Well, the weather-guessers missed again on Wednesday. What was supposed to be northeast at 5 to 10 knots actually turned out to be due east at 15 to 20 with washboard white caps in the western part of Pensacola Bay. I almost turned around to try a different spot but decided to give it a couple drifts. I’m glad I did.
Water temperatures were 81.5 degrees to start and climbed to 82.3 by early afternoon. Water clarity is slightly stained due to all the recent rains and run-off. But that min-cold front this week spurred the appetites. Trout were very aggressive on top (Rapala Skitter Walk) despite the choppy surface and bright sunshine. Although there is quite a bit of floating grass, it’s not impossible to fish treble hook plugs in shallow depths. While rapidly reeling in once to clear some grass, a trout popped the lure three times. Several hit as soon as it settled on the water.
The trip produced my personal best seatrout so far in the Panhandle. A hefty sow pounced on the plug, dug deep and then launched three feet into the air. It was a solid fish that put up an impressive fight. I didn’t want to stress it anymore with the scales, but it measured a tad over 24 inches before swimming off quickly. That is certainly proof that topwater action isn’t just for calm, overcast days or low-light conditions.
I also managed to hook a Spanish mackerel that was barely bigger than the white/ redhead 08 plug. Guess he was ready for an early fall buffet as well. Bait is plentiful, including wads of pinfish, pilchards, finger mullet and needle fish. The shrimp should be on the move soon also. Jellyfish were still around, but not nearly as concentrated as previous trips.
The weekend outlook is promising, although rain gear may be necessary on Saturday. The solunar tables call for a very high feeding window (moon up) for a couple hours around dawn, followed by a high period for an hour starting at 1 pm based on the Waning Gibbous moon phase.
The action will only improve as the water cools and clears. Many anglers are heading to the woods and football stadiums, so traffic will be down as the calendar shifts to autumn. Expect the flounder bite to pick up along with the trout and redfish. Pompano, bluefish, Spanish and cobia will also be trekking south once the cold fronts kick off in earnest.
Copyright 2022, Capt. Dave Lear
All rights reserved.