Outdoor Life: Anglers thankful for good week of fishing

Roy Ledbetter at Salty Bass Tackle in Fort Walton Beach had an excellent report this past week. He said large black snapper were being caught off the Shalimar Bridge at night along with redfish in the 20- to 30-pound class. Most people are catching these fish on fresh-cut bait. Off the Brooks Bridge, some very nice bluefish are also being caught.

Two of Roy’s friends caught 77 speckled trout on lures on the eastern side of Choctawhatchee Bay last week. Roy and a friend caught 44 trout fishing off points and in the mouths of bayous.

The Panhandle Flyfishers, a fly fishing club out of Destin, reported that the trout bite was hot last Saturday during the middle of the day. One member noticed sea gulls and pelicans by the Midbay Bridge diving on bait in the bay. The wind was blowing and it was cloudy and rainy, but he decided to hurry home and retrieve his fly gear and head back to the bay.

He fished from the north side of the bay and between 12:30-3:30 p.m. and caught 16 specks between 17-19 inches. He caught them on several fly patterns and it didn’t seem to matter to the speckled trout what he threw. He also caught four small redfish, one with nine spots. Sounds like he had a great day.

Capt. Doug Richards caught 14 king mackerel on Friday. He said the king mackerel bite is hot and they are nice size. It is getting pretty late for king mackerel to be in this area, so you better get out there before they go south.

Around the Destin area the guides have been catching sailfish and reporting catches of blackfin tuna and large dolphin. The flounder are showing up at the jetties. This weekend we will have a rather strong cold front push through and a lot of the fish such as king mackerel and dolphin either will move offshore or down the beach to the south.

The flounder fishing in St. Andrew Bay should be good until the water cools down sending them offshore to spawn. Places such as deepwater point and the kiddy pool at St. Andrews State Park should be good. If it’s bigger fish you desire, the redfish in the pass will stretch your string It is hard to catch one you can take home because they are so big. I wish all fishing was like that.

Brent Romiti of the Bluewater Outriggers staff in Port St. Joe reported the fishing in St. Joe Bay has been relatively quiet for the past few days due to the strong low pressure system that moved through this past weekend. The strong winds have kept most anglers off the water.

Sheepshead have been taken around the shipyard mooring poles and the concrete wall built for the new port authority. A few trout are moving through the area. Flounder have become scarce in and around the bay the last couple of weeks, but seasoned bay fishermen know where they are and how to catch them.

The fall pompano run is off to a slow start, but hopes run high it will be better than the spring run. Pompano point and the stump hole will be places you might want to try.

On the gulf side, whiting are making an appearance in good numbers. The two-drop mono rig and cut bait will keep you in action for these tasty little fish well into the winter months. Happy holidays from the staff at Bluewater Outriggers.

The start of black-powder season saw two hunters falling from tree stands. On Saturday, Pace resident Anthony Eddie Vanna died after falling 23 feet from his stand in the Blackwater River State Forrest near Munson. He was apparently trying to climb down when he fell.

The previous day, Susan Rudd of Quincy fell backward off a 12-foot ladder stand while hog hunting on private property in Gadsden County. Although injured, she managed to walk out and call for help.

FWC law enforcement investigators said neither hunter was wearing a safety harness. Bill Cline, the FWC section leader for hunter safety and public shooting ranges, said anyone who hunts from a tree stand should wear a safety harness.

We don’t have as many wilds hogs as they do in Alabama, or even Central Florida, but we have enough to keep the deer and turkey hunters upset. The word is hunters just can’t keep ahead of the hog population. I personally think we are going about this all wrong.

Years ago before anyone knew they tasted good, triggerfish were treated like the wild hogs are treated today. Today fishermen welcome triggerfish when they can catch them. They have found they eat as well as most other fish in the gulf so they don’t get the nasty press they used to get.

Florida could advertise in other states for hunters to come here and hunt these hogs I’m sure they could be turned into a plus in revenue.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.