Captains Report
The Captain's Report
Capt. Dan's running log from the water — regulation changes, season openings, and real conditions across the Panhandle, in plain language you can plan a trip around. No fluff. Just what's biting, what's open, and what's worth your time from Mexico Beach to Destin.
What subscribers can expect
Season & regulation alerts
NOAA and FWC dates — openings, closures, license changes — first, with limits spelled out.
Honest fishing reports
What's actually biting on the reefs, bays, and flats right now.
Booking & timing tips
The quiet windows when the flats fire and the boats don't — plus what to ask for.
5 Family Charters Off the Quiet End of 30A: Dolphins, Scalloping, Shell Island, and More
Everybody's heard of Seaside. Everybody's fighting for a beach umbrella in Rosemary. Meanwhile, an easy drive east — past Panama City Beach, out to Mexico Beach — the water is just as emerald, the sand just as sugar white, and the boat ramps are wide open. If you want your fam...
More
Mark September 1: The 31-Day Gulf Gag Grouper Window Is the Last Big Offshore Harvest of 2026
Circle it on the calendar in permanent marker. September 1 through October 1, 2026 — that's the 31-day federal window NOAA Fisheries has set for recreational gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. For Mexico Beach, Panama City Beach, and the rest of the Panhandle, this is the last...
More
5 Species Eating Right Now Off Mexico Beach — and Why You Have About 10 Days Before the Bite Shifts
Captain's Report — Mid-June 2026, Mexico Beach, FL
More
Panama City Beach in 2026: A Visitor's Guide to Beaches, Boats, and Things to Do Beyond the Strip
You booked the condo. The kids are asking about the beach. Now what? Panama City Beach packs 27 miles of sugar-white sand, a state park most people drive past, and a bay system worth exploring — if you know where to point the car (or the boat). Here's a day-by-day PCB plan for...
More
While the Northeast Chases Stripers, the Panhandle's June Inshore Window Is Wide Open
Up in Jamaica Bay, the docks are buzzing. Striped bass are stacked on the marsh edges and bridge pilings around the Rockaways, and every report from Long Island to Maine is leading with the same fish. Meanwhile, 1,300 miles south, the bays from Mexico Beach to Destin are doing...
More
Mark Your Calendar: Gulf Gag Grouper Opens September 1 — and the Window Is Just 31 Days
NOAA Fisheries just dropped the date Panhandle anglers have been waiting on all summer. Recreational gag grouper opens in federal Gulf waters on September 1, 2026, and closes at the end of the day on October 1. That's a 31-day window. After a 2026 that took red snapper off the...
More
Florida Just Made It Easier to Get a Short-Term Fishing License Online — Here's the 2-Minute Guide for Panhandle Visitors
Good news for anyone heading to Mexico Beach, Panama City Beach, 30A, or Destin this summer: the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has restored online sales of short-term saltwater and freshwater fishing licenses. That 3-day or 7-day permit you used to ha...
More
