Bluewater Outriggers Fishing Report 10-11-2026
Let me just start by saying I sincerely hope you and your families made it through the storm unscathed. I believe it’s safe to assume there were no major casualties or loss of property for those of us in Gulf or Franklin County, but sometimes even small mishaps can be a huge deal for some of us folks. Some years ago, I was living on a boat in Key West (long story) and working at a shoe store right in the middle of Duval Street. I drove an old black Toyota Celica GT convertible that I’d bought for a song and parked it behind the store every day. Well, we had a storm come through one day and the wind blew a coconut off its tree and the thing landed right through my rear windshield. In retrospect, it’s kind of funny; if you have good insurance or plenty of money in the bank, no big deal. But good insurance and plenty of money in the bank were things I didn’t have, and that small coconut crashing through my windshield started a chain of life-altering events. Bluewater Outriggers was closed for two days as we prepared for the storm to come through, but now that we’re open, I’m hearing stories of limbs falling on vehicles and small flooding issues etcetera. If you were the recipient of any of these “small” mishaps, my heart goes out to you, and I pray you have the support and means to right your situation. I was very lucky this time around and my only inconvenience was being without power for around 14 hours. I still don’t have lots of money in the bank, and I have a "hope and a prayer policy" on my truck. I know all too well how high the stakes are for you folks when these storms come through, and I pray you made it through as painlessly as possible.
As author of the Bluewater Outriggers Fishing Report, I hope you can understand the bind I’m in. With all of this Hurricane Isaias hoopla that’s been going on, I don’t have an over-abundance of content with which to create any kind of story. I had been excited because I was given the chance to go out with a charter captain, and I was eager to report on the outcome. But conditions offshore deteriorated rapidly and alas; the trip was cancelled. I spoke with Captain Jake this morning and he didn’t know of anyone that was able to make it out over the last week because of poor sea conditions.
I did have the opportunity to fish the Mexico Beach canal a couple of days before the bottom fell out. And by opportunity, I mean as much of an opportunity allowed in the presence of two preschoolers. As you and Jimmy Buffet may understand, my aforementioned Key West days remain a bit hazy. But I do remember one text conversation I had with my best friend at the time, AJ Hunt. We had both had our share of adult beverages and were feeling mighty sorry for ourselves and some of the decisions we had and were continuing to make in life. I wrote something like, “Don’t worry brother, one day we’ll be responsible parents,” to which he replied by sending me a picture of a pig flying. Well folks, turns out pigs can fly and people can change for the better. Pictured above is my friend AJ Hunt with his young boy Andrew Jr and my son, Rory. They’re holding up a small, speckled trout we let the boys reel in. There were a number of these small guys and decent sized croakers hitting live shrimp tossed into an outgoing tide. Of course the real story is not about the fish, but rather, two individuals' ability to overcome great obstacles and change their lives for the better. It was so good to see my old friend and his son reeling in his first fish. To AJ, I would like to say, we did it, brother. Keep on the good path, my friend; we’ll catch the big ones the next time you’re in town.
That will wrap things up for this week, folks. Let’s thank the good Lord; we made it through this storm with minimal damage and little to no bodily harm. We of all people know how lucky we are. We know what those living where the eye of the storm passed are dealing with and that they will have a long arduous road before them. Let’s pray their recovery is swift, and their community is as great and strong as ours.
-Jeremiah Beasley