Nearly all of the shrimp that are sold in Pensacola and other nearby towns are transported from other areas, often as far away as central Florida. Believe it or not just about every day during the busy season trucks travel from Perry and Port St. Joe, Florida with loads of shrimp for tackle stores along the Florida Panhandle and Coastal Alabama.

The boats pull for shrimp in the evenings and throughout the night making short drags in order to keep them alive. If the boat pulls for too long, it will kill the shrimp and that’s one of the reasons that catching live shrimp in Pensacola Bay is hard to do.

Most live shrimp that are sold along the Gulf Coast are caught in fairly shallow water in areas where there’s a large concentration of shrimp. Shrimpers in Pensacola typically have to pull for longer periods of time to get a decent harvest.

A lot of live shrimp are caught and sold in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana as well, but there aren’t any wholesale operations who regularly deliver shrimp into Florida from the west. Of course there are regulations in place and licenses required regarding traveling live shrimp, especially when going from one state to another with them.

Keeping them alive from the point where the net is pull aboard the boat until you walk out of the tackle store door is to say the least a daunting task.

Considering that most tackle stores are located inland where there is no source of saltwater makes it even more challenging. You’ll find that the majority of stores make their water using Instant Ocean or another brand of aquarium salt.

Water temperature is also a big part of keeping them alive when trying to hold a large amount in a small tank. That’s why you’ll notice that the water you leave the tackle store with will usually be pretty cold.

By using a chiller and making the saltwater you get to control two of the most important variables when it comes to keeping shrimp alive in a tank for an extended period of time.

After paying somewhere in the ballpark of $3 to $5 per dozen and the success of your fishing trip often hinging on your shrimp being alive you definitely don’t want them to die. There’s a few things you can do to increase your chances of having healthy shrimp when you arrive at your fishing hole.

It’s always a good idea to have some sort of air pump, even if you’re only transporting them a short distance to the boat ramp or nearby marina. These pumps start at about $10 and the inexpensive ones will get the job done, but don’t expect for them to last very long.

If you’re going to fish off of one of the local bridges or piers I would suggest using a bucket and air pump over lowering your bait bucket down to the water with a rope. Your shrimp will stay a live a lot longer because they aren’t getting beat to death bringing the bucket up and down.

Another thing to always keep in mind is the cool water temps that tackle stores use to hold onto these large quantities of shrimp. If it’s a hundred degrees outside and you take your shrimp from sixty-five-degree water and dump them into eight five-degree water, they will go through a period of shock.

A lot of times after a few minutes most of them will recover, but you can avoid this happening by just transitioning them into the warmer water. All you have to do is dump some warm water in the bucket with the cold and let them sit for a few minutes.

If you don’t have a live well on your boat or kayak or are fishing from a pier be sure to change your water out every so often. The quickest way to kill a bucket full of shrimp is to let the water get to warm.

So next time you walk out of the tackle store with a bucket full of live shrimp take a second to think about the time and effort that went into catching and keeping those shrimp alive.

The sky is the limit when it comes to rod building and the best bet is picking up different blanks and feeling the difference first hand. After you have decided what type of rod you want and the way you want it to look, its time to decide whether to build it yourself or let someone with experience do it. Anyone can do it, basic building kits can be bought relatively cheap and the concepts and principles are easy to grasp. The hard part is making it look perfect and match the look to the quality of the rod components. It would be a shame to spend $250 on parts and it looks horrible. Experience is the best teacher and if your willing to learn its a very useful skill. If its not something you have interest in its best to let a professional builder build your custom rod.

Rod building can be done on a budget and places like The Rod Room in Orange Beach and Mudhole.com offer kits in the $100 range. For most people a quality custom rod is what they are after. The majority of the money should be spent on the blank. The blank is essentially the rod and the better the blank the better the rod. A good inshore blank will generally run from $150-300. Offshore things get a little more expensive and the price for a good blank is $200-500. Quality will not only benefit the angler in the a hard fight but will also last longer over time. Quality blanks are often a lot lighter then the cheaper ones making long days on the water easier on the body. Just like cars a higher quality fishing rod blank will perform better.

Once you have decided on a blank, guides, grips, reel seat, and color its time to assemble. Taking your time and doing things right is crucial for having a professional result in the end. Builders with lots of experience can build rods quickly, but only because they have built hundreds prior too yours. The first part of the process is finding the “spine” of the blank or where the blank wants to naturally bend. The rod will work best if run along the spine and finding the spine can take experience. After the spine is found the next step is assembling the grips and reel seat. The rod should be built from the butt to the tip. This helps grips make a better fit with the rod. Usuing a 24hr cure grip bonding glue will help the rod last longer then a fast set glue. Guides are then places along the spine usually in proportional amount to the natural bend of the rod. For those not sure about where to place the guides a quick search on the internet should result in measurements.

Wrapping guides can be tricky but those willing to spend some time with it will find it very similar to sewing. Entire books have been written on thread work, the best bet for the rookie wrapper is to keep things simple and remember there are NO rules to rod building. After the guides are attached the rod is basically finished except for flex coating the threads. Flex coat keeps everything in place, creates a stronger bind between the guides and blank, and keeps everything looking good. Take time to read a few articles written just on flex coating its usually well worth it. Also keep in mind the outside weather humid rainy days can reek havoc on flex coat and high highs and low lows will also affect the finish. Stable dry weather in the 70s and 80s is ideal. Keeping a small blow-tourch handy will also help when trying to remove bubbles. Keep your building area clean, go slow, and remember its supposed to be fun!

Offshore
Cobia fishing has been slow there’s no doubt about that, but there’s still a few fish around if you’re wanting to give it a shot. With the shortage of fish out there be sure to have some live eels on board in case you come across a picky fish.
It doesn’t look like the weather is going to allow very many people to get offshore this weekend, but the vermillion snapper and scamp fishing has been pretty good. Of course, if you don’t mind catch and release there are plenty of red snapper, amberjack, triggerfish, and gag grouper out there.
Quite a few king mackerel have shown up around some of the nearshore wrecks and the bouys. It will only get better as summer approaches, but it’s worth going now if you’re looking for something to do.

Piers & Beaches
Surf fishing is a great option these days for anyone looking for some fun from land. Just find a good hole or washout off the beach and fish with fresh peeled shrimp or live sandfleas. You can expect to catch pompano and whiting.
Anglers on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier and Navarre Beach Fishing Pier have been fishing for cobia, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and pompano.

Freshwater
According to a couple different people it sounds like the shellcracker fishing has been steady on both Escambia and Blackwater River. Fishing for shellcrackers is pretty simple, just get some crickets or worms and give it a try.

Offshore
According to the current forecast it looks like the seas will keep most offshore anglers at the dock this weekend, which is unfortunate because it’s our final weekend of the limited fall triggerfish season.
The vermillion snapper bite has been excellent if we can just get some weather that will allow us to get out there. They can be found on both natural bottom and big artificial reefs. As usual the best approach is a two-drop rig with squid or northern mackerel.

Piers & Beaches
It sounds like now is a pretty good time to give the king mackerel a try on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier and Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. You’ll want to use a Sevenstrand Wire leader and a treble hook along with a dead cigar minnow or some type of live fish bait.
Bob Sikes Bridge continues to be an excellent spot for land locked anglers. Every day has been a little different, but flounder, mangrove snapper, redfish, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel are all likely catches right now.

Freshwater
Reports still have been few and far between from the local rivers, but hopefully some anglers will take advantage of the cool weather and give the crappie, bream, and bass a try this weekend.

Offshore
It’s not going to be slick calm, but it looks like it’ll be fishable this weekend for anyone wanting to get out in the Gulf to take advantage of the good vermillion snapper bite and triggerfish season being open.
Now’s the prime time for a trip down to the Nipple, 131 Hole, or Elbow in search of white marlin. As usual you’ll just want to troll bally-hoo with Ilanders.

Piers & Beaches
A few pompano are being caught in the surf along with a decent amount of whiting, but we really need some cool weather to get the pompano run going. Finding sand fleas on the beach has been hit or miss, so be sure to take some fresh shrimp to get started.
Bob Sikes Bridge continues to be a hot spot for land locked anglers, especially since the road washed out and Fort Pickens Pier is not accessible. Spanish mackerel, mullet, redfish, mangrove snapper, and flounder are all being caught on the bridge.

Freshwater
After calling around for reports it doesn’t sound like much has been happening on the rivers since the storm blew through and brought in high water last weekend. The record rain fall this year has really made fishing a challenge on the local rivers.

Offshore
It doesn’t look like there will be much offshore fishing happening this weekend with a storm on its way to the northern Gulf. All we can hope for is that the storm brings in some bottom dwellers for us to catch.
Bottom fishing for vermillion snapper has been great lately, along with a decent amount of scamp and a few gag grouper. Vermillion snapper can be caught on big wrecks and natural bottom just about anywhere, while your best bet for the scamp and gag grouper is to head to the Edge.

Piers & Beaches
Fishing has been great on Bob Sikes Bridge recently with Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, flounder, and redfish all being caught. Tide is important when fishing around the bridge so always make sure you plan your trip around some moving water.

Freshwater
According to a few different sources it doesn’t sound like there has been a whole lot happening this week on the local rivers and lakes. It looks like we’re going to see a decent drop in the temperature in the next couple weeks and that should improve the bass and bream bite.

Offshore
Red snapper, triggerfish, and amberjack are closed, but if you’re itching to get offshore and do some bottom fishing the vermillion snapper and scamp bite has been solid along with an occasional gag grouper.
There’s been quite a few reports lately of white marlin, wahoo, and dolphin down around the Nipple and Spur. The word has been pretty good from people tuna fishing down around the deep-water rigs as well.

Piers & Beaches
We should start seeing a few pompano showing up along the beach anytime now to go with the whiting and redfish being caught out there. As usual, just use a combination of sand fleas and fresh shrimp on a two-drop rig.
It sounds like king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish have been the word from those fishing on the Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier or Navarre Beach Fishing Pier.

Freshwater
Jim’s Fish Camp, located off Highway 90 near the Escambia River report that the bass and bream fishing has been decent and they really expect to have a good fall. He said most anglers have been using crickets and worms for the bream, while most bass fishing has been done with artificial lures.

Offshore
Vermillion snapper, gag grouper, and scamp are what most anglers who are going bottom fishing have been setting their sights on considering that red snapper, triggerfish, and amberjack are all closed right now. If you’re looking for the gags and scamp I would suggest starting at the Edge.
Reports have been few and far between and the water conditions aren’t likely what you want them to be down around the Nipple and Spur, but it’s getting to be the time when we typically start seeing an influx of white marlin show up.

Piers & Beaches
Fishing has been great on the Bob Sikes Bridge lately with Spanish mackerel being the primary target for most anglers. To catch them you’ll want to use either live alewives or shrimp and fish them freelined or under a cork.
Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier reported that over the past week anglers have been catching a decent amount of Spanish and king mackerel. If you’re heading out there just be sure to bring some cigar minnows, sabiki rigs, and Gotcha Lures.

Freshwater
According to a couple different reports it sounds like the bass and bream fishing still is pretty slow on the local rivers, including Escambia, Blackwater, and Yellow, but hopefully as soon as the weather starts dropping it’ll pickup.

Offshore
Red snapper, triggerfish, and amberjack are all closed right now in both Florida state and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re looking for bottom dwellers you can keep you’ll want to target vermillion snapper, scamp, gag grouper, and mangrove snapper.
The weather is going to be nice this weekend, so if you don’t have plans you might want to make a trip to the deep-water rigs for tuna or go down to the Spur in search of tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and billfish.

Piers & Beaches
Now’s a great time to fish Bob Sikes Bridge if you’re interested in catching some Spanish mackerel. They can be caught using Gotcha Lures, but you’ll increase your chances by buying some live shrimp or catching alewives.
The Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier and Navarre Beach Fishing Pier are another good option this time of year if you’re land locked and looking for some action. King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, bluefish, hardtail, and redfish are all possible catches.

Freshwater
Several sources reported that there hasn’t been a whole lot of bass and bream fishing happening over the past week, but a lot of anglers have high hopes that we’ll have a good fall bite considering the conditions are improving on the local rivers.

Offshore
It doesn’t look like the weather is going to cooperate, Hurricane or not, this weekend for anglers to get offshore and take advantage of the limited triggerfish season. The bite was excellent throughout Labor Day weekend, so you should have no trouble finding fish if you can get out there.
Red snapper is now closed along with amberjack in both state and federal waters, so if you’re going bottom fishing and looking for species you can keep you’ll want to go after gag grouper, vermillion snapper, white snapper, scamp, and black snapper.

Piers & Beaches
Everyday has been a little different, but recent catches on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier and Pensacola Beach Gulf Fishing Pier include Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, redfish, hardtails, and jack crevalle.
Bob Sikes Bridge continues to be a good spot for land locked anglers. As I’ve said the last few weeks you want to fish for mangrove snapper, redfish, Spanish mackerel, and flounder using live shrimp and alewives. One of the big factors out there is the tide so make sure you have some moving water when you go.

Freshwater
Anglers on the local rivers are still dealing with water conditions that make for some tough fishing. Hopefully the water level drops and the water cleans up before long so we can have a decent bite of bass and bream this fall.