or bait with grass on it does not look right, and Adam says anglers will not get the bites they should if they are not constantly clearing lines.
Gear and products mentioned in this section include Penn 70 reels, 150-pound hollow core braid, 130-pound mono, 200-pound fluorocarbon leader, a 12/0 Mustad Perfect Circle 4X hook, Reliable fish blankets, live blackfin tuna, single-hook trolling rigs, weedless ballyhoo, Nomad-style divers, and offshore satellite tools such as Hilton’s Realtime Navigator.
Kayak And Inshore Report – Brandon Barton With Emerald Waters Kayak Charters
Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters gives the kayak and inshore report from the Pensacola area, where trout and redfish are active on the flats. He has been staying mostly inshore because of weather windows, focusing on the sound and fishing open grass flats, sand potholes, points, creek mouths, spillway mouths, rocks, and other structure.
For trout, Brandon says the fish are moving away from transition areas and onto open flats with grass and potholes. Early and late in the day, he likes shallower water from zero to three feet. When the sun gets higher and the day gets hotter, he shifts more toward three to five feet. He is throwing topwaters, wake baits, jerkbaits, MirrorBeans, weedless Savage Gear shrimp, and weedless paddle tails depending on grass, light, wind, and fish activity.
Topwater and wake bait fishing are both producing, but Brandon uses them differently. A walking topwater is a good choice when conditions are calmer and fish are willing to commit on the surface. A wake bait is a better search bait, especially when conditions are rougher or fish are missing topwaters. Since a wake bait dives just below the surface, it can help fish commit while still covering water quickly.
For redfish, Brandon looks more toward points, banks, creek mouths, spillway mouths, and structure. He will often throw something with more noise or scent when he is specifically targeting redfish, but he is still catching plenty of reds mixed in while fishing trout flats. He also points out that rock points and jetties in the sound and bay can hold quality trout this time of year.
Brandon also talks about the advantages of kayak fishing, especially when access to good launch areas is limited. He uses electric propulsion to reach less-pressured water, cover more ground, and add a safety backup when wind, current, distance, or mechanical issues become a factor. He discussed using the Torqeedo Travel Ultralight, which gives him enough battery life for a normal inshore trip with power left over at the end of the day.
Gear and products mentioned in this section include topwaters, wake baits, jerkbaits, weedless Savage Gear shrimp, weedless paddle tails, poppers, jigs, X-Raps, dead cigar minnows, Sabiki rigs, and the Torqeedo Travel Ultralight kayak motor.
Nearshore Reef Report – Kayak Opportunities Building
Brandon says the nearshore reefs off Northwest Florida are starting to offer a wider mix of opportunities for kayak anglers and small-boat anglers. He has seen and heard of amberjack showing up on reefs, including fish responding early in the morning to topwater presentations. Snapper, grouper, king mackerel, and even mahi are also part of the nearshore conversation as summer patterns get closer.
For amberjack, Brandon recommends being aggressive. If fish are on the surface, fast-moving poppers and topwaters can trigger bites. Jigs are also a good option when fish are holding deeper. For snapper and other reef species, live bait is great when available, but Brandon says kayak anglers should be prepared to fish without it. Dead cigar minnows, cut bait from previous trips, trolling plugs, and artificial backups can keep the day productive when bait is hard to find.
When trying to catch live bait from a kayak, Brandon usually starts just beyond the surf zone in 15 to 25 feet of water. Bait is often shallower early and moves deeper as the sun gets higher. Getting out at first light can make a big difference for anglers hoping to Sabiki bait before moving to the reefs.
Orange Beach Billfish Classic Recap – Jim Cox
Jim Cox with the Orange Beach Billfish Classic joins the show to recap the first leg of the Gulf Coast Triple Crown. The 30th year of the Orange Beach Billfish Classic set a strong tone for the season, with 62 boats and a $1.6 million purse. Jim says the tournament has the feel of a family reunion because it is the first major Gulf billfish event of the year and brings many of the same teams back together after the offseason.
One of the biggest takeaways from the tournament was how far modern Gulf tournament boats are running. Jim says many teams left with fuel bladders and were prepared to make long runs in search of current, bait, and the right water. He pointed to fast center consoles, large sportfishing boats, fuel capacity, Seakeeper technology, sonar fishing, and Starlink communication as parts of the modern tournament landscape.
The blue marlin bite was steady but not wide open. Jim says activity came in windows around feeding periods, with long quiet stretches between flurries. The tournament saw strong catch-and-release results, including multiple boats with big point totals, while several highly competitive teams went without a release. That unpredictability is part of what makes Gulf Coast tournament fishing so demanding.
Jim, Joe, and Angelo also discuss how technical Gulf Coast billfish fishing has become. Modern Gulf teams need to be able to pitch bait, live bait, pull lures, read sonar, make and care for live tuna baits, and fish around grass, rigs, deep water, and long-range conditions. The conversation also touches on giant tuna, including the difficulty of fighting bluefin in deep Gulf water compared to shallower fisheries, and a 222.4-pound yellowfin that would be the fish of a lifetime even though it finished third in the tuna category.
Gear and products mentioned in this section include fuel bladders, tuna tubes, sonar, Starlink, Seakeeper systems, Viking sportfishing boats, Freeman center consoles, live tuna baits, dredges, teasers, and pitch bait setups.
