BlueWater Outriggers Fishing Report 3-7-2026
Catching wind of the latest buzz about the Mexico Beach canal I hurriedly readied my inshore gear that had been sitting dormant for quite some time. I cut off the now rusty jig head and tied on some new leader with a JYG shrimp and a 3/16 ball head jig. I grabbed a few pouches of Capri-Sun, my four-year-old, some toys and threw those items in the truck as well. I had a one-track mind as I reversed out of the driveway and headed towards Mexico Beach going as fast as the law allows.
Now there are some of you that may think it irresponsible to be distracted and, in a hurry, especially with your only child in the vehicle. But for days I had been stuck at work hearing people’s stories about the fish they’re catching. Things had been so slow here locally that I almost convinced myself they must be lying. Then my phone chimes and it’s my uncle, David Payne, sending me an image of a killer red he got in the MB canal. I knew HE was telling the truth because I had just sold him the shrimp an hour earlier. The photo can be seen (above left). Then to add more salt to the wound, he sent me pictures of two nice flounder, a few beefy trout, and a picture of another redfish that some random guy had caught. At this point I’m practically salivating at the mouth wanting to get in on the action, but I was stuck in the office. I went to the computer to check my email and awaiting for me there was a message from a Mr. Greg Holbrook that included a picture of a monster redfish that he just caught in the intracoastal only a few miles from my location. That picture can be seen (above middle). Mr. Holbrook obviously knew what he was doing because the pictures didn’t end there. Oh no! There were more reds, speckled trout, and a very nice sheepshead.
And that’s the way it’s gone this last week, folks. Things have started to take a turn for the better. While it’s important to note that St. Joseph Bay is still slow and needs time to recover, the areas around it like the canals or surf-fishing gulf-side are becoming livelier by the day. Live shrimp are flying out of the store as people gear up to catch some of the increasing numbers of redfish showing up in the surf. Pompano have started to enter the mix as well. I met one nice couple that had three nice ones in their cooler just a few days ago.
And so it was, with all this going on, that I risked life, limb and progeny speeding towards the canal to get in on the action. The setup was perfect. I had an incoming tide with a small stretch of beach I could stand on while keeping an eye on my preschooler. As he busied himself digging a pond in the sand, I excitedly worked on the first strike that happened to be a black drum. Now I knew that the tide was coming in because I could tell the beach was getting smaller; but this fact was unbeknownst to the boy, who was mighty proud of the pond he had created and was looking upon it with a four-year-old's admiration and sense of wonder. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I could possibly have a situation on my hands, I just did not anticipate the full extent of the fallout that was about to occur. In the span of about five minutes, mother nature did as she does and sent a wave atop the boy’s achievement thus erasing it from existence. The crying that ensued I expected, but the longevity of it I was not prepared for; he was inconsolable. “My pond!” He cried. “My lovely pond!” “I want my pond back!” And on and on it went. I had to pack it up before tourists who weren’t aware of the situation thought I was hurting the child. I took his hand and led him slowly back to the truck. He’d turn back towards the scene of the crime about every third step and wail, “My pond!” (He and his sorrow can be seen above right).
As you all know, that’s not the first time the boy has put a halt on one of my fishing expeditions and I’m sure it won’t be the last. As our fishing picks up here in Port St. Joe, I can’t wait to get in on the action and keep you informed every slow step of the way!
-Jeremiah Beasley