Pensacola Bank Fishing
 

Any recommendations on where to fish (aside from the big pay pier), what to throw and what I might be able to catch beside trout and reds this time of year? Will be going in a couple weeks and would like to get my sons some action!

You might want to try around Fort Pickens. It's at the western side of the island adjacent to the pass and the fishing is pretty good there.

Thanks for the feedback, looks like I will definitely try it out

On the fishing bridge you can catch black sea bass and small snapper with pieces of cigar minnow. Your going to have to weed out some catfish though. On the pier they throw gotcha plugs for spanish, and pompano rigs with shrimp around the legs for pompano.

I follow pensacola fishing forum closely and been a couple of times. The place they call 3mb (Three Mile Bridge) is best for bull reds and sharks. The fishing pier (out into the gulf) is my favorite, mostly because it offers the most stuff that you don't get anywhere near shore in LA (except maybe rare occasions): cobia, king mackerel, spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano. Never seen one caught, but there are barracuda hanging out and visible during daylight hours, which is really cool. Being up in the air like that and seeing so many fish is cool. Now there are some folks that frequent the pier that are known as "pier rats" who often behave badly, cursing and being impolite to neighboring anglers. I've never felt the need to fish close to them, and they've never bothered my children or me.

Never fished Ft. Pickens, but it is well known for sharks (at night), reds, and specks.

Ft Pickens. My family has a condo there so I fish it very often. Alternating with and without a boat. On the bank go as far down ft picked with your vehicle then walk to the end get close to the jetties. Bull reds and a few mangros were caught there last week. The specks have been on grass beds depending on where you are staying depends on if you'll be able to get on them with ease. I tend to stay away from the pier just because I'm
Not used to that kind of pier fishing. You need dip nets or a claw to get your catch up to you. I just don't like doing that. The sand bars have been close so you can walk out to the first one and with live pinfish get into deep enough water to catch Spanish and kings. The great thing about Pcola is that you never know what will be on the end of your line.
The pass has been producing great shark bites all day but ft Pickens is a public beach I would recommend not fishing for sharks till afternoon when people have left.
gotcha plugs work great for Spanish mackerel.

Also you don't need to purchase a license if you only fish from the beach pier.

Thanks guys, will have BOGAs and BRAIDs in hand... Along with some Gotchas and #VUDUpinfish

Pensacola Bank Fishing
 

I've fished the pier before and was having fun playing with blues until a gang of Vietnamese guys pushed me aside so they could chunk - they made some off the cuff comments about my baitcasters and the fact that I didn't have a wagon that was the equivalent of a land based bay boat.

Will hit the pier anyway at some point, MG is spot on about seeing all those fish from that height. The boys are going to love it.