In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya covers nearshore blackfin and yellowfin tuna, productive whiting fishing, and November opportunities for bull redfish and reef species around Pensacola. This episode features Chris Vecsey of J&M Tackle, Justin Reed of Justin Reed Surf Fishing Charters, and Capt. Tyler Massey of Hot Spots Charters. Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry joins Joe for the conversation with Chris.
Conditions Recap
Clean, salty water and a persistent current pushing toward the beach have created opportunities for nearshore tuna between Pensacola Beach and the waters east of Navarre. Chris says the combination of deeper water close to shore, bait concentrations, and favorable current has helped hold blackfin and brought yellowfin within reach. Fish are moving, however, and an area that produces one morning may be quiet on the next trip.
Along the Pensacola–Navarre beaches, Justin reports calm, exceptionally clear water after a difficult stretch of east winds, rough surf, and drifting grass. The hurricane changed familiar beach structure and pushed some sandbars farther offshore, making it necessary to scout new places where anglers can reach productive water. His most recent water-temperature reading was around 73 to 74 degrees. Whiting have been dependable, while pompano numbers remain below his usual November expectations despite the quality of the fish being caught.
In Pensacola Bay, Tyler reports regular surface-feeding bull redfish activity on days with manageable conditions. White trout around the Pensacola Bay Bridge provide another option when the Gulf is rough. Offshore, red snapper have returned to smaller wrecks that were less productive late in the summer, and Tyler expects the cooler-water bite to remain strong.
Nearshore Tuna Fishing Report – Chris Vecsey With J&M Tackle
Chris Vecsey of J&M Tackle says fall tuna fishing along the beach offers an opportunity for both boat and kayak anglers. The stretch east of Pensacola Beach toward Navarre and Okaloosa Island reaches deeper water relatively quickly and has fewer major inlets introducing bay water. Combined with the persistent current pushing clean water toward shore, those conditions have concentrated bait and pelagic fish.
Chris has been catching substantial blackfin, with many in the 20- to 30-pound range. Joe also shares the story of his eight-year-old son landing his first tuna, a roughly 20-pound blackfin caught while trolling near Navarre.
Birds diving and tuna breaking the surface are obvious signs, but Chris puts considerable emphasis on feeding slicks. An oily sheen or the distinctive smell of feeding fish can reveal activity even when nothing is breaking the surface. He watches his depth finder for bait schools and tuna marks while checking current lines, temperature changes, and the contours off the beach. Much of his fishing takes place in roughly 35 to 60 feet of water, although tuna sometimes move shallower.
Before launching, Chris checks Hilton’s Realtime Navigator for temperature breaks, salinity changes, and color changes that could narrow his search. He prefers the early bite around sunrise, but notes that tuna can feed again later in the morning or afternoon. Finding bait and spending time in productive water matter more than assuming a single missed window ends the opportunity.
From a kayak, Chris keeps his setup simple with two or three rods, including a spinning outfit ready with a popper, stickbait, or five- to six-inch swimbait. When the fish are concentrated, he often trolls only one line to reduce tangles and complications from multiple hookups. From a boat, he can spread out more lines and cover water with diving plugs.
His trolling choices include Rapala X-Rap diving plugs, Yo-Zuri deep-diving plugs, and smaller Nomad Design DTX Minnows. He places deeper-running plugs closer to the boat and shallower presentations farther back, staggering distances to help separate the spread. In one example, the closer plugs run about 50 to 70 feet behind the transom, with successive lines approximately 20 feet farther back.
Joe caught his blackfin on a blue-and-white Ilander rigged with ballyhoo, but Chris prefers artificials for much of this fishing because they produce bites without the time spent replacing and rigging natural baits. When specifically trying to connect with a nearshore yellowfin from a boat, he favors slowly bump-trolling live bait.
Chris says nearshore tuna opportunities traditionally can extend into December, but their duration depends on current, bait, and water conditions. At the time of the conversation, he believed several more weeks were possible. A change in current could shorten that window, so anglers should evaluate conditions rather than count on a fixed end date.
Pensacola and Navarre Surf Fishing Report – Justin Reed With Justin Reed Surf Fishing Charters
Justin Reed of Justin Reed Surf Fishing Charters is rebuilding his beach-fishing pattern after storm-driven changes to the sandbars. He looks for stretches where the first bar is close enough to cast comfortably beyond it, ideally placing a bait about 20 yards past the bar. The second sandbar is generally too far offshore to be part of his casting strategy in this area.
That does not mean every bait belongs far from shore. Whiting have been keeping clients busy in the first trough, and Justin begins by covering several zones: close to the beach, near the inside edge of the first bar, and beyond the bar. Once a zone produces repeated bites, he shifts more rods into that water. If the backside of the bar is quiet, he may also try a bait directly on top of it.
For close-range whiting, Justin typically uses a nine-foot surf rod, although a shorter rod can handle the job. With some waves or current, he favors a single-drop rig with a bare hook or bead and no float. In very calm conditions, a Carolina rig with a half-ounce egg sinker provides a more natural presentation along the bottom.
To reach beyond the bar, he uses a 12-foot rod and usually a double-drop pompano rig with a four-ounce sinker. A single-drop rig can help when casting distance becomes the priority. He increases sinker weight when conditions require it, matching the setup to what the rod can cast and what will hold bottom.
Pompano fishing has been slower than Justin expects for this time of year, with many four-hour sessions producing two to four fish. The fish he is catching have been good-sized, and whiting add to the catch. He stresses that the bite remains worthwhile even though it has not matched the faster November fishing of previous years.
In clear, flat water, Justin simplifies his rigs, reduces hook size when needed, and drops his fluorocarbon leader to about 15 pounds. He often removes floats and beads and ties his main line directly to the leader. Smaller hooks have been particularly useful when whiting are reluctant to bite. Orange synthetic bait has also produced pompano without added natural bait.
His bait-selection process follows the same approach as his zone fishing. He starts with different offerings, such as sand fleas and ghost shrimp, then gives the productive bait more space in the spread. If the bite changes, he tests alternatives again instead of assuming the morning’s first preference will last all day.
Pensacola Inshore and Offshore Fishing Report – Capt. Tyler Massey With Hot Spots Charters
Capt. Tyler Massey of Hot Spots Charters says Pensacola Bay’s bull redfish have offered consistent action since late October on days with suitable weather. The reds are pushing menhaden to the surface, creating opportunities to cast artificial lures to visible feeding fish. Schools can range from small groups to hundreds of fish, although boat pressure can scatter them and shorten the surface activity.
Tyler looks for fish actually breaking the surface rather than racing toward every diving bird. He wants tackle that casts well but also brings these large catch-and-release fish to the boat promptly. His preferred setups include a 5000- or 6000-size spinning reel, a seven-and-a-half- to eight-foot rod, and 30- to 40-pound braid. Very light tackle can prolong the fight and add unnecessary stress to the fish.
White trout around the Pensacola Bay Bridge offer a productive alternative, especially when offshore conditions are uncomfortable. Tyler uses his electronics to locate tight schools and moves when an area produces mostly small fish. The trout eat live shrimp, cut bait, jig-and-grub combinations, Fishbites, and Berkley Gulp! baits. He and Joe highlight their value as fresh table fare.
On the reefs, Tyler reports that red snapper have filled back in on smaller wrecks that were difficult to fish productively toward the end of summer. He believes cooling water brings fish closer inshore, and he is finding them willing to eat both live and cut bait. Unlike the finicky late-summer bite, the fall fish often allow heavier leaders and larger hooks when targeting bigger snapper.
Tyler begins by positioning baits near the most prominent fish marks on his electronics, then spreads presentations through the water column. If the initial bite slows, he tries the bottom and other depths rather than continuing to fish only where the first bites occurred. Once one angler finds the productive level, the others can adjust.
For keeper triggerfish, Tyler recommends changing position when small fish dominate. Fishing the bottom, working the edge of the structure, or drifting away from the wreck can separate a bait from the swarm. On some spots, the first bites come from the larger, more aggressive fish, making those early opportunities especially valuable.
He has found pyramids, reef balls, and similar artificial structures more dependable for triggerfish than larger barges and tugboats. Some natural-bottom areas hold large numbers of undersized triggers, while a small wreck may hold only a few fish but a better average size. Joe adds that his recent keeper triggerfish have come on larger-profile slow-pitch jigs, illustrating another presentation to try while exploring different structures.
