Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 7/23/25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 7/23/25
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

A threat from the tropics (by Invest 93) along with the return of onshore wind flow dominated the weather and fishing scene near the end of the previous fortnight. It has been extremely hot when the wind is not blowing, so this respite brought a bit of a relief. It also heralded several good days of catching king mackerel from the Gulf State Park Pier, with as many as 40 landed in a day. This is the type of summer fishing that has been missing from our fishing scene after we lost access to the octagon on the pier back in 2020. But it is back now, and reminiscent of good catches in years past before the shark population grew out of control and threatened to ruin this fine fishery.
Not just kings have been caught from the pier, but good numbers of spanish mackerel and even bonita (Little tunny) have been caught at times, most on the ever popular Bubble rigs. One reason they are so popular is because they are relatively inexpensive compared to $12 to $20 plugs like Rapala X-Raps or even the $5 Gotcha plugs.
The clear acrylic bubbles cost just a couple of dollars each and the lure can be anything from a dollar crappie jig to a homemade lure made with colored rubber tubing on a 40 cent long shank single hook. A variety of fish may be caught with Bubble rigs but they do have their limitations and detractors because of the attention they draw from apex predators like sharks and dolphins. Also, by nature they fish only the upper few feet of the water column and create a lot of commotion and casting that makes more traditional forms of fishing, like live lining baitfish much more difficult. In the past, lure fishing was permitted only on the upwind or upcurrent half of the pier, allowing drift fishing and snobbling of dead baits down wind/downcurrent. With a little cooperation there can still be plenty of room to accommodate all styles of fishing resulting in more fish and more happy fishermen.
There were several tarpon hooked and released at pier side before the onset of rough weather. Tarpon are a mainstay for pier lure fishermen this time of year, as the end of July is typically the height of their migration through Alabama coastal waters. Calm, clear waters and light winds offer great conditions to spot tarpon schools rolling on the surface. They don’t always do that though, and when there is a chop on the surface they may not roll at all, perhaps because there is more oxygen in the upper water column due to breaking waves. Choppy conditions after an extended period of calm often triggers a feeding frenzy for a variety of pelagic fish species such as we witnessed at the pier recently.
Summer days often seem just about the same, but each day offers a unique combination of weather and water conditions which may aid or hinder fish from feeding. Even in the course of a day when a dead calm morning with no current or breeze and no fish biting may change with the onset of an afternoon sea breeze or the passing of a thundershower. Successful fishermen are always watching the weather and tides to see if favorable conditions will be present while they are able to fish. Or some are content to go early and stay late just to wait and see what happens.
Beach fishing has been hit or miss for pompano, which while still present in the surfzone, are not available in the numbers of springtime. These fewer fish are spread out as loners or small groups and have to compete with countless other species and including young of their own kind.
This is the time of year when the region between the beach and the longshore sandbar is inundated with juvenile fish of many species competing for the same food sources. It can also be the time when natural soft baits like shrimp and ghost shrimp are rendered essentially useless because they are instantly assailed by countless tiny mouths trying to get their share of food so they don’t get eaten by something larger.
Artificial strip baits like Fishbites and Fishgum can give you the edge over natural baits because they simply stay on the hook longer. This setup in addition to natural bait (a piece of shrimp) can tip the balance in your favor when used on Carolina rigs on bottom or naked single drop rigs. There is often no need to add much additional hardware (like colored beads and floats) to get attention of fish because these fish are already in a competitive spirit while in the surfzone.
Fish predators that eat smaller finfish can be fooled by imitations that mimic the shape, color, and movement of their prey items. Thus silver spoons work well on a variety of species like bluefish, mackerel, ladyfish, small jacks, and even redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. Small LYs (Scaled sardines) enter the shallow waters as protection from these predators and are often ambushed by them along sandbar drop offs and in troughs. Look for these sites and fish them with the eyes of a predator.
Beach fishing (like pier fishing) tends to be more productive when onshore winds chop up the waters a bit and confuse the baitfish, tipping the balance in favor of the predators. The fishing tends to not be as productive during calm periods, or just restricted to very early and late in the day. Fortunately this coincides with fewer people on the beach and in the water. The best times recently for jack crevelle near Fort Morgan seem have been on days with a southwest breeze in the morning, while calmer days have favored speckled trout fishing in the surf.
The seawall at Perdido Pass has been productive at times because the current focuses bait movements along the recesses of the seawall, riprap, and bridge structure. A variety of species (such as mangrove snapper, bluefish, and redfish) use these hard structures as current breaks to wait in ambush of baitfish pushed around by the currents. The parking lot lights add another dimension to the feeding cycle of spanish mackerel and bluefish by tending to attract baitfish too. Particularly on those mornings during the second week of the tidal fortnight, which in this period occur before the NEAP tides of July 29th.