Going to venture into saltwater for the first time

[phatdaddy]

sax, let me know what local info i can provide for you. boat should be plenty for bay cruisin. where are you staying and where are you looking to launch.
http://www.halfhitch.com/ is a good tackle shop for info and supplies. i have been slacking on the fishing in july & aug we go into scallop & crab mode.
i will be glad to help any time

pd

[Hedge]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

sax, let me know what local info i can provide for you. boat should be plenty for bay cruisin. where are you staying and where are you looking to launch.
http://www.halfhitch.com/ is a good tackle shop for info and supplies. i have been slacking on the fishing in july & aug we go into scallop & crab mode.
i will be glad to help any time

pd

That right there is what makes this board AWESOME

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by Hedge

That right there is what makes this board AWESOME

Bingo!!...

[saxrulez]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

sax, let me know what local info i can provide for you. boat should be plenty for bay cruisin. where are you staying and where are you looking to launch.
http://www.halfhitch.com/ is a good tackle shop for info and supplies. i have been slacking on the fishing in july & aug we go into scallop & crab mode.
i will be glad to help any time

pd

Absolutely awesome. Thanks for the link. I haven't picked anywhere in particular to launch from, I was looking at St. Andrews State park to launch, but I am 100% open to suggestions. I live in alabama, but its an hour and a half drive to PCB.

I am super new to saltwater fishing, went deep sea fishing on a charter a few weeks ago and I was instantly in love. I enjoyed it a lot more than bass fishing which I do 2-3 times a week!

I really need some ideas of where/what I should look for in a fishing spot. What kind of fish are the best to eat from the bay? I will visit that tackle shop as soon as I can for some advice on setups. We just grilled up some scamp and trigger fish I caught from the gulf last week and they were amazing.

I also want to find a chart or list of types of fish around there and legal limits for keepers.

Picture of my boat!

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by saxrulez

Absolutely awesome. Thanks for the link. I haven't picked anywhere in particular to launch from, I was looking at St. Andrews State park to launch, but I am 100% open to suggestions. I live in alabama, but its an hour and a half drive to PCB.

I am super new to saltwater fishing, went deep sea fishing on a charter a few weeks ago and I was instantly in love. I enjoyed it a lot more than bass fishing which I do 2-3 times a week!

I really need some ideas of where/what I should look for in a fishing spot. What kind of fish are the best to eat from the bay? I will visit that tackle shop as soon as I can for some advice on setups. We just grilled up some scamp and trigger fish I caught from the gulf last week and they were amazing.

I also want to find a chart or list of types of fish around there and legal limits for keepers.

OK..here ya go...this will answer all the size limits, what's out there and how to catch 'em...

http://myfwc.com/

Not to mention licensing and other requirements...sorry...gotta do it...

[saxrulez]

Originally Posted by reelapeelin

OK..here ya go...this will answer all the size limits, what's out there and how to catch 'em...

http://myfwc.com/

Not to mention licensing and other requirements...sorry...gotta do it...

Thankfully I'm military so I can get an annual permit for $20 at a tax collectors office. Just have to find some time this week to go grab one.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by saxrulez

Thankfully I'm military so I can get an annual permit for $20 at a tax collectors office. Just have to find some time this week to go grab one.

Invite yer CO to go fishin w/you....you'll get to go all you want!!...take COLD BEER...

...AND i BET YOU CAN GET THAT PERMIT ONLINE...

[phatdaddy]

if you are not staying at the beach, i would try to avoid the state park ramp. it is very convienent tothe pass, but cost about $12 every time you use it. i'm guessing you are coming down from ft rucker and the beach is closer than town, but there are no good public ramps at the beach. you can cross the bridge and there is a ramp of the east side with good parking and easy launch. further in town there is the ramp at the st andrews marina, and a good one at the downtown(panama city) marina. either one of those is going to put you about 3 miles from the pass. right now with all the fish closures in the gulf, about all that is going on is trolling for kings. triggers and bee liners are available, but you need gps & bottom machine to get on the structure. the next big bay thing is the fall run of pompano,flounder, & reds starting about mid sept until mid nov.
i would suggest a fl sportsman chart for this area, gives you a nice overview of the bay and has some pretty good info on bay spots

pd

[Destroyer]

Thank you for your service!! The Airslot is a great boat... built for lake and river cruising. Being a tri-hull it tends to pound a little when in a salt water chop, so sticking to the bay is a good idea. Keep a weather eye on the weather.. a bay can get real ugly real fast due to their shallow nature. Check NOAA website before going out. Extra anchor, cell phone in waterproof bag, bug spray, cooler filled with food and drink. Bimini top is pretty nice to have, but an umbrella will also provide much needed shade. Great looking boat. Welcome to the site

[saxrulez]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

if you are not staying at the beach, i would try to avoid the state park ramp. it is very convienent tothe pass, but cost about $12 every time you use it. i'm guessing you are coming down from ft rucker and the beach is closer than town, but there are no good public ramps at the beach. you can cross the bridge and there is a ramp of the east side with good parking and easy launch. further in town there is the ramp at the st andrews marina, and a good one at the downtown(panama city) marina. either one of those is going to put you about 3 miles from the pass. right now with all the fish closures in the gulf, about all that is going on is trolling for kings. triggers and bee liners are available, but you need gps & bottom machine to get on the structure. the next big bay thing is the fall run of pompano,flounder, & reds starting about mid sept until mid nov.
i would suggest a fl sportsman chart for this area, gives you a nice overview of the bay and has some pretty good info on bay spots

pd

You guys are awesome. Thank you for all the links. PD you just saved me about $16 on boat launch! I think I'll be heading to PC Marina now to launch. I can come down on 231 instead of using 79, should drop me right on top of the ramp. I think this weekend I'm just going to launch and explore a little bit. See what looks like good fishing areas and probably hang out at shell island with the wife for an hour or two.

I have the bimini top and hardware that was on my boat originally but it is in kind of rough shape, I really need to look around and find someone that can repair it and clean it. It has one rip about 6" or so in it. It would be really nice to be able to cruise around in the shade!

The boat was in really really rough shape when I bought it. Had to replace stringers, deck, and transom. Learned that lesson well! It came out pretty nice though and we are very happy with it.