Panama City Beach is home to a huge amount of water to fish inshore. With the bays, lagoon, bayous and Deer Point Lake, you have miles and miles to fish waters that are fairly calm most days. Anglers catch redfish, sea trout, flounder, sheepshead and many more species of fish in the inshore waters around Panama City Beach, Florida.
Fish the Panama City Beach Pass
The pass is a manmade shipping channel that separates St. Andrew State Park from Shell Island. It also connects the Gulf of Mexico with Panama City Beach’s awesome inshore waters of St. Andrew Bay as well as other bays, lagoons and bayous.
The nearshore and offshore anglers will use the pass to get out into the Gulf of Mexico. Many anglers do fish the pass though and you can fish this area from boats and from the surf. Anglers catch a variety of fish such as redfish, trout, sheepshead, flounder and more.
Fish Shell Island
Shell Island is a popular area for fishing. Anglers target the shallow flats, seagrass beds and deeper water near these spots as they fish for redfish, sea trout, flounder and more.
Fish the Bays
East Bay
East Bay is a little off the beaten path for most of the tourists, so this is a great area to visit if you’re looking to get away from the crowds. Many locals will spend a good amount of time in East Bay to get away from the crowds.
The bay holds a lot of water and it is comprised mainly of flats and marshlands. Anglers will usually be targeting redfish and sea trout in East Bay, but you may also run into a variety of other such such as flounder, snapper, sheepshead and more.
North Bay
North Bay is a good-sized area to fish. Some anglers report the fishing can be hit or miss in this part of the inshore waters of the Panama City Beach area. However, there are plenty of fish that roam these waters. Most anglers will be targeting redfish and sea trout here, but you may also catch flounder, sheepshead, snapper and more in the area waters.
Grand Lagoon
Grand Lagoon is located near St. Andrews State Park. This is a popular area to fish, boat and just hang out, so you will see plenty of other people when fishing these waters. Anglers catch redfish, sea trout, black drum, mangrove snapper and other fish too.
West Bay
West Bay is a decent-sized bay and it is home to many creeks, channels and large flats that are home to redfish, sea trout, flounder, sheepshead and more.
St. Andrew Bay
St. Andrews Bay is close to the Gulf of Mexico, so you have some excellent opportunities to catch a variety of fish and some very large fish depending on the time of year. Many fish will move through the pass as they head out into the Gulf of Mexico and back into the inshore waters. If you are fishing St. Andrew Bay as good numbers of fish are moving through the area, you can have an absolute blast catching fish. Anglers usually catch redfish, sea trout, flounder and sheepshead, but many other species of fish are available too.
Fish the Bridges
Bailey Bridge
The D. J. Bailey Bridge was built in 1946 to replace the old wooden bridge. The bridge was replaced in 1999 with a 4 lane bridge, but the old bridge still stands next to the new bridge and is used as a walking area and fishing bridge. This bridge can be hit or miss for quality fish, but there is usually something hanging around the bridges. Anglers catch mangrove snapper and a variety of other smaller fish to go along with some redfish, sea trout, sheepshead, flounder and more.
DuPont Bridge
The DuPont Bridge is an older bridge and is known for its good fishing opportunities. The bottom is full of snags, so come prepared with heavier tackle if you plan on fishing near the bottom. Good numbers of fish move through this area, so get out here during the tidal changes and you may catch redfish, sea trout, grouper, snapper, flounder, sheepshead and more.
Grand Lagoon Bridge
The Grand Lagoon Bridge is a smaller bridge in the area, but it does hold a variety of fish, especially during tidal changes. Anglers catch redfish, trout, mangrove snapper, sheepshead, flounder and more in the area.
Hathaway Bridge
The Hathaway Bridge is a large bridge that connects Panama City with Panama City Beach, Florida. It is a popular bridge to fish and you can fish it from shore or from a boat. Anglers catch a variety of fish here such as redfish, grouper, snapper, trout, sheepshead and more.
Popular Fish Caught Inshore
Below you can find some of the most popular fish that you can catch in the inshore waters of Amelia Island. There are also pictures and some fishing tips to help you catch more fish on your next visit here.
Black Drum
Black drum move into the inshore areas of Panama City Beach in large numbers every spring. Black drum are available here year round. There is so much good inshore water to fish here with the Panama City Beach Pass, the bridges, docks, canals and grass flats.
Black Drum Fishing Tips
Spring and fall are popular times to target black drum because they head into the bays and inlets to spawn. They feed on the bottom and some of the best baits are clams and crabs.
Visit our Black Drum fishing page to learn more.
Flounder
Flounder are found year round in the inshore waters here. Anglers can find flounder throughout the bay in all types of areas such as around the Panama City Beach Pass, the bridges, docks, canals and grass flats.
Flounder Fishing Tips
Flounder can be caught with artificial lures, however, for many anglers, live bait or natural baits are considered the norm when fishing for flounder. Flounder love hanging tight to the bottom, so pick out your favorite bottom rig and pair it with a bull minnow, finger mullet, pinfish or shrimp and you should catch some fish.
Visit our Flounder fishing page to learn more.
Jack Crevalle
Jack Crevalle are common in the inshore waters around Panama City Beach. The warm weather months will push more fish into this area. They can be super exciting to catch when you find a school of them. Anglers target them with a variety of lures and baits, but topwater lures can be a lot of fun when they are feeding near the surface.
Jack Crevalle Fishing Tips
Jack Crevalle are a very popular species for inshore anglers, although, they are commonly found offshore as well. These fish are extremely powerful and capable of making long runs, especially if you are using light tackle. Their average size ranges from 2 to 5 pounds, but in most areas fish up to 10 pounds are plentiful. Some people eat these fish, but most people would rate them as very poor-tasting.
Learn More About Jack Crevalle
Ladyfish can be a fun fish to catch, especially for younger anglers. They do not get very big, so the more experienced anglers usually see them as bait for bigger fish. Ladyfish are an excellent bait both alive and dead as cut bait. There will be plenty of ladyfish in the bay here during the warmer months of the year.
Ladyfish Fishing Tips
Ladyfish are cousins of the much larger tarpon. They have a long, slender body and are fairly small, averaging 2 to 3 pounds. They are fun to catch for young anglers, but for most adult anglers, ladyfish are used for bait. Ladyfish can easily be caught with a small hook, weight and live shrimp, small bait fish or cut bait.
Visit our Ladyfish fishing page to learn more.
Redfish
Redfish are very common in the inshore waters here. Anglers can find redfish throughout the bay and around the Panama City Beach Pass. Fish the bridges, docks, canals and grass flats and you should be able to find some redfish. You can catch redfish year round here, however, the fall is when anglers have their best shot at a trophy-sized bull redfish.
Redfish Fishing Tips
Anglers target redfish with a variety of artificial lures, live baits and natural baits. While you have so many options for targeting redfish, most anglers will keep it simple and use live shrimp, dead shrimp or lures that mimic a shrimp. You can target the smaller reds with medium heavy rods and reels, but if you are going after bigger redfish, you’re going to want to go with medium heavy to heavy action gear to help land some of these huge fish.
Visit our Redfish fishing page to learn more.
Saltwater Catfish
You will find plenty of catfish in the bay as well as around the Panama City Beach Pass and out along the beaches. They can be annoying if you don’t want to catch them or exciting to provide some action while other fish aren’t biting.
Hardhead Catfish
Gafftopsail Catfish
Catfish Fishing Tips
Catching catfish is easy in saltwater. Once you find them, they will easily bite many different types of cut baits. Just get your bait on the bottom, wait for the bite and then set the hook.
Sea Trout
The bay is home to some very good fishing for sea trout and these fish are available year round. Along with redfish, sea trout are a reliable fish to catch here even during the colder times of the year. Fish the grass flats, pass and bridges and you should find some sea trout.
Sea Trout Fishing Tips
Sea trout give anglers lots of options because they can be very aggressive. At times, you can do just as well or even better with artificial lures. For the live bait anglers, you have a variety of live and natural baits that you can use to catch sea trout. Anglers can also get away with using lighter tackle as well since most of the better spots tend to be around shallow water grass flats.
Visit our Sea Trout fishing page to learn more.
Sharks
In the Florida Panhandle between Destin and Pensacola, anglers have access to very deep water. Within 10 to 30 miles from shore, anglers can be fishing from 100 to 600 feet of water or even deeper in some spots. While the 100 Fanthom line may be closest to Destin in this region, you can get out to some very deep water in 20 to 25 miles from Panama City Beach. With so much deep water just a short boat ride away in a good offshore boat, there are some great options for catching a variety of sharks offshore. Nearshore and inshore, there are plenty of sharks around as well. During the summer months, anglers catch a lot of sharks in the inshore waters here.
Learn More About Sharks on our Shark Fishing page.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead are common in the bay and around the pass. These fish head inshore and feed well throughout the colder months of the year, so they give anglers another species of fish to target when there are less fish around in the winter. Fish the docks, bridges, rocks, pilings or oyster bars and you should be able to find some sheepshead.
Sheepshead Fishing Tips
Sheepshead are one of the tougher saltwater fish to catch on artificial lures. It can be done, but using live or natural baits can out fish lures by 10 to 1 or more at times. It is easy to understand why most anglers just go with live bait and they don’t even mess with lures when fishing for sheepshead. Shrimp and fiddler crabs are the most popular baits, but don’t rule out a variety of cut baits, oysters and sand fleas. Sheepshead are known for stealing your bait and they also are a tough fish, so make sure you have a strong enough hook and a solid medium-heavy to heavy action fishing rod or you will lose a lot of fish.
Visit our Sheepshead fishing page to learn more.
Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove Snapper are a popular to fish to target in the inshore waters around Panama City Beach.
Mangrove Snapper Fishing Tips
Mangrove Snapper are one of the most popular snapper to catch because large populations of juvenile fish can be caught inshore where most anglers fish. Offshore, you will find bigger mangrove snapper over the reefs and wrecks. Some of the best baits to use for mangrove snappers are live and dead shrimp, mud minnows, small pinfish, small finger mullet and small crabs.
Tarpon
Tarpon migrate into this area from late spring through fall. While the tarpon are here, there will be plenty of anglers that get out here to fish for them. Tarpon can be found roaming the beaches, hanging around the pass and good numbers of them will come into the bay as well.
Tarpon Fishing Tips
While many anglers may run into smaller tarpon and catch them without much effort, to consistently target bigger tarpon, you need to make sure you have the right tackle & equipment so things go your way. Tarpon will eat a variety of baits, so you have a lot of options when it comes to live & cut baits or artificial lures. The time of year is very important as well since tarpon will migrate a long way up and down both the Gulf & Atlantic Coasts each year.
Visit our Tarpon fishing page to learn more.
