Fishing in Pensacola

[Bevo16]

I used to park my truck at Trout Point Nature Trail right before you get to the back gate. I would walk right out into the grass and just tear up the fish. I caught grouper, specks, flounder, barracuda, and a LOT of red fish less than 50 feet from the bank and only walking about 300 feet at a time.

 

[Hozer]

You guys are making it real hard to go to work tomorrow at VT-4...anybody catch reds from the beach or is wade-fishing the way to go, shy of a john-boat?

 

[Bevo16]

Hozer,

Wade fishing is easily the best way to go after reds. They love the shallow water, and boats can run them off, and you don't cover as much ground. The only bait that I ever brought to Trout Point was a copper spoon. I would usually take one or 2 just to be safe, and a stringer. It was not uncommon to catch 5+ keepers in about an hour. I never went to that spot and left without dinner.

I have seen a few sharks there, so be careful. If you are going to bleed out your fish before you put them on ice, make sure you are in really shallow water. I caught a black tip out there that was just under 30 inches. That was one hell of a fight. There are also sting rays, so make sure to shuffle your feet when you walk.

 

[Hozer]

Sweet, I wanted an excuse to bring firearms...I figured live shrimp was the way to go, but thanks for the skinny. I think I'll partake later today...

 

[JD81]

I always had the best luck with live shrimp. I lived right off gulf bch hwy on big lagoon and would wade the grass flats. It was almost guaranteed that there would be a ball of minnows/baitfish around and I would just work the bottom with the shrimp near them, nailed a red everytime. I also tried the DOA shrimp lure's and they worked well but not as good as the live stuff IMO.

 

[Bevo16]

A trick to improve your success when using live shrimp:

Right before you throw it out, give the head a pinch. Not enough to kill it, just give him a little tap between the head and body. That forces some of his oils onto his skin, and makes him like crack to any nearby red fish or trout. This is really useful if the water is a little muddy, as reds feed by smell as much as they do sight.

Note: this trick will not work in Texas coastal waters due to the fact that you will be attempting to catch MY fish. :icon_smil