Pensacola Fishing Report – Deep Sea / Offshore Fishing, Grouper, Snapper & Triggerfish| Week Ending September 06, 2026
September has historically been one of the slower months for us, and this year is starting out much the same way. It isn’t necessarily the month we’d choose to slow down, but it makes sense. Kids are heading back to school, the summer vacation season is winding down, and families are settling into new routines after a busy summer.
We didn’t run any charters this week, but the boats certainly didn’t stay parked. We used the time for both offshore and inshore scouting, watching seasonal changes, checking fish movement and continuing to learn what the Gulf and local waters are telling us as we move toward fall.
Deep Sea / Offshore / Slow Pitch Jigging Fishing Charters Pensacola
Offshore, that meant more slow-pitch jigging and another opportunity to get three generations of the Douglass family on the Gulf together.
Captains Paul and Eric were joined again by First Mate Tig, who continues to prove that being eight years old isn’t much of an obstacle when there’s a slow-pitch rod in his hands.
The highlight of the trip belonged to Tig when he landed his first keeper-sized red grouper on a jig.
He’s caught plenty of fish on his recent trips, but catching a legal red grouper on slow-pitch tackle was another milestone. Watching him learn the technique, work the jig and then bring his own fish all the way to the boat made this one a little more special for all three generations aboard.
For Captains Paul and Eric, these scouting trips give us useful time offshore while also allowing us to continue working with different jig weights, depths and presentations. For Tig, apparently they’re just more opportunities to go fishing – which seems to suit him just fine.
Inshore Fishing Charters Pensacola
We spent quite a bit of time inshore this week as well, and the purpose was very specific.
As late summer gives way to fall, we need to recognize when the speckled trout and redfish begin moving north into the creeks and rivers. Water temperatures have started dropping into the mid-80s, partly from the normal seasonal transition but also because of the near-daily rains we’ve been getting during the late evenings and overnight.
And it looks like the fish are responding.
Not long ago, some of our inshore scouting trips were producing only a few trout at best. This week, we’re beginning to see a different picture, with roughly a dozen trout on some outings and a redfish or two mixed in.
That’s the kind of change we’ve been waiting to see.
We’re also putting a little more emphasis on locating flounder and working through the rigs and presentations that give us the best chance of consistently putting those fish in the boat. Flounder fishing can be very different from simply covering water for trout and reds, so part of the scouting process right now is figuring out where they’re setting up and what approach gives us the most confidence.
On the weekends, First Mate Tig has been joining us on those scouting trips too, giving him plenty of time both offshore and inshore as the fish begin shifting into their fall patterns.
Looking Ahead
A quiet charter week doesn’t necessarily mean a quiet week for Double D Fishing Charters of NW Florida.
September gives us an opportunity to scout, work on equipment, spend some time fishing for ourselves and prepare for the fall season ahead. Offshore, we got another three-generation Douglass slow-pitch jigging trip and watched Tig put his first keeper-sized red grouper in the boat on a jig.
Inshore, the more important story may be what we’re beginning to see from the fish themselves.
If the current trend continues with the speckled trout, redfish and flounder, we’ll once again feel good about sharing inshore charters with our customers. That’s always the standard for us. We don’t want to simply know that a few fish are around – we want to know that the fishing is good enough for us to feel confident taking someone else’s family out and charging them for the experience.
For now, we’ll keep scouting, watching the water temperatures and paying attention to where the fish go next.
Captain Paul & Captain Eric
Double D Fishing Charters of NW Florida
Pensacola/Gulf Breeze/Navarre/Pensacola Beach/Milton/Pace
To see pictures of some of our catches, visit our social media pages:
