Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 5/14/25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 5/14/25

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Gulf waters warmed up while the salinity got back closer to normal during this past fortnight and anglers have enjoyed many of the benefits. Though the peak of the pompano run has passed, good numbers of these deliciously hard fighting little jacks may be available for several more weeks yet. The recent invasion of Sargassum grass has been about the only fly in the ointment for surf fishers, and plenty of pompano have been landed despite the challenges.
Even the last NEAP tide did not slow down catches for astute anglers like surf guide Blane Roberts in Perdido Key and visitor Travis Chapman from North Carolina on the Fort Morgan Peninsula.
The grass did pile up more to the west from Gulf Shores to Fort Morgan, while it did not look as thick to the east toward Perdido Key and Johnson’s Beach.
By now, sunshine along with low tides and slight seas have allowed much of the stranded Sargassum to be pulverized and incorporate into the sand. This provides much needed nutrients into the beach sand to help support the variety of flora and fauna along the coast. Will there be more incursions later this month?
Speckled trout have been showing up in the surf from the Gulf State Park Pier to Fort Morgan and at Perdido Pass.
These tasty seatrout are a lot of fun on light to medium tackle and may be caught on a variety of lures from the beach, though live shrimp or small LYs (Scaled herring) are needed from the pier.
There must be something about the number of lines and hooks in the water around the pier that make trout much more finicky to bite there. But anglers in the surf, including the jetties and seawall at Perdido Pass, or around the mouth of Little Lagoon catch plenty of specks on artificials. Topwater lures are standard for low light conditions, while slow sinking jerkbaits or soft body grubs on a leadhead jig work great at times too.
Much depends on the conditions of weather and water, and what the fish are feeding on. Slot-sized redfish and flounder are common bycatch for trout fishers in the surf and even in Little Lagoon where there are large numbers of white trout, croakers, and other finfish too. Along the beaches and jetties, ladyfish, bluefish, blue runners, and spanish mackerel often intercept lures intended for trout or respond to jigs, spoons, and plugs.
That makes for a lot of fun!
A ton of fun has been had by pier anglers lately as the mackerel bite really picked up recently with intermittent runs of larger sized spanish mackerel and even some king mackerel. Folks had to take a number at times because the fish cleaning station on the pier got so busy! LOL Spanish mackerel are available to be caught from the pier through most of the year, though spring and fall are best.
Larger than average breeder size female spanish mackerel usually show up in May, and this month has been no exception as anglers have access to the outer octagon of the pier for the first time in 5 years.
Many spanish over three pounds, commonly called Alex handles, were landed and even some kings and bull redfish were mixed in. Pier patrons also had their first pier picnic in a long time earlier this month, a tradition that goes back almost 50 years! It was a great pot luck lunch with almost 200 people attending.
The annual inundation of ladyfish and blue runners (often called skipjack and hardtails) marks the period when we begin changing from a spring to a summer pattern with these pelagic species dominating the bite in the surfzone. They will readily strike a variety of live, dead, or artificial offerings by anglers from the shore, pier, or jetties.
Though actually quite edible, these species are usually relegated into the list of trash fish, or at least less than desirable by anglers more focused on catching a meal than having fun. Because skipjacks and hardtails can provide plenty of entertainment for fishermen not fixated on more palatable species. Often this is most prominent during the NEAP tide period, which occurs around May 22nd in this fortnight. It seems that more desirable species are not as eager to bite under the conditions of less current and tidal variation.
Large schools of jack crevelle become active along the beaches this time of year. They offer pier and shore anglers opportunities to do battle with these very stubborn pelagics. The Point near Fort Morgan is especially popular as well as productive at times when the jack bite becomes dependable. Heavier tackle in the 20 to 40 pound class is a must to handle these brutes which can be caught on just about any live or dead bait, as well as a variety of lures ranging from surface poppers to swim jigs, large spoons, or even diving plugs.
Our forecast is for much more of this kind of action until the weather gets unbearably hot. The fish don’t seem to care too much at first, as it takes a while longer for the water to warm into the middle 80s.
But water temperatures have been occasionally tipping above 80 degrees already, so these good times with pompano and mackerel won’t last long. We will have to make the most of it while it is with us.
There will be a LOT more vacationers by the end of this month as well, so that means many more folks on the pier and in the water, especially on weekends.
Early mornings and late afternoons are not as hot and less crowded too. As the summer season fully sets in though, night fishing gets better for speckled trout around dock and pier lights.
That takes away some of the daytime fishing pressure and offers folks respite from the heat. Better get used to it though as it will be a long, hot, and crowded summer!