In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya takes a different approach with a compilation-style episode built from recent reports across the Emerald Coast. With weather making fresh reports tougher to gather, Joe revisits timely conversations covering the onshore, inshore, and offshore bite from Pensacola to Panama City. The episode covers summer pompano, bull reds in the surf, June grass, sargassum, stained bay water, trout and redfish tactics, topwater and wake bait fishing, early red snapper season strategy, snapper pressure concerns, scamp and mangrove snapper options, a 790-pound bluefin tuna, mahi around grass, swordfish action, and offshore grass problems. This episode features Justin Reed with Justin Reed Fishing, Blake Hunter with Reel 30A, Capt. Evan Wheeler with Pensacola Fishing Charters, Brandon Barton with Emerald Waters Kayak Charters, Capt. Harris Scruggs with Triple B Charters, Capt. Adam Peeples with One Shot Charters, and Capt. Tyler Massey with Hot Spots Charters. Justin Reed and Blake Hunter break down the Northwest Florida surf report, where pompano are still being caught even as June grass, sargassum, rain, and shifting winds make beach fishing more challenging. Justin explains why anglers need to stay mobile, how north winds can help push grass off the beach, and why clean-water pockets may be the difference between catching fish and fighting grass all day. Blake adds a 30A perspective, explaining how dune lake outflows, stained water, sargassum, and an unusual early-summer pattern have affected the pompano bite. He also discusses why summertime pompano often feed better leading up to the full moon, why sand fleas remain important, and how Fishbites can still produce when anglers find clean, fishable water. Capt. Evan Wheeler and Brandon Barton cover the inshore bite, where heavy rain and dirty "root beer" water have made trout and redfish fishing more condition-dependent. Evan explains how rough, stained water and a lack of obvious signs of life force anglers to go back to the basics, including reading birds, bait, wading birds, pelicans, terns, and current lines. He breaks down how different bird behavior can point to pogies, glass minnows, smaller fry, or redfish feeding opportunities, and why lure size and presentation should change based on the bait being targeted. Evan also talks about prospecting with baits like a MirrOlure 17MR and Slick Junior when the visual cues are missing. Brandon Barton adds a kayak fishing perspective from the Pensacola area, where open grass flats, potholes, points, and structure are producing trout and redfish, with topwaters and wake baits both playing a role depending on wind, cloud cover, fish activity, and how committed the strikes are. Capt. Harris Scruggs gives the offshore bottom fishing report, with red snapper season shaping much of the conversation. Harris explains how he approaches the early part of snapper season by fishing known public wrecks before pressure builds, using more traditional tackle early and scaling down later as the fish become more pressured. He also gives a blunt assessment of the long red snapper season, explaining why he believes the amount of pressure could be hard on the fishery. Harris encourages anglers to think beyond simply catching a limit of red snapper, and Joe ties that into a broader discussion about targeting other species such as scamp, red grouper, and mangrove snapper while still expecting to encounter red snapper along the way. Capt. Adam Peeples and Tyler Massey close out the offshore and bluewater side of the report. Adam shares the story of a 113-inch, 790-pound bluefin tuna caught while live-baiting with a blackfin tuna, including the heavy tackle setup, the long fight, the fish dying in 2,200 feet of water, and the hard work required to retrieve it from the bottom. He also explains why crews need to be prepared with block and tackle, a real fish bag or blanket, and plenty of ice if they may encounter a fish of that size. Adam also reports good swordfish action, quality dolphin, blue water, current, and bait, while warning that scattered offshore grass has made trolling difficult. Tyler Massey adds practical mahi advice for fishing larger grass patches, explaining how to pitch baits around the edges, keep multiple rods going, and hold fish around the boat with enough bait in the water. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Sea Tow Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach AFTCO SlipSki Solutions Black Buffalo Hilton's Realtime Navigator Deep South Cranes Pure Flats - Slick Lures
