FishPanama City Beach, FL fishing times, tides & weather
Russell-Fields City Pier · Tide station NOAA 8729210 Panama City Beach
Units:
Best solunar window on Fri, Oct 16 at Russell-Fields City Pier: 4:23 – 6:23 PM16:23 – 18:23 (major). Predicted tides at NOAA 8729210 Panama City Beach: low 11:05 AM11:05 (0.30 ft0.09 m). Times are Central Time.
Alert status unknown. Checking official NWS alerts… Check weather.gov before you go.
Solunar fishing times
Major periodMinor periodDaylightNow
- Major period (AM)3:57 – 5:57 AM03:57 – 05:572 hours · Moon underfoot
- Minor period (AM)11:24 AM – 1:24 PM11:24 – 13:242 hours · Moonrise
- Major period (PM)4:23 – 6:23 PM16:23 – 18:232 hours · Moon overheadOverlaps dusk twilight (12 min)
- Minor period (PM)9:23 – 11:23 PM21:23 – 23:232 hours · Moonset
Calculated locally with Astronomy Engine. Solunar windows are a planning aid, not a guarantee of bites.
Solunar planning score
Fri, Oct 16: 8.3/10 Moderate solunar day
A planning score from moon, sun and tide timing only: it doesn't include weather or safety, and it can't tell you whether fish will bite.
From the major window 4:23 – 6:23 PM16:23 – 18:23, out of 9 points:
- Window type (major)4.0 of 4.0
- Dawn or dusk overlap1.4 of 3.0
- Tide movement2.0 of 2.0
Tide chart
- Low tide11:05 AM11:050.30 ft0.09 m
Panama City Beach · NOAA 8729210 · Heights above MLLW · Predictions, not observed levels
Why this station?
Reviewed station: Panama City Beach (NOAA 8729210). At the pier on the Gulf, within about 0.1 mi of the forecast point
View hourly tide data
| Local time | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM00:00 | 1.88 ft0.57 m |
| 1:00 AM01:00 | 1.80 ft0.55 m |
| 2:00 AM02:00 | 1.68 ft0.51 m |
| 3:00 AM03:00 | 1.54 ft0.47 m |
| 4:00 AM04:00 | 1.35 ft0.41 m |
| 5:00 AM05:00 | 1.11 ft0.34 m |
| 6:00 AM06:00 | 0.87 ft0.27 m |
| 7:00 AM07:00 | 0.69 ft0.21 m |
| 8:00 AM08:00 | 0.55 ft0.17 m |
| 9:00 AM09:00 | 0.43 ft0.13 m |
| 10:00 AM10:00 | 0.33 ft0.10 m |
| 11:00 AM11:00 | 0.30 ft0.09 m |
| 12:00 PM12:00 | 0.31 ft0.10 m |
| 1:00 PM13:00 | 0.36 ft0.11 m |
| 2:00 PM14:00 | 0.44 ft0.13 m |
| 3:00 PM15:00 | 0.56 ft0.17 m |
| 4:00 PM16:00 | 0.72 ft0.22 m |
| 5:00 PM17:00 | 0.86 ft0.26 m |
| 6:00 PM18:00 | 1.01 ft0.31 m |
| 7:00 PM19:00 | 1.19 ft0.36 m |
| 8:00 PM20:00 | 1.40 ft0.43 m |
| 9:00 PM21:00 | 1.57 ft0.48 m |
| 10:00 PM22:00 | 1.68 ft0.51 m |
| 11:00 PM23:00 | 1.76 ft0.54 m |
| 12:00 AM00:00 | 1.82 ft0.55 m |
Hourly weather
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Moon & sun
Moon phase
Waxing crescent
Illumination: 32%
- Moonrise
- 12:24 PM12:24
- Moonset
- 10:23 PM22:23
Sun events
- Civil dawn
- 6:22 AM06:22
- Sunrise
- 6:46 AM06:46
- Sunset
- 6:11 PM18:11
- Civil dusk
- 6:36 PM18:36
- Solar noon
- 12:29 PM12:29
- Daylight
- 11h 25m
Solunar times are based on the position of the moon and sun and are one of many factors to consider when planning your fishing trip. Phase is shown at the local-day midpoint.
Sea conditions
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Nearby places
- Clearwater Beach, FL fishing timesCoast · 240 mi · Pier 60
- St. Petersburg, FL fishing timesCoast · 263 mi · Skyway Fishing Pier, north pier
- Jacksonville, FL fishing timesCoast · 267 mi · Huguenot Memorial Park north jetty (beach end)
- Venice, FL fishing timesCoast · 300 mi · Venice Fishing Pier
Place details
Location details reviewed by the FishDataPoint team on October 16, 2026.
- Where
- Russell-Fields City Pier, Panama City Beach, Bay County, Florida
- Forecast point
- 30.2136° N, 85.8786° W
- Tide station
- NOAA 8729210 Panama City Beach
- Weather alerts
- National Weather Service zones FLZ112 (land), GMZ751 (marine)
- Fishing rules set by
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (saltwater rules)
About this spot
Spot type
Gulf fishing pier. The City of Panama City Beach's Russell-Fields City Pier is over 1,500 ft long and sits across from the main entrance to Pier Park (City of Panama City Beach: Russell-Fields Pier & Beach). The forecast point is on the pier (OpenStreetMap: Russel Fields Pier).
Public access
- Operator: City of Panama City Beach. Address: 16201 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach (City of Panama City Beach).
- Hours: the City lists the pier as open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It says schedule changes are posted on the Panama City Beach Parks and Recreation Facebook page (City of Panama City Beach).
- Fees: the City charges separate daily rates for fishing and for spectators, with lower rates for some groups (documentation required). It also sells multi-visit, 3-month and annual passes at the Frank Brown Park Community Center. See the City's pier page for current rates (City of Panama City Beach).
- Facilities: the City says the pier is handicapped accessible, and three beach wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge from the pier ticket office. As of 2026-10-16, the City's page says the bait shop is closed. The City links its pier rules from the same page (City of Panama City Beach).
- Status, as of 2026-10-16: the City closed the pier at 7 a.m. on October 9, 2026, ahead of Hurricane Isaias. In its October 12, 2026 update it said "The City Pier is now open." (City of Panama City Beach: Storm Information).
- Also nearby: Bay County's M.B. Miller County Pier, at 12213 Front Beach Road, is a 1,500 ft fishing pier with a bait and tackle shop and restrooms. The County lists it as open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and says pier fees there are cashless. Annual passes sold at Frank Brown Park are honored at both piers (Bay County: M.B. Miller County Pier; City of Panama City Beach).
Commonly caught species
- The City lists cobia, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, red fish, blues, blue liners, pompano, flounder, hardtails, bonita, mullet, grouper and sheepshead as catchable in season from the pier (City of Panama City Beach).
- FWC names Russel-Fields Pier and M.B. Miller County Pier as popular fishing locations in Bay County. For Bay County inshore and coastal waters, it also lists ladyfish, red drum, spotted seatrout and tarpon, among others (FWC: Where to Saltwater Fish).
Local rules and authority
- Rules agency: the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sets saltwater fishing rules (FWC: Saltwater Fishing).
- Pier rules: the City publishes pier rules (PDF) on its pier page and says violators will be trespassed (City of Panama City Beach).
- Licence: FWC explains that a saltwater fishing pier licence, held by a pier's owner or operator, covers everyone fishing from that pier. The City's page doesn't say whether the pier holds one, so check with the pier or FWC before you fish (FWC: Vessel and Pier Licenses).
- Regulations: check FWC's current rules for size limits, bag limits and seasons before fishing (FWC: Saltwater Fishing).
- Fish consumption: see the Florida Department of Health's fish consumption advisories before eating your catch (Florida Department of Health: Eating Healthy Seafood).
Tide station
- NOAA 8729210, "Panama City Beach", at 30.2138 N, 85.8786 W (NOAA station metadata; NOAA prediction stations list).
- Type: reference station. NOAA's tide-prediction station list gives it type "R", and NOAA publishes a harmonic-constituent table for it (NOAA prediction stations list; NOAA harmonic constituents).
- Same water body: yes. The station is at the pier on the Gulf, within about 0.1 mi of the forecast point in a straight line (computed from NOAA and OpenStreetMap coordinates, [8]; [11]).
Other spots nearby
Distances are straight-line from this page's forecast point to the other places' forecast points, computed from the catalogue coordinates.
- Pensacola Beach: about 76 mi west.
- Clearwater Beach: about 240 mi southeast.
- St. Petersburg: about 263 mi southeast.
Note updates
- 2026-10-16: Checked against the sources listed below.
Sources
- Russell-Fields Pier & Beach — City of Panama City Beach — https://www.pcbfl.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/City-Pier-9 — accessed 2026-10-16
- Storm Information — City of Panama City Beach — https://www.pcbfl.gov/602/Storm-Information — accessed 2026-10-16
- M.B. Miller County Pier — Bay County — https://www.baycountyfl.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/MB-Miller-County-Pier-5 — accessed 2026-10-16
- Eating Healthy Seafood (fish consumption advisories) — Florida Department of Health — https://www.floridahealth.gov/individual-family-health/injury-prevention-wellness/fish-consumption/ — accessed 2026-10-16
- Saltwater Fishing — FWC — https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/ — accessed 2026-10-16
- Where to Saltwater Fish — FWC — https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/outreach/wheretofish/ — accessed 2026-10-16
- Recreational Vessel and Saltwater Fishing Pier Licenses — FWC — https://myfwc.com/license/recreational/saltwater-fishing/vessel-pier-licenses/ — accessed 2026-10-16
- Station 8729210 metadata — NOAA CO-OPS — https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/mdapi/prod/webapi/stations/8729210.json — accessed 2026-10-16
- Tide prediction stations list — NOAA CO-OPS — https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/mdapi/prod/webapi/stations.json?type=tidepredictions — accessed 2026-10-16
- Station 8729210 harmonic constituents — NOAA CO-OPS — https://api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/mdapi/prod/webapi/stations/8729210/harcon.json — accessed 2026-10-16
- Russel Fields Pier (way 138361684) — OpenStreetMap — https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/138361684 — accessed 2026-10-16