Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9/16/26

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9/16/26

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

With the exception of Labor Day Weekend, crowds on the area beaches and Gulf State Park Pier have been sparse compared to summer numbers.
But shorebound anglers continued to be plagued by hot temperatures, storms, and dingy water through much of the previous fortnight.
There were breaks in the clouds though, showing us some of the great fishing potential this time of year is noted for. For one, there is plenty of forage fish for predators in the surfzone, passes, and around the pier. Juvenile “LYs” (Scaled herring), finger mullet, and other small finfish are available in large numbers at times.
This keys almost daily feeding frenzies of bluefish along the beaches and in the pass, plus attracts schools of ravenous spanish mackerel, speckled trout, redfish, flounder, ladyfish, and hordes of juvenile jack crevelle to the Gulf State Park Pier. Fish follow the bait!
Fishing from shore the first hour or so of daylight often produces good numbers of bluefish eager to smash any lure that remotely resembles these small baitfish.
Spoons are good as are the lures like the Strike One which cast like a bullet in any wind. The 1.5 ounce is deadly within a hundred yards on slightly heavier surf spinning tackle when distance is needed to blind cast or target schools on or over the longshore sandbar. But whenever the bluefish (and ladyfish) are in the trough just off the beach you can get away with lighter tackle and lures. So smaller spoons, jigs, or plugs like the MirrOlure MirrOdine are excellent choices in fooling these blitzing bluefish on lighter class tackle.
These are also more likely to produce speckled trout, redfish, and even flounder. Though primarily feeding near the bottom, flounder are known to attack a bait near or on the surface when they get fired up this time of year. So keep your eyes peeled for any kind of feeding activity as you walk the beaches.
As is usual in September, Perdido Pass has been a hot spot for bluefish (along with spanish mackerel) around the bridge most mornings when the tide is flowing in from the Gulf. While the redfish bite is usually better with a falling tide either around the bridge or the jetties.
Many of the reds are slot sized (under 26 inches) this time of year, but many do exceed that size and must now be released in Alabama.
Plan your fishing trips accordingly as the next NEAP tide will be coming up September 25 – 26, which incidentally coincides with the next Full Moon.
Juvenile mangrove snapper have also entered the fray, as they are eager to put on weight for the winter before they move offshore to join their elders. Even young mangrove snapper have excellent eyesight and only rarely will strike a lure of any kind or action, even when they will eat a live bait with hardly any hesitation.
These wary little snapper run in packs, so competion within the school drives them to bite whatever swims by, including offerings of live shrimp or minnows anglers offer them. They snatch the bait and make a beeline for the nearest cover (piling or rock), often breaking the angler’s line in the process. This makes them a formidable adversary on light tackle to say the least. But well worth the effort due to their deliciousness!
Keep in mind regulations vary between Alabama and Florida! Alabama has a 12 inch minimum size limit and a creel limit of 10 mangrove snapper per angler per day. While Florida has a 10 inch minimum size, but a creel limit of only 5 fish per day. And remember Alabama also requires the use of non-stainless circle hooks when targeting so-called reef fish, and mangrove snapper are considered reef fish in Alabama. So, the $10 Reef Fish Permit is needed in addition to a saltwater license.
Pigfish and pinfish are also coming into seasonal abundance over the next month. Though not generally eaten, they are really quite tasty and usually the largest of the year are found now. Like any sea bream or porgy, the flesh of these fish is white, firm, and flaky, making them excellent for frying.
They also make decent cut bait for bluefish or red drum (redfish), which also invade the surf zone this month. Again size and creel limits on redfish vary between Alabama and Florida, so be sure you have the appropriate size and number of fish in your box should you be inclined to retain any.
Surf anglers still targeting pompano have been having a bit less success according to Blane Roberts with Panhandle Salt Surf Fishing in Perdido Key, but that is pretty typical for September. The fall run of pompano is just around the corner as days are getting noticably shorter now and the Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 22nd.
This makes morning and evening fishing all the more productive as many fish species sense the changes soon to occur and are building their fat reserves by gorging themselves on available food items. That includes small pompano and whiting along with other species that utilize the surf zone including juvenile jack crevelle.
These can be ton of fun on ultralight tackle from the beach or wadefishing the surf for anglers so inclined. They will strike a variety of small lures like jigs, spoons and plugs providing virtually limitless hours of fish catching.
But spanish mackerel are the target species of choice for a majority of pier fishers. They provide hours of entertaining fishing as well as many a good meal. Bubble rigs are usually quite effective in near calm conditions by calling up mackerel (mostly small) this time of year, along with an abundance of ladyfish (skipjack), blue runner (hardtails), and juvenile jack crevelle (yellowtails). The splashing action can get the sharks fired up at times too, so be aware of their possible presence.
Some anglers throw Gotcha plugs, size 10 X-Raps, or Looney jigs to help bypass marauding sharks and target larger spanish mackerel. But savvy anglers learned a long time ago that matching the hatch by snobbling cigar minnows or free-lining small live LYs provides a lot more action with a lot less angler effort.
Every tool in the box has its day in the sun this time of year when it comes to mackerel fishing from the pier, and it pays to be prepared for anything. King mackerel have still been absent, but if the water cools down from the middle 80s and we remain storm free, that may change soon. So far this year has been the quietest Atlantic Hurricane Season in recent memory.
Hopefully it will stay that way!