# Fishing around Eglin



## Sea Ducer (Oct 2, 2007)

I mainly fish in pensacola bay, but I have coworkers that want to do a team building inshore fishing trip in Choctawhatchee Bay. We are renting boats from Eglin and some are bringing their kids. My question is where do I take them and what to target. I have read some reports around glass lake for trout and redfish. Any ideas? Are the spanish around the bay can I just troll a spoon or white tail jig to find them? Where are the bull reds? Can I troll strech 25s in the deeper waters in the north (just off of grass lake). 

The trip is this weekend if the wind doesn't get to bad.


Thanks in advance

James


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## junglegoober (Nov 12, 2010)

The flats on the North shore below Eglin have produced for me wading, by boat you can make it down to the flats on either side of the South end of the mid-bay bridge. Usually the fish are stacked up either North or South depending on wind/current. If it's nasty you can go into any of the bayous to find fish. Search around any bridge pilings for sheepshead, troll small spoons and christmas-tree rigs for spanish and yes, a stretch 25 is good to go in the deeper parts. Depending how fast you go, stretch 25s rarely get deeper than 15 feet to be honest. Last big choctaw red I heard about being caught was on one right in the middle of the bay. BTW the Eglin boats are not very flats friendly, so don't tear up our flats with your prop!


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## screwballl (Feb 1, 2011)

The flats seems to do pretty well. April to October I've found the mornings they stick to the southern flats and/or northern bayous... then start moving south some in the afternoon, to moving from southern flats down to the bayous, and out of the northern bayous south to the northern flats. They just seem to work their way south as the day goes on.
Look for the sand flats to see if any are shallow, if not start working to where it drops off and gets deeper, many times they like to hang along those drop offs.

I wish I had a boat to do more Choctaw Bay fishing on the Niceville side, my jon boat is just too small and slow (especially since I only have elec motor right now).


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## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

junglegoober said:


> Last big choctaw red I heard about being caught was on one right in the middle of the bay.


Did it look like this one? Caught him slow trolling a pinfish on a kingfish duster rig in the middle of the bay.


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## junglegoober (Nov 12, 2010)

HA! That one is at least 30% bigger, what a stud, when was that?


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## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

It was in January. It's the biggest one I've caught, but I've caught a ton of them in the 30-36 inch range.


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Eglin Fishing*

While I was stationed at Eglin many moons ago, Ben's Lake was always good to me, especially in cooler weather.

Other than that, I got a map of Eglin and visited as many of the numerous frehwater lakes as I could. C2


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

Here's a list of structure in the bay; http://fishingdestinguide.com/gpsCHOCTAWHATCHEEBAY.html

I'm not that versed with inshore fishing; but need to be when the gulf is nasty.


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## eodryan (Mar 4, 2009)

Ben's Lake has decent fish, as does the flats near the coast guard station. You can get slot reds there. Live Shrimp work pretty good. Lots of specks in/around ben's lake.


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## pirates (Apr 12, 2012)

*Ocean kayak*

Last year I have gone to Choctawhatchee with my friends .It’s such a wonderful experience fishing there. Enjoy the trip at its fullest.
___________________________________________________________
ocean kayak


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## PCfisher66 (Oct 13, 2010)

Hopefully I'll give you a report soon, going to put in my kayak after work on Fri and give it a go. I'll be on the flats near the fam camp on base across from the commissary.


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## Crestliner VT19 (Feb 14, 2012)

*Eglin Flats*

From April on, the flats around Eglin are good. If you have trouble finding fish there you can go to White point and try those flats.


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## Sea Ducer (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks for the responses. Tod I will be looking foreward to you report on your return.


James


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## MonkeyMaster (Feb 28, 2012)

ok sorry if repeat anything because honestly i was to lazy to read everyones reply. i was on eglin yesterday and the trout bite right outside bens lake was great. also some smaller reds caught of the postal point flats. other than that my girlfriends dad used to kayak fish this summer at the bear creek marina and he caught plenty of slot reds.


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