Emerald Coast Fishing Excursion

Hot Mackerel Bite and lots of redfish!

Capt. Brant Peacher — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:20:14 +0000

The fishing has been outstanding over the last few days. The mackerel bite has been very consistant every morning. I like to start my clients out with a few smoker kings then come inside the bay and let them pull on some big reds, flounder, and trout.

We started my last two trips out by leaving shoreline park at 6:45. We headed straight to the pass to catch threadfin herring. They are plentiful right now. Any small sabiki rig works great. After filling the live well with bait we headed out to a few near shore wrecks east of the pass to fish for kings. It didn’t take long before it was game on with smoker kings. After catching our limit we came inside the bay and dropped croaker and bull minnows down on a few wrecks and caught as many redfish as we wanted. The bite has really been good. I have been ending my trips by taking my clients to my snapper, grouper, and flounder holes in the bay. I really hope the fishing stays this good throughout the summer!

Capt Brant

Snappers and Kings with Captain Brant 4/10/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:41:34 +0000

I ran a crew from Kentucky yesterday. We had a great time from start to finish. The plan was to head offshore and catch a few kings, then come in and fill the boat with sheeps and flounder. The king bite was fair. We caught one 15lber and had the hook pull on a decent fish. Once the sun got up the bite turned off so we made our way to the bay for some bottom fishing.

When we arrived at the pass we found the tide so strong that we were unable to fish. I had forgotten that we were on a full moon tide. We decided to try some mackerel fishing in the bay instead. Two days ago we lost a 30 plus pound fish in the bay and saw three more sky on the large schools of threadfin. We put a couple baits out and had a few good runs but couldn’t get the hook in them. We did manage to pick up for or five spanish along the way.

The last part of the trip I took them to some bay snapper and grouper holes to
let them fight some big fish on light tackle! It was a trip watching them tackle
a 6lb snapper on light line. After catching a few bay bottom fish we called it
day.

The crew was truly a pleasure to fish with and a I even got an invite to the Kentucky derby in May!

Capt B

Smoker Kings and lots of Spanish 4/6/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:58:35 +0000

I guided a group on a two boat trip with my good buddy Tyler Manning of Fish Flat Out charters. The weather was a little iffy so the plan was to get out early and get our fish before the bad stuff hit. We left the dock at 7am and headed for some near shore wrecks that have been holding lots of king Mackerel. This morning the king bite was on fire! I couldn’t put a bait out the back without hooking a mackerel. We caught 4 kings and lost 3 in the first hour. The crew had a blast battling big kings!

After boating several nice fish we headed inshore to catch some sheepshead, snapper, and grouper. The Snapper and grouper bite was great! The kids all had a blast reeling in nice bay snappers. The rains came and we had to head in. All in all it was a great morning.

Capt Brant

Big Bull Reds in The Shallows! 3/29/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:54:02 +0000

Today I guided a group of four guys on an awesome trip in Pensacola bay. Not only did we catch lots of fish but we got to experience a blue angels air show while we fished. We were blessed with great weather and a perfect tide so I knew today would be good. We started the trip putting some sheepshead and flounder in the boat. After the guys had enough fish for dinner it was time to search for some monster reds. I have just recently found a bank that has been holding some of the largest reds I have ever seen. Most of the fish are 50in long or better. I had high hopes that the reds would be there today and I was right!

As we approached the bank I saw 5 big fish sunning on top of the water. I pitched a 5″ white gulp jerk shad to them and they quickly denied my offering. Sometimes in very clear water the fish like a darker bait so I changed to a 4″ natural gulp shrimp. The first cast with the new bait we hooked a monster red! 20 minutes later we had a 51″ redfish boat side. It took all three boys to battle this monster on light tackle. Way to go guys! We released the fish and went searching for the school again. We ended up catching several more monsters and pulling the hooks on a few as well. After fighting redfish all morning it was time to go in. I had to get to the dock because I had an afternoon trip starting at 1.

Great weather, great clients, and lots of fish, made for a very good morning!

Capt B

3/28/12 Eventful Morning for Husband and Wife

Capt. Brant Peacher — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:38:00 +0000

Today I guided Vickie and her Husband on some inshore action in Pensacola bay. The plan was to put 10 or 12 Sheepshead in the box for the fying pan then go and attempt to get a mixed bag of Spanish Mackerel and Redfish. We started the trip pitching baits to a deep water wreck that holds lots of good fish this time of year. Vickie was the first to hook up with a monster 8lb Sheepshead! For a solid hour the action was on fire! After getting our fill of big Pensacola bay sheepshead, we headed to a bank where I have been catching a bunch of spanish every trip. We put two trolling rigs out and starting trolling a deepwater ledge. It didn’t take long before we had the first fish in the box. We quickly boated 5 or 6 fish and then went to the redfish docks. The docks were good today! Most of the fish were between 18 and 25in. We quickly put 3 keepers in the boat and headed in. What a quick and eventful morning!

Both clients were great people and it was a pleasure having them on the boat!

Capt B

Monster Reds in Pensacola Bay – 3/14/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:59:39 +0000

On this particular trip I guided Eric who was a very experienced bass fisherman from Tennessee. My goal was to get him hooked up with a few big Pensacola Bay redfish. I found out quickly that Eric was a very good caster which is something that is a must when targeting shallow water redfish. We started the day off putting a few sheepshead in the box just have some fish to take home. After an hour or so of bottom fishing it was time to go search for some big fish in the shallows.

I rigged Eric up with a 1/4oz Marshworks jig head and a 4″ natural berkely gulp shrimp. We put the tallon down in about 5 ft of water on a sandbar that has been holding a small school of hungry reds. It wasn’t long before I spotted a pair swimming right at us. Eric made a perfect cast and instantly hooked up on what looked to be a monster fish. After a 10 minute fight on light tackle he landed a 28lb bull red. This was one of the biggest reds I have put in my boat all year. We spent the rest of the afternoon chasing these big fish in the shallows. We boated several more fish before we called it a day. It was a pleasure to have such an experienced angler on the boat.

Capt Brant
www.captainbrant.com

Beautiful Afternoon and Hungry Fish! 3/13/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:31:39 +0000

I guided Jessica, a repeat customer of mine and her three friends on a gorgeous March afternoon in Pensacola Bay. The goal was to load the box with sheepshead then target some big redfish for the girls to have fun with. The sheepshead bite was on fire all afternoon. We started on a shallow bank in 25ft of water catching at least two fish every drift. We put 12 fish in the boat very quickly then went to search for some reds. The redfish were a little scarce this particular afternoon. We only saw two are three fish that turned down our offerings. After searching for an hour with no success I took my clients to an inshore wreck that typically holds redfish, sheepshead, and grouper. On the first drift we hooked into a nice red but pulled the hook. O well! That’s fishing! The rest of the afternoon we couldn’t get our bait past the sheepshead to the bigger fish. I don’t think I have ever seen the sheepshead as thick as they were on this particular afternoon. None the less it was a beautiful day on the water with much success. The girls were great clients and did an outstanding job!

Light Winds and a Great Tide Produce Big Fish 3/5/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:07:53 +0000

On Monday I had a very exciting trip with a new client named Russ, who was a very experienced angler. This was a rare fishing trip because Russ was very capable of doing everything himself, which gave me the opportunity to fish with him. This made the trip very enjoyable for me because it’s not often that I get to fun fish on a charter. Russ has fished all over the gulf coast but this was his first experience in Pensacola. Being from Texas, he was not use to the deepwater fishing that we do in our area. Texas, is a very unique fishery. Most of the bay fishing is done by wading. Guides will pick up their customers and then drop them off at a spot and they will wade fish for the majority of the trip. Pensacola is such a small, deep water, bay system that we have to stick to a different style of fishing in order to consistently put our clients on fish. We were not blessed with a shallow water fishery as good as Texas or LA so I was eager to show Russ a different type of bay fishing that was not the norm for his area.

On this particular trip we were greeted with light winds, clear skys, a great tide, and hungry fish. The first hour or so of the trip we kept pulling the hook on good fish that we would hang. I knew if we stuck with it our luck would change. The last hour or so of the trip, Russ and I both put a number of quality redfish in the boat. Russ was a pleasure to fish with and I really enjoyed showing him a new experience.

Capt Brant
www.captainbrant.com

Grandfather and Grandson make Memories in Pensacola Bay 3/4/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:39:17 +0000

On Sunday, March 4th, I had the pleasure of guiding Gary and his grandson on an early morning trip in Pensacola bay. I was a little concerned at the start of the trip because the wind was gusting to almost 30 MPH and we were faced with 7 miles of open bay to cross before we reached our fishing destination. The crew was eager to catch some fish, so we made the decision to brave the nasty weather and started our journey across Pensacola bay. We finally reached our spot which was blocked by the strong north wind so the fishing conditions were very comfortable. It didn’t take long before the incoming tide started producing fish. Gary was the first to hook up and landed a monster bay snapper and his grandson followed closely behind him with a healthy, 32 inch redfish! The action stayed solid for the next couple of hours. We had to cut the trip short because Gary had a long drive back to Texas! He was down visiting his grandson who was stationed at NAS Pensacola. It was a pleasure getting the opportunity to help a grandfather and grandson make some great memories in Pensacola Bay!

A Drag Screaming End to a Great Month 2/29/12

Capt. Brant Peacher — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:11:14 +0000

Yesterday, was the last day of the month and I decided to make it extra special by running a double trip. This was the first decent weather day we have had in over a week, so, I figured it would be a great way to make up for several recent weather cancelations. Not only was the weather decent but the tide was very good too. I had high hopes for these trips since the conditions were just the way I like them.

I met the first group at Shoreline park around 8am. Everyone had downed their morning coffee and were eager for some drag screaming fun! We headed toward the pass for the first part of the trip to do some deep dropping. The very first drop my client hooked into something BIG! after a 10 minute fight he landed a monster bay grouper. This was the largest bay grouper ever landed on my boat. This got the monkey off our backs early. The second drift we caught a perfect 27in redfish. My thoughts were this is going to be an epic day! After a hot start the bite slowed for a bit. We grinded it out and managed a handful of big sheepshead, and some nice snapper. The redfish bite never turned on like I thought it would. O well, that’s fishin!

For the last part of the trip I decided to move to some docks that I caught some nice reds on just last week. The conditions were perfect for dock fishing and yet again I had high hopes for catching redfish. When we arrived at the dock I noticed something very strange for the area I was fishing. The water looked like sweet tea and was covered with a white foam like substance on top. I knew right away that this area had encountered too much fresh water from the previous weeks rain. We pitched docks for 10 minutes without a bite and then called it a day. I took my guys back and cleaned their fish and prepared for my afternoon trip. I really enjoyed fishing with this group of guys and I hope their Pensacola fishing experience was enjoyable!

My afternoon crew were repeat customers that I had a great time with on the water the week before. We headed back out to the pass to see if the redfish bite would turn on. We drifted several times catching red snapper on each drift. Finally, my client Dave, hooked up on a big fish. After a 5 minute battle he landed a nice 10lb red snapper. We caught red snapper all afternoon until the tide turned. When the tide turned the snapper bite shut off. I had a good feeling the outgoing tide would produce some bull reds. I was right! We just had trouble landing them:) We ended up hanging 3 monster bull reds and the hook pulled on all three of them. None the less I had another great time with Dave and his wife. They were great people to have on the boat.

After a long day a long day on the water it was time to go home and grab a beer and a hamburger!

Capt Brant
www.captainbrant.com