Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 10/1/25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 10/1/25

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Every summer is unique along the Gulf Coast, as is each fortnight. And this past one has certainly been so with a continuation of drier and warmer than average weather until a front finally brought us some drought relief. So, what of the effects on fishing? The Gulf water is now several degrees warmer and clearer than average, in fact the Gulf water temp typical falls to near 80 by the beginning of October. The fishing community continues to feel this in both the report and forecast aspects perhaps because we have been spared any tropical activity, so far. Perhaps (hopefully) that trend will continue even as the season winds down?
By far the most obvious and unprecedented occurrence has been the number of juvenile sailfish caught and released from the Gulf State Park Pier, which has grown to at least 10. Yes, that is not a misprint! In decades past, even back into the last century the old pier has never experienced anything like this. Even sightings of sailfish were extremely rare (averaging once every few years), thus for so many to have been caught is unprecedented and nothing short of amazing.
The flip side of this phenomenal season would seem to be the absence of some other fish species historically encountered from the pier this time of year. Larger spanish mackerel (over 3 pounds) have historically been a mainstay of the pier experience through late September.
Also keeper-sized mangrove snapper, but both have been notable absent this past month. As well, schools of small bluefish typically found in the shallows of the surf zone in early fall have been replaced by hordes of juvenile jack crevelle and small ladyfish.
Meanwhile, speckled trout and small redfish have been more abundant in the surf than in years past, while schools of larger bull redfish and adult jack crevelle, which we usually see blitzing the outer end of the pier this time of year, have been almost completely absent.
And the ripple effect continues down the coast as a green algae outbreak, called June Grass has hindered surf casting and set rig fish along parts of the Fort Morgan Peninsula while most other areas have been clear.
Otherwise the waters have been abnormally calm and clear due to a lack of wave action for the most part. This situation has tested the metal of even savvy from-shore fishers to remain productive in the face of these new challenging conditions. If weather and sea states remain this stagnant, the NEAP tide period around October 5th, in conjunction with the Full Moon, could pose additional riddles for anglers to solve.
Recently our anglers have overcome these obstacles mostly by fishing very early and late in the day, usually when the tides are moving stronger. Being on the lookout for feeding activity of schooling gamefish like blues and spanish mackerel along with such tip-offs as birds diving to feed on the surface may help you land more fish.
On the State Pier, the use of Bubble rigs early and late in the day in clear and calm conditions often produces reaction strikes from otherwise lethargic or wary spanish mackerel. Though this activity in particular gets the attention of sharks and dolphins as well.
Heavy duty Sabiki rigs are employed by folks just looking to fill their coolers in a hurry before the heat of the day sets in. Juvenile jack species (mostly jack crevelle), along with small ladyfish and a few spanish mackerel are currently the catch of abundance for these subsistence fishers who often speak other languages, but still need to know they are expected to respect our laws, regulations and be aware that taking so many immature fish may eventually bring harm to the fishery we all enjoy. That is the main reason The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has established size and creel limits on specific species.
As well, folks catching limits of spanish mackerel (15 per day) should be aware that fish less than 14 inch Fork Length have not yet reproduced. Changing tactics to target larger individual fish is simply a more responsible way to fish and help assure their abundance for future generations.
Using larger, single lures or baits tends to cull out most of these smaller fish and curbs the massive take of immature fish of many species. Such thoughtful tactics are more responsible for the overall health of the fishery, especially for popular seasonal gamefish such as spanish mackerel. Soon though (in a matter of weeks) these pelagic fish species will be migrating away to spend the winter months along the Florida Peninsula where they face new challenges from other anglers.
In the meantime, these fish along with some native fish species such as speckled trout, redfish, flounder, mangrove snapper, and bluefish will be fattening up on 3 inch long, young-of-the-year Scaled herring (called LYs).
When these small baitfish are densely schooled around the pier, seawall or jetties, or even present in the surf zone, gamefish often seek them out. They are often a key to success during periods when the fish may be lethargic or too wary to bite on lures.
Although anglers should be aware of the place these small baitfish hold in a healthy environment and refrain from over harvesting this or any other unregulated resource, including invertebrate baits such as mole crabs (called sandfleas) and beach ghost shrimp. A little personal awareness and respect goes a long way toward preserving the welfare of our fisheries and our in common enjoyment.
Often finding alternative venues to fish during these stable weather periods, to explore the less crowded or lesser exploited areas is a key to success. We are blessed with several expanses of undeveloped shoreline in Perdido Key, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and along the Fort Morgan Peninsula. Making time to break away from the crowd to see what fishing options these alternative, more secluded venues offer usually brings other rewards as well as peace of mind.
While pompano continue to please set rig fishers, this is an excellent time to explore these open stretches of beach with a jig or spoon on a single light spinning combo to target pompano, flounder, blues, large jack crevelle or any of the dozens of species available along our stretch of coastline.