# okaloosa pier 7-14,7-15



## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

Hi guys. Thanks for all your tips on fishing this part of Florida. 

I spent half a day fishing Fri.7-15 at the pier with no luck. But I have to say I was amazed on the the number of bait fish and huge reds I saw below the pier. I guess being from Ga I am not used to being able to see anything in the water! It is amazing that fish have a mind of their own and no matter how many fish you see they will not take your bait if they don't want to. 

Sat. the 16th I started out around 6am and saw no action until around 1pm. This day I sabakied up minnows (green backs with black dot on side) and put those out for bait. At first I was having more fun trying to catch bait fish. I can tell the locals have the trick to this because they were coming up with multiple fish at once. My record for the day was two. I also had a large bonito hit my sabaki rig. Thank fully he got off. I saw what I thought was numerous pompano under one pileon but they wouldn't hit the sandflees I was offering. I managed to catch some small bonito on the sabaki and they really fought! I caught a two rather large bait fish with widely gaped tails. 

After putting on on of the large bait fish filpper and his/her friend showed up. They hung aroung quite awhile and chased the bait fish away. On their way back to the sea on took my large bait fish for a ride! Fortunately flipper eventualy spit the hook out. 

Next on another rod of mine the drag went screaming and almost pulled my rod in the water. eventualy after a good fight I pulled in a cat fish that had to be around 20in long. 

The fight the day came aound 1:30pm when my drag when screaming while fishing the green back minnow. I was hoping it was a that spanish or king I was wanting. But I was supprise because all of the king fisherman seemed to be at the end of the peir and I was less than half way down. This fish took of about 3/4 of my lin before finally stoping and tangeling me up with many others on the pier. As I ran down the pier some one notice that my line was so tangled with one fellow fisherman that I needed to cut my line and retie it. I was so nervous about him doing that but I realized that the locals know what they are doing most of the time. He broke my line and tied a blood knot for me. Thankfully the poor fish was too tired to run again and I was eventully able to get him to the side of the pier and someone with a gaft thankfully helped me get him up. It was a Bonito mesuring about 24in. After my hook up it seemed as if everyone was starting to hook into something.

I saw fisherman earlier walking off of the pier with Bonito and I was asuming they were going to eat it. Others told me it was too bloody. I kept my fish and cleaned it at the condo and it was very bloody but it looked so much like tuna I decided I will give it a try.

If anyone has any ideas about cooking bonito or can tell me how it taste that would be great. Also what do you do if you catch a fish that is out of season, too big to keep or one you dont want. I only saw anglers with gaffs. I would love a pier net so I don't kill the fish,but couldn't find one anywhere. Thanks all!


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## bigjohntate (Jun 16, 2006)

No offense man, but I'm from GA too and that is about the worst day of fishing I've ever heard


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

*Sounded like fun to me...*

Maybe you should skip the Bonita for dinner, according to Google:

False Albacore (Little Tunny, Bonita)
Average weight-8-15 lbs.
Season-Year-round
Bait: Small spoons, feathers or trolling lures
World's record: 35 lbs. 2 oz.
Food Value: Poor

I would think the local tackle stores around there would have pier nets, if they don't, then you can always use plan "B" to release the fish you don't want - use a sliding sinker on the main line and a lesser weight of line for the leader/hook and then just break the fish off instead of hauling him up with a gaff. 

http://amelia-island-fishing.com/images/rig_reddrumpier.jpg

Idea is to break the hook off without leaving the fish dragging a sinker around with him.

Fish probably be a lot happier with a hook in his mouth than a gaff in his head....


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## Fisheadgib (Jan 7, 2006)

I've been fishing the pier since I got stationed here in 1976 and I would have to say that sounds like a crummy day. (Incidently, we really fish, not google fish) When you catch something you don't want, point your rod down, crank the line tight, and pop it off. I have only found one recipe where bonita was made palitable. It was given to me by WT Ming of Destin Marina and it was his wifes recipe. When I find it I will post it. It made bonita taste as good or better than canned tuna. It was the only method I've ever found to make bonita edible.


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## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

First of all you guys who replied with my day being a bad day. You don't have to be so rude. 

For me any time I can get out fishing is a good day and for someone that doesn't get to go very often to the pier it is great having something take my bait and run with it. The locals were so nice and helpful the very opposite of some that have replied to my post. Sorry for taking up space on the board then. My contribution was obviously is unwanted.


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## Fisheadgib (Jan 7, 2006)

bmorrisjr said:


> First of all you guys who replied with my day being a bad day. You don't have to be so rude.
> 
> For me any time I can get out fishing is a good day and for someone that doesn't get to go very often to the pier it is great having something take my bait and run with it. The locals were so nice and helpful the very opposite of some that have replied to my post. Sorry for taking up space on the board then. My contribution was obviously is unwanted.


I think you're misinterpreting the replies. Good report, we're just sypathising with what sounds like a not so great day. If you had fun, thats all that matters.


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## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

Well thanks for the clarification. I wish I had enough time or lived closer to a pier to experience those "good days" that I see some have! My goal is to get better each time I go but in the mean time I have to.. as some one said "Google" suggestions. Thanks.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

bmorrisjr, a day of fishing usually trumps a good day of anything else, so I'm glad you had a good time. Just a FYI, next time you head down that way, load up on a few Gotcha plugs and some 00 Clarkspoons (the kind with a red bead on it). 

Rig the Gotchas of a piece of 50lb mono (or fluorocarbon if you have it) and surgeon's knot it to your light spinning rod. Cast it as far as you can, let it sink a bit, and then reel it back quick, with sharp jerks. I've caught spanish, hardtails, bonita, kings, pompano, small cobia, mahi mahi (off the Pensacola pier, I'm not kidding!) and even big redfish on the Gotcha. My only dislike about them is that the thin wire they use to wire on the hooks usually gets trashed after a good day's catching, but at under $3 a piece, it's a good deal. 

Rig the Clarkspoons on a 4' piece of 50lb mono, then to a swivel, then to a 8" piece of the 50lb mono, thread through a 1-2oz weight, then tie on another swivel (so that the weight is tied between the two swivels). Then tie the top swivel to your line. Cast as far as you can, let it sink to the bottom and then burn it back as fast as you can. The bonitas go crazy for this one, as do the spanish and the hardtails. 

Chunks of bonita on a big circle hook on the bottom works wonders on the big redfish. Sadly, they work on big rays, catfish and sharks, too


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Fisheadgib said:


> I've been fishing the pier since I got stationed here in 1976 and I would have to say that sounds like a crummy day. (Incidently, we really fish, not google fish)


We really fish over here too. Only we don't catch Bonita from the pier or from the beach, so we don't have any recipes. 

I've been fishing since 1955, and the only "crummy" days of fishing I've ever had were the days I couldn't go. The beauty of fishing isn't always in the catching, for some lucky people the beauty is just being there.

I'm really having a problem understanding the attitude of some of the people here at P&S. This thread is a common example. A guy posts a report, and yes, he didn't catch a cooler full of tasty little fishies or didn't break any world records. But reading it gives me the general impression that he had a really good time, and was excited about it and trying to share that good time. 

So the first reply busts his balls tell him that his fun day wasn't really fun, and his report sucks. 

I try to add something, for the sole purpose of showing him that not everybody is gonna bust his balls, and then I get busted for being an "internet fisherman" and not a "real fisherman", because I figured that the state of Florida's information on food value of Bonita was probably as good as, if not better than, MT Ming's of Destin Marina, whoever he is. 

I recently saw an Asian lady fry up a batch of pogeys and eat them, but I don't think I'll be passing her recipe on to the general public anytime soon.

How do we measure a "real fisherman"? By the number of ceramic bearings and custom heavers he has in the garage? By the number of big fish pictures he has in the gallery? By the number of secret holes he knows about that he refuses to share? By the number of ABU reels that he buys and sells in a year? Maybe by the number of smart ass remarks he posts on P&S?

Mr. Morris obviously had a great time at the pier the other day, irregardless of what he wound up with in the cooler, and he was nice enuff to try and share that with other people here, so in my book, he's a real fisherman...

I'm starting to think that some of you guys need to go fishing a few times with no hooks, and no bait, just a sinker. Stand on the beach or the pier all day and cast just a sinker. Try that a couple times, and then if you still don't get it, sell the heavers and go fly model airplanes....


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Fisheadgib said:


> I think you're misinterpreting the replies. Good report, we're just sypathising with what sounds like a not so great day. If you had fun, thats all that matters.


I don't think he's misinterpreting anything.

Anybody that can't tell he had a good time by reading his report failed reading comprehension 101....


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## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

AtlantaKing and Surf Fish,

You guys have made my day. Thanks for writing something meaning full instead of critical. I the only critical that is helpful is telling someone how to be a better fisherman. I see you guys as the ones I love to meet at the pier that are always willing to help. Thankfully I have found you all to be the majority. Thanks for all your suggestions and support.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

bmorris....

I NORMALLY stay out of crap like this, but you first appeared on my board asking about Jekyll, and when you got done you came back with good reports.

A few weeks later, you are somewhere else, putting in the time, and then came back with another good report.

As far as I can see you are a guy who is fishing as much as he can, learning as much as he can, reporting as much as he can, and above all, ENJOYING it as much or more than anyone else.

Let's see, you fish hard, try hard to learn, spend the time and cash necessary to follow your hobby. Next, you come back to the place that tried to help you out and report your progress, so that others may enjoy reading about it and maybe pick up a tip in the process.

You sir, have accomplished all of this in just 12 posts! YOU are just the type we need hanging out around here.

Tell the "ball busters" to stick it up a wild hog's rear end and yell SOOOOOO-EEEE! 

Keep up the good work, and good posts!


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

bmorrisjr, you wouldn't happen to be the same guy I used to know that worked down at the old Palmer Johnson yard?

Anyways, I gave someone another chance and it looks like he's about to blow it. Just give me one more reason and I'm being more than patient. 

The first time fishing somewhere new is always a learning experience, it takes a couple trips and many hours in that spot to learn the tricks. Then again, once in awhile, through a combination of both blind luck and careful observation, you hit the jackpot the first time. Of course, when you do that well, you make the resident grandstanding pier cockroach jealous as all hell. I've been there a few times myself.

This board is for people to post reports, share tips and stories, and BS a little. I will not tolerate someone belittling someone's report in such a manner. Like I said, thin ice....


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## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

Railroader and emanuel,

Thanks guys for your support. I love fishing and will continue to report when I get a chance. Living in Atlanta,Ga you can see that I do not get much time on the water. But everytime I get a chance I will report on my day of fishing, "good" or "bad". I love fishing and thanks for keeping this board up. I realy do appereciate your hard work and the work of the helpful posters.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

bmorrisjr, I used to live in Atlanta as well, up until I moved to Northern VA for a new job about a year ago. That was how I got the handle “AtlantaKing”: I lived in Atlanta and at the time, my passion was pier fishing for Kings in Florida. I loved fishing the FL panhandle because of the sheer variety of fish and some of the nicest people walking the planks. My father and I used to fish Panama City Beach on the Dan Russell pier a lot, but when Hurricane Ivan came through two years ago, it took down the end and the chance of a big fish went way down since the rest of the pier sits over such shallow water. We started going to Pensacola because it was the easiest to get to. But, Okaloosa has a good reputation for big kings as well. Summertime is usually a bit slow, but it sounded like you did OK when you went. I would hold off going again until a bit later in the year, when the weather starts cooling off and the water drops under 80 degrees. Watch out, because that’s when the fish start feeding heavily, either in preparation for their migration or to get over the winter. Towards the middle of October, when it's in the mid 70's during the day is just about right: the tourists are gone, the fishing is good, and the weather is beautiful.


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## Bassplug (Jun 18, 2004)

Bmorrisjr; have a great time fishing. There are always a few that know more than most. Go and have a good time fishing thats what really counts. Not what others think is a good day of fishing.

Bill


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## bmorrisjr (Jun 5, 2006)

Atlantaking,

I was wondering about when was a good time to fish in the panhandle area. I will try again around the time you said. Also I would like to know when are the good times for pompano and spanish macs. I would love to go when the pompano bite is on because that is one of my favorite fish to eat!


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## backrowboypa (Jul 21, 2006)

bmorrisjr said:


> Railroader and emanuel,
> 
> Thanks guys for your support. I love fishing and will continue to report when I get a chance. Living in Atlanta,Ga you can see that I do not get much time on the water. But everytime I get a chance I will report on my day of fishing, "good" or "bad". I love fishing and thanks for keeping this board up. I realy do appereciate your hard work and the work of the helpful posters.


After reading all of the prev. posts, it is good to see there are a lot more helpful people here than there are the sarcastic no-help type...that being said, I will be staying on Okaloosa next week and would like to do some fishing. Is there any surf fishing info I can get? Nothing against paying the $$ for the pier, but I have 3 young kids and am going to go out early in the a.m. When the cell ph. rings and they are up, I need to head back and won't return till the evening...and I don't feel like paying $6.50 only to be called back an hour later. Any other places specifically, or just in the surf? Also, bait/rigs...what to use? Thanks in advance for the help...


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## bigjohntate (Jun 16, 2006)

As the great Howard Cosell said, "If I see it, I gotta say it" I'm not gonna butter some guy up thaT HAD A piss poor day of fishing...I never said he didnt have fun, but if that was fishing for a living, McDonalds is hiring. It's all about fun, but take the criticizm with the compliments, it'll make you a better person in the end


jay


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

bigjohntate said:


> As the great Howard Cosell said, "If I see it, I gotta say it" I'm not gonna butter some guy up thaT HAD A piss poor day of fishing...I never said he didnt have fun, but if that was fishing for a living, McDonalds is hiring. It's all about fun, but take the criticizm with the compliments, it'll make you a better person in the end
> 
> jay


Jay, I think you got started off on the wrong foot. You ask a reasonable question about wire leaders a while back, and you got a couple smart a$$ remarks for an answer. So maybe now you think that's what the party is about, I dunno. 

Nobody wants you to butter anybody up. If you have to constantly come back and explain what you meant when you said something, maybe the problem is with the way you are saying things.

Let me give you an example. I hate to catch sharks. If I stand on the beach all day I'd rather catch seaweed than I would catch sharks. They screw up my rigs, they twist up my line, and they are about as much fun (to me) as reeling in a cinder block. Little ones, big ones, skinny ones, fat ones, I don't want to catch any of them. I'd have a LOT more fun catching bait on the pier with a Sibiki rig than I would catching a six foot long shark. 

BUT.... 

A lot of other guys here target sharks. They LOVE to catch sharks. I see a lot of shark catching reports, and I look at pictures. But I don't post a "Dude, that SUCKS" reply when other people post shark reports. I don't post anything. Why? Because it's not my JOB to "call 'em" like it was Howard Cosell's. 

No need for me to criticize the guys who like catching sharks, and no reason for me to do it either. People didn't come here so I could help them build character by learning to take criticizm, they came here to read and learn about fishing. Only result would be me making a list of people who I've never met that don't like me. And then one day I'd ask a question because I wanted to learn about something, and I'd get a bunch of smart a$$ remarks, and no help. 

I think that's one of the problems with internet forums. The smart a$$ remark thing seems to be contageous. Everybody who gets a couple seems to think they need to pay somebody back by making a few of their own. The only way to fix that is to ignore the guys with the remarks, and don't play with them, and sooner or later they'll stop or go away. Pass the remarks on and turn this into a smart a$$ remark forum, and sooner or later the guys who like and know about fishing will go away.

The internet isn't like the real world - I've never met another fisherman (in person) I didn't like. We always have something in common to talk about. I doubt many people would walk up to somebody on the beach or on the pier that just caught a six inch long fish and say "Dude, that sucks. You should pack up your junk and go home if that's all you can catch". But they'll do it here for some reason at the drop of a hat. Why, I dunno.

My Mom, may she rest in peace, used to say "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I liked my Mom a lot more than I liked Howard Cosell, so I think I'll stick with her advice. Try it, it might work for you too...


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

backrowboypa said:


> After reading all of the prev. posts, it is good to see there are a lot more helpful people here than there are the sarcastic no-help type...that being said, I will be staying on Okaloosa next week and would like to do some fishing. Is there any surf fishing info I can get? Nothing against paying the $$ for the pier, but I have 3 young kids and am going to go out early in the a.m. When the cell ph. rings and they are up, I need to head back and won't return till the evening...and I don't feel like paying $6.50 only to be called back an hour later. Any other places specifically, or just in the surf? Also, bait/rigs...what to use? Thanks in advance for the help...


I don't know much about the surf fishing in FL since there were quite a few good piers around. Most of the piers allow you to re-enter the pier after you've paid your admission up to 24hrs (or midnight, depending) so if you've already paid that day, and have a stamp or bracelet or receipt (or whatever Okaloosa uses), you're good to go all day. 

I've heard that there are pompano and whiting to be caught in the surf. Two hook dropper rigs are the prefered rig of choice, with an appropriately sized pyramid sinker on the bottom. Fresh shrimp has always worked for me. One word on shrimp, though: buy it from the supermarket, Walmart, catch it yourself, whatever you do, don't buy the "bait shrimp" from the bait store. Every place I've been to the "bait shrimp" has always come in the little plastic cups, with the heads and shell on, and have usually turned pink and dry. It falls off on the first cast and the fish don't like it. Besides, if you don't use up the shrimp from the supermarket, you can always eat it ...so buy extra...just in case  

If you decide to fish the pier, use the Gotcha lures like I described in the above post. Buy 2 or 3 from the tackle shop in whatever color strikes your fancy (or, my go-to color: red head/chrome body) and you're set.

Just thought I'd include a pic...just to whet your appetite    Oh, I'm the chunky monkey in the red hat. Next to me is my father. 









Just to show that the Gotchas are the Ultimate All-Purpose Lure: Mahi Mahi from the pier on the same day as the pic above.  Sorry about the black smudge...my dad's camera was having shutter problems at the time.


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## Fisheadgib (Jan 7, 2006)

backrowboypa said:


> After reading all of the prev. posts, it is good to see there are a lot more helpful people here than there are the sarcastic no-help type...that being said, I will be staying on Okaloosa next week and would like to do some fishing. Is there any surf fishing info I can get? Nothing against paying the $$ for the pier, but I have 3 young kids and am going to go out early in the a.m. When the cell ph. rings and they are up, I need to head back and won't return till the evening...and I don't feel like paying $6.50 only to be called back an hour later. Any other places specifically, or just in the surf? Also, bait/rigs...what to use? Thanks in advance for the help...


There are alot of places to fish on the Island . Along Santa Rosa Blvd., there is a public park every few blocks. On Hwy 98 going to Destin, it's all public beach.I prefer the 2 entry points towards Destin as the beach is closer to the road and you don't have to lug your stuff as far. Skipjack hit all day, pompano have been intermittant early and late along with whiting. There is still a bit of june grass making it difficult to fish the surf on occassion. For the last few weeks, there has been a pod of tarpon cruising the pier almost every afternoon. They cause alot of excitement. If you're buying frozen shrimp, Brooks bridge Bait and Tackle is probably the best place to get it. Joe sells live shrimp and the frozen ones are fresh frozen from his tanks. He can usually give a pretty good local report. He's located on the water at the base of the Brooks bridge. (on the island side) If you have any other questions about the area, feel free to post or PM me. I got stationed here 30 years ago and liked it enough to stick around. I'm just starting to get familiar with the area.


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## Fisheadgib (Jan 7, 2006)

I left out spanish and blues. The water is warm and scools of blues have been cruising all over the bay and sound. The foot of the Destin bridge next to the Coast Guard station and the east jetty are the 2 best places to try and get them from shore. Dawn and dusk on a moving tide. The spanish will hit anything shiny, and the blues will hit jigs and cutbait also.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Ok, everyone is going to play nice from now on, and I'm locking this thread as well. Have fun...


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