Bluewater Outriggers Fishing Report 9-12-2026
With Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, it's time for Port St Joe to do what it does best; and that, my friends, is small-town life on the coast. Gone are the long lines at the fuel pump, gone are the waits at local restaurants and gone are the crowds of tourists at your local fishing hole. It seems as if even the oppressive heat is taking a hiatus, and neighbors, no longer confined to their air-conditioned homes, are out in the street enjoying each other's fellowship. The communities' kiddos are well into their school routine and can look forward to homecoming and a host of other parades held right here on our main street. As I drove through our quiet town this morning, I couldn't help the feelings of nostalgia as our town transitions into the time we all love best.
As stated earlier, I've been seeing a lot more of my neighbors out and about now that we've had a slight relief in temperature. Just yesterday, I found myself with time on my hands and invited my neighbor, Ted Harris, on an impromptu evening fishing trip. While we didn't catch anything worth bragging about, we had a great time dropping live shrimp over structure in about 25ft of water at the entrance to St. Joe Bay. The spot was loaded with good-sized croakers and as a bonus, Ted caught a small flounder, and I got a nice mangrove snapper and a silver trout. Although our catch was not picture-worthy, it was nice coming home with a mess of filets to fry up for dinner.
While the shallower portions of the bay are not like they used to be pre-red tide, anglers are still catching fish. I talked with several clients who made it out there this last week, and they are reporting catches of small speckled trout and some redfish that are on the smaller end of the slot. I always watch what customers are buying in the store, but I do it on the sly. The electric chicken color seems to be the ticket this last week.
There's nothing small about what's going on offshore. Just check out the photos above! Stevie Sewell has been chasing the big ones and he found them. This last week he landed that monster 40" red snapper within 18 miles of Mexico Beach. Venturing further out, he hauled in a nice 29" gag. Stevie is a long-time friend of the family who has recently become obsessed with offshore fishing. I have no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing a lot more from this young man as time goes on. Congratulations on that impressive haul!
Although things are settling down here in the town of Port St. Joe, we never settle down at Bluewater Outriggers. In fact, we have loads of new gear coming in to ensure we have the latest and greatest equipment for your offshore adventure. If you want a fancy new electric reel, we've got you covered. Wanna try your hand at slow-pitch jigging? We've got you covered for that as well. Wanna go catch some croakers with live shrimp? Well, we have all that stuff, too! Come in and see us, and we'll be happy to help you with whatever it is you need for your next adventure.
-Jeremiah Beasley