I'm just starting back saltwater fishing after years away from it.. Planning on going in the pass and trolling for whatever bites.. anyone have any idea what would be productive this time of year?

I hear the flounder are moving through/around the pass this time of year, it wouldn't be trolling rather bottom fishing. But I hear they can't resist having a live shrimp skitter on by.

Thanks Richard, I'm going to try that soon. Tomorrow, I am just trolling a mackeral tree and silver spoon around. Thanks for the tip!

I think i'd head out a bit and do some shark fishing!

Hey Mike, if you can get some small choffers,they attract a large number of different kinds of fish. Just hook em in the lips and drag em behind you.I also like the gold colored spoons. I have caught quite a few pampano with those. Mirro-lures are good in the shallower waters. Whatever you use, you can expect to have a good time because a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Good Luck!

No shark fishing..... don't want to hook something larger than my little boat.

Thanks JimM.. I'll keep all that in mind!

What time of year does the Cobia get real thick? Isn't it around the beginning of April?

I'm not real sure when the Ling run.... I've heard they are hard to catch, need to throw a live eel right in front of them. I went fishing this past Saturday, didn't catch much but just being out was great!

It seems to me that we usually go to the piers about that time. If you have a boat, don't forget to troll along the beach between the sand bars.You can see them swimming along.

I caught one with Grover Sewell on the happy hooker boat last year. We was a 62 pounder! I caught him on the second sandbar (he could have easily been caught off the pier) he was in a schoolie of about 15 or 20. I threw a jig at him and he didn't even acknowledge it, then I threw an artifical eel and he shot at it, and as soon as he got there he turned but as soon as I threw the real deal "live eel" he shot at it and took off to the bottom, I fought him for 45 minutes, best fight that I have ever had, and I have caught bigger, just not that strong.

Anybody out there I would like to hear some of your wild fishing experience's out of Panama City Beach!!

Happy Fishing

I do know that when the Ling are running, there will be about a hundred people on the pier.... When somebody spots one, there are lures flying everywhere! I might give it a try and since I am fortunate enough to have a boat, will grab a couple of buddies and go give it a shot. Thanks to everyone for their advice and keep the stories reeling in!

Hey Mike nice of you to reply:

What kind of boat do you have? What kind of equipment? What is the biggest fish you caught this year?

Hey BigDaddy... no problem, love to talk fishing.... Just got the boat, it's a little runabout for the Bay... 19 foot walkthrough windshield with a Mercruiser Alpha One stern drive.... got it to do multiple things, my kids love going to shell island, swimming, and being pulled in a tube... me and the wife try to go fishing when the kids have other things to do.... haven't really fished enough this year to have a big fish story..... How about you?

Hey Bigdaddybaker23, I wanted to share a fishing experience that happened this summer. My brother inlaw and I were fishing on the wreck in Spanish Shanty cove in about 20 ft of water. We kept hooking up with something that kept cutting off our 20 lb test line. Several times it would make a good run then snap ,it would be gone. After losing the fish several times,we decided to go get some heavier rigs. Since John only lived about 30 minutes away we decided to get bigger gear.When we came back,we had bigger reels and 60 lb test line. At first nothing was happening. We thought that maybe the tide had changed too much and we had lost the oppurtunity. Just then John's reel started to scream. He started yelling "I got him,I got him". After what seemed like forever, the fish started to head out into deeper water. John just let him run. When the fish stalled, John started to reel him in as fast as he could. He could barely keep up as the fish had turned and was coming back at us full speed. When it reached the area of the wreck it started to dive towards it. John yelled " Oh No" because after all this work, he didn't want to lose him in the wreck. John was getting very excited, he moved to the back of the boat and slipped on the wet deck. when he stood up,the fish pulled on the line very hard causing John to start to fall over the side of the boat. Thats when I caught him and started pulling his leg, just like I'm doing yours. I hope you enjoy this story.