In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya is joined by co-host Angelo DePaola for a May report that shows just how many strong options Northwest Florida anglers have right now. This episode checks in with Justin Reed with Justin Reed Fishing, Capt. Tyler Massey with Hot Spots Charters, Angelo DePaola with Coastal Connection EXP Realty, and Capt. Evan Wheeler with Tall Pines Tight Lines. The big theme this week is that the bite is good from the beach to the FADs to the grass flats, but anglers have to adjust to June grass, bait availability, late cool fronts, clean-water windows, full moon timing, and offshore weather opportunities.
Conditions Recap
Northwest Florida is sitting in a classic late-spring transition, with surf anglers dealing with June grass, offshore boats watching short weather windows, and inshore fishermen trying to make sense of a big trout bite that has not followed the script perfectly. A recent north wind helped push June grass off the beach in the Pensacola area, but returning south winds could bring it right back, making clean water the most important factor for surf fishermen targeting pompano.
Offshore, the FADs continue to be one of the most exciting parts of the Northwest Florida fishing conversation. Capt. Tyler Massey’s 777-pound bluefin tuna shows what is possible when the right bait, tackle, crew, and conditions line up. For anglers not chasing once-in-a-lifetime tuna, bottom fishing remains strong, especially for vermilion snapper, mangrove snapper, scamp grouper, and other reef species when the weather allows boats to get out.
Inshore, Capt. Evan Wheeler says the full moon and late cold front did not produce exactly the way big trout anglers might have expected, but quality trout and redfish are still being caught by fishermen who are willing to slow down, fish specific locations, and match presentations to depth, grass, water clarity, current, and bait behavior.
Surf Pompano Report – Justin Reed With Justin Reed Fishing
Justin Reed with Justin Reed Fishing says the Pensacola surf is still producing pompano, but June grass is now one of the main factors anglers need to manage. The recent north wind helped push the grass offshore, giving anglers a chance to fish in front of it, but Justin expects the south wind to push some of that grass back toward the beach. His advice is simple: find clean water first, then worry about structure.
Justin says if he casts out and the bait starts drifting down the beach within a minute because the line is loaded with grass, he is usually moving. On marginal days, he will cast one rod before unloading all of his gear. If that bait comes back covered in grass after a few minutes, he keeps driving. If the water is clean enough to keep a bait visible, he will fish it, even if the structure is not perfect.
The pompano bite is still alive, and Justin believes May should continue to offer good opportunities, especially with water temperatures staying lower due to late cool snaps. The challenge is filtering through summer species like ladyfish and blue runners, which can beat pompano to the bait. He says anglers may still catch one or two pompano per trip, and recent catches have included good numbers of fish when clean water and bait line up.
Live sand fleas remain a major part of the surf program in Pensacola, and Justin says they have been easy to find in some areas. The issue is size. Many fleas have been either very large or very small, with fewer ideal medium-sized baits. He prefers olive-sized sand fleas for the smaller pompano that are around right now. When the fleas are too big, he cuts them in half, which gives smaller pompano a more manageable bait and may also add scent.
For rigs, Justin likes 20-pound mono set rigs and rarely goes heavier. He says that is enough for pompano, redfish, and other surf species as long as anglers work their drag properly. His main line setup is 20-pound braid with a 20- to 30-pound mono top shot, which helps protect fingers during repeated casts, adds stretch, keeps braid farther from the rig, and helps keep sand fleas on the hook. For the braid-to-mono connection, he likes the FG knot because of its slim profile, while Joe and Angelo discussed the Bimini twist to Yucatan knot as another strong option.
Justin is also seeing redfish inside the sandbar, occasional black drum, lots of bait along the beach, and large jack crevalle moving through. Spanish mackerel have been surprisingly quiet in the surf, even though they have been strong in the passes and bays, but the beach still has plenty of life for anglers willing to adapt.
Offshore Report – Capt. Tyler Massey With Hot Spots Charters
Capt. Tyler Massey with Hot Spots Charters shares the offshore story of the week, a 777-pound bluefin tuna caught near the FADs out of Pensacola. Tyler says his crew had bluefin in mind and was fishing during the right window with heavy tackle ready. They caught the fish on a live blackfin tuna after seeing a bluefin flash near the surface behind another bait.
The fish was caught on a 130-class reel with heavy main line, heavy leader, and a setup similar to a live blue marlin bait rig. Tyler says even with that much tackle, the fight lasted about five hours, with the drag pushed extremely hard for much of the fight. He says a fish in the 700-pound class can be landed on smaller tackle, but the fight time could stretch much longer, and anglers intentionally targeting bluefin should use the biggest practical gear they can manage.
Tyler also stresses that the boat needs to be ready for that kind of pressure. Heavy drag in a rod holder puts real strain on the boat, so anglers fishing around the FADs with bluefin, big yellowfin, or other oversized pelagics in mind should check rod holders, backing plates, gunnels, safety straps, and the plan for actually getting a giant fish into the boat. His crew eventually needed help from another boat to get the tuna through the door of the center console.
For anglers looking for more practical offshore action, Tyler says the vermilion snapper bite has been excellent. Public wrecks in federal waters and even some nearshore state-water wrecks are holding strong numbers of fish, with many good-sized vermilions in the mix. He recommends watching the bottom machine, finding the cloud of fish, and putting baits in the right part of the water column instead of simply dropping to the bottom every time. Smaller hooks and 40-pound fluorocarbon leader have been part of his successful vermilion setup.
Bottom fishing is also producing mangrove snapper, scamp grouper, red grouper, and gag grouper encounters. Tyler says scamp are often found deeper, commonly starting around 170 feet and beyond, though they can show up shallower on the right natural bottom. Red grouper are more common in shallower natural-bottom areas, especially around 100 feet or less. Since gag grouper and some larger red snapper are out of season, he often scales down leader to give those fish a better chance to break off and emphasizes using a descending device or proper venting when release is necessary.
Gulf Coast Real Estate Update – Angelo DePaola With Coastal Connection EXP Realty
Angelo DePaola with Coastal Connection EXP Realty joins Joe for a Gulf Coast real estate update focused on how uncertainty, inventory, interest rates, and buyer confidence are shaping the market. Angelo says the market has not stopped, but it is moving in pulses. Buyers may pause during stretches of economic or geopolitical uncertainty, then re-engage quickly when the news improves or confidence returns.
Angelo says sellers who are priced correctly are often holding firm, even if properties sit longer than they did during the unusually fast market of recent years. He sees the current pace as closer to a normal real estate market, where a property may take several months to sell instead of going under contract immediately. From his perspective, waterfront and boating-focused properties along the Gulf Coast continue to have durable long-term demand because people still want access to the lifestyle the region offers.
Angelo also discusses Abaco in Orange Beach as a waterfront development aimed at boaters and anglers. He highlights the combination of new construction, boat slips, marina access, resort-style amenities, a gated setting, and proximity to both inshore and offshore fishing. For anglers who want a lower-maintenance waterfront setup rather than a traditional house with constant upkeep, he says developments like this can make sense, especially when boat access is a major part of the decision.
Inshore Trout And Redfish Report – Capt. Evan Wheeler With Tall Pines Tight Lines
Capt. Evan Wheeler with Tall Pines Tight Lines says the recent full moon and late spring cold front did not produce the big trout pattern exactly the way he expected. April was warmer and more stable than usual, but the trout did not seem to fully respond with the kind of obvious spawning behavior or easy-to-read bait and bird activity he would normally hope to see going into May.
Evan says he is still catching big trout and big redfish, but the pattern has been more precise than easy. Instead of finding obvious numbers of trout under birds or around visible bait, he has been relying on historical spots, seasonal timing, salinity, current, tide stage, water clarity, and exact presentations. His focus is not just catching trout, but putting a bait in front of the larger fish that should be holding in a specific ambush position.
For big trout, Evan says lure choice depends on depth, grass, current, substrate, water clarity, sky conditions, and how the fish are positioned. He often prefers an exposed hook when he can get away with it, but around grass and heavier structure he will use weedless presentations. He mentions the Pure Flats Slick Lure lineup, including the OG Slick and Slick Junior, as key baits for searching and targeting better trout. He also discusses jerk shads, soft plastics, paddle tails, larger fluke-style baits, suspending twitch baits, and topwaters as part of the inshore toolbox.
When fishing grass flats, Evan says anglers need to understand where the trout are sitting in the water column. In some areas, fish may be sitting just above submerged grass in six or seven feet of water. In those situations, the goal is to dust the grass without burying the bait in it. Jig head shape, loop knots, bait buoyancy, rod-tip cadence, wind, and current all affect whether the lure swims cleanly just above the grass or fouls immediately.
Evan also gives Angelo a Chandeleur Islands tackle breakdown. He recommends thinking in terms of the water column: topwater for the surface, suspending twitch baits and mirror-lure-style plugs for the middle, and soft plastics or weedless presentations for grass and lower-column work. For topwaters, he likes larger mullet-style baits, Heddon Spook-style plugs, one-knocker baits, and smaller subtle topwaters when conditions are calm, clear, and tough. For search baits, he continues to trust the 17MR-style suspending twitch bait and the Slick Junior, with soft plastics and jerk shads filling in around grass and potholes.
Color selection is mostly driven by water clarity. In clear water, Evan leans toward natural, clear, or two-tone colors. In dirty water, low light, or pre-front conditions, he shifts toward darker backs, stronger contrast, red-and-white combinations, opaque colors, scent, or even rattling cork presentations when the situation calls for more sound and visibility. His bigger point is that anglers should match the lure to the fish’s position and feeding behavior first, then fine-tune color after presentation and silhouette are right.
