BlueWater Outriggers Fishing Report 8-14-2025
If you were to head to the boat ramp right now and gently place your ear to the pavement you could hear a slight hum, much like listening for the peaceful sound of the ocean in a sea shell. But this said, “hum,” is not the melodic sounds of waves crashing on the shore, rather, it originates from the vibrations of the tires of the droves of vehicles heading south on 85 toward our little town. ‘Tis the calm before the storm as they say. That’s right Port St. Joe, it’s the start of scallop season. I hope you got your “relaxing” in on the water this last week because the bay is about to look like a regatta on steroids. Chris Bell, the manager at Bluewater, has been readying the troops to prepare for the onslaught of customers that will inevitably be hurrying in to pick up the must have scalloping equipment. Myself, a veteran of such events will be present early to rouse our newer employees Bruce and Shaydon who, as we open our doors, may look like an unnerved soldier getting ready to deboard a LCVP on Omaha Beach. The point is, Bluewater Outriggers is ready. Whether it’s dive flags, masks, fins, snorkels, scallop bags...we’ve got it covered, and we’ll be working hard from 6AM to 7PM to keep our inventory replenished throughout the day.
If you’re not going to join in the maddening crowds, perhaps you could launch from Mexico Beach for a little offshore fun this weekend. NOAA is forecasting some pretty light seas starting this Friday through Monday with waves predicted to be one foot or less. Despite the rough conditions last week, Bluewater’s Legend did make it out on a short run. He nailed a few Kings on top and of course didn’t leave without some triggers to make his “legendary” fried triggerfish tacos. Be sure to ask him about that! There were a few others that made it out for triggerfish as well and there have been a good bit of Cobia dropping by for a boat inspection that ended up getting caught.
For me personally, these last few days fishing the bay and intracoastal waterway was a bit lackluster. There were still fish to be caught but I was a bit put off by the murky conditions all the rain has stirred up. I hit the intracoastal waters on Monday and Tuesday evening and really caught nothing worth bragging about. I did however see some absolutely massive Tarpon rolling on top of the water. It’s funny how when I see those monsters surface I can’t help myself and try to throw my 1/10 oz soft plastic in their direction like they’d even bother with a 2” shrimp or like I’d stand a chance with my $30 Tsunami rod and some 12lb test ( I recently lost my nice ultralight rod to a not so ultralight fish). On Wednesday, I did make it to the back of the bay and headed out around the kayak launch on the Cape. There was a lot more action in that neck of the woods. The water was murky there as well, but the fish still made there way to the TRD GobyZ I was throwing at them. I landed some specks and a small redfish in the short amount of time I had there. Bluewater’s Tom Gannaway caught a nice red this last week that put mine to shame. The picture can be seen above. This upcoming week will certainly prove challenging for angler’s in the bay. I’d expect long wait times at the boat launch and I’d plan on your favorite grass patches to have scallop crazed snorkelers all over them. Folks, please don’t think I’m putting down you mollusk hunters. I can’t wait to meet you at the store and help you get outfitted for your trip. It’s just that I’m a fisherman at heart, and as Rhett Butler might say, “Frankly Scallop, I don’t give a clam.”
That’s it for this week folks. Good luck and stay safe; I hope to see you out there!
-Jeremiah Beasley