BlueWater Outriggers Fishing Report 2-14-2026
Good morning Port St. Joe. Today I write you not from the offices of Bluewater Outriggers but rather, from a secluded cabin in the mountains of Ellijay, GA. That’s right, it was once again time for my annual vacation with my son. On the surface, having to wait 360 days for a vacation seems like quite a long time, but in retrospect, I feel that it truly takes that long in order for you to convince yourself that you will have a “relaxing” vacation filled with many days of “sleeping in” and recharging your batteries. In that span of time, I had managed to completely forget the reality of last year’s trip and brainwash myself into thinking this year would be different. Folks, when you have a four-year-old, there’s no such thing as a “relaxing vacation.” It’s go go go from the second they get out of the car from that 8-hour drive. Lord forbid, if you don’t keep a full itinerary, you’ll end up with a preschooler with cabin fever! Don’t get me wrong, while there is much truth in what I’m writing, and I am more exhausted than when I left, we have had some great times and made some great memories together. The top of the list was taking him to an old general store and buying him a cap pistol, then heading into the woods where I showed him how to build a real campfire and popping shots at pretend grizzly bears (see above middle).
It’s been a better week for fishing in Port St. Joe. With the weather cooperating, Captain Chris Lantz was able to head inland and find the big trout (above left). I think we all know that this time of year that’s what your going to have to do. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that our bay will begin to repopulate with the warmer waters of summer.
The day before I left for the mountains I was able to head offshore with Captain Jake Harpe. It was a bit sporty out there, but we worked our way out to around 40 miles offshore. The bite was a bit slow but we pulled in a variety of species using live fish, cigar minnows, squid, and several vertical jigs. Red grouper were caught, triggerfish, beeliners a bunch of porgies and a nice AJ that rocked Jake’s world when he slammed his jig over a wreck. Jake’s catch can be seen above right!
It looks as if the fishing inshore and off is picking up since the last time I wrote. It’s a good time to get out there and try your luck. While I’m not looking forward to that long drive back tomorrow, I am looking forward to wetting a line in the near future.
It’s been a better week for fishing in Port St. Joe. With the weather cooperating, Captain Chris Lantz was able to head inland and find the big trout (above left). I think we all know that this time of year that’s what your going to have to do. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that our bay will begin to repopulate with the warmer waters of summer.
The day before I left for the mountains I was able to head offshore with Captain Jake Harpe. It was a bit sporty out there, but we worked our way out to around 40 miles offshore. The bite was a bit slow but we pulled in a variety of species using live fish, cigar minnows, squid, and several vertical jigs. Red grouper were caught, triggerfish, beeliners a bunch of porgies and a nice AJ that rocked Jake’s world when he slammed his jig over a wreck. Jake’s catch can be seen above right!
It looks as if the fishing inshore and off is picking up since the last time I wrote. It’s a good time to get out there and try your luck. While I’m not looking forward to that long drive back tomorrow, I am looking forward to wetting a line in the near future.
-Jeremiah Beasley