Fall fishing has finally arrived - Pensacola Fishing Reports

Fall fishing has finally arrived, and I for one, am thrilled, to say the least! Over the past two weeks, I’ve been running trips both morning and afternoon depending on the tides, and the bite has been phenomenal!  It had been a little tough to get out with the wind especially with that so-called tropical storm a couple of weeks ago, but when I have been able to get out we’ve been catching a nice mess of fish. This week was nice with calm winds and slick seas.

As the water temperature cools over the next month, the specks will migrate up towards the upper bays and mouths of the rivers. Some have already made their migration, and over the past few trips, I’ve hooked up some quality fish up in Escambia Bay. I’m fishing both upper bay and lower bay areas. The Speck bite on the flats of the upper bay areas has been nice; I’ve also been hitting some areas in the lower sound too. The redfish on the docks and other areas has also been pretty decent. The reds are not all over the place, but if you know where to look and what to look for, you’ll hook up a few, and they are certainly fun to fight.

The water is very murky in the upper bay areas and somewhat fresh in some areas due to all the rain we’ve had. I’ve noticed a lot of bait in the bay, which tells me it’s not long before the big reds will be arriving. Lots of menhaden and blood minnows are around which is just what the reds love to eat. The water temp is right around 75-78 degrees and when it drops a little more the big reds will be here in full force. I really enjoy hooking reds on artificials, and over the past five years I’ve been specializing in artificial only trips with my clients, and they really seem to enjoy the unique experience of catching these monsters on all artificial lures. Today, (October 10, 2013), we boated all the reds we wanted on jigs in deep water. Let me say that I’m not opposed to putting live or fresh dead bait on a hook if necessary and if my client wants to, but there is something about fooling a fish to hit a artificial plug that is just sweeter.

 

As you can see the fishing has been outstanding the past two weeks.  We got our first major cold front this week and it kicked off the reds in some of the areas I like to fish. It won’t be long until the bull reds will be thick in the bay and that’s when the fun really begins. During the whole month of November, large numbers of monster redfish make their way into Pensacola Bay and the upper bay areas to spawn.  This is some of the best inshore light tackle fishing I’ve ever experienced, and it happens every year like clockwork. If you would like to do battle with some of these drag screamers, give me a ring and we’ll get you HOOKED UP!

Tight Lines.

Back at  it the rest of this week and next.
John

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