Rodeo Rod and Reel Report - Aug. 25-29

Pier/Surf

Under sunny and clear skies, the water is rough, clean with a 2-3 foot wave rolling in at the Okaloosa Island Pier. In the last few days anglers have been catching king mackerel, bluefish, redfish, hardtail, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel. An occasional pompano can be found in the surf as well as whiting. Shrimp, sandfleas or jigs work well for bait.

Inshore/Bay

Inshore fishing for speckled trout is slowly picking up. Best time to snag a trout is at night under the dock lights or in the early morning. Best bait is 3-4 inch live croaker and menhaden. Redfish are stacking up around the bridge. Try using a 4-5 inch croaker to catch that redfish. There are a lot of bull shark around Mid-Bay Bridge and Jack Crevalle are showing up on the flats. Try using a plastic for the Jack Crevalle. Mangrove snapper can be found around the bridges.

Offshore/Bottom

Trolling for king mackerel is still good with several hitting the docks in the Summer Open at Harbor Docks over the weekend. Look for photos and results in Saturday's Log. Other suspects hitting the docks include amberjack, mingo, scamp, white snapper, lane snapper, red grouper and gag grouper. Remember triggerfish is closed in federal waters. Those fishing offshore are targeting swordfish, marlin, wahoo and tuna.