September is hot and so is the fishing - Pensacola Charters

I haven' posted in while, sorry for that. I've been out of and on the past few weeks. I'm still catching some nice trout and some reds mixed in. The ladyfish and bluefish are still pretty thick with some Spanish macs mixed in. September is still a hot month so the summer fish will still be around for a little while longer. Which means we will still be in the summer pattern for a little longer. Fall fishing is not far off.  The big reds are slowly starting to show up and should be here in 6-7 weeks.
Here are a few pics from past trips.

Capt. John

Mega-Bite Inshore Charters

Pensacola Inshore Fishing Report - Reds, Trout and More

August is winding down and it’s been another month of lots of rain. With all this rain, it’s made the water quality very murky. Despite the rain and muddy water, the fishing has been pretty good. I actually like the muddy water a little because I can get away with a light leader, because the fish can’t see it as well.

For the past 8 weeks I’ve been working the flats for reds, trout and lots of blue and ladyfish with a few Spanish mixed in. As August ends and September begins the fishing will pretty much stay the same for the first two weeks. Usually bigger Spanish show up in September, which are lots of fun on light tackle.  Fall is right around the corner and as always I am especially excited about the annual fall redfish run that starts in late October and lasts all winter till around mid March, with the best months being November & December.

I’ll post anther report the first week of September.

Have a great Labor Day weekend.
John

www.megabiteinshore.com

850-341-9816

Early morning fun with drags a screaming - Pensacola Fishing

So you stopped by to see what the first week of August was like here in the panhandle. What did you expect? HOT! And more rain in the forecast!

This has to be the wettest summer on record, but then again, the fishing still has been pretty good. Today (8-10-13) we had a nice 4-hour trip, and we boated 14 specks, although only a couple of were keepers, and tons of Spanish. I’m happy to say if you like Spanish Mack’s, they have invaded Pensacola in a big way. They are all size ranges, from 10” all the way up to 25”, which is a pretty big Spanish.

Summer tourist season is coming to a close as the kids go back to school on August 19^th and this means my trips will start to slow down a bit, which is ok, because it gives me a little time to fun fish for myself.

So let’s sum it up for the first week of August, tons of Spanish, some pretty good speck fishing and a few redfish to fill in the gaps.

I have to say that I’m ready for fall; these hot temps of 95-100 are getting old. I’m ready for 75-65 degrees again.

So, if you looking for a fall fun drag-screaming trip, give me a shout for the annual fall redfish run in Pensacola.
Till next time.

John

www.megabiteinshore.com

www.saltwateracademy.com

850-341-9816

Pensacola Fishing Report July 31st 2013:

Pensacola Fishing Report July 31^st 2013:

With more rain days than I care to count this month totaling around 16” - 21”, I would say this July was the wettest on record. I think we’ve had enough rain to last us the rest of the year.  Getting out to fish has been a chore just working around all the early morning storms. The first week of July, I was only able to get out a few times. The week of Independence Day is usually very busy with trips and fun fishing, but a tropical low off the coast of Louisiana kept me in the house watching DVD rentals for 4 days. My tackle got organized over and over; I was well rested, and all caught up on my Netflix / Red Box must-see movies!

Despite all the rain, I was able to get out quite a bit this month and the fishing actually wasn’t half bad. I’ve been fishing all the customary places, including Escambia Bay, Santa Rosa Sound, Big Lagoon, and a little in Pensacola Bay. I am happy to say that my new style of inshore charter has really taken off this season with my all-artificial trips. My northern brethren that have stumbled across my website and booked these trips say it’s right up their alley. I use a variety of lures on my inshore trips, from top-waters to suspending twitch baits, and soft plastics. I also have tons of ways I rig the soft plastics and I go over detailed instruction on how to work the lures to ensure you have a high catch ratio.

The main difference in my style of charters from other inshore charters is that I don’t deep drop in the pass in the summer months. I only fish the pass in late March & April for the annual Sheepshead run. During the Sheepshead run, all the inshore guides fish this area with live shrimp and it typically lasts for about 5-6 weeks. The bite is so good and these fish taste great. We also catch slot and big reds from time to time during the sheepshead run.

Let me explain what inshore deep-dropping is; this is when you take a live or cut bait and drop it down 40 –60 ft of water while drifting ledges about 80 yards long waiting for a bite. This can be a fun style of fishing, but I enjoy casting more and working baits on the flats and watching big trout, reds, Skipjacks or Spanish bust the water and feel the pull on light tackle.

Like I said in the beginning of the report, July was the rainiest July ever and I’m hoping that August is a little drier, as we need a break!
We’ve still got a few more weeks till the school buses make their way through the neighborhoods, and until then you need to make the most of what summer there is left.

So before you get stuck in the dog days of school/work, take a quick break and come visit me for a fun inshore light tackle adventure, so when you’re daydreaming back home in class or at the office, it will be a fond summer memory of great fishing!
Thanks for stopping by, and here’s wishing you a great end to your summer and

tight lines.

John

www.megabiteinshore.com

850-341-9816

Still lots of rain, but the reds dont care -Pensacola Fishing

We've had tons of rain this month which has made for some tough conditions, but I'm still catching some nice fish.
Here's a few pics from my past few trips.

Tight Lines...
John
www.megabiteinshore.com

July 22nd Pensacola Inshore Fishing Report - Mega-Bite Inshore Charters

Here’s a quick report for inshore fishing around our area from Mega-Bite Inshore Charters. Again, lots of rain still, but I’ve been lucky to get out and have some fun trips.

On these trips we’re catching trout, redfish, ladyfish, bluefish, and even some Spanish mackerel mixed in. The main catch is trout with a few reds busting on the baits.

The water is pretty murky from all this rain, but I like it when it’s murky, because I find the bite is better sometimes and the fish are much less leader shy. 

 

Depths fished are 1.5 –5 ft.

Areas fished are: Escambia Bay, Santa Rosa Sound, Pensacola Bay, and Big Lagoon.

My trips are 99% artificial, which are fun for my northern bass fishermen clients.

If you’re a freshwater fisherman and love to toss artificials, then my style of charters is right up your alley.

Want to learn how to use artificials or introduce your kids to this style of fishing? Are you a seasoned angler and want a professional trip? Well, look no further.  With my 40 years of fishing and expertise, I can assure you have professional trip on your vacation to the gulf coast.

 

If the heat of July and August keeps you inside where the a/c is keeping things cool, then maybe a monster redfish trip is worth the wait. November is only a few months away, so I’ll look forward to taking you out then for the fishing experience of the year. We have a blast in the fall/early winter chasing after the big bull reds, and if you can’t stand the summer heat and the crowds, this is the perfect time of year for you to visit the gulf coast.

See my November Reports from last year and see the big reds we caught.

I know it’s hunting season, but put the bows and rifles down for a few days and come visit me and catch all the trophy reds you want.

If you can’t wait for the reds, then give me a call now, and we’ll get you out on the water early enough to avoid the noontime heat, and we’ll still have a blast catching trout, reds, and other summertime species.

Back at it again all  next week.

Tight Lines.

John

 www.megabiteinshore.com

 www.saltwateracademy.com

850-341-9816

Lots of rain, but were still fishing when we can. Pensacola Charters

Pensacola Fishing Report July 8^th 2013:

With seven days of rain between 12-18” this past week, I was only able to get out twice the first week of July. The week of Independence Day is usually very busy with trips and fun fishing, but a tropical low off the coast of Louisiana kept me in the house watching DVD rentals for 4 days. My tackle is organized; I’m well rested, and all caught up on my Netflix! Now I’m ready to get back on the water, and I should be running strong the rest of July. Since I only fished twice the first week of July, I’ll talk about the last week of June. I’m happy to say it was pretty decent with specks and reds on the flats. I fished both upper and lower bay areas. I mostly fished artificials, unless I had a client that was more comfortable using live bait. 

When I do use live bait, I’ll use pinfish and shrimp under a popping cork. Most days we were catching 25-35 trout with a few redfish mixed in, with some in the slot, and some a little bigger. The trout ranged from 14” – 22” with a few over 22”. My biggest fish this season was 27.5, at around 6 lbs, which was caught back in May.

Most of my clients have been bass fishermen and love using artificials in our fishery. They feel right at home with artificials, and have no problem catching saltwater trout and reds, a few bluefish, and Spanish mackerel.

How will all this rain affect the fishing? This is a question I’ve been asked by many of my clients the past few days. My answer is it will push the fish down south towards the sound and lower end of the upper bay areas. Another good thing about this much rain is when you find some trout, there are usually a lot of them in that area, because they found a salinity level they like, and they will hang out in that area.

So when we catch a few real quick, my Power Pole gets deployed and we hold tight for a little while to get our fill.

I’ve got a few days still left open in July, so if you’re headed down this way, give me a shout.
Thanks for stopping by,

Tight lines.

John