Port St Joe

Im headed down to Port St Joe for a few days twards the end of September, I trying to decide If I want to take My 17' center console or just hire a guide. I'll only be there for 3 or 4 days and have never fished the bay down there. I have fished off shore out of mexico beach a few times. whats Yalls opinion ?

Does it have to be one or the other? Can't hire a guide on day one then fish your remaining days out of your cc?

jeremyledford said:

Does it have to be one or the other? Can't hire a guide on day one then fish your remaining days out of your cc?

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I was thinkin that too. I have no clue where to fish or how

bilgerat said:

I was thinkin that too. I have no clue where to fish or how

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I can't be of much help as I have very limited knowledge of that area. I have however done well around the bridge there on flounder and trout dragging a carolina rigged bull minnow or finger mullet.

What I would do is take my boat and try to soak up everything you can from the inshore guide on day 1 and use that knowledge for the rest of the stay.

If that isn't working and you have a calm day kings and spanish can be caught out of mexico beach right on the other side of the buoy line. White trout can be caught on shrimp, squid or cut bait if you anchor by the buoys and fish a bottom rig right beside them. Also should be some tarpon roaming the beaches early and late.

Take the boat and fish every day!
There is good fishing for every style and boat style possible.
The southern third of the bay is very shallow with deeper channels running through to give access to the flats (reds and trout). The water is super clear due to no freshwater river coming into the bay. Only a spiral of land nearly encircling the bay. If your boat is not that shallow, the flats close to the northern tip of st.joe peninsula (pompano) are very accessible as they are close to deep water. Channel markers and buoys near there hold fish (flounder), as does the outflow of the canal under the bridge and a few spots near there.
If it's calm enough, a deeper V 17 foot or may be able to make it out to the shipping channel markers outside (kingfish) or even the MBARA reefs.
The spiral of land means there's always some calm water in some portion of the bay, no matter the wind direction.
I fish the bay from top to bottom and the beach first mile or two outside the point in my 18 foot flat bottom tunnel hull aluminum boat. But the wind can dictate when and where.
Indian pass is also very close. Full of oyster bars, Reds, trout, drum, and tripletail. The dirty water, oyster bars and current are the complete opposite scenario of st.joe bay.
Surf fishing also good. Better along The westward facing part of the peninsula as opposed to the southern part facing the south IMHO.
More fishing available there than you could do in a week or two.
Take the boat! Send us a report!

At the end of September, the big redfish should be piling into the channels in the bottom third of the bay...
Not much else to do in st.joe other than fish anyway!

If you can chum and castnet LY's (alewives) on the edges of some of the larger grass flats, you will have the best bait for the trout and reds.

bilgerat said:

I was thinkin that too. I have no clue where to fish or how

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Standard inshore tactics will apply. Without the LYs, I would start with some live shrimp under popping corks around the grass flat edges and potholes. The potholes can be good on low tide, but sometimes harder to access than the channels which are also good on low tide. Use live shrimp on Carolina rigs in the channels especially if you can find a couple of the spots the structure in the channel (prolly need side-scan...). The pin fish and trash fish may keep you busy. When they do, put on a tiny hook With a quarter inch or half inch piece of shrimp and try to catch a few of the pinfish. Live pin fish or cut pin fish or cut ladyfish will make great bait.
Jigs with the front 3/4 of a shrimp threaded on backwards make good flounder bait (sand edges along THE* grass Flats especially near drop offs) as do the jig heads with a white or white and chartreuse gulp Ripple mullet (swimming mullet?).

EDIT-*sand along the edges of grass, esp. near or along dropoffs...

We always use Presnells marina (sp?) and have a great trip. Catch em by the dozens everytime. They cut em all up too and bag em for us. Id take a boat if I knew the area I like fishing at my pace guides are a little high strung lol.

Thanks Yall, we decided to get a guide for the first day and then fish My boat the rest of the trip. any recommendations for a good guide?

bilgerat said:

Thanks Yall, we decided to get a guide for the first day and then fish My boat the rest of the trip. any recommendations for a good guide?

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Capt Kenny with doghouse charters. I've fished with him once but it was an bottom fishing trip. We loaded the boat. Had a great experience and have heard a lot of good things about him both with inshore and offshore fishing. He may be booked out but i'd give him a call and try.

PM coming...

1eyefishing said:

PM coming...

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Have a look at Perfect Cast Charter.

Good decision about a guide for one day. I frustrated myself in the bay until I went out with a guide about 10 years ago. It made all the difference in the world.

I can say when I was in MB last October I took my little 15' aluminum V-hull out of the MB canal about 1/2 mile past shore. Was getting nearly INSTANT bites as soon as I dropped the line. Mostly trash fish, but was fish nonetheless.

Was a white knuckle ride when it started to get choppy.

Went to Highlands (port st joe) and fished a 1 mile from the bridge, nothing. Went in the canal. Nothing. Maybe wrong time of the day? wrong area? IDK.

Next time I go will be taking the 19' center console....will be MUCH safer a mile or so offshore in decent weather.

--I've pondered the same thing --- hiring a guide.

Keep us posted.