Capt. Eddie's Pensacola Gulf Monthly Fishing Reports

[Tee]

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b322/timotha7/FishPIc.gif

I would like to thank and welcome Capt. Eddie Woodall to our site. He has agreed to post a monthly saltwater fishing report on the happenings in the Pensacola area. I have know Eddie for several years and recommend him highly ( if you look through his photo archives, you can see Seth and myself with a nice BIG red). He is family oriented and will give you more than your money's worth if you choose to fish with him.
Visit his website: www.fullnetcharters.com and look around.

Thanks Capt. Eddie, we look forward to hearing about some great fishing.

Tee

[wewamohawk]

thats a nice looking snaper you have in the picture and i see seth with a nice fish and the big hat and it will be nice to get some salt water reports and i would like to welcome capt eddie to wif

[Timotha7]

Welcome Capt Eddie!
Been many moons since I have gone fishing on the salt
Used to go every year and spend time with my Grandfather in
Dunedin right on Tampa bay just mile or so by water from getting
on the gulf
Loved it and will be looking forward to the fishing reports
Tim

[Capt. Eddie]

Thanks for getting me involved Tom and thanks for the welcome guys.
Heres my July Report
Wow; what a great season it has been so far. The fishing and the weather has been great. Usually by this time of the year I’ve had to cancel several trips due to inclement weather. I can only Thank You Mother Nature for being so kind. As of now I haven’t canceled a single charter.


The inshore fishing has gotten into the summer time pattern for sure, IT’S HOT!!


Fishing around structure is offering a lot of action with the flounder and mangrove snapper with redfish thrown in every now and then. Large piers or rock piles, such as the jetties in Pensacola Pass, have been producing a good catch lately. You should use a Carolina rig; a #2 circle hook will work well with a bull minnow or shrimp attached and just enough weight to get it to the bottom in the current. This is a good all-around rig for this type of fishing.


If you're looking for speckled trout, it’s been tough fishing during the daytime, try top water plugs early before daylight and dock fishing the lights at night for your best shot a limit of specks. Ordinarily the grass flats will hold fish this time of year, but at this point I suggest fishing the Gulf it’s a lot more fun. Plenty of fun can be had with the ladyfish and bluefish that are scattered throughout Pensacola Bay and along the beach. They can be caught by finding surface action and casting flashy jigs or lures. This also is a good way to pick up Spanish mackerel.


If you have never had an opportunity to fish for Tarpon, it’s been a great season for sight casting to the fish. A good approach is to ride down the beach looking for bait pods. Tarpon can be a great challenge and are caught using lures and fly, but I definitely would be prepared with some type of live bait on a fluorocarbon leader.


Trolling around the buoys in Pensacola Pass or along the beach has been great for King Mackerel. I couldn’t count the number of Kings I’ve caught so far this season. Slow trolling with live baits purchased from the Live Bait Boat on light tackle works best.


If you're going searching for bottom dwellers, there are a lot of fish on the public spots in the 100 foot of water; they are just hard to catch. They have been hit hard since the weather has been so good. You will have to drop down to the smallest tackle you can fish with to get these fish to eat. I’ve been catching a few Snapper on 15# spinning outfits with hardly any weight. The farther you go the better. The best reports have come from anglers fishing in 200 feet of water. You won't find the number of Snapper you would in 100 feet of water, but they'll be a much better grade. You will also improve your chances of catching a Grouper or an Amberjack.

I know one thing for sure - You ain’t going to catch’em sittin’ on the couch!!
So get out there, and take a kid fishing.
Tight Lines and Screaming Drags, Till Next Time! God Bless.
Professional Fishing Guide
Capt. Eddie Woodall
Full Net Charters

[Catbird]

Great report Capt Eddie, wish I was down there!

[Stump Bumper]

Great up-date Capt Eddie, thank's for sharing the info with us....Ray

[Schoe]

Capt. Eddie, thank you on the report on the fishing in your area, we really apreciate it.

The last week in Sept. and the first week in Oct. there may be several of our members including myself down in your area for the Florida Catfish Classic which is being held at Wewahitchka the 6th and 7th of Oct.

Perhaps we can get a trip lined up during this time. Schoe

[wewamohawk]

schoe it would be real nice if you could get to go out with capt eddie when you come down good luck from the mohawk

[Schoe]

Thanks Maurice, We should probably see if anyone else is interested on going out for a day for Grouper or Snapper. Schoe

[Capt. Eddie]

i'm looking forward to hearing from you guys soon. there has been a good number of the bull reds showing up in just the last few days. it looks to me as if we are going to have a great season for these fish. also the fall migration is just around the corner, this means big kings, tarpon, cobia, sharks and the spanish will be doing good for the next month to six weeks. the flounder migration is also getting started, every fall these guys head to the gulf to spawn and hang out for the winter. nows the time to book up a trip to catching up some door mats.
I'll be a seeing you soon!
Capt. Eddie

[nosnag]

Great report Capt.Eddie,:)
I could almost smell the salt spray.I hope to get out on the Gulf here in the Cedar Key/Steinhatchie area during the cooler months.These southern fish are mostly completely foreign to me.I've done a whole bunch of fishing salt water in New England water in the Long Island Sound area.Big bluefish,striper,fluke and mackerel are the target fish up there.We had weakfish(trout) up there too,but a four pounder was bragging size.I have to learn a lot about the resident fish here in the Gulf.Kind of leary about navigating around in the skinny waters.200 feet of water under me and still having land in sight is more of what I've become accustomed to.I suppose it will take some time to getting used to the wide expances of inshore flats.
Your reports are an added incentive to my wanting to try wetting a line in the Gulf.Keep up the good work,
BILL

[Tee]

Capt. Eddie Woodall
Florida Panhandle Fishing Report for:
Pensacola Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, Flats and Nearshore Reefs.
Updated: September 12, 2006.
Well fellow anglers, the best stuff is still outside in the Gulf right now.

The fall migration of big Spanish have shown up along with a following up of Big King's. In my last 3 trips this past weekend my clients caught five, 7lb Spanish mackerel. Manuel and his wife Julie landed 17 nice King’s in 4 hours yesterday. We also had a 15lb King get cut in half by another King that looked to be about 60 to 80 pounds, 5 feet away from the boat --so there are some big ones out there. On my next trip King fishing you can bet I’ll be tackled up for the SMOKERS! There are schools of Lady Fish by the hundreds on the beach -- this brings in the smaller size sharks like the black tips and small bull sharks, I even saw a pair of 6 foot hammer heads a couple of days ago. These fish are a blast to practice your sight fishing skills on. Just cruise the beach till you find the big schools of Lady Fish then ease around and look for the man in the brown suit. He will be close and then pitch him a big live bait or a chunk of fresh cut Lady Fish on a 20lb spinning outfit and hold on!!

It’s not going to be long before the inshore stuff fires off also; Flounder are starting to move a little. I caught a nice 5 pounder and a friend of mine reported catching one just as big. The Specks are still eating mostly at night, fish early and late in the daytime with top water plugs and soft plastic jerk baits for the better fish. For the Red Fish & Flounder- fish around the docks in the middle of the day and at high tide for your best chance there. Try the Berkley Gulp 3 inch shrimp on a ¼ jig head, but if you have a live shrimp or a small pogie or pin fish you can bet it will be lunch also. There are a few Bull Reds showing up, they’re being caught in the deep water around Pensacola Pass. Your best bet there is fishing a thirty pound test outfit Carolina rigged; rig it with a crab or any kind of live or dead bait with just enough lead to hold it close to the bottom and hang on. This is my favorite season of the year to catch big fish on light tackle.



If you have any questions about the Pensacola area fishing, or have any request for reports please let me know.
Capt. Eddie


I know one thing for sure - You ain’t going to catch’em sittin’ on the couch!!
So get out there and take a kid fishing.
Tight Lines and Screaming Drags, Till Next Time! God Bless.
Professional Fishing Guide
Capt. Eddie Woodall
Full Net Charters
www.fullnetcharters.com

[Timotha7]

A great report!
LOVE THEM KINGS!
An when you talk bout them "smokers" you not only talking bout how fast they run, them steaks sure are good when they are cooked on smoker!
Cut em thick, shoot em full of lemon butter, season em an smoke em till
they are ready for the table!

[Capt. Eddie]

Fishing Pensacola with Captain Eddie Woodall and Full Net Fishing Charters

Whether you want to fish for Redfish, Speckled Trout, Flounder, Spanish Mackerel or King Mackerel, you won’t have a problem.
Flounder fishing is off to a hot start. You will be able to find them around any structure including bridges and rock piles. A variety of live and artificial baits will work, I prefer live bull minnows and the Berkley Gulp 3” Shrimp in the natural or new penny color on a ¼ to ½ ounce lead head jig.
If you’re looking for Speckled Trout, now is the time! You’ll need to spend your time on the grass flats in 3 to 6 foot of water. The best time to fish is definitely in the mornings and afternoons, this is when the surface lures work best. After the sun gets up change over to a suspending lure, soft plastics like the Berkley Gulp Jerk Shad and the Rapala X-Rap have been doing the job for me.
Slot sized Redfish can be found nearly anywhere, start by fishing the same flats as where you’re fishing for the Speckled Trout but go shallower. The best place to find these fish are the residential docks throughout Santa Rosa Sound. When fishing the docks, pitch a live shrimp or a Berkley Gulp Shrimp into the dock structure on a !/8 ounce jig head, then just let it sit there, I have watched hundreds of anglers become very frustrated fishing this method just due to there impatience. This is where when I say just let it sit there that’s what I mean, DON’T MOVE IT! If there is any Redfish close he will come and get it.
Also don’t pull up to dock using this method with mono line you will be wasting your time and be taking a huge risk at hurting the fish by leaving a jig head trailing 6 foot of mono line sticking out of his mouth. I like 15 or 20 pound test Power Pro. With all the structure and barnacle ridden pilings you need all the abrasion resistance you can get.
Now for the Spanish and King Mackerel, get to one of the bayous and net you some Pogies, then head to the 3 mile bridge and slow troll them or anchor and run them under a float on both sides (north and south) of the bridge near the shipping channel. This is the time of the year that you can catch up some real good fish in the bay. Oh yea, don’t be surprised if a Cobia or a Tarpon takes your bait it happens every season.
Then here comes the best, it’s the time of the year that the Bull Reds are showing up. I always use Halloween as the mark for the beginning of the season. There is no other place that I know of where you will find as big a population of the Bull Reds than here. This kind of action can’t be put into words, its one of those things that has to be experienced to believe it!!!!
A little thanks to FLW Outdoors Redfish tour for picking Gulf Breeze for the 2006 Championship Tournament. 4 of the top 5 teams fished local waters instead of running to other states and long distances to the east to catch fish. This proves that there are quality fish here, it’s just a matter of taking time to figure out where they are and how to catch them. The championship will air on FSN November 26th at 11:00am.
I know one thing for sure - You ain’t going to catch’em sittin’ on the couch!!
So get out there, and take a kid fishing.
Tight Lines and Screaming Drags, Till Next Time! God Bless.
Professional Fishing Guide
Capt. Eddie Woodall
Full Net Fishing Charters L.L.C.
www.fullnetcharters.com (http://www.fullnetcharters.com/)