# Big Lagoon question



## mizzoufisher (Mar 22, 2012)

I have been lurking and learning on this forum for over a year now and decided it was time to join in the fun. I will try to contribute useful info if I have any, but my reason for registering and posting today is purely selfish, just to be right up front. This is my second spring in the area and I have been primarily fishing for sheepies and reds in Pensacola pass and the surrounding area. Last year my time here was a bit limited and I had just got my boat, so we didn't get time to go after much other than sheeps and bull reds. I keep my boat at Lost Key Marina, so Big Lagoon and the pass are convenient to fish for me. This year the wind and weather has been tough on pass fishing and I would like to try to figure out the specks and reds in the lagoon. Will the specks be near the grass flats in Big Lagoon yet and if so, how is the best way to target them? I am an old walleye fisherman, so soft plastics are my preferred method to fish. I will be here for about three more weeks and would like to figure out something to catch in this area other ways besides live bait in the pass.
Any help is appreciated, I hope that I can contribute back to this forum in the future. A lot of you guys have helped me a lot already without even knowing it. Thanks in advance.


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## Lloyd (Mar 13, 2012)

great first post, welcome to the forum

i lurked for a long time before registering, im more a reader and less a talker lol


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## Herknav90 (Mar 22, 2012)

Mizzou:

Great first post - This is my 4th. I am trying to figure out the same thing. I have fished the grassy areas of the lagoon area. Not much luck. I have tried plastics, lures, divers, etc. I have been using a carolina rig set ay 1' and some to 1.5' with 2.5-5" pin fish - Not much luck. After talking to some salty dogs, they said the bay waters are too cold right now. They stated 72-75 degrees, and things will start migrating inshore more.

Everyone keeps telling me fish with shrimp. OK!

Rob


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Never fished BL but I was catching specs last weekend in the sound at Navarre on free lined live shrimp, also you can try them under a cork and you should do well.


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## mizzoufisher (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks for the quick replies guys. The water temp in the lagoon was around 74 degrees so maybe they are about ready to move in there. I did talk to a guy that said he caught one speck from his dock under the light on Tuesday and he was somewhere around Perdido in the intercoastal. I'm going to give this slow moving weather one more day to get through here and then hit it pretty hard all next week. I will post any positive results. I think the best sheepshead fishing in the pas is still to come as we have had a hard time pinpointing them. You can catch them when you find them, but last year we were loading the boat every day and you could catch them over a much broader drift than we have so far. 
Thanks again to all, and good luck!


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## Herknav90 (Mar 22, 2012)

Mizzou, sounds like we are having the same luck. This is my first year fishing here, and it's been slow. I am considering taking a boat to the bridges with shrimp and see if things change. Issue is I am renting boats from the NAS marina until I can find a boat, and they have a LOT of restrictions on area limits. Lots of boats for sale, but they don't really take care of them and have VERY inflated opinions of boat worth. 

I have tried Carolina and Pilchard rigs. I have now switched to a Drop rig due to the salty old dogs. I'll tell you how things go this Sunday. They are telling me that these are better for anchor, drift, pass, and deep sea fishing. I remember when these were hitting the bass fishing arena in fresh water. There were lots of doubts, but it is effective. 

PM me if you find some luck.

Rob (Perdido)


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## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

Mizzou,
This will be my 4th spring/summer fishing in Pensacola. I live in Baton Rouge but have a place in Pensacola Beach. The best advise I can give is to get with on or two of the local guides. Talk to them and see if the type of fishing they do is what interests you the most. Then schedule a couple of trips per year during the times of the year that you want to fish the most.
I did that after my first year and hooked up with Capt. Wes Rozier because he specializes in light tackle and top water fishing in the sound and bays. I have learned a LOT about fishing in the area and different times of the year, because it is a little different than fishing at home. I highly recommend Capt. Wes if that is the type of fishing you like to do. We even had a good redfish/ sheephead trip a couple of weeks ago and in horrible weather. Good Luck !


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## Flatspro (Oct 3, 2007)

Wirelessly posted

Throw a top water early then move to a mirrodine later in the day. Most of the trout ate gonna be found in deeper flats next to drop offs. The bigger sow trout tend to cruise a little shallower looking for bait fish ie mullet. If you see good numbers of mullet jumping start throwing a bait in them you chances of catching a good red or trout will increase. As for soft plastics you can throw a doa, gulp, saltwater assassin or what ever you have confidence in. Color wise I like electric chicken in a doa shad tail or white w/ chartreuse tail. Good luck to you and welcome to the forum!


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## mizzoufisher (Mar 22, 2012)

Thanks Flatspro. One more question....when you fish top water, do you fish directly above the weedbeds in the shallower water or around the edge of the beds in the transition areas? Im sure that depends on where the bait is to a degree, but I have seen guys drift shrimp right over the weeds over in Texas and catch specks and reds both that way. A good buddy of mine fishes around the Rockport Texas area a lot and throws smoke grubs almost exclusively and he says they are usually right up near or in the weeds or between the weeds and the bank in some cases. I imagine that will be the case here when the water temps allow it. I Think I can figure it out as long as there are fish there.


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## Flatspro (Oct 3, 2007)

Wirelessly posted

I throw a top water everywhere shallow deep transition areas. They work everywhere the only kicker is that they like a small at times.


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## marino (Mar 24, 2012)

*Fishing tips for big lagoon*

Ok guys im 36 and have been fishing the big lagoon for over 25 years so listen up.If your fishing from bank beach or residental side doesent matter.I have caught 4ft reds and trout (gator trout).I know some people hate live bait well thats your problem cause thats the best.When in season the finger mullet will pod on the shores by the hundreds catch with a bait net and put a couple dozen in a bait bucket.I use 12 pound teat line and a number 4 hook.NO bobber NO weights just hook the mullet in the back between the dorsal fin and tail let it fly the mullet will swim on top naturaly.Make sure the water is between 3ft and 9 ft of water if theres a red or spec in the area they cant pass it up its like crack.If theres no mullet you can cast into the grass with a bait net and catch shrimp most of the year (i hate buying bait).Please be aware i used to wade in the lagoon but 5 years ago i had a stringer with 4 trout tied to me and i felt a jerk and when i turned around there was a 8 foot shark attacking my fish .Just be careful wading.If your in a boat theres a sweet flounder spot at the old fuleing peir at certain times of the year i can easly catch 10 or more off that peir from a boat at night on a carolina rig with shrimp or finger mullet.Cant miss it its just outside sherman cove NAS its in the lagoon but almost between the pass and lagoon big sign saying stay back 500 yards but i never do lol well i hope this helps good fishing post again later on my catches going to Jbeach in morning to catch reds and do a little mullet fishing.Sorry for spelling.


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## Herknav90 (Mar 22, 2012)

Marino:

Great advise, and I have been doing this...It was just too cold. I love the live bait, but it has been serious crickets in-shore for me.

Today we went out and caught 2 sea trout, 2 red snapper, and a catfish. Great luck for the 1.5-2 hours we spent at the pass. You almost had to pull a number to get a spot. We fed about 20-30 frozen head-on shrimp to Sheeps Head today. They are crafty eaters (thieves more like it)...I'm going to do some research on how to rig them better. I tried through the head, through the meat, and I did a few through the tail with the hook fairly hidden. They would strip that meat like no one's business.

All I can say is SHRIMP work...Even frozen! I should have kept that big snapper (13-14" I caught - I bet he won't be 200 miles from Pensacola when the season starts.


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## 20Inches (Oct 27, 2008)

Gus I have actually been doing quite well the past 2 weeks in the Big Lagoon area back toward the Pass on Trout. My grandfather lives on the Condo that sticks furthest out in the ICW around Bog Lagoon and he caught 6 or 7 Thursday last week. Yesterday I dropped the Yak in the water and boated 2 and lost 4 others within 30 minutes. I have been using soft plastics


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## 20Inches (Oct 27, 2008)

Guys **


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## mizzoufisher (Mar 22, 2012)

20inches, are you catching them early in the morning? We fished the edges of the grass the other day on the Johnson Beach side east if the red marker towards the pass and struck out, but that was about ten or so in the morning on our way back from the pass. Maybe we were fishing too shallow.... Or not shallow enough?


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## Magic Mike (Jun 30, 2009)

I grew up on one of the canals near the Oyster Bar... Marino has it just right. Finger mullet or live shrimp on the flats (either around the island near the bridge or off the Grand Lagoon Observation tower are my favs) early in the am... or drift the dock lights at night. It's not too cold... they're here. Good luck to you.


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## 20Inches (Oct 27, 2008)

I fish the Johnson Beach side later in the year, say in a month from now. I do best on a incoming tide and prefer 3:30 to 6:00 PM as of right now, but that will change. Get on the gulf beach side of the lagoon, as I find them earlier in the year stacked to that side. (Just my thoughts) As far as depth goes, I have found most specs recently in the 6 to 8 foot depth range. I think they are still deeper on the grass / sand transition line hope that helps I had a friend from work who struck out also on the Johnson Beach side a few days ago more towards the Oyster Bar Rest.


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## timman (Oct 3, 2007)

I live in Perdido Key and fish Big Lagoon and surrounding areas. I haven't seen or heard many good reports from the grass flats, yet. A few folks who are more experienced than I suggest that the water temps need to rise some more before those areas get active. I guess the fish are still moving out of the rivers and estuaries and haven't made it to the grass flats, yet. A few weeks and it should be fish on!


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## Herknav90 (Mar 22, 2012)

Monday went to the pass, but it was too rough. We started in at the shelf in front of Sherman Cove. Lots of friggin dolphins passing/flopping - which means fish, but nothing on the line. We moved to the grassy area at Spanish Point. Caught about 12 small catfish, and 2 sea trout. We moved to Redfish Point, but catfish were plenty - Bust of a day.

Yesterday, we went to the pass, and NOTHING. We moved back between Sherman Cove and the refueling station. Caught a 7-8 pound catfish, then pounced on a 13 pound Black Drum. Great fun pulling that tractor in. Lots of fun for me and my father-in-law from Colorado.


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## Har5da43 (Apr 23, 2012)

you can try them under a cork


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