Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 1-7-25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 1-7-25

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

The year ended with another of those short-lived cold snaps which lowered water temperatures in the bays a few degrees into the upper 50s, while nearshore Gulf water temps remained in the middle 60s. This is a little above the 20-year average, though the shallower surf zone temperature is likely to be in the low to middle 60s. As a result, fishing has still been fairly productive for whiting, when you can find them.
Other species like pompano and flounder have been present too, though in far fewer numbers. Meanwhile, farther east (into Florida) there seems to be a fairly dependable bite of large black drum in the surf as bycatch to pompano fishing.
Also, the bite of large black drum has been fairly dependable from the banks of the Intercoastal Waterway on either side of new bridge.
Best results will be using blue crabs for bait on medium heavy surf rods in the 20 to 40 pound class. This is primarily a catch and release fishery as larger black drum are notorious for being infested with spaghetti worm parasites, which though harmless to humans are also quite repulsive to most. But the cooler water temps make these large, robust fish great candidates for catch, photograph, and release. They are a lot of fun for those looking for a good pull to warm their muscles.
Anglers on the other end of the scale are targeting panfish for the table, which lately have included small spanish mackerel from the outer octagon of the Gulf State Park Pier. Most of these winter mackerel have been caught on the medium and large sized sabiki rigs with 5 or 6 flies tied with 20 or 30 pound line. And though small (10 to 14 inch fork length), these mackerel have very sharp teeth. They should also be around the end of the west jetty at Perdido Pass, and can be caught with the sabiki rigs or small (1/8 ounce) Speck rig jigs.
While not unheard of, it is rather unusual to catch mackerel in this area during wintertime. By the way, anglers have discovered small spanish mackerel (and live white trout) make good bait for finicky red snapper that hang around under the end of the pier. A number of keeper-sized red snapper were caught from the pier recently, but keep in mind the season ended in Alabama on December 31st, 2025. So this fishery is strictly catch and release until the season reopens next spring.
Whiting (Gulf kingfish) are historically the most common fish in the surfzone this time of year, thus the most commonly caught by anglers. Lately, they have been plentiful at times from the pier and along the Gulf beaches from Perdido Key to Fort Morgan. About half of those caught are less than 12 inches long. And even though whiting (kingfish) have no minimum size in Alabama or Florida, this is about the minimum most anglers choose to keep.
That give the fish a chance to mature and spawn a least once, a good standard of conserving these popular species. Kingfish can often be caught in relatively shallow water fairly close to shore on tackle as light as the angler sees fit wherever there are no obstructions for the fish to break the line on.
Most are caught bottomfishing with a light weight using small pieces of shrimp, but they relish ghost shrimp which are their typical prey item.
Ghost shrimp are not usually available for sale but may be gathered by anglers in shallow back bay waters or along beach sandbars in the Gulf near the time of low tide in calm conditions.
Pompano are suckers for ghost shrimp too, though most are caught on double drop pompano rigs with small, colorful floats or beads above the hook. The color and shape helps attract pompano to the bait which hides most of the medium sized circle or kahle hook. Set rig fishing for pompano is the most common way to fish the surf year round, and can still be productive in winter at times.
Typical bycatch of this method includes kingfish, black or red drum, rays, catfish, and assorted other species. Soft baits like ghost shrimp can be secured to the hook(s) with several wraps of Magic Thread, which is available at most of the local bait and tackle stores.
They are also good places to pick up pompano rigs, surf spikes, along with other specialty items to help make your surf fishing more productive. And their knowledgeable staffs can help help with rigging and other tips too, or even help newcomers find a beach fishing guide to quicken the learning curve.
Sheepshead are another local fish species which are widely sought after. They can be quite finicky and are scrappy fighters, making them rather difficult to pull away from the piling and rocks they swim so close to. Sheepshead are omnivorous, grazing on algae and munching on the occasional crustacean they come across.
Most anglers target them with live shrimp or fiddler crabs on medium heavy or even heavy tackle in the 15 to 30 pound class. Though they have an impressive set of teeth, it is rare that sheepshead would bite through even light line. When the water is calm and clear, anglers may have to downsize the diameter of their leader in order to get bit by these sharp eyed fish.
A landing net is preferred for sheepshead as they are often lip-hooked, and lifting two to five pound fish from the water may tear the hook out. Also keeping the hook size small to match the size of the bait being used helps your hookup ratio.
Though more anglers are using specialized sheepshead sweeper or swing jigs and having good results, even when vertically fishing. Tying the jig to the leader with no additional weight increases the sensitivity of their light bite. Be aware of the regulations on sheepshead which differ slightly between Alabama and Florida.
Much of this holds true for fishing the seawall or jetties at Perdido Pass too, though the tactics may vary some because the tidal currents can be rather swift there. Tide awareness is a critical factor in choosing your tackle, bait, and tactics when approaching each day, or even part of each day.
Becoming familiar with the ebb and flow of the currents and how that affects the water conditions and bite for each species will greatly aid your success rate.
The ever popular Alabama Marine Information Calendar for 2026 (which include tide graphs for the entire year) should be available online by the time you read this at outdooralabama.com.
Also, hard copies are placed in a variety of outlets all over the area including the Marine Resources office in Gulf Shores (southeast of the airport). This is one item you do not want to be without through the coming year.