In this week’s Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya covers improving fall fishing conditions following the recent hurricane, including sight fishing for redfish in Choctawhatchee Bay, large Spanish mackerel around Destin, nighttime bull reds near the bridges, and the approaching blackfin tuna run off Navarre. This episode features Capt. Blake Nelson of Last Cast Charters and Brandon Barton of Emerald Waters Kayak Charters. Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry also talks with Mitchell Smith of Pike Consulting Group about boating safety, OSHA compliance, and building a safer workplace.
Conditions Recap
Northwest Florida’s waters are recovering from the storm, but the effects vary considerably by location. Capt. Blake Nelson says Choctawhatchee Bay never became heavily muddy, instead taking on a brown, tannin-stained appearance. The Destin area experienced less storm surge than anticipated, and visibility has remained good enough to continue sight fishing redfish on the flats. Water temperatures are still generally in the upper 70s to low 80s, although recent cold fronts have started pushing the inshore fish toward a more active fall pattern.
Redfish remain scattered across their usual flats habitat, with smaller slot fish especially common. Three- to four-pound Spanish mackerel are feeding around the edges of the flats, sometimes alongside bluefish, and mangrove snapper continue to produce around the Destin Bridge, Mid-Bay Bridge, jetties, and deeper structure. Blake expects each successive fall cold front to improve flats fishing before the fish shift toward their more established winter creek and river-mouth pattern.
Off Navarre, Brandon Barton reports that the Gulf is still somewhat discolored from rain and runoff, but king mackerel, mahi, red snapper, and amberjack remain available around nearshore reefs. Red snapper have been holding closer to the bottom in the reduced visibility. Joe is also watching offshore chlorophyll imagery for signs of cleaner water returning toward the beaches, while Brandon expects additional cold fronts and improving conditions to bring blackfin tuna within kayak range as November approaches.
Choctawhatchee Bay Fishing Report – Capt. Blake Nelson With Last Cast Charters
Capt. Blake Nelson with Last Cast Charters says the redfish bite on the Choctawhatchee Bay flats has remained productive despite the storm. Fish measuring roughly 23 inches and smaller are still holding in familiar guts, potholes, and other shallow-water feeding areas. The larger upper-slot and overslot reds appear to be transitioning into a more mobile fall pattern, but anglers do not need to abandon the flats. Blake believes the artificial-lure bite can continue improving through the cooler months, with the true winter concentration in creek mouths and river systems often arriving closer to January.
For sight fishing, Blake keeps his presentation simple: a quarter-ounce jighead with a paddle-tail soft plastic, retrieved quickly enough to draw a reaction strike. In grassier areas, he switches to Texas-rigged plastics or a weighted weedless hook, including Owner TwistLOCK-style hooks. He also likes the slower fall he can get from buoyant Z-Man soft plastics. The quarter-ounce jighead gives him enough distance to reach visible fish without the faster sink rate of a heavier head.
His preferred casting setup is a lightweight 6-foot-6-inch spinning rod with 10-pound Daiwa J-Braid x8. Blake says the thin braid provides excellent casting distance while remaining reliable on hooksets. Although longer rods can add a little distance, he finds the shorter, lighter setup easier to handle when making repeated casts from the casting platform, particularly when several anglers are fishing together.
Blake also explains why fall and winter redfish do not necessarily need to be chasing visible schools of baitfish. Fish he has cleaned from the flats have been feeding heavily on small shrimp, tiny crabs, and worms that anglers rarely notice in the water. That helps explain why subtle, bottom-oriented presentations, including a Ned rig, can become productive as the season progresses.
After a recent cold front, however, the most effective bait was not an artificial or a live greenie. Blake’s crew found that chunks of cut mullet on Carolina rigs consistently caught redfish while live bait alongside them produced little. The larger pieces also stayed on the hook longer when pinfish were aggressively stealing smaller offerings. Cut ladyfish is another dependable option, and Blake recommends keeping cut bait available rather than assuming live bait will always be the better choice.
Spanish mackerel are another strong opportunity. Blake is finding fish in the three- to four-pound range along the roll-downs where flats drop from roughly three feet into six, 10, or 15 feet of water. Fly-lining live greenies has been productive, but anglers can also cast small metal jigs, spoons, or soft plastics with short wire leaders and retrieve them quickly. He recommends covering these depth changes with the trolling motor, zigzagging along the contour and watching for fish jumping, feeding on the surface, or flashing beneath the boat. Wind direction helps determine whether to work the edge from shallow water or deeper water.
Mangrove snapper are still available around the Destin Bridge, Mid-Bay Bridge, jetties, and selected deeper docks, with live greenies providing consistent action. Blake has noticed a somewhat better bite around the pass on an incoming tide, although tides have not dramatically changed his overall redfish success. He often fishes Spanish at lower water levels, when shallow reds may be more easily spooked, then returns to sight fishing when the water rises.
Navarre Kayak Fishing Report – Brandon Barton With Emerald Waters Kayak Charters
Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters says the Gulf off Navarre is still recovering from the storm, but anglers have plenty of nearshore options. He has seen king mackerel feeding at the surface, reports of mahi caught from kayaks, and continued red snapper and amberjack action around the reefs. Live bait remains easy to catch with Sabiki rigs. In the stained water, however, Brandon has had better results dropping live baits close to the bottom for red snapper rather than relying primarily on his usual free-lined presentation. Anglers should check the applicable red snapper season dates before keeping fish.
Looking ahead, Brandon expects the blackfin tuna bite to become a major draw during November. The fish may only move close enough to the beach for a few days at a time, so he recommends watching local pier reports and kayak fishing groups rather than waiting for the news to circulate. Once the first blackfin appear, anglers should be prepared to fish the next suitable weather window. His preferred approach is to launch early and troll around sunrise, especially before spending too much time catching live bait.
Brandon usually trolls two diving plugs for blackfin, one shallow and one deep, so he can cover different portions of the water column. Four- to six-inch lures, including Rapala X-Raps, are a confidence choice. He expects the shallow plug to be particularly effective near first light, then may rely more on the deeper-running lure after the sun rises. When tuna are visibly feeding on top, he likes a smaller-profile Savage Gear Panic Popper that can throw plenty of spray. Joe also suggests the new Berkley BlowUp topwater lure as an option worth trying.
Weather awareness is especially important for kayak anglers chasing blackfin. Brandon cautions that a north wind can make the beach appear calm even when conditions become rough a half-mile or mile offshore. For his own trips, winds much above 10 knots are generally a reason to stay inshore, regardless of how flat the surf looks from land. He also recommends waiting until there is enough light to judge the surf when conditions are uncertain. For low-light launches, Brandon uses rechargeable Guardian Angel kayak navigation lights and emphasizes the need to be visible to other vessels.
Back inside the pass, the fall bull redfish bite is developing around the bridges. Brandon has been targeting these fish at night with topwater lures and says the action often changes suddenly from slow to aggressive as the current starts moving bait along the light and shadow lines. He generally favors an outgoing tide, particularly when it overlaps a strong feeding period later in the evening or around midnight, although recent incoming-tide trips have also produced fish. Changes in bridge lighting can alter where the fish concentrate.
For casting topwaters to bull reds from a kayak, Brandon prefers a rod around 7 feet 2 inches with a medium-heavy backbone, paired with a 3000- or 4000-size spinning reel, 30-pound braid, and approximately 30-pound leader. The rod needs enough length to clear the kayak’s bow and enough strength to turn a fish away from pilings on its first run. Joe points to the improved line management and ample drag available in modern smaller spinning reels, including the PENN Fierce V, as reasons anglers do not need an unnecessarily heavy outfit.
Brandon ties his leader to the braid with an FG knot and typically uses three to four feet of fluorocarbon or monofilament, roughly matching the length of a large redfish. The longer leader helps protect against abrasion from the fish and bridge structure while giving him something safer to grab when landing a fish beside the kayak. He also uses the kayak itself to help pull hooked reds away from pilings before they can reach the structure.
Boating and Workplace Safety – Mitchell Smith With Pike Consulting Group
Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report host Butch Thierry talks with Mitchell Smith, president of Pike Consulting Group, about practical lessons in safety on the water and at work. Mitchell describes how previous fishing safety discussions convinced him to start wearing his engine kill-switch lanyard. He now uses a BassMooch no-coil kill-switch lanyard and has added a Garmin inReach satellite communicator to his offshore safety equipment.
Mitchell and Butch discuss the value of a well-stocked ditch bag, including water, food, a flashlight, and signaling equipment, along with satellite communication when cell service becomes unreliable offshore. Mitchell also uses SiriusXM Marine weather information for radar and lightning awareness. The two discuss his Everglades boat and the difference the Seakeeper Ride system has made in handling rough seas, while emphasizing that equipment and good preparation work together.
Turning to business safety, Mitchell explains how Pike Consulting Group helps companies understand occupational safety requirements, create written safety programs, train workers, and prepare for OSHA inspections. He says one of the most common shortcomings he sees is inadequate training documentation. Simply telling employees to work safely is not a substitute for identifying the hazards of their jobs, teaching the appropriate procedures, and keeping records of that training.
Mitchell also addresses the misconception that small companies are too small to worry about workplace safety rules. He discusses job safety analyses, written environmental, health, and safety programs, and the importance of management setting the example. In his view, a successful safety culture starts with ownership and leadership, gives employees a way to raise concerns, and aims to prevent injuries instead of reacting after something has gone wrong.
