Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 10/15/25

 Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 10/15/25

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Shore-based fishing suffered a setback during the previous fortnight, as the long dry period ended abruptly with a non-tropical weather system that brought high winds and seas along with periods of heavy rain for several days.
Proof that it doesn’t even take a tropical storm to mess up fishing for a week or so. As a result area waters were dingied both inshore and in the Gulf with the added goblin of mobile patchy green algae outbreaks, which all but shut down fishing west of Gulf Shores.
Fortunately the dry weather pattern, along with lighter or offshore winds seems to have reestablished itself, as we should expect during late October when air temperatures fall after increasingly stronger frontal passages.
This trend is forecast for the beginning of the period, though we still remain in an active part of hurricane season, so don’t let your guard down. But the odds of a tropical system adversely affecting our fishing and our region are decreasing daily.
Wind direction and speed are key to coastal water clarity.
But equally important is the amount of diurnal tide change, which will be much stronger during the second week of this fortnight. Other keys to fish feeding patterns will be the timing of these tidal movements in coincidence with daylight hours, which are growing noticeably shorter.
That leads to another element of influence on fish movements pertaining to water temperature. As the days grow shorter and the sun’s rays less intense, the amount of energy being absorbed by our shallow coastal waters decreases, so the water temperatures usually drop below 80 degrees – the trigger point for the more tropically-oriented pelagic jack species to begin migrating away from this area toward Florida where they will remain until next spring.
Juvenile jack crevalle (called yellow tails) will suddenly abandon the surf zone, as will ladyfish (skipjack) and blue runner (hardtails) . Meanwhile, mackerel tend to linger a little longer though their numbers rapidly fall off during this period too. How quickly and severely our water temperatures drop will have a huge impact on the species available and their numbers available to pier and shore fishers.
North winds also unleash hordes of biting flies onto beach goers and surf fishers, with these being relentlessly brutal toward folks who swim or wade. Research to find products that work for your body chemistry, and reapply after getting out of the water. Nothing can ruin a day faster than being chewed on by flies!
As the wind abated and waters began clearing behind the recent storm system, good fishing reports began filtering in again.
On the outer half of the Gulf State Park Pier, the return of a strong mackerel bite at first light with periodic blitzes throughout the day even before the baitfish returned in numbers was encouraging. The extraordinarily clear water during the previous fortnight had brought vast numbers of small LYs (Scaled herring) to the pier. So, their return could signal sustained good fishing for a variety of species through this period, as long as the surf remains fairly calm.
Besides mackerel, anglers should still find plenty of jack species for the next couple of weeks, though their numbers should fall dramatically by the end of the month. Simultaneously we should start seeing more pinfish, bluefish, red drum, and flounder. Even snapper (keeper mangrove and occasional red snapper), along with speckled trout, whiting, and pompano would likely be available through the end of October. Lures and live bait could be equally productive during this period, though the fish you are seeking may just as likely prefer one over the other depending on the species and conditions.
Successful surf fishing along the beaches may still require a bit of scouting to find suitable grass-free waters. Looking at different venues is a good idea anyway because the recent storm changed the sandbar configuration in most locations. In many spots, days of pounding by large waves with a strong east to west littoral drift separated the beach sandbar from the shoreline leaving a nice deep trough in its place.
The water depth in many locations along the new sandbar is deep enough (4 to 8 feet deep) to support staging the variety of surf feeding species that anglers usually target once the jack species vacate. Pompano, slot-sized redfish, small black drum, bluefish, whiting (Gulf kingfish), ground mullet (Northern and Southern kingfish), pompano, seatrout, and flounder can typically be found along these troughs.
Water depth, clarity, wave height, wind speed and direction, along with tidal movement and currents are critical factors to find fish feeding in these beach holes and troughs. Most of the time they will be most actively feeding along the dropoff on the back side (shore side) of the sandbar, 100 feet or so from the shoreline.
There may also be situations when you only catch catfish or pinfish there, and the fish you seek are more actively feeding farther out, actually on the sandbars, points, or beyond. Keep trying different distances from shore with your rigs and baits until you find what is working, then refine that technique to dial in the fish. Many times just changing the style or color of your rig, especially when using artificial attractants like Fish bites or Fishgum will have a huge impact on the fish accepting, or ignoring your offering.
Flounder season is already closed in Florida, but Alabama anglers may continue to harvest legal-sized flounder until the end of October. Bouncing a bottom hugging jig along sandbar drop offs or around hard structures is a great way to target flounder because you can cover much more water than with live bait.
But small live baitfish such as bull minnows, finger mullet, or even the small LYs is a great way to meticulously target flounder around intricate structures like piers and jetties. An old-school fishing method for flounder when live bait is not available is to use a strip of fresh fish on a jig. Drop it to the bottom and just drag it along until you feel it suddenly gain weight when a flounder sucks it in. Then set the hook and reel it in. Either way flounder are ambush feeders, lying in wait for their next meal to come by, and they are great eating!