Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton
We hope you enjoyed our two weeks of winter weather, because that may well be the ‘worst’ we see this year. The inland bays really took hit from that arctic blast in mid February when inshore water temperatures plunged into the 40s for several days. Fortunately, the near shore gulf water has remained around 60 degrees (even in the surf). That should aid fishing during this fortnight as the air temperature rebounds closer to ‘normal’. Early indications are we will be moving into a warmer, drier period through early March. For fishermen this would mean better conditions to get out on the beach or pier to enjoy these warm spells between fronts while in search of pompano, whiting or sheepshead.
For the most part during the recent cold spell, fishing was not very productive. There were a few ‘bright spots’ though with a few ‘bull’ redfish caught near Fort Morgan (on fresh cut bait), and some nice sized sheepshead caught (with live shrimp and fiddler crabs) from the Gulf State Park Pier and Perdido Pass seawall. Pompano have been very scarce, as they usually are in late February. A few isolated days, persistent anglers did manage to pull some larger sized whiting (14 to 18 inches) from the surf at the pier in modest numbers. But many guys went a week without catching a fish. Generally this time of year, the cold and ever-changing weather makes it pretty difficult to get on a pattern that produces fish dependably. Anglers need to be flexible with their approach if they expect to be successful. To better target whiting, try small pieces of cut shrimp (an inch to inch and a half long) on the bottom, with as little weight, small hook and light line you can get by with. Or better yet, try ghost shrimp if you can.
The first couple of days of March will feature a NEAP tide cycle, but the general daily tide pattern will call for an early morning low tide, then an incoming tide through the afternoon. Historically, the gulf water temperature begins to rise a few degrees (on average) beginning in early March. Once this trend begins, we can expect to see more pompano return to the surfzone within reach of anglers. Best bets are to try around ‘points’ along the beach, especially when the tide is rising. These spots can be enhanced even more if there is a ‘beach’ sandbar within casting distance. Especially when small to moderate sized waves (1 to 3 feet) are breaking over it.
This creates a ‘feeding machine’ for the gamefish like pompano, whiting and the other drum fish. As these waves break and roll over the sandbar, potential prey items like ghost shrimp, sandfleas, Coquina and other invertebrates are dislodged and swept along with the current, then deposited on the beach side of the sand bar where it drops into deeper water. That drop-off is prime feeding territory for these fish and a great location for surf fishermen to try their luck.
Surf rigs (double dropper pompano rigs) baited with synthetic Fishbites or Fishgum on longer, heavier rods are commonly used to reach these locations farther from shore, or in windy and rough conditions. But adding a bit of natural bait will enhance the appeal of your offering for these fairly lethargic fish. When conditions get calmer, with clearer water, if fishing fairly close to shore, try to ‘lighten up’. In this situation I like to use lighter tackle, weight and rigs, such as a Fishfinder rig. Locally called a “Carolina Rig”, this setup is stealthier for wary fish, and will often outproduces conventional pompano rigs. Since the weight is free to move up the line when a fish picks up the bait, it is less likely to feel resistance and drop your bait. This rig can be used with an egg sinker, flat sinker, or pyramid depending on conditions.
You can do even more by baiting up with the freshest bait possible, especially ghost shrimp. Beach ghost shrimp are about the best overall bait this time of year, FREE, and just about any species of fish eats them. They are not usually sold in the bait shops, but must be gathered by folks with a ghost shrimp pump available at most bait shops. The best places to look for their tell-tale mounds are on shallow sandbars near points along the beach at low tide. A little extra thought and effort to get ‘good bait’ can pay dividends of more fish caught for anglers during this period as things begin to warm up.
So, do you want to go fishing? or catching?
Pictured: Fishermen waiting for the bite to pick up at Gulf State Park Pier (Milton Rittelmeyer photo).