There’s more to a day on the water in Panama City Beach than just soaking up the sun! Our vibrant bays, rivers and the Gulf are known for being some of the richest fishing grounds around with easy access to deep water for offshore angling and a wide array of inshore fishing opportunities. Whether you want to bottom fish, spear fish, fly fish or simply cast a net, there are a variety of local companies with professional guides that can outfit your perfect Panama City Beach fishing adventure.

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Types of Panama City Beach Fish

Amberjack: Known as hard pulling fish, amberjacks can be found on near-shore wrecks and bottom structures and reeled in with bait, lure or fly.

Bluefish: Found in large schools near shore often with groups of Spanish Mackerel, this aggressive species is a lot of fun to catch!

Bonito: A type of small tuna, fast swimming bonito can be found very close to the shallow beaches or the inshore bay waters.

Cobia: One of the tastiest fish to eat from the Gulf, cobia, also known as ling or lemonfish migrate through Panama City Beach in the spring. Spotted cruising the sandbars, anglers use different lures, baits and flies to reel them aboard.

Flounder: A challenging fish to hook, flounder can be found year-round but are easiest to catch in the fall when they spawn by passes and near shore wrecks.

Jack Crevelle: A hard fighting fish, jacks are caught off the shallow beaches in early spring after moving inshore from their winter homes along the wrecks.

King Mackerel: One of the largest of the mackerel family at 30-40 lbs. full grown, kings are a favorite catch for many area charter captains.

Pompano: Another tasty Gulf fish, pompano can be caught beach fishing during the spring with flies and jigs.

Redfish: Fish for juvenile redfish in the back bays and flats of St. Andrews Bay or find larger fish or “bulls” in and around the Panama City Pass.

Red Snapper: A standard reef/wreck species, red snapper are bottom dwellers whose population is closely monitored by the Florida Fisheries Department and can only be harvested during a short summer season (June 1-July 15).

Sheepshead: Sheepshead arrive in early spring and are found gathering along jetties and bridges where they spawn and breed.

Spanish Mackerel: Found in early spring in both the beaches and the bays, these fish can be spotted in large masses flipping on the surface.

Speckled Trout: Local sea trout can be reeled in with lures, flies or live bait and often gather in the water waters of the bays.

Tarpon: Local tarpon are seasonal and migratory, coming inshore in the spring and caught by sight fishing from the tower of a bay boat.

Tripletail: A flaky white fish that is good to eat, tripletail are difficult to find and have a distinctive habit of laying on their side while floating on the surface.

(Source: Shallow Water Expeditions)