Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 7/24/24

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 7/24/24
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

A typical mid summer weather pattern dominated through our previous fortnight. And the forecasts don’t look much different at least for the rest of July. We have been given a respite from activity in the tropics, but historically August begins the Cape Verde portion of the season with more dangerous storms. Actually our typical routine of early morning thundershowers along the coast can be exciting enough whenever the lightning gets to popping. But at least those are relatively short lived and haven’t been producing a lot of wind. With a general lack of sustained winds, the wave heights are small and the Gulf water has been quite clear. It has also warmed up a bit too, as the Gulf water temperature has been running in the upper 80s, which is about average for this time of year.
Meanwhile the shallower back bay waters have been a couple of degrees warmer, often flirting with the 90 degree mark.
This trend sparks a lot of growth for newly hatched sealife, and young of the year fish grow at a rate of about an inch per month. Unfortunately these conditions also spawn a LOT of jellyfish, and right on cue sea nettles are becoming more prevalent in some spots. Occasionally there are enough in one area to interfere with swimming and wade fishing, while barely any are seen a few miles away.
Water salinity and currents, mostly tidally influenced are the main driving forces that concentrate jellyfish in a particular area. Be on your guard and bring a jellyfish sting remedy with you while fishing.
This fortnight begins with a NEAP tide period centering on July 26th. Then the daily tide differential increases the following week and into the beginning of August. I
f the water stays calm and clear, this period could see a lot of fish actively feeding, especially in the evenings with the falling tides. The outgoing tide moves baitfish within range of schools of bluefish, ladyfish, and mackerel waiting just outside the beach sandbars and passes. Sometimes mornings will have flurries of fish feeding with the incoming tide which favors locations along the beaches and at Perdido Pass.
Larger than the pound average bluefish have been the norm this summer, with some exceeding three pounds.
These are a LOT of fun on medium and light tackle, and pretty good eating too. A lot of LYs (Scaled and False herring) are still spawning in Perdido Pass, attracting all sorts of predatory fish.
Most of the action is with ladyfish and bluefish with other species like mackerel and redfish mixed in. A majority of anglers use lures mainly to cover more water, but sometimes gamefish prefer the real thing making free lining LYs or live shrimp a more productive option.
This holds true for night fishing too, when some nice keeper sized mangrove snapper have been caught from the seawalls at Perdido Pass and Little Lagoon. Those tasty mangroves prefer hanging out around rocks and piling, as they are ambush feeders on whatever prey swims by in the current. Nailing a bait to the bottom with a weighted rig works sometimes, but can get to be a real pain in the wallet when fishing around rocks and docks. Controlled drifting the bait in the current with just a light splitshot gives a more natural presentation that often elicits wary gamefish like mangrove snapper to bite. Just note though, IF you intend to retain mangrove snapper in Alabama you must have a Reef Fish Endorsement ($10) and “anglers must use non-stainless steel circle hooks when fishing for, retaining, possessing or landing gulf reef fish when using natural bait.”
Beach fishing continues to be productive as well with fair numbers of pompano active in the surfzone. Though not available in the numbers we saw a few months ago, many anglers are still landing occasional pompano despite the calm conditions. Some savvy anglers and guides even average one, two, or more each day because of their persistence and perhaps altering their tactics to increase chances of catching pompano over the ever present variety of bycatch species such as ladyfish, blue runner, bluefish, small sharks, catfish, remora, spadefish, and such. Often when bluefish are present in the surf, regular denizens like whiting and ground mullet (Gulf, Southern, and Northern kingfish) are absent.
The majority of anglers are using fresh shrimp pieces, but sandfleas and ghost shrimp may be superior baits at times to target pompano.
Working pompano jigs like the increasingly popular Goofy jig set up is a good way to cover more water and find a school of pompano. Even though the water hasn’t been rough enough to break on the sandbars lately, pompano fishers need to keep in mind their quarry still orient to those surf zone structures like sandbar drop offs in calm, clear water. Bouncing a pompano jig down, up, or along a drop off is sure to get the attention of any curious and hungry pompano.
The point near Fort Morgan has been the center of attention this summer for anglers seeking bigger game by tussling with bull redfish, jack crevalle, and medium sized sharks. Medium heavy or heavy spinning tackle with rods 8 to 10 feet long and 30 to 50 pound class reels and line are the norm.
The idea is to cast a heavy spoon, jig, or popper on a heavy monofilament leader toward a school of breaking fish, hook up, and subdue the beast as quickly as possible to assure a successful release. It’s all about the strike and the fight for these fishermen, who are well equipped and intent on doing battle with these leviathans.
Every now and then a surprise gift comes along, like it did for Ryan Stroup when he caught a 26 pound king mackerel from shore while targeting jack crevalle with a large popper.