Forgotten Coast Fishing Report
The kingfish bite has been decent around the Air Force tower early in the morning; use dusters with cigar minnows, along with flatlining live blue runners. Wahoo bite has really been picking up dragging Wahoo Jet Heads. Red grouper being caught over ledges in 60 to 120 feet of water; pinfish are working out well.
Inshore, the redfish are really picking up, Capt. Lee Thompson of Shallow Sea Charters caught several limits of reds last week. Pinfish and local knowledge are the keys to a successful trip. Whiting have been good as well with the majority of them caught on Fishbites or peeled shrimp.
The St. Joseph Bay and Gulf County scallop season runs from Friday, Aug. 16 through Sept. 24. This region includes all state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County. NOTE: The area marked with FWC buoys south of Black’s Island is a Bay Scallop Restoration Area and no scalloping or anchoring is allowed there. For all you scallopers out there, BlueWater Outriggers just received a fresh shipment of US Diver equipment such as mask, fins, and snorkels, and we carry full face masks by Reef Diver. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
Freshwater catfish are still being caught on bush hooks and trot lines. Crawfish are the bait of choice but if you’re using cut bait, try mullet. With the rivers on the rise, keep an eye out for floating debris.
Gator hunters, we have not forgotten about you. We carry Gator Pro bangsticks, as well as gator hooks in a vast assortment of sizes, ropes and buoys. Until next week, don’t forget those lifejackets and lanyards. Tight lines and be safe.
Tom Gannaway – BlueWater Outriggers
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.