# Are the fish on Vacation?



## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

We had an amazing bait day! Lol...4 dozen fat lively shrimp, a whole bait well full of pin fish, hardtails, finger mullet and big fat bull monnows...went to 3 barges, Massachusetts, trolling, posted up several spots in the pass, drifted the bay side of ft pickens, fished 3mb....not 1 single edible fish....and i haven't seen any promising reports inshore or offshore....has anyone been catching anything?.....


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## Tcheeks38 (Feb 11, 2013)

inshore just lady fish galore sail cats and a single black drum


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## c_stowers (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm surprised you didn't land any kings. What did you troll with?


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## Ragon210 (Jul 11, 2013)

inshore I have had a lot of luck the past week with specks and few reds. all on artificials


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## Belhaven (May 18, 2013)

I think they are on vacation from Perdido Bay. The last week has been really tough for me. The month before that was great. I can't find a trout or redfish in my usual places. Could catch Lady Fish and Sail Cats all day, but don't want any of them on my line.


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## TheFlounderPounder (Jan 9, 2012)

Water is hot! will pick back up


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

Yeah i think it's the heat too....we trolled with hard tails and cigar minnows...and was chasing birds casting gotcha lures....we just had no action...and we almost always catch something worth taking a picture. ..lol....it just confuses me how there is bait everywhere and nothing biting....maybe it is a better time for flats fishing...with artificials...or night fishing


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## FurBurger (May 27, 2014)

Just gotta know where to fish in the summer.


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

FurBurger said:


> Just gotta know where to fish in the summer.


Ok where....


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## Tcheeks38 (Feb 11, 2013)

try fishing a channel or dropoff/ledge adjacent/connected to a grassflat early in the morning and anytime after 6pm.

when i was wading last week the water was a little warm but down by my feet in the 3-4ft depth range there was cooler water and lets just say i caught no fish on the mirrodine. everything was caught bumping the bottom with a soft plastic paddle tail with a jighead (white jighead red eyes if it matters)


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## FurBurger (May 27, 2014)

Tcheeks38 said:


> try fishing a channel or dropoff/ledge adjacent/connected to a grassflat early in the morning and anytime after 6pm


Good call. Channels in the middle of day might be worth a shot, too.


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## lighttackle2fun (Dec 22, 2007)

I was doing the same stuff yesterday with all the baits in the world. 
Started at 3 mile looking for black snapper, no luck. Looked for spanish on the run to the pass, noda. Caught 4 hard tail and 4 skip jack on the mcrae corner heading out. Saw about 15 sharks on the bar that wouldn't eat. Trolled the mass. Drifted the pass with live baits on the bottom. Hit the pipeline. And again looked for spanish on the way back and called it a day. Great day to be out, not so much catching!


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## TeaSea (Sep 28, 2013)

Glad it's not just me. Went back to a flat we really did well on 3 weeks ago and only caught 1 short speck in 90 minutes of casting and draggin'


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## coastie83 (Apr 20, 2014)

Caught 3 trout, and a redfish 7-29-14 in Pensacola bay from the shore using cut pinfish.


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

I think if a guy wanted to do some artificial casting for the occasional average sized trout or the occasional redfish, fishing flats and channels, that you may have more luck...but I had my 3 year old that is over the top for fishing and it's pretty much a drop it over the side kind of situation with a Lil guy...we were shooting more for home runs using large baits trying to find something bigger..all the while using smaller baits to try and cover it all....we almost always catch good sized edible fish somewhere...Does it slow down this time every year or is this something out of the ordinary?....could the problem be too much bait around? Or maybe night fishing is the ticket now?


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## marlin77 (May 8, 2014)

We've had our place on Arnica Bay for 10 years, and for as long as I can remember we have been able to sit on the end of our dock, at any time of day, and catch redfish/mangroves. Morning, noon and night. Dead or live bait, doesn't matter. Its one of the 'fishiest' places I've ever seen. Goes from 2 feet deep to eight in about a 10 foot span. Plenty of grass/weeds to hold bait. Very little boat traffic, neighbors are only down on weekends so not a lot of screaming/jumping kids. Just a damn fine fishing hole. 

This has not been one of those summers. I've caught one decent redfish and no mangroves at all. There's plenty of bait around, but no predators. The only thing I can figure is that we've 15+ more inches of rain than we usually do at this time of year. 

On a positive note, its still a great place to drink cold beer, watch osprey, and listen to Outlaw country.


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## catdad100 (Nov 17, 2009)

Got a buddy that is inshore guide out of destin who was doing 2 half day trips a day for months but told me last week he is only doing half day morning trips as afternoon trips bite had really slowed down lately.


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## Tcheeks38 (Feb 11, 2013)

7/30 i caught a 10-12lb black drum a couple lady fish and a short speckled trout all caught in a 4-8ft drop-off/edge of a flat


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

The have been some crappy tides the last couple of days and tomorrow is more of the same. It will get better next week.


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

That's why I loaded up the swimming gear and tubes to go to Crab island today...at least the bikinis will be biting lol


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## lighttackle2fun (Dec 22, 2007)

153 Large fish said:


> That's why I loaded up the swimming gear and tubes to go to Crab island today...at least the bikinis will be biting lol


Roger that! Its my anniversary and we are just going cruising, may end up at crab island myself...of course I will have a rod just incase lol!


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## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

Be careful of those bikinis -- they don't call it Crab Island for nothing !


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## Belhaven (May 18, 2013)

Finally found some good fish today. Most on MR17, but took the Voodo Shrimp too. Had about a half dozen this size. All trout except for one.


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## 153 Large fish (Nov 30, 2013)

Nice fish!...Belhaven...thanks for the positive report!...light tackle 2 fun, might as well not bring the fishin poles..it's so populated with boats over at The Destin Pass, you'd have to cruise to Navarre to fish lol...It really made me appreciate the fishing quality of Pensacola plus the laid back atmosphere. ..I'm more into fishing than hanging out swimming...


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## Bh7558 (Jun 17, 2013)

dude
your fishing the wrong place with that kinda bait


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## Waterfront Devon (May 10, 2014)

I haven't had much luck the past few weeks either. went out sunday for 8 hours and caught 1 3' lady fish and hooked up with a 4 or 5' spinner shark on the sandbar north of the Massachusetts. 8 hours on the water and about 5 minutes of action. Ugh


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## marlin77 (May 8, 2014)

marlin77 said:


> We've had our place on Arnica Bay for 10 years, and for as long as I can remember we have been able to sit on the end of our dock, at any time of day, and catch redfish/mangroves. Morning, noon and night. Dead or live bait, doesn't matter. Its one of the 'fishiest' places I've ever seen. Goes from 2 feet deep to eight in about a 10 foot span. Plenty of grass/weeds to hold bait. Very little boat traffic, neighbors are only down on weekends so not a lot of screaming/jumping kids. Just a damn fine fishing hole.
> 
> This has not been one of those summers. I've caught one decent redfish and no mangroves at all. There's plenty of bait around, but no predators. The only thing I can figure is that we've 15+ more inches of rain than we usually do at this time of year.
> 
> On a positive note, its still a great place to drink cold beer, watch osprey, and listen to Outlaw country.


Who knew all I had to do was post about it to turn the corner? Caught bunches Sunday afternoon.


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

Sunday had that better, 'Half Moon' bite index for 6pm and later. Like Dabutcher said, some bad tides lead to less tidal flow and less tidal flow means less active bites.


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