Pensacola Fishing Report – Deep Sea / Offshore Fishing, Grouper, Snapper & Triggerfish | Week Ending August 23, 2026
Mother Nature finally gave us a little more to work with this week. That has not been the norm during August 2026. Most weeks we have been lucky to find two days – and occasionally three – when the Gulf gives us conditions we are comfortable taking the boat offshore.
This week we were able to run one federal-water charter, spend another day offshore fishing with a friend, and make an inshore scouting trip into the Escambia River Delta.
Deep Sea / Offshore Fishing Charters Pensacola
Our federal charter this week was something we don’t get to do very often: one angler with two captains taking care of him. That sounds relaxing until you’re the angler. With Captains Paul and Eric both there to bait hooks, rig tackle, handle fish, keep the boat positioned and put another rod in your hands, there isn’t much time for the customer to rest. When the fish cooperate, one angler can stay very busy with two captains keeping everything moving.
We caught triggerfish, toro – or bigeye snapper – sand tilefish, vermilion snapper and bonita using a combination of squid, cut bonita and slow-pitch jigs ranging from approximately 80 to 150 grams.
The Gulf itself treated us well. Seas were calm and comfortable, but the sharks were another story.
They were awful.
We would get on fish, the sharks would show up, and we’d move. We’d get set up again, start catching fish, and here came the sharks. Then we’d move again – and again. Sometimes offshore fishing isn’t about finding the fish as much as finding fish that the sharks haven’t found yet. We covered more ground than we would have liked, but that’s part of fishing federal waters during the summer.
A Personal Day Offshore
Capt. Eric and I also got offshore for a personal fishing day with our friend Freddie. As usual when Eric and I get a chance to fish for ourselves, slow-pitch jigs were our SOP – or modus operandi if you prefer. Freddie took the more traditional route and played with squid and cut bonita while Eric and I worked jigs.
Both approaches produced fish. We caught almaco jack, red snapper, vermilion snapper, tilefish, greater amberjack, scamp grouper, squirrelfish and a number of bonita.
The highlight for Capt. Eric and me was that we both caught personal-best almaco jacks on the same trip. We’ve caught plenty of almaco over the years, but there is always something special about putting your biggest example of a species on the boat. One of the things we enjoy most about fishing the Gulf is that there is always another fish, another species or another personal best waiting somewhere below the boat.
Unfortunately, the sharks were waiting too. We ran from shark after shark throughout the day. At one point we watched a shark about the size of Bruce from Finding Nemo follow a terrified red porgy all the way to the surface. The porgy knew exactly what was behind him, and so did we.
It’s impressive to watch a large shark in clear Gulf water when he isn’t attached to the fish you’re trying to land. It’s considerably less entertaining when you’re watching another good fish disappear on the way up. Still, between the almaco jacks, scamp, amberjack, snapper, tilefish and even a legitimate squirrelfish, it was a great day to be offshore.
After the weather we’ve dealt with throughout August, we were happy simply to have another calm day on the Gulf.
Inshore Fishing Charters Pensacola
We also made one inshore scouting trip this week, working up into the Escambia River Delta. We found a trout and several ladyfish, along with plenty of bait, but not enough quality fish to make us comfortable putting customers on an inshore charter right now.
Could we go out and catch a few fish? Probably. But that’s not the same thing as having enough fish available to feel good about selling someone an inshore fishing trip.
Right now, the fish just aren’t there in the numbers we want to see.
There is plenty of bait throughout portions of the system, which is encouraging, but August isn’t exactly known for sudden drops in either air temperature or water temperature around Pensacola. The trout and redfish are waiting on cooler water just like the rest of us.
If the normal seasonal pattern holds, we should begin seeing things change as we move through September and toward October. Sheepshead typically begin making a stronger appearance in October, while cooling water should begin improving the trout and redfish fishing as well.
Until then, we’ll continue scouting. We would rather tell someone that the inshore fishing isn’t where we want it to be than take their money for a charter we wouldn’t be happy running ourselves.
Looking Ahead
August 2026 has been a difficult month for offshore scheduling. Most weeks have given us only two fishable offshore days, and three if we’ve been lucky. This week the Gulf was kinder.
We were able to run a federal charter, spend another day offshore fishing for ourselves and continue checking the inshore waters for signs of the seasonal transition ahead. The offshore fish are there. The challenge continues to be finding weather windows – and occasionally getting the fish to the boat before the sharks decide they belong to them.
As summer begins winding down, we’re looking forward to the changes that come with fall: cooler air, cooler water, changing fish patterns and hopefully a few more days when Mother Nature lets us leave the dock.
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:
