# New to Navarre sound fishing - advice?



## Martoch (Mar 14, 2016)

Hey guys, new member here!


I've lived in this area for 20 years now, but have never fished this specific area...just recently moved to Navarre Beach along the docks to the left of Juana's in this pic. (4th and 5th dock over)









I've read that the grass beds are on the north side of the sound...can I expect to catch trout/reds/flounder on my side? I've been throwing shrimp under a popping cork, DOA shrimp with a VERY slow retrieve/twitching on bottom, live pinfish, Berkley Gulp Alive! shrimp on a jighead, etc...but haven't caught a thing yet. Not even a missed hookup! I normally fish the grass beds on Eglin AFB property and kill the trout there, but right now I feel l'm doing something wrong.

Any help/advice is very welcome!
Thanks...


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## Capt. Curt (May 29, 2014)

Well it's not much help, but good luck finding grass beds in our area. I live east of the bridge and down a ways. Have been kayak fishing the area for awhile and have found two grass beds total and they are both almost out of the water at low tide...and haven't caught anything off them except baby reds anyway. I have heard people say the Navarre sound area is a "dead zone" as far as grass is concerned due to low fluctuation of water from the gulf, but who knows. Now I just go out to have a good paddle and if I catch something its a bonus!

BTW, I used to live just past the zoo near the sound...grass galore over there, and fish too. So just goes to show what a difference a couple of miles can make.


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## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. You can find Trout, Reds and Flounder over there. However, my forays to the south side have been far less productive than the north, particularly mid-Sound where Navarre is. The south side is missing, generally, the large grass beds that exist on the north side, particularly where you live. This is because there isn't much silt deposited in on the south side of the sound due to lack of drainage carrying sediments.  The north gets the silt from the drainage that flows into it from the "mainland". The far west (north and south) from the residual from the bays and their drainages. Also, there is a marsh area near the Pensacola Beach that provides silt runoff. The Sound is so narrow on the east side that the southern side also gets silt from the drainages from the north side over there. Bait won't hold in the areas with little grass or other cover, particularly in the winter. You will see a pickup in the spring and summer when some grass does grow, but again, don't expect it like the north. The best areas on the south side are towards Hurlburt and towards Pensacola for the reasons stated above. 

I would offer that you need to just start working your area until you find the terrain that fish are holding in, even now. The water off where you are is pretty deep relative to the rest of the Sound. So, when the water warms up the fish will start to move there and take refuge when it is blazing hot and then move into the shallow water at night and in the mornings, particularly in mid to late summer and early fall. You also have docks with lights. That attracts fish regardless of the cover. You will find fish off the dock lights starting now, but really taking off in May. Flounder are more comfortable in really shallow waters, so they can be found on both sides as very small baitfish will hold in the very shallow water even without grass. I would try a paddle tail like a Storm Shad, Matrix Shad, etc. or plastics like the Slayer SSBs and SSTs. Work the area with a slow retrieve, followed by a bounce/twitch, then a faster retrieve. Also, try something like the Mirrolure MR17. I don't fish live bait, so I can't really comment on any technique for its use. Use Google Earth, Bing Maps, or Apple to do your recon. I use all three as each has different images which is useful for compare and contrast. Look for the "micro" terrain such as the grass beds or pot-holes. Hit them. The water is warming up now and the fish are holding in them. 

Otherwise, give me a shout. We can go fishing on "my" side.


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## Martoch (Mar 14, 2016)

Wow, thank you for the extremely insightful post! I have noticed the lack of structure in this area and was hoping for an explanation. I'm used to fishing grass beds/flats with structure...not just sand. I told my girlfriend (who REALLY wants to catch her first fish here) that we're not in a very good area, but it's still fun...and that's it's called fishing, not "catching", for a reason. 

Our dock doesn't have any lights aiming into the water, so we're thinking about putting one or two up so we can bring in some baitfish at night. You think that might work even though it's not the "best" area for fishing? Couldn't hurt I suppose. 

I've not tried to use the Storm or Matrix shad or the Slayer plastics to be honest - I'll have to look into picking up a few of those to add to my arsenal. I've always had such great luck with gold flake/red flake/glow DOA shrimp and Berkley Gulp shrimp as mentioned above. And of course, who doesn't love "walking the dog" with a topwater waiting for that big splash?? I'll look at a few more maps to get a better feel for our area, but I'd love to join you on your side for sure! I sent you a PM as well. 

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to respond!


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