Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 2/18/26

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 2/18/26

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

With a little luck, our previous fortnight will be the coldest weather we experience this winter. Those several bouts of below freezing temperatures we had, repeatedly entailed closing the Gulf State Park Pier along with many other vulnerable beachside facilities, for an extended number of days. That in itself really seemed to keep folks from venturing out to fish as well.
Also, water temperatures likely dipped to the lowest point we will see this year, when nearshore Gulf water temperatures slipped into the upper 50s, and back bay temperatures plunged into the 40s. Surfside water in the 50s does not support much action, with mostly just small whiting and a few big black drum reported from the beaches.
Consequently, fishing was rather poor during most of the last period, but began to improve once the water began warming with the higher air temps and more sunny days. The weather quickly warmed by the first weekend in February, and once we get further along in this trend results will become more apparent. Is winter over? Or is this just a false spring period?
As Gulf water temperatures rebound from below 60, anglers have more species and options to look for.
Pompano should once again be on the move in the surf zone while looking for ghost shrimp, sand fleas, and other food items that are becoming more active as the water temperatures rise. Whiting, red fish, black drum, bluefish, and other native species are also more of a possibility now from the beach, jetty, seawall, and pier.
Choosing a venue that puts you within casting range of feeding fish is essential to success now more than ever.
Feeding periods should mostly favor afternoons during the warmest part of the day, and typically higher tides. That pattern can be interrupted during the NEAP tide periods beginning and ending this fortnight, plus any windy/stormy period when ner shore waters are too rough or dingy to support good fishing.
That might be a good time to check out the jumbo black drum bite along the shores of the Intercoastal Waterway (canal) just off Highway 180 between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
Half a blue crab fished with heavy spinning rigs on bottom is standard bait and tackle for this mostly catch and release fishery. These overgrown black drum, though unregulated constitute the backbone of spawners of this species, plus they have a reputation of being infested with spahetti worm parasites.
Of course sheepshead are the main focus species as we enter late February into early March, which is their prespawn period. As sheepshead schools gather into larger aggregations ahead of the spawn, they typically become easier to catch because of a rise in competition within the school.
While fiddler crabs remain a very popular bait option for sheepshead, live shrimp at times work a bit better for fish that are in suspended schools around the pier or other near shore objects.
Free-lining live shrimp on medium class spinning tackle is a great way to take advantage of this fishery. Sheepshead are scrappy fighters on such tackle and are renown as even better table fare.
Speckled trout are another inshore species on the move as coastal waters begin to warm. One of the lesser utilized venues for speckled trout however, is Little Lagoon Pass simply because waders are essential in order to fish there properly.
As for Perdido Pass, fishing lures or live bait from the jetty or the lighted area of the parking lot (at night) may produce trout. They often lay deep around hard structure, waiting to ambush passing schools of baitfish. Unfortunately, bluefish often share the same niche in the pass, and may displace specks there.
Easily the biggest question mark on the fishing front this time of year, whenever the water temperature in the gulf reaches and sustains around sixty five degrees, would be when will the spanish mackerel begin to show up.
Some years this occurs around the end of February, while others, not until the middle of March. So,depending on whether or not our current weather pattern is simply a false spring or if it persists into the true onset of spring, we can expect that Spanish mackerel schools will begin showing up at Alabama Point jetty or from the end of the Gulf State Park Pier.
Look for conditions of fairly calm and clear water to ignite a good Spanish mackerel bite, especially on a rising tide.
At first these bites will be rather inconsistent and fairly brief. But as the mackerel migration takes hold, more and more fish will be available to anglers at these specific locations. Gotcha plug is the most popular lure for these mackerel this time of year.
Simply because it casts far and sinks quickly. But the locally produced white Looney jigs are extremely effective and much safer to use than the multi trouble hooked Gotcha plug , they don’t call it gotcha for nothing!
Also, spanish mackerel may bite live shrimp under a float intended for other species at times, making bycatch for early season pompano or speckle trout fishermen on the pier or jetty.