Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 5/13/26

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 5/13/26

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Our springlike weather has taken a few respites of late, with several bouts or real rainfall, and some chills and thrills for shorebound anglers. Gulf and inshore water temperatures have struggled more recently, leaving us several degrees below the long term averages in the upper 70s typically felt for mid to late May. But that may just stretch out the spring fishing season for pier and shore anglers as we enter the later part of the season. Water clarity and salinity have also suffered at times, but rebounded enough in the prior fortnight to allow some good catches from all venues. Notable catches of spanish mackerel were finally reported from Perdido Pass seawall and some nice pompano were landed from both jetties as well.
Pompano have perhaps been the slowest species to show their seasonal dominance this year. But recent catch reports prove their numbers have increased substantially in the Alabama surf zones. While there is no apparent hot spot for pompano, catches have been generally more dependable from the Florida side of Perdido Key. Johnson’s Beach has seen good catches of pompano (Florida limits of 6 fish), especially when compared to the Bama beaches in Gulf Shores, with exception to the Mobile Street area. But even there, Bama anglers have struggled to catch their 3 pompano. There has certainly been more room to fish from shore now since all schools are back in session. And we have a couple more weeks before the crowds once again swell around the Memorial Day weekend.
Whiting remained fairly active along area beaches as their spawn continued through the May full moon (on the 1st). Not many huge ones this year, but solid schools in some spots with a lot of fat 11 to 12 inch spawners. The current outlook for whiting is not good though, as their popularity increases and smaller specimens are taken from the fishery before they have a chance to spawn. This slow growing member of the drum family needs restrained help from area anglers in order to remain a viable target species.
Speckled trout and slot-sized redfish have also been active in the surf since the heavier rains of early May flushed schools out of the bays into the Gulf. Speckled trout are actively spawning now and should remain targetable at least through the end of this month, whenever the water is fairly calm and clear. They may be caught on a variety of lures this time of year, with topwater plugs being a local favorite. Walking the beaches early in the morning and plugging along the backside of the sandbar is a fine way to locate a school of trout. They typically turn off or move after a few individuals have been caught. But switching to a different artificial may get you a few more bites, especially after the sun gets higher in the sky. This style of speck fishing usually shuts down by late morning as the high tide peaks. The action may resume in the late afternoon though if the falling tide has enough momentum to create feeding zones again.
Tide movement is a key ingredient to angling success for shore fishing. That usually translates to early and late in the day offering the best windows of opportunity to find fish in a biting mood. This present fortnight forecasts the strongest tidal movement between May 15th and May 22nd. The NEAP tide period around May 25th , coincidently Memorial Day, will present the least difference between high and low tide water levels. This generally makes catching more difficult, or at least less predictable or sustained.
Periods of good mackerel fishing from the Gulf State Park Pier are often not as strongly linked to changes in water level, but rather the amount of light, availability of baitfish, and presence (or absence) of rotary currents, in sync with a prevailing breeze. At least some water movement almost always stimulates some mackerel to bite around the pier. Just keep in mind that mackerel (spanish and king), like other pelagic species are subject to roaming the Gulf almost randomly. They only pause around a structure, like the pier long enough to feed. At best this may be a few hours as long as conditions remain fairly consistent to support the bite. But change any of those contributing factors, and the school may dissappear suddenly. Sometimes they may return later in the day, but usually not.
The best historical patterns for mackerel fishing, especially for a sustained bite by spanish mackerel, is to be at the pier at first light or late in the afternoon as the shadows in the water lengthen after 3 pm. But also, an early afternoon bite may gradually or suddenly begin when a sea breeze chops up the surface of the Gulf. This phenomenon is especially notable whenever the vector direction of the seabreeze (southeast or southwest) is coincident with the direction of any current flow (from the east, or from the west). Consequently, a sea breeze that opposes the direction of the tide or current flow often kills a bite or cancels out the effect so it never happens. Like my ole pier buddy Wyley Burnette used to say: When pier fishing is good, it’s good! But when it’s bad, it’s really bad!
Some good news came from the pier recently with the long awaited opening of the observation platform overlooking the octagon at the end of the pier. This structure offers sightseers a unique perspective of the views available, including a safe venue to watch the fishing action. The structure was built during the extensive pier renovation in mid-2020, and was set to reopen with the rest of the pier just the day before hurricane Sally wrecked a 200 foot gap in the pier on September 17th of that year. While the observation platform survived the hurricane pretty much intact, the elevator allowing handicap access to it did not. So, the observation platform has remained closed since the August 2024 reopening until the lift was recently repaired. Now folks can enjoy the full experience offered by the Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier, as it was intended!