BlueWater Outriggers Fishing Report 9-18-2025
Good morning all you fishermen and fisherwomen. It’s been a nice quiet week here in our little town of Port St Joe and if you’re anything like me, that’s just the kind of week you prefer. As we approach the off season the maddening summer crowds and oppressive heat have both started to dwindle, giving us locals some much needed breathing room. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love meeting all the out of towners, especially those that like to talk fishing. The down time is good, however, because it gives us at Bluewater time to re-order supplies and figure out what new products we need to bring into the store. If you’re one of our frequent shoppers and you see that we’re missing out on something, by all means let us know! Speaking of maintenance issues, I noticed while fishing this week that my casts were coming up a bit short. This can be a big deal, especially if you’re not in a boat. The good news is that fixing the issue does not have to be a big deal. Now that things have calmed down in the store, you should bring your reels in and have them topped off. This does not require re-spooling the whole thing, that could be pricey! Simply let us know you want them topped off and we can tie new braid to your old and fill that reel up to the sweet spot. After doing so you will notice you easily add 10 or 15 feet to your casts. It’s a quick and easy process and I promise you’ll love the outcome.
I don’t know what it was about this last week, but the fishing has been good! It is perhaps due to the large amount of bait fish that have shown up. Walking the seawall these last few days I have seen huge schools of LYs and massive wads of small pinfish. With one toss of my small ¼" mesh net I caught hundreds of these great baits. It’s hard to find a fish that will pass up a small LY flitting around with a #6 circle hook attached to him; just like the 26.5” Redfish I landed on Monday evening (above right). It seems like Redfish have been being pulled in all over the place from Indian Pass to Saint Joseph Bay. I’ve even seen some folks bringing in some nice trout as well, with one being a little over 26”.
Sadly, the Gag Grouper season came to an end on Monday. Hopefully you were able to get out there and catch some while it lasted. You weekend warriors can still go out and get some Red Snapper, still open Friday through Sunday. Captain Kenny Mosley of Reel Magic sent in a picture of his haul from last week (above left). Not a bad catch for remaining within 20 miles. I see some nice grouper and mangrove snapper in that mix. Kenny was even able to put his anglers on a bull dolphin that skyrocketed upon realizing he had a hook in him. I don’t know how they got the photo, but it can be seen (above center). Congratulations on that catch Kenny; I look forward to going out with you in the near future!
Folks, it doesn’t matter what kind of fishing you like. If you like pulling in big Reds on an ultra-light here in the bay, or if you like dropping down live pinfish for monsters in the depths, one thing is undeniable; Right now, is a good time to have a line in the water. I wish you all a great rest of the week, and as always, I hope to see you out there!
-Jeremiah Beasley