Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 3/4/26

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 3/4/26

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

The weather during the previous fortnight really took us for a ride, with a week of near record high temperatures followed by a couple of nights with near freezing. But the warmer pattern quickly returned, with no significant cold weather or sustained rainfall in the foreseeable forecast future at press time. This takes us into the second week of March, which is almost always when spring fishing really takes off around here.
This could be one of those years, compelled as much by the length of days and lunar calendar, which gives us a full moon coincident with a NEAP tide at the beginning of this fortnight. Consequently, the period will end with a NEAP tide period and dark of the moon.
The week in between features the change to Daylight Savings Time (March 8th), hopefully for the last time. That just means the tide will be rising almost every day during daylight hours, giving anglers a wider window in pursuit of an increasing number and variety of fish.
This is the period when sheepshead fishing usually takes off every time we get several days of calm weather over the gulf. Light winds and clear skies bode well to increase the bite as long as the water doesn’t get too clear and calm.
A little agitation in the water column can be a good thing as it keeps things stirred up and fish are on the prowl for food, or in the case of sheepshead, a mate. Spawning activity will likely be observed around the Gulf State Park Pier and the west jetty at Perdido Pass. Large aggregations of these fish in these (and other) hard structure locations should give anglers the edge they have been waiting for through these past few weeks.
Fiddler crabs and live shrimp are prime baits for sheepshead during this period, but with increased demand due to the influx of Spring Break fishers, the live bait shops usually cannot keep enough supply on hand for everyone.
So, what can the less fortunate do to catch fish? Some sheepshead may be caught on fresh dead or carefully frozen shrimp, or by using alternative baits such as oysters, hermit crabs, or ghost shrimp
Presentation is still very important to getting sheepshead to bite, even when they are spawning or schooling between spawns. Smaller hooks, less weight and lighter line can give the angler an edge on these normally wary fish, so they can catch their share.
Another way to avoid the no-live bait skunk is to try for others species. IF bull minnows are available when shrimp are not, then fish for flounder. IF whiting are in the surf, try for them with pieces of dead shrimp. And if all else fails, try jigging for spanish mackerel. Spanish mackerel begin showing up along the coast once the water temperature is sustained above 65 degrees.
Early season mackerel are often chasing small squid, so the ½ ounce white Looney jig is a great artificial lure. Cheaper, and less dangerous than the multi-treble hooked Gotcha plug, the jigs are more bitesized for these small mackerel in the 12 to 16 inch fork length range. They arrive in Alabama lean and hungry after migrating hundreds of miles through waters with very little forage.
So, when the bite is on, it doesn’t take long to fill out a limit of 15 fish. And when they are not running, futility is the name of the game. But don’t give up, because a school may show up at any time giving many anglers opportunities to catch some before that school moves on.
Typically as we progress farther into March, catching spanish mackerel becomes more dependable, within conducive parameters of weather and water conditions.
Again, a little chop can be a good thing, while dead calm or rough and dingy are not usually productive. So the thing is to keep trying different things until you find what works for you on any given day.
Some redfish, even slot-sized have been caught from the beaches lately, and these will give way to increasing numbers of pompano as the waters warm through the 60s.
Pre-spawn schools of pompano should become much more numerous in the surf-zone between the full moon of March and April. Once again the water being stirred by waves up to three feet is usually a good thing as it helps concentrate these schools in feeding zones along sandbar drop offs and cuts.
Anglers using the localized rip currents to their advantage in locating these feeding fish should have no problem filling the Alabama limit of three pompano, or even a Florida limit of six pompano in Perdido Key and Johnson’s Beach.
Double-drop pompano rigs with brightly colored floats or beads are quite effective this time of year when simply baited with fresh dead shrimp. But there will still be days when the fish are wary or lethargic and anglers need to present a more stealthy offering, or even just use ghost shrimp.
There will be plenty of whiting along with some red and black drum as bycatch when pompano fishing from the beach. And even bluefish or flounder can be in the mix too.
Though there are many more anglers fishing the venues this time of year, there are a LOT more opportunities with a growing number of fish on a day to day basis. Just be versatile and adjust to whatever mother nature gives us as we enter into one of the most productive fishing periods of the year!