Share your catch

Panama City Beach Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Piers, passes and St. Andrews: the Panhandle's family beach hides a serious inshore and pier fishery on both sides of the sand.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 5:18 AM
Air / High
81 / 88 F
Wind
E 8 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8729152, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Panama City Beach serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 88. Tides: high 3:56 AM, low 3:47 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 86 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8729152 (Panama City (Alligator Bayou)). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:56 AM2.0 ft
LOW3:47 PM0.2 ft
Sat
HIGH5:18 AM2.0 ft
LOW4:51 PM0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low88 / 77 F
WindE 8-11 mph
Pressure1013.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 36%
Sunrise / Sunset06:21 / 19:02
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 88/77 F, wind 11 mph, rain 36%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Panama City Beach: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Panama City Beach calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Panama City Beach today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 94 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 95 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Florida requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Florida saltwater license (free shore-based registration option: check FWC). Pier fishing covered by pier passes at the two piers.

Access

Russell-Fields and M.B. Miller piers (fee), St. Andrews State Park jetty and launches, bay ramps at multiple parks.

About this water

Beach town on St. Andrew Bay and the Gulf, Bay County, FL. Family resort with a working pass fishery.

Fishing Panama City Beach: the full guide

Two piers, one pass

PCB fishes from its bookends: the Russell-Fields and M.B. Miller piers put anglers over the Gulf's green water (kings, Spanish, cobia in spring, pompano in the surf between), while St. Andrews Pass on the east end funnels everything between the Gulf and the bay: redfish in the rocks, sheepshead in winter, tarpon shadows in summer.

The bay behind the beach

St. Andrew Bay is the quiet half: grass flats near the pass hold trout and reds year-round, the deeper bay ledges stack fish in winter, and the shipping channel's edges produce when summer heat pushes the flats bite to dawn. Kayak and skiff water in every wind: the beach crowd rarely finds it.

Spring watch, fall blitz

April's cobia run made PCB famous: pier and tower-boat crews scan for browns cruising the bar. Fall answers with the redfish and Spanish blitzes as glass minnows pour along the beach: October mornings can be a bird-marked buffet from the sand. Summer belongs to pier kings at dawn and bay trout before the jet skis wake.

St. Andrews State Park

The park's jetty and channel-side beach are the region's best boatless station: the rock groin holds sheepshead, reds, flounder, and passing pelagics, with the channel's deep water a cast away. Arrive early in season: the parking is the only thing that fills faster than the stringers.

Common questions

Which PCB pier should I fish?

Both fish the same water: Russell-Fields (city pier) draws slightly bigger crowds; M.B. Miller (county) runs quieter. King and cobia chances are equal: pick by parking and mood.

Where can kids catch fish in Panama City Beach?

The piers' mid-rail (Spanish, hardtails, pompano season) and the St. Andrews jetty's protected side: constant action water. The bay's grass edges add trout for a first-skiff trip.

Is fishing good at Panama City Beach right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Choctawhatchee Bay36 miDestin44 miApalachicola Bay59 miNavarre65 miLake Seminole74 miLake Talquin75 mi
Share your catch