Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook June 10-24, 2026

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook June 10-24, 2026

By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

Our previous fortnight showed several facets of good and bad weather and fishing even as meteorological summer is trying to take hold. The spark of warming Gulf water temperatures into the lower 80s has put a maximum variety of game fish on the prowl at most venues. With everything from spadefish, small jacks, and a myriad of other typical species available at the Gulf State Park Pier, plus tarpon, adult jacks, and even true pelagics like mahi-mahi.
Those came in with the arrival of warmer, saltier water and thicker mats of Sargassum grass which ended up inundating most of the area beaches.
Surf fishers have still been having good luck with pompano all along the Baldwin County coast, including some nice sized spawned out females (up to three pounds) were landed recently. This despite the bane of overabundant Sargassum grass on the beach and in the surf zone. At times it made surf fishing practically impossible at many beaches, especially westward toward the point at Fort Morgan.
But nature doesn’t usually let things remain the same for long, and then we saw a period of strong wings and rough surf which will likely bring drastic changes to the surf zone.
Strong littoral currents during the recent event opened up a more noticeable and defined trough (gap) between the swash zone and longshore sandbar. The importance of this feature cannot be overstated, as it provides a haven for fry and a respite area for many small and intermediate fish species from the much larger predatory sharks and dolphins.
The sandbars you may have been used to fishing around will probably be rearranged by the beginning of this fortnight which is coincident with a new tidecycle. The next NEAP tide will not occur until June 21st, when we will see some of the largest diurnal tide fluctuations of the year (over 2 feet) between June 12th and 17th.
How all this plays out for shore bound fishermen depends also on other factors like water clarity, temperature, and salinity as we ease into the true summer season (Summer Solstice occurs June 22nd ). Also, the prevailing wind pattern that drives wave heights along with daily weather in general may vary greatly from day to day.
May began in a drastic drought, but frequent heavy rains during the previous fortnight erased that deficit for much of the area. So it remains to be seen how this summer will pan out since these longest (and hottest) days of the year are just beginning. And hurricane season is upon us, but we can hope and pray to be spared the worst!
Anglers can beat the summer heat by fishing only early or late in the day, or by fishing at night. Access to lighted docks, piers, and seawalls offer feeding opportunities to many fish species because of the large number of forage fish attracted to those lights. The edges of these regions can be fished by a variety of methods, but the most productive usually utilize or mimic the natural bait on site. And stealth cannot be overstressed, as these fish are usually quite wary and spook when hooked fish thrashes around on the surface or heavy footed anglers vibrate the dock or drop heavy items.
Best advice, after you catch a fish, be patient and wait for the rest of the fish to return to their natural feeding activity before presenting your offering to them. In the long run this method allows the angler to catch more fish than constantly beating them on the head, when immediately casting back into the light.
The timing of the tides in mid June is consistent with fishing early and late in the day, as we often have a slack tidal current during that period when the sun is highest in the sky. Since fish don’t have eyelids (or a hat and sunglasses) to protect their eyes from the blinding glare of midday sun, they usually seek out deeper water or shade from man-made objects like the Gulf State Park Pier.
There, Atlantic spadefish are often one of the few cooperative species to target during the brightest part of the day. These ¼ to 5 pound sea bream are often quite plentiful, and may be cooperative as they look for jellyfish or other invertebrate morsels drifting by in the waning current or dropped from the pier.
One of the most effective methods to target spadefish is to simply use a slip float rig on a 6 to 12 pound class spinning combo with a small (#6) single hook and a BB splitshot for weight. At times they are so keyed in on pieces of shrimp dropped from the pier, they will bite one with a hook in it with abandon. Other times they may be a bit shy, so patience while adjusting your presentation will be key to getting these reluctant panfish to bite. They are afterall, quite good to eat, especially the plate sized specimens in the 2 to 5 pound range.
Of course mackerel are the most favored target species for a majority of pier anglers, especially spanish mackerel which have been around in seasonal abundance for the most part. They have been attracted to the pier by the large numbers of Scaled herring (called LYs) schooled around the pier. Those have been quite effective as bait at times especially when the spanish are turning away from lures and heavy leaders.
Sometimes when the wind is light, spanish mackerel have been caught drifting live shrimp under a float with a 30 pound mono leader. But most folks are content casting lures until their arms fall off. Bubble rigs, Gotcha plugs, and Rapala X-Raps still reign supreme as the lures of choice for most pier fishers.
One reason reason pier anglers use heavier tackle is to pull hooked mackerel away from prowling sharks or dolphins. Another is the distinct possibility of at any time hooking larger game fish such as king mackerel or large jack crevelle. Sometimes it’s a game of how light or heavy (of tackle) should you go to get a bite and still have a fighting chance of landing your fish.
That’s where cooperation between pier fishermen comes into play. To land a big fish from the pier, anglers need room to manuever and follow the beast down the rail.
So it is essential (as per the rules) that the railing, especially on the end octagon be cleared of gear (ice chests, tackle boxes,and rods) at all times. Because when it happens that someone hooks a king or other good sized fish, they will need to follow it, and that happens fast! So who wants to be the reason someone lost a good gamefish because they did not abide by the rules? Next time it could be you!