Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9-2-25

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook 9-2-25

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Our previous fortnight brought a streak of pretty good weather and fishing along the Gulf beaches featuring exceptionally clear and calm water, and even a few mornings with dry fall-like conditions. Ah, but all good things come to an end as we soon returned to summertime humidity, periods of rain, and even had the Gulf rough up for a few days to begin September. So far though, we have been blessed that no organized tropical system has affected our area. But bear in mind the historical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season occurs in mid September. So, remain vigilant and prayerful that we may continue to be spared the worst! Adjusting to variable conditions is key to successful fishing, and that includes having a backup plan (or two) whenever your initial target species may not be cooperating.
This is the time of year when spanish mackerel are fattening up on 3 inch long young-of-the-year Scaled herring (aka LYs). When the water is calm and clear, mackerel along with other medium sized predatory fish like bluefish, ladyfish, blue runner, and juvenile jack crevelle press large shoals of baby LYs onto the upwind/upcurrent side of the beach piers and jetties. At times mackerel slip beneath the feeding LY school, and in a blur of silver and brown, race through the school of baitfish to grab one.
That action is so much fun to watch, and it is a great time to fish these small baits on light to medium class tackle. Limits of spanish mackerel (15 per person per day), have been relatively commonplace lately, and may be accomplished in a matter of two or three hours when the action is fast.
But come prepared, as these mackerel are equipped with razor sharp teeth, and exhibit a ravenous school feeding behavior. Several free fish often follow a hooked fish eagerly looking to snap up any morsels expelled by the feeding fish. As a result, they will bite anything that looks remotely like food, including your line cutting across the surface of the water. They will also strike at swivels (even black ones), colored beads, weights, floats, and even large knots may garner their unwanted attention. So be wary of too much terminal tackle, or you may just sacrifice a lot of it to these famished fish.
Beware too, medium sized sharks (four to 6 feet long) are also on the prowl around the pier, often lurking just out of sight in the depths until a mackerel gets hooked. Sharks may also shadow at a distance, a bait or lure as it attracts the small gamefish, waiting for the right moment to strike. The loud splashing made by the popular Bubble rigs are especially efficient at attracting sharks and dolphins. When mackerel follow or bite a Bubble rig, lure, or bait, the predator shifts into high gear to chase down the fish, or at least scare them away temporarily. This is the main reason many anglers over tackle their outfit when they target Spanish mackerel, just to pull their hooked fish away from the large predators their rig attracts. But a savvy method to discourage sharks from following a lure is to simply stop moving it for a few seconds. Usually they break off the pursuit and turn away. Then the angler may resume their retrieve and attract any mackerel swimming behind the shark. Also, discarding injured or unwanted fish from the pier tends to draw these large predators in close where they endlessly patrol looking for another easy meal which may be your next hooked fish.
A cornucopia of fish species has been landed from the pier lately including such usual suspects such as ladyfish, blue runner, bluefish, spadefish, king mackerel, speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. But the most unusual was the landing (and release) of a couple of small sailfish on back to back days during a period when several other small sailfish were sighted. These are the only recorded catches of billfish on the new Gulf State Park Pier, and the first caught since the late 1990s. Just so you know, Major Jason Downey, Chief Enforcement Officer with Alabama Marine Resources Division told me to retain a sailfish in Alabama, one must have an HMS permit (Federal), and minimum size is 63 inches LJF (Lower Jaw Fork Length).
On the Gulf beaches, anglers have been catching some scattered pompano and whiting, with some larger individuals in the mix. The surfzone is often loaded with numerous juvenile jacks in September, including small pompano and whiting. The dawn bluefish blitzes continue for surf casting anglers with some fine specimens landed recently along the Fort Morgan Peninsula. There have still been occasional nice speckled trout caught in that vicinity, as well as from the State Pier. Heavily equipped surf casters near the point at Fort Morgan continue to catch large jack crevelle on a variety of large surface plugs, swim baits, and the locally made hatchet spoons. This has been the most dependable big pull target species lately, and that action should just continue to get better through September.
Mangrove snapper is another species that gets fired up this month, as their plentiful food source of bite-sized LYs helps them quickly bulk up for the upcoming winter. More of these tasty snapper are over the 12 inch minimum size limit in Alabama now, and easily meet the 10 inch minimum in Florida. The creel limit is also different in each state, as Florida allows 5 mangrove snapper per day while Alabama allows 10 per day. See state regulations for additional restrictions on harvesting these popular inshore reef fish. Many are being caught from the State Pier, the jetties, and seawall at Perdido Pass along with redfish (many slot-sized) and some keeper flounder.
Alabama anglers should bear in mind that ALL fishing licenses expired at the end of August and must be renewed after September 1st. This also includes resident anglers over 65 as well as Lifetime license holders, who need to annually renew their free registration to ensure Alabama continues to receive its fair share of Federal tax dollars from fishing tackle sales.
Info: outdooralabama.com.