BlueWater Outriggers Fishing Report 7-24-2025
Well folks it’s an exciting morning here in the big little fishing town of Port St. Joe, Florida. I felt the buzz in the air as I walked into the Bluewater Outriggers early this morning and saw customers heading to the registers with armfuls of Ribbonfish gearing up for the 29th annual MBARA Kingfish tournament. That’s right; that time is upon us again. I grew up fishing in this tournament with my uncle and always looked forward to participating in the festivities, especially the Captain’s Party. Speaking of the Captain’s Party, it will be held at the Mexico Beach Boat Ramp Friday, July 25 at 5:00PM. My partying days are well behind me now, but I will be there in a professional capacity and look forward to meeting everyone. Rumor has it, the legendary Jake Harpe will also be in attendance! The actual tournament for the recreational division will begin Saturday, July 26 at 5:00AM. All entries must be weighed in at the Mexico Beach boat ramp by 6:00PM! (Please note all times listed are CDT). I can still remember the excitement of the weigh-in when I was a kid. We’d generally have a decent King caught early off the Tower or the Buoy Line and bring it in around 2:00. Because you’re one of the first people to bring in an entry, your name would go on the board, and you’d think you’re really something, and against your better judgement you’d let yourself begin to think, “What if I really win this thing?” Then inevitably about 45 minutes before the weigh-in closes you’d have someone much like the afore mentioned Jake, roll up in a big F250, leisurely walk to the back, drop the tailgate and pull out what looks like a body bag packed with ice, and produce a King Mackerel so large that it probably feeds on the likes of your fish. And with a quick swipe of the eraser, all your hopes disappear. All but one, that is... there’s always next year! This last week has been a little rough offshore, but it looks as if tournament day will be fishable. Right now, NOAA indicates that Friday we’ll have Southeast winds of 10-15 knots and 2–3-foot seas. That’s not a leisurely day on the water. However, Friday night things are calming a bit and on tournament day it’s predicted 5-10 knot winds out of the Southeast with seas dropping to around 2 feet. That should make it where everyone will get a chance to participate in what I’m sure will be another very exciting tournament brought to you by the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association.
If getting on a boat and pulling lines isn’t your thing, get out there in the bay and have some inshore fun; no boat required! Although it has been hot-hot-hot, I’ve still been able to do alright here in the bay. In my opinion, the flounder bite has picked up a little. Just last night I had the pleasure of fishing with my uncle David Payne and Bobby Everett (see above). While I caught some small flounder, they both got nice keepers wading the intracoastal waters. Earlier that afternoon I tossed some live shrimp around the Marina and got into some Mangrove Snapper. I caught a few Specks under the bridge on an outgoing tide, but they were short. Do keep a watchful eye if you get out deep in the water, I did see a huge gator cruise by just yesterday. While the hot weather has things slowing up a bit, it’s still worth getting out there because with a little persistence you can make it happen. Try avoiding the afternoon heat and get out early in the morning or just towards sunset.
That’s going to do it for this week folks. Remember, with the upcoming tournament, we’ve got you covered at Bluewater Outriggers. Cigar Minnows, Ribbonfish, duster rigs, plugs, you name it, we have it. Good luck to all you tournament anglers; I hope to see you out there!
-Jeremiah Beasley