BigBendFishing.Net

Taking my son to Destin for a soccer tournament this weekend and want to bring along our poles - but not the boat though... Question is this - are there good places to shore fish that any of you know of and are willing to share?

Thanks

I was there on business last summer and was going to buy a cheap combo and hit the shore but never made it out there. The guy at Half-Hitch tackle told me to hit the east bay bridge if you don't mind getting wet. He said if you are heading north away from the gulf pull over before you get on the bridge and there are some grass flats there to the right. Like I said, I never got a chance to get over there and check it out so I am not sure about the access to the flats. He also say not to bother with the mid-bay bridge. Just passing along the info I got. There are a few guys on here that fish over that way and they way chime in with better spots. Good luck and let us know how the fishin goes.

Another suggestion is to drive east a little ways and try the beaches around Grayton Beach. We have had great luck in that area over the years just fishing the surf for pompano, especially this time of year. It may take a little work, but there should be sand fleas in the surf or if you can't find any, use really fresh (eatin' quality) shrimp. I will be trying the same this weekend at St. George Island. Good luck in whatever you try!

Thanks for the feedback.

My son and a couple of the boys from his soccer team fished a lot this weekend between games. They caught many fish and had a GREAT time! We didn't keep any this weekend as I didn't want to deal with cleaning, etc. since we were in Destin for a soccer weekend.

The East jetty(Destin Side) at the pass is a good place to fish from shore. Pack lite though because the walk out there is fairly long and the rocks aren't real easy to walk over. Carry 2 poles or so per person and put other tackle in a backpack to free up your hands. Try to get out near the end and fish the hole near the tower at the end of the jetty. Spanish mackeral, pompano, bluefish, sheepshead, black drum, and several others are available there this time of year.
Another good spot to inshore wade fish is the grass flats along Okaloosa Island. You will see access points to the bay along Highway 98 going over Okaloosa Island. Again you will have to walk some to fish these areas, but not as far as the jetties. You can wade out to waist-chest deep no problem as the bottom is sand and grass. Fish either a suspending soft plastic bait like a saltwater assassin with a belly weighted hook or a suspending hard bait like a Mirrolure Catch 2000 or Catch 2000 JR.

Nathan