By Pam Anderson, Capt. Anderson’s Marina
School may have started, but the fishing fun continues. Red Snapper and Amberjack will both be open through August 24 at midnight. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to catch that ‘big one’ and take it home!
Grand Lagoon marinas offer many different fishing trips for you to enjoy, from small guide boats that take 2 to 4 passengers to charter boats taking 6-20 passengers, to 90’ head-boats that fish 85 passengers. All offer great opportunities to catch your favorite fish at prices you can afford!
Anglers are still coming in with some really nice Red Snapper, Mangrove (Black) Snapper, and Vermilion Snapper, as well as many other species, and we expect the catching will continue.
This summer, besides all the bottom or reef fishing, we have seen a lot of King Mackerel coming in on the charter boats and guide boats. They are really fun fish to catch.
Besides some great offshore fishing, the 10 Guide Boats here at Capt. Anderson’s Marina offer some fine inshore fishing for Redfish (Red Drum) and Trout. Our guides are some of the best in NW Florida, so if inshore fishing is your thing, be sure to check them out in person or online.
Private charter boat captains have routinely provided some of the best catches of reef fish and migratory fish like Spanish Mackerel and King Mackerel. They are always fun to catch and great eating too! Occasionally you can hook into a nice Wahoo — and you’ll find out how it got its name! What fun!
Our PCB Fishing Rodeo is starting September 22, so be sure to enter your boat, kayak, or get your charter and guide boat booked. Everyone wants to be a winner and there are plenty of winners in this Rodeo! The Rodeo runs through October 8 and ends with the Pirates of the High Seas Fest!
Have you planned your Fall and holiday events yet? It’s not too soon to book the Event Center. If you haven’t seen this beautiful venue, check it out at the 360* Tour online captainandersonseventcenter.com. Weddings, seminars, retirement parties, anniversaries, and other events can be customized just for you.
The Panama City Boatmans Association has worked for years with different recreational fishing organizations, one of which is American Sportfishing Assoc., or ASA. They send Action Alerts through Keep America Fishing, to let anglers know of issues that will impact their access to the fishery. The Rices Whale is one of these issues.
For the restricted area, see the map at: https://asafishing.org/advocacy/policy-updates/recreational-fishing-and-boating-community-opposes-vessel-speed-restrictions-in-the-gulf-of-mexico-calls-for-collaboration-in-conserving-rices-whales/. This alert is not only important to anglers but to anyone who uses the Gulf for commercial or military use. NOAA has announced that they have discovered this ‘new’ whale or one they thought was extinct and want to stop boating traffic or any other activities that may impact these whales.
In particular, they want all boat traffic and military use to stop if one of these whales is sighted. They want all traffic going through this area of the Gulf to not exceed the speed of 10 knots. They want this area closed to all traffic between sundown and sunrise. This means fishermen, commercial and recreational, yes. But this also means commercial cruise lines, all freight and oil tankers, and military operations. There will be a huge negative economic impact on the entire Gulf. And, they believe there are only about 50 of these whales out there.
Our Bay County Chamber is working diligently with all concerned to find a responsible answer to this dilemma. Let our legislators know your opinion on this issue or suggest a reasonable resolution to protect these whales while preventing such a negative economic impact on all concerned.
More info on all the great opportunities in the Grand Lagoon area can be found at www.grandlagoon.com.
When planning your fishing trip, remember Capt. Anderson’s Marina… home to 3 large Head-boats, 35 private Charter Boats, 10 Guide Boats, and 4 Dive Boats… and Shell Island/Dolphin Cruises. Our main fishing and cruising season here is March 1 through October 31, but many charter and guide boats offer fishing trips all throughout the winter.
Capt. Anderson’s Marina…Where the fish are always biting and the kids are always smiling. Visit us on the web at www.CaptAndersonsMarina.com.
