When Hurricane Michael rolled through Panama City, Florida, it left disaster in its wake, including at the beloved St. Andrews Marina. Although initially devastating for those who adore this marina, the damage spurred action in the form of quick clean-up and plans to rebuild. They were up and running in no time flat afterward, which is great news if you love boating and fishing to your heart’s content.
Upon arriving at this awesome marine, you can head into the onsite store to load up on snacks, supplies, and much more. They sell everything from fuel to frozen bait along with a few things you might want as souvenirs of your trip. Once you have all your supplies, you can cozy up at your favorite part of the dock and cast your line, again and again, to see what’s biting.
Catfish and flounder are regulars here, and they quickly start biting when offered a plastic worm or frozen bait. Since they are bottom dwellers, make sure to use a well-weighted line that will sink everything to the bottom in an instant. Then, all that’s left to do is take in the beautiful sights and wait for your line to start to dance. Reel in carefully to avoid catching your line on all the vegetation and other items along the bottom or you could lose your tackle.
If you have your own boat or other watercraft, you can easily set out onto the water from this marina. You just have to back your trailer down the ramp to start your open water adventures. From there, the sky is the limit on where you can go. You can stay within sight of the shores or even head out into the Gulf, which lies about seven miles away. While you look for the best spots for fishing, you may spot pods of dolphins and other sea life flitting about in the gorgeous waters.
As you go on all your adventures, your truck and trailer can stay in the parking lot. The lot is not gated nor patrolled, so make sure to lock up while you are away. Once you come back, you will need to load your watercraft back up and take it with you since the slips are closed due to storm damage. In the future, they may reopen their slips for rent to allow you to store your boat at the marina for quick access to the water anytime.
Insider Tips:
– Shrimpers will often arrive at the docks to sell their catches at a fair price. Their prices change from day to day, depending on the size and quality of the shrimp they have available.
– If you are coming from out of state and do not have a fishing license, you can fish here without it for one dollar a day.
– Don’t forget to bring your camera, so you capture all the breathtaking sights around this marina.