Panama City Beach Fishing Report for November 2023*
Welcome back Gulf Coast Sportsmen to another fishing report for Panama City Beach, FL in November of 2023! October is now over which means we have reached the end of Amberjack season for the state of Florida. The good news is, Red Snapper has two open weekends in November on the Florida Gulf Coast so be sure to take the opportunity to catch some. Inshore fishing will continue to see some steady action carrying over from October with trout and redfish. Spanish mackerel have been steady as has surf and offshore fishing. Get a charter guide to get out there and enjoy the cooler weather and great fishing!
Inshore
November in Panama City Beach, FL still has a steady production of redfish. All the bridges and passes have been productive with both redfish and black drum. Live shrimp and piece of cut crab are the most productive but frozen and artificial shrimp can still get a bite. The best is early morning and evening in moving water. Throughout the day, trout and redfish are working dock structure and the flats. Again, moving water and live bait are ideal but twitch baits, and shrimp under a popping cork are productive. Sheepshead are also in the mix as well as flounder.
Offshore
Amberjack and Triggerfish closures have limited some of the bottom fishing around Panama City Beach waterways, but there are still plenty of fish to catch. Vermillion, and mangrove snapper have been abundant. Drop two hook drop rigs with cut squid or cut cigar minnows and anglers should get bites quick. King Mackerel numbers have increased trolling and mahi numbers are steady but will wane soon. Troll Yozuri Lures to entice these fish to want a meal. One of the more important things for the Panama City Beach area and Florida Gulf Coast in general is the upcoming Red Snapper weekends. As of right now, Red Snapper will reopen for the following weekends: Nov. 11-13 for Veterans Day weekend and Nov. 25-27 for Thanksgiving weekend. The same two hook drop rigs above will be a good option with cut cigar minnows or a variety of life bait fish that can be caught around the buoys. Be sure to check the FWC website for size/ bag limit information as well as reporting requirements.
Beaches and Piers
Surf fishing has been down in the Panama City Beach area lately but anglers have still been catching some fish. Pompano, redfish, whiting and a few blue fish have been caught. Live shrimp on the bottom have been productive but frozen shrimp in a brine have been getting a good number of bites. Frozen sandfleas are good as live have been sparse. If those are unavailable to you, it’s back to the cut pieces of fish bites for anglers’ best chance. Some king mackerel have been reported on the pier but the Spanish mackerel have been plentiful. Got-cha lures and mackerel trees.
