Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9/17/25 -10/1/25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9/17/25 -10/1/25
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Our weather was seasonably mild and mostly stable through the previous fortnight, giving us a nice period of early fall fishing from the beaches and especially at the Gulf State Park Pier. Daylight hours are getting noticeably shorter now as we approach the climatological end of summer with the Autumnal Equinox September 21.
Thankfully we have been spared any significant tropical activity through the first half of the season. So, let us hope and pray that trend continues as a series of mostly dry late summer fronts has repeatedly reinforced the dry air and northeast winds across the area.
The resulting weather pattern has given us a prolonged period of mostly calm and clear water, even as the Gulf water temperature slipped into the middle and even lower 80s. That is about average for mid September, and the fishing is about what we would expect too, along with a few surprises. One of the most pleasant is the continued presence of speckled trout available to wade fishers along the Gulf beaches. Also good numbers of pompano have been caught in the surfzone along with a few nice permit and an increasing number of slot-sized redfish and small black drum, and some feisty bluefish have been in the surf along the Fort Morgan Peninsula.
The Spanish mackerel bite from the beach, Perdido Pass seawall, and on the Gulf State Park Pier has been quite dependable lately, though not many of the typical ax-handles we often see in September. But at least the numbers of spanish caught from the pier have been high, including commonplace limits of the smaller 14 inch to 18 inch Fork Length mackerel. Plus there have been a few nice kings mixed in occasionally, mostly in the early mornings.
Of course things are never totally perfect, and there are always a few flies in the ointment. That has literally been the case for beach goers and surf fishers on mornings with a north or northeast breeze as they have been dealing with biting flies often called marsh flies. There are a few commercially available products that discourage these blood sucking menaces from even lighting on your skin. So they are worth the cost and effort to remain comfortable.
Surf casters have also had to deal with scattered outbreaks of a common green algae, called June grass. And this seems to have interfered with the runs of big jack crevelle at the point near Fort Morgan, at least temporarily. Even the scourge of hardhead catfish had to be endured by pompano set rig fishers during a few rough days with dingy water behind some of the fronts. Then they have to deal with light winds and surf at other times, along with the dreaded NEAP tide periods September 21st and 22nd. Less change in water level and weaker tidal currents, and of course dingy water are generally not conducive to catching fish especially on the beach and even the pier.
Catches on the pier have been hindered at times by mid day heat with calm winds and changing tides, so early and late in the day have generally been most the most productive periods for anglers. Speaking of anglers, the holiday crowds on the pier during Labor Day weekend were formidable, but still allowed savvy anglers to catch plenty of good fish including keeper mangrove snapper, red fish, speckled, and flounder. But the appearance of numerous dolphins and sharks around the pier has been a formidable issue to overcome in order to land some fish intact, at least in the case of king and spanish mackerel.
Still some substantial catches of both spanish and king mackerel have been possible at times simply because of the huge numbers of baitfish around the pier. During sustained periods of clearer than average water visibility (greater than 10 feet), predatory fish drive vast schools of Scaled herring to the pier, seeking refuge. As a result, predators become imprinted on feeding on these baitfish around the pier, especially the three inch long young-of-the-year herring locally called LYs.
The small baitfish are perfect size for a variety of predatory fish species (like spanish mackerel) to get in their mouth. Much to the delight of pier fishers, they are often eaten by ladyfish, bluefish, large blue runner, and the hordes of 6 to 9 inch long juvenile jack crevelle. The baits can be caught with the tiniest size sabiki rigs available, or in the red ribbon rigs with mesh size of ½ inch to ¾ inch available at the pier store and local bait and tackle shops.
Lures that imitate these small forage fish (like spoons, jigs, and plugs) are effective as well, but cutoffs by the sheer number of small spanish mackerel in the water following a hooked fish are staggering at times. They are all gorging on these small baitfish in preparation for their upcoming migration, so anything that moves (such as swivels, weights, knots, and even a bare line running across the surface of the water are subject to being attacked by numerous sets of sharp, slashing teeth. As a result, it is wise to minimize your terminal tackle to help prevent being cut off, or at least lessen your losses if you are cut off.
Leaders, especially made of monofilament should be checked after each fish, and even the first 30 to 50 feet of line needs to be scrutinized for nicks that potentially could lead to line failure when pulling or lifting pressure is applied.
Catches at Perdido Pass have been about typical for September as well, with upper slot and over slot sized redfish leading the way. Also, good numbers of mangrove snapper have been caught, though most are still below the 12 inch minimum. Spanish mackerel are numerous at times in the pass, mostly while the tide is rising in the late afternoons of the days following the NEAP tide. Nice bluefish and ladyfish should be in the mix as well, even into the night hours. Small live LYs make great bait, but lures that imitate them work well too.
Lately good numbers of large black drum have been staging in the Intercoastal Waterway (canal), accessible for shore anglers from Highway 180. Blue crab, cut in half and fished on bottom is an excellent bait for these large drum. Even though they are not regulated in Alabama, the fishery is primarily catch and release because these adult fish are breeders and have a reputation of being infested with parasitic worms. But they sure are fun to catch and pull like crazy.
Lastly, things are looking up for Little Lagoon Pass as the ongoing dredging work widens and deepens the channel south of the Highway 182 Callaway Bridge to the Gulf. Once the court ordered water depth (6 feet) has been dredged, a healthy water flow in and out of the pass will be restored too. This allows for better ingress and egress of baitfish as well as gamefish between the Little Lagoon and the Gulf.
In the past, drier than average years with rare tropical interruptions have resulted in spectacular fall fishing in our area. And this year certainly has that potential, God willing…