Capt. John Rivers's Page

Inshore Report:
Last week the red fishing was outstanding. I had a couple of trips where we hooked 20-plus fish on each trip. The fish are ranging from 14 – 30lbs, and the average lengths of the fish are around 33 to 43 inches. These bronze bruisers are a lot of fun to catch, especially on light tackle.

This week we had an upper l… Continue

Well, tropical storm IDA has come and gone, but have no fear, the reds are still here. I had a short 4-hr trip today, and as predicted, the bite was very good. We caught some good fish and fought a few that pulled the hooks, but all in all, had a great day on the water. Today’s biggest fish was around 22lbs, and the fight it gave my client was awesome, especially on light tackle.

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fall and the reds have arrived in full force. It usually takes a few cold fronts to get the reds on the move, but the one that moved in last week was like two cold fronts in one, and it certainly did the trick. I’ve been out a few times this past week, and the bite has been great. To entice the reds to eat, I’m pitching 1 – 2 oz Spro Buck Tail jigs in either white or chartreuse. If I’m anchored up, I’ll use some cut mullet or menhaden Carolina rigged with a 4/ 0 – 5/0 circle hook. When the bite… Continue

Fish on! I’ve heard these two words from many clients the past few trips and I never get tired of hearing them. The Spanish mackerel bite has been very good and should continue to stay this way for the next 6 weeks. Most of the Spanish are being caught in the middle of the bay; they are crashing large bait pods of blood minnows and glass minnows. We are also catching some in the pass and along the beaches.

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With all the rain we had last week here on the panhandle, the water is very muddy both in the upper bays and in the pass. It will take a couple of weeks to clear up before it’s back to normal. However, even though the water is dirty, the fishing has still been pretty good. I’ve been out in the pass a couple of times fishing the rock jetties for black snapper, and the bite was great. We pulled in some nice black snapper for the ice chest, and we also hooked up a couple of nice slot redfish. On th… Continue