Panama City Fishing

[ferrarifish]

Hey. I am heading down to Panama City, Florida for spring break. I am not really sure whether or not I will have time to go fishing, but I was looking into it. I figure that there are no better people to ask for advice than you folks. Any advice about spots (I don't want to spend a fortune) or species that would be better to target than others would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

Nate

[Tippecanoe Fly Fishers Admin]

Man I could tell you all sorts of stories about my spring breaks at Panama City Beach. However none of them relate to fising or fit into the "family" eviroment of these boards.

[rstaight]

I have hired guides in the Sarrasota area. You can expect to pay $300 plus tip for a 4 hour trip. With most of them that includes license, tackle, bait, and up to 2 people. Some may even be 3 people. At spring break it may cost even be more.

Just get on line and do a search for fishing Panama City Florida. See what you can find. If you find something, make few phone calls or send some emails. The guide captains will be more willing to answer any questions.

You may even want to check the "party boats", you can probably get on one of those for about $50 or less.

[krebsie]

Nate
Don't want to rain on your parade but! Yep there's always a but in the crowd. If your just getting started fly fishing I wouldn't recommend paying a guide. It will be a very frustrating day for you, and for him. I would recommend you learn how to cast, and cast well. Learn how to double haul, and definitely learn how to strip strike, before you spend that kind of money for a day fly fishing. There's nothing more frustrating than to have a guide put you on a great fish and you can't get the fly to him. This is experience talking! Most salt water species require that you strip strike to set the hook. This doesn't sound like much but I've seen it time and time again, dude gets a great strike and he lifts the rod, line goes tight, then the fish just spits out the fly.#$^@^ is usually the next comment.
I would be willing to give you some casting lessons when it gets warmer. You could come to my place and we'll cast into the pond. Sorry there's no fish left, but we still have water. Dave McCullough is a certified casting instructor and there are several guys in the club who are very good at casting. You just hang around with us for a while and we'll turn you into a freak, just like us!!!!!!
Krebsie

[Tippecanoe Fly Fishers Admin]

Rick makes a good point. It really depends on what sort of fishing you want to do. If you are wanting to get big fish then you should get a guide. If you just want to catch fish, then a party boat can be fun and much cheaper.

One thing to think about is what sort of place are you staying at. Are you you wanting to cook the fish that you caught?

When I was in the Keys on our Honeymoon, we couldn't afford a guided trip. Carol and I fished most of the day on a party boat for about $100. This covered pretty much everything including a good tip for the first mate. The good tip got our fished cleaned for free and directions to a bar that would cook them up for us.

If you are willing to travel to Destin, Flordia I can get the name of the guy My uncle uses every year. looks to be about a 20 to 30 minute drive up the coast. I know they catch fish, but I also know they aren't fly fishing.

[phishphinder]

Krebs, What happened to your fish?

[ferrarifish]

Thanks, folks. All of your advice is very helpful. Les, I may ask to hear those stories at minis tomorrow. I am still not positive about the details of the trip yet. You have definitely helped me to narrow down what I may want to pursue.
Thanks again.
Nate

[Tippecanoe Fly Fishers Admin]

I might not make it to minis tomorrow

[krebsie]

phish
I was the guide! Or maybe I should say I was guiding the boat!