# Apalachicola Bay



## minkmaster

Be there in July, I know its not right out your back door but it isnt too far either. Anybody have any pointers where to go or what to target? I am thinking tripletail sound like fun but will trout be any good then. Also reds, flounder, and spanish.


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## MrFish

They'll all be there. Pompano, spanish, TT, etc. If you don't have a chart, then get one. Hit Dry Bar, the grass flats on the backside of St. George and run to Carabelle to hit the grass flats there. Run the beach and sight fishing for reds or jacks is always fun too. If you want to tie into some tarpon then run to Indian Pass. They'll be stacked on top of each other. Along with some extremely large hammerheads, too.


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## minkmaster

Bay chart????


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## minkmaster

What do you know bout Bob Sikes Cut? Depth, fishing methods


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## MrFish

Yep. 
Depending on what boat you have and what the seas are like, there are a ton of public holes, just offshore. You can catch black grouper, flounder, cobia, kings, etc.


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## MrFish

minkmaster said:


> What do you know bout Bob Sikes Cut? Depth, fishing methods


Bob Sikes/Government Cut should be holding big bull reds, but it's gonna be packed like Crab Island if you don't get there before the sun comes up. I haven't fished it in years, because of this reason. Just to the west of the cut are the grass flats. You can sight fish for reds and bonnetheads. If I was going to fight for a spot in a narrow pass, then I would run to Indian Pass and fish it. Tarpon and reds.


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## minkmaster

What bout the pass on the East end of St George?


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## Crab Man

Look for birds for spaninsh, trout and reds. The passes for big reds. Any structure for flounder.

Fish the crab trap buoys and and chanel markers for triple tail.

Cobia, kings and bottom fish on wrecks close to the beach.


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## minkmaster

Anyone know bout a sunken shrimp boat at the end of the island?


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## MrFish

> What bout the pass on the East end of St George?


Never have had much luck there.



> Anyone know bout a sunken shrimp boat at the end of the island?


I know about the one going into Indian Pass. Which would be the end of St. Vincents Island. I don't know about one around St. George.


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## minkmaster

Grass flats and potholes, gulp shrimp, Rage shrimp, 3 inch grub, Pins minnow, seems to be what I am comfortable using, any color preferences in this area.


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## wide spread

Apalachicola Bay is inshore heaven. I fished that area for years and love it. If you want to catch tarpon catch or buy some large LY's leave out early in the A.M before daylight and start running down the bay around Indian Pass, Rattlesnake Cove/ Goose Island near St. George Island and be watching for the pelicans diving hard on the surface. When you see them, get up wind/current from them and put out some drift lines back rigged with large circle hooks bent open for a wider bite. Hook an LY on the hook through the eyes using a 80lb mono leader and let the boat drift right through the feeding frenzy. You will catch a lot of sharks but there are a lot of tarpon in the mix usually. The grass flats out from Yount's Bayou between Carrabelle and Eastpoint on the inland side of the bay hold a lot of good trout. The dry bar is good for reds and trout. Go out there while the oyster boats are tonging oysters off the bottom buy a sack from one of them then anchor down below and set a couple of live pinfish back while you cast a mirrolure and enjoy the best oysters (dont forget the Crystal hot sauce). Always hit each bouy, piling or marker you pass with a live pinfish or shrimp. I have caught some huge tripletail and cobia doing this. I would not waste my time at the east end of St. George Island this time of year with the other places available. Earlier in the spring this is a good spot for Pompano but after they leave it lacks compared to other areas. The sunken shrimp boat at the east end is a good place to sit and catch black sea bass but that's about it. Make sure you use fresh bait or you will only catch junk (sharks,ray's and catfish) and fish when the tide is moving. Good luck to you.


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## minkmaster

How deep of water is that shrimp boat sunk in? Furthermore in July do cobia and tripletail still frequent the bay?


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## minkmaster

Also where would flounder be?


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## wide spread

There is one shrimp boat sunk right in the pass with part of the boat sticking up out of the water still (or was last time I was down there). Maybe 20' of water on the Dog Island side of the pass. There is another boat on the bottom out from the pass in the gulf (One More Time) that sits in about 45' of water. I never really did any flounder fishing so I wont be much help for you there. Yes Cobia and Triple Tail are still around that time of year. The cobia usually don't show up in this area until june good and I have caught them through October out in the gulf on wrecks and bottom structure. It seems that when the Cobia make their migratory run through the panhandle some tend to drop back up in the Forgotten Coast area to hang around. I have caught some huge fish around the offshore towers as well. The best method I came up with was loading some very heavy line on the reels and using the boat to drag them away from the towers or bouys. The tripletail love the hot sun weather it seems. Try to hit each marker/bouy you can regardless if you see a fish or not. A lot of times they will be holding a little deep and you wont see them because of the dirty water. I dragged three cobia off of a floating marker one evening coming in from grouper fishing on the last can before entering Carrabelle river in water so dark brown you could not see them on top.


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## minkmaster

So you can normally get away with some pretty heavy line cuz the water is stained.


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## wide spread

You can get by with the heavier line because the cobia that hang around the markers are not as smart as the ones that have been hammered by sight casters on their migratory run. If you don't go with the heavy line they will just wrap you up around the pilings or bouy cables and break off. I used to take a 6/0 spooled with 80 lb and beat the star drag down tight with a hammer. Use a heavy circle hook with a large pinfish and troll it up to the marker and when the fish bit keep underway and drag him off. Not much sport but good eating. One thing I will warn you about though is the yellowflies and noseeums. They are the worse thing about the area. As long as there is some breeze you will probably be alright but when it is calm it sucks. I don't know of anything to keep them away and the hotter and drier it is the worse the yellowflies are. Those things are the reason we sold out and left the area. As long as you are out in the bay with a little breeze you should be ok.


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## minkmaster

Thermacell works in the swamps of southern LA they should work there too.


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## minkmaster

Is there a morning evening, incoming or outgoing tide preference for cobia and tripletail?


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## MrFish

minkmaster said:


> Thermacell works in the swamps of southern LA they should work there too.


Let me know if it works. Those little guys are horrible. And it doesn't matter how far offshore you go either.


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## wide spread

For catching Cobia and Triple tail it really doesn't matter. If they are there they will usually eat. Mid day with the sun straight up may be best as far as spotting them. As far as the reds and trout go you do need to fish with the tides as this is how and when they naturally feed.


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## minkmaster

One last species if anyone has info: How do flounder do there mid summer?


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## fisheye48

i worked down there for almost a year...make sure to watch the tides!!! they have a good tide swing just make sure your not in shallow water when it starts to drop out

But to anwser your question i did good wading the state park around eastpoint...just gotta watch for the sharks when it gets toward dark

a forum i found while i was down there was www.bigbendfishing.net


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## minkmaster

So there is a good popululation of flounder?


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## MrFish

Yep. Anywhere around rock walls you can usually find them.


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