# St. Andrews Panama City Beach, FL



## Benji314 (Feb 17, 2010)

This April 22 my wife and I will be taking our anniversary camping trip to St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, FL. I was wondering if anyone could give me a few tips on what bait to use while fishing from the shore. I have tried before in the past and got skunked every time. I don't care about catching a trophy I just want to actually catch a stinkin' fish this time. Any help would be great. THANKS!!


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## chiefsquirrel83 (Feb 17, 2010)

This time of year....stop by McDonalds, Burger King, etc....grab a handful of drinking straws....go by Half Hitch there on middle beach....but some medium treble hooks and some 6-12 inch leaders.....thread the leader through the straw...and got ya a spanish rig....or go to the Lagoon Pier and fish late in the evening through the night time with shrimp....you'll catch trout and flounder....


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## kayakingbyu (Feb 17, 2010)

The pier would be your best i have family down there and he's telling me the trout are running pretty good and there are some REDS around for the trout you can use a DOA shrimp and the reds anything from shrimp,mullet,squid and whatever else.Good Luck and i'll be there May 1st weekend for some kayak fishing.


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## kayakingbyu (Feb 17, 2010)

If you do decide the Jettys watch your hindend and alot of snags...


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## Mechanicaldawg (Feb 17, 2010)

Straw rigs work well. Silver spoons, gotcha plugs, etc. work well too.

Spanish should be thick.

I'd try Deep Water Point.

You may catch a pompano with a sand flea or pompano jig on the beach ocean side.

Also you should be able to catch a sheepie, red, Lane snapper, etc. from the jetties using a Carolina rig & 1/2 a just dead shrimp. (You can use a whole live shrimp but, to me, it's just a waste.)

You'll lose a bunch of terminal tackle doing that but you will get bit.


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## Luckybuck (Feb 17, 2010)

Shrimp works good for me, but they must be fresh shrimp and not the frozen ones.


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## Paymaster (Feb 17, 2010)

All the above and buy a bag or two of Berkley Gulp Shrimp. Rig them on Weighted Jigs.


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## trial&error (Feb 17, 2010)

I grew up just south of there and always had better luck with live minnows or dead shrimp.  I always take my castnet and catch whatever is running through for bait, stick to the inlets or around boat ramps with it.  Keep your eyes peeled for sand fleas.  I prefer St josephs peninsula surf fishing, bay fishing, and scalloping.  No shopping or restaurants nearby that will save you some money too


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## Benji314 (Feb 17, 2010)

We were going to camp at St. Joes but the campground was full so we went back to ole faithful.


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## Bubbaforsure (Feb 17, 2010)

Having lived here all of my life.....April...Is Spanish Mackeral time...Any of the three piers , deep water point, jettys are all good places. The simplest of rigs has proven to be the best for many years. Take a 24-30" piece of mono or now flourocarbon, tie the line from the reel to leader material with a surgeons knot so you do not have to use swivel, a 3/8-1/2 oz plain white bucktail jig. Take it and throw it just as far as you can, let it sink for a few seconds, keep your rod tip down and reel it back as fast as you can, when they strike, set the hook by bring the rod straight up...fish on...it work's
Oh yea...I forgot to mention..If your are fishing off the end of the rocks in the pass where it dumps into gulf. When doing this? Do not be surprised if you see a Cobie chasing your jig...I have seen it happen many times
Best of Luck!


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## fishinknots (Feb 17, 2010)

Get on to the pier, bring a got-cha, jerk it like no tomorrow~ Should get some spanish or blue. Dawn to about 10:30am usually works best for me. Late afternoon is good too.

If your wife loves fishing, you could spend more time on fishing. If not, try to spend some time with her for something else, sight seeing and stuff..... If the water is warm by then, you could also do some crabbing!  Have fun out there.....


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## jamessig (Feb 17, 2010)

You can check here for pier reports.
http://www.emeraldcoastpierfishing.com/

In the surf, you should be able to catch pompano, spanish, redfish and bluefish. For pompano, set poles are a good bet rigged with fresh dead shrimp. I doubt you'll be able to catch any snapper off the jetties in mid April unless the water warms.
You will find some good tips on surf fishing on PFF.
http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/fishingforum/Default.aspx


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## Benji314 (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks again folks. 

I can't wait to get there. The wife said something today about we might need to go buy us some new reels. I knew I married her for a reason.


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## fishinknots (Feb 18, 2010)

Benji314 said:


> Thanks again folks.
> 
> I can't wait to get there. The wife said something today about we might need to go buy us some new reels. I knew I married her for a reason.


Nice catch!


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## GitterDone jr (Mar 22, 2010)

I've stayed in st Andrews everytime I go down there and if not in the boat I fishe the farthest dock to the left of the boat ramp. I catch little blue crabs at night and they work great for the reds. And I have also found out pig fish work GREAT. They look almost just like a pinfish but I guess that little grunting noise they make just pi**es those reds off. Cause I could throw 3 lines with pins and one with the pig and that pig would get slammed.


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