Fort Morgan Fishing Pier opens after eight years
Fort Morgan Fishing Pier opens after eight years
Onshore anglers finally have access to the great fishing on the lower end of Mobile Bay, as The Fort Morgan Fishing Pier on the bayside of the Fort Morgan peninsula is back open to the public for the first time since 2014.
The renovated pier is L-shaped with dimensions of 305 feet by 210 feet and 40 feet wide. The pier floor is 8 feet off the surface of the water at mean tide. Fishing is not allowed on the boat basin side of the pier to avoid negative interactions between boaters and anglers.
Construction on the pier started in July 2020, but a variety of situations caused delays. The original pier was built with timbers and held up considerably well through its 40-year lifespan, but the double whammy of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 took its toll.
“It was pretty much rendered unsafe and had to be closed in 2014,” said Alabama Marine Resources Division Director Scott Bannon.
The total cost of design, construction and oversight of the new pier was $3.2 million, and was paid for with Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement money. The upgraded pier will serve dual purposes by providing a fishing venue and serving as a seawall for the adjacent boat ramp and basin. The project includes steel sheet pile with a concrete platform, railings made of cables, handicap access points, more parking for anglers and boaters and a rebuilt boat ramp.
Bannon said the contractors were able to dredge the sedimentation from the boat basin, much of which was deposited during Hurricane Sally, and use that material to fill the pier instead of having to truck in fill material.
The good news for anglers is they now have access to the abundant inshore species that inhabit the mouth of Mobile Bay, including red drum (redfish), speckled trout and flounder. Rock material around the base will provide protection but also serves as fish habitat.
The Mullet Wrapper’s own “Pier Poun dr,’’ David Thornton, has been anxiously awaiting the reopening of the pier.
“It’s an element that has been missing for several years,’’ he said. “It was a nice venue, especially when the Gulf beach was too rough. In the summer and fall, it’s a good flounder spot. And people should catch lots of white trout and ground mullet and redfish. It’s really neat it’s coming back into play.”
“This is about providing access to people who don’t have boats,’’ Bannon said. “We know access to water is limited, and this new pier is an iconic structure that we wanted to have back available to anglers. For that population that didn’t have access to the water, I think this is another destination spot much like the Gulf State Park Pier.”
Pictured: The Fort Morgan Pier will be L-shaped and the concrete pad will be 8 feet off the water. The pier will also provide protection for the boat ramp and basin; Andy Andreasen’s flounder was the first fish landed on the new Fort Morgan Pier (Al. Marine Resource pics)