# bob sikes report



## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

used cut shrimp off the bottom and then used live shrimp off the bobber with 2 rods. 

had 3 nice hits on the bobbers but no hook ups, no doubt they were spanish. 

off the bottom it was all pinfish and a remora. 

one of the pinfish while i was reeling in got bitten in half!! probably a king or a shark? 

the current/wind switched directions after a storm went by and then it was over as it started moving towards the bridge so i got frustrated and left. there wasn't anyone else there but a few people but the spanish are there, you just gotta get the proper conditions and be patient. 

on the way out a guy told me that things just aren't the way they used to be years ago.. i am pretty sure the oil spill has effected fishing and we are seeing the results this summer of that.. my friends on the atlantic side are catching flounder, reds, whiting, pompano by the dozens right now which makes me very angry and jealous


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## dan111213 (Jun 29, 2011)

I disagree......The fish are there and the oil spill has nothing to do with it. Even when part of the gulf was shut down, they never closed the bays to fishing. We have had an unusual amout of rain lately. Does anyone realize that these fish require salt so when the level of salt is compromised, the fish do what's necessary to survive. The bait is at Bob Sykes and it is at Fort Pickens. The fish have been there too since March, but it has been slow for the past week most likely because of the salinity level and not oil. We will be there this weekend and we will have fish in the box using the bait that is in the water either at Bob Sykes or Fort Pickens.


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

i was at bob sikes this morning. caught a few trout and flounder. cooked up nice for breakfast.

Tons of mullet in the water early too, and i hooked up on a massive sheepshead but couldnt bring it to the bridge without it flopping off.
I never go to bob sikes cause i usually dont have luck there, but this morning was nice and its now my go-to flounder spot.

You just have to figure out the right setup for what your targetting, some days its different, some days nothing works.

I garauntee had you been using those really tiny LY's when the spanish ran through they would have snacked those up too.

See you all at the pcola pier in the next couple of days!


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

^^^ what did u use to catch those flounder and trout? what kind of rig? 

if i fish off the bottom the pinfish rob me of everything .. i love both of you guys is optimism but right now I am FRUSTRATED cause all i have been catching are cats, pins, and remora's. 

I know the fish are there and I have caught them before, but maybe I just need to watch you pro's in action and learn more. i did get 3 spanish hits within an hour but when that damn wind/current changed directions it made fishing impossible, when i would cast the bait or bobber would come back towards the bridge. not sure how you guys manage to offset that when it happens or do i just need to wait for the wind to change around again?


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## Longbow14 (Aug 8, 2011)

Some days you time it right and some days you don't. If you can get little Lys or baby pins they work wonders freelined, or under a float for spanish. toss a few split shot on a rig with a smaller hook and thats a great setup for sheepshead, black snapper, trout, and reds that might be holding near the pilings. if you are around early in the AM toss a plug and see if you can raise a fish. Also try fishing different points on the bridge at different conditions if the tide is running one way switch sides of the pier!


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

I was ther last from about 10 to 1 and had some decent luck.manages quite a few decent sized trout,black snapper. The ladyfish are thick there. There were some mysterious breakoffs that hit.im thinking either king or shark.ya the oil hasnt really changed the fishing.


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## Longbow14 (Aug 8, 2011)

catch ladyfish for fun and if you get bored through a half of one out on a heavy hook and try for a shark.


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

i'm tempted to go back tomorow morning. 

whats the best strategy to catch black snapper and trout?


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

my advice, and this is my personal preference. drop the bobber. SLOWLY troll a gulp alive shrimp (white color) with a 1/2 ounce jighead under the bridge (in between the two bridges) over and over. spend 5-10 min then go to the next set of pillons. I promise if the flounder are there you should hit some of them. If you feel a small hint of a nibble, quit reeling, wait 10 seconds, snatch, if nothing is there, repeat. 

as for the spanish my best luck is using plug type lures like gotcha's on a nice heavy #60-80 flouro/mono leader about 12 inches long with a fast retrieve and jigging action, or a nice small alive LY (freelined) with a jerk every now and then.


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

stevesmi said:


> i'm tempted to go back tomorow morning.
> 
> whats the best strategy to catch black snapper and trout?


I was using a carolina rig with live shrimp and a small j hook.was working really good till we ran out of skrimp.


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

I seem to catch way less hardheads using artificials and live shrimp is so pricey unless your catching your own so i usually dont even bother. but i do see people catching reds on them a lot more than on artificials. i guess they are pickier.

stevesmi, let me know when your going back to bob sikes and ill be sure to show you what i do for flounder, i hate fishing alone anyhow : ) and maybe one of us can pull up a welcome mat flounder or a car hood flounder


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

^^^ PM sent.

i'm gonna buy what you told me. I used to bass fish a lot when i lived inland so I am very good with artificials.


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## Longbow14 (Aug 8, 2011)

I'd say 50% of my trips i've come back with nothing but scales on my hands from trash fish. If i was only fishing to eat fish I'd have saved money by going to the store. It's a blast just to be out there. I hope to see you out there and next time with a fish. keep us updated on how the gulps work.


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## Awhite08 (Jul 28, 2012)

What are ya'll using to catch bait at bob sikes?


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

a net : )


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

motoxracer8 said:


> What are ya'll using to catch bait at bob sikes?


i catch pinfish 2 at a time using a 6 size hook with cut shrimp off the bottom.


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## dan111213 (Jun 29, 2011)

getting ready now. will be by the second trashcan this morning. using alewives and small pinfish for spanish and flounder. i will have a yellow skeet reese in my hand. sykes on saturdays beats the heck out of "country come to town, give me a saltwater lake" at fort pickens on saturdays. tight lines ya'll.


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## Coreeyore (Oct 16, 2011)

I'll be down there tomorrow (Sunday) morning to try my luck. I'm gonna try the gulp shrimp thing and see if I can pick up a flounder. Still gotta have a pole rigged for spanish though. I'll post and let ya know how things turn out.


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

well i was there from about 7 to 11:30. 

I tried LY's freelined and bobber.. I tried live shrimp freelined and bobber. both sides of the bridge. I tried the Gulps for about an hour working around the pilings. 

the only bites I had were 2 bites with the live shrimp on the bobbers. they were mackerel but i was late to set the hook and missed them both times. 

I saw one guy catch a sheepie and a good sized trout freelining live shrimp and he was totally busting his ass working the pilings for hours so he earned those 2 big fish. saw one couple with about 7 rods out using LY's catch just 1 spanish the whole time. really it was a slow day all around. one guy told me he had way better luck at 3 mile bridge overnight and caught a red and some nice white trouts. 

the conditions were very good.. current was strong but in the right direction, no wind.. i had plenty of bait left but it got too damn hot to stay and i had to leave out of boredom. all things being equal on just an average day with all the strategies i tried today i would of came home with plenty of good fish. so the fishing is just plan awful. 

keep the reports coming, maybe when the rain slows down things will get better who knows.. the silver lining is i got a nice tan out of it and sweated out a lot of water weight  oh and i learned LY's live longer and swim better when hooked on their upper backs vs. their mouths.


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## Smarty (Nov 23, 2008)

I usually fish there from around 12a-6a on my nights off from work when I can. I do believe things have been kind of slow due to all of the rain too. The fish are there but just not plentiful right now. I've been trying lately with Gulp shrimp but have been getting my butt kicked by all of the ladyfish that have been thick lately. Rainy or windy I'm gonna try to be out there Tuesday night late. Probably won't catch much but will enjoy trying. Name is Marty and I'm easy as hell to spot. I prefer spending more time fishing and less time walking. Probably will bring out the lazy man bridge fishing rig :laughing:


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

i was going to go yesterday morning, but i got stuck at work on a double shift the night before and slept til 10:30am (very unlike me during fishing season). Im going to try to go monday or tuesday morning for the flounder again, they were popping decently on the 17th from about 3am to 6am. havent caught any ladys on the gulp but i did get a trout on one.


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## Awhite08 (Jul 28, 2012)

Went last night and didn't catch one fish. Some kids down to the left of us caught a huge probably 40-50 lb bull red. They threw it in their cooler and hauled ass


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

leeroy87 said:


> i was going to go yesterday morning, but i got stuck at work on a double shift the night before and slept til 10:30am (very unlike me during fishing season). Im going to try to go monday or tuesday morning for the flounder again, they were popping decently on the 17th from about 3am to 6am. havent caught any ladys on the gulp but i did get a trout on one.


yeah i was hoping to see you but we will have to meet up another time once things pick back up for sure. 

with the gulp do you let it sink to the bottom before working it slowly back? do you add weight? when i used to bass fish i would add a bullet weight to help the worm sink then i would work it back in. i'm assuming for the flounder you do want to work the bottom and with the current moving so fast a 1/2 ounce jighead isn't gonna sink very much 

or do i just toss it out and work it along the surface or a foot below?

for anyone who was there sat morning i was the guy whose bait bucket rope snapped off and the boaters going by luckily were nice enough to bring it back to me... there was a nice group of people there its a shame the fishing was slow. even the boaters said they weren't having any luck.


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## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

yea, i let it sink as much as the current allows and drag the bottom very very slowly, feel the nibble, stop and count to 10, if the nibble is still there set the hook. work has my sleep schedule all wacked out right now so i havent been able to make it out there in the mornings.


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## pierfishallday (Aug 20, 2012)

Fishing at pier all summer i havnt noticed a change. Caught a ton of kings just like every other year along with tarpon, jacks, ect. Doubt the oil spill has effected anything


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

pierfishallday said:


> Fishing at pier all summer i havnt noticed a change. Caught a ton of kings just like every other year along with tarpon, jacks, ect. Doubt the oil spill has effected anything


bob sikes you've got tarpon and kings? haven't seen anyone pull up anything the last few times i have been there but a stray spanish, sheepie and trout. and of course junkfish pins, remoras and cats


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## pierfishallday (Aug 20, 2012)

Pensacola beach pier not bob sikes lol. Just figured if the oil spill affected the fishing it would affect the gulf more than the sound and i havnt noticed a change at the pier. Caught quite a few kings out at pier this year. But who knows it could have an effect at bob sikes.


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## pierfishallday (Aug 20, 2012)

In a month or so when the water starts cooling off the spanish will get thick at bob sikes.august is usually a slow month inshore


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## stevesmi (Mar 15, 2012)

pierfishallday said:


> In a month or so when the water starts cooling off the spanish will get thick at bob sikes.august is usually a slow month inshore


so the spanish are thick all year at Sikes aside from July/Aug?

the last one i caught there was i think 27" and that was back in June i believe. that sucker baked nicely in the oven.


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