Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook June 26-July 10, 2024

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook June 26-July 10, 2024
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton

The previous fortnight was like a coin with two opposite sides. First we had a week with some relatively dry air, mostly clear skies, light winds, calm waves, and clear water. And the fishing was great! Then we had stretch of intermittent rain and squalls, strong winds, with rough seas and dingy water indirectly related to tropical storm Alberto. The Gulf was too rough and windy to fish for much of that time, and everyone who surf fishes knows what loves that dingy water, hardhead catfish!
Catfish are not really as bad as their reputation, especially gafftopsail catfish. They can all provide a pretty good pull on days when more highly favored gamefish are sulking and being uncooperative. But like most so-called trash fish, catfish, even the hardheads are just as palatable as any freshwater catfish species, especially when cared for and prepared properly. Bleeding, skinning and trimming all the red meat meat and bones out of the fillet assures they will fry up nice and crispy and taste just right.
Catfish are not generally finicky eaters, biting quite a variety of natural baits, plus gafftops are commonly caught on artificials, even topwater baits intended for speckled trout. Either species can be caught in the surf during rough weather with pompano rigs baited with shrimp, squid, cut fish, or even synthetic bait strips like Fishbites or Fishgum. Once wave heights abate and the water begins to clear the catfish usually abandon the surfzone during the day and return to deeper waters. That is when traditional catches from targeting pompano also result in whiting, ladyfish, blue runner, bluefish, redfish, drum, or spanish mackerel can make your day.
Alternative options should be in mind whenever the wind blows hard and the Gulf gets too rough so the day isn’t a total loss. The advantage of Pleasure Island having water on all sides is there is always a lee shore to fish from. Also tall pine trees help shunt the stiff wind into a nice breeze along the banks of the Intercoastal Waterway, plus several protected bays: Mobile, Bon Secour, Perdido, and Weeks Bay, Lake Shelby, Little and Big Lagoon. There are public access points scattered all along these inland water bodies that provide anglers with a Plan B should the Gulf be unapproachable.
Wade fishing in these shallow bays for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder is a popular summer pastime as the water temperature is now sustained in the low to middle 80s. One rod & reel and just a handful of lures is all that is needed for hours of fishing fun.
Crabbing, netting blue crabs with a piece of chicken tied on a string is another pastime akin to fishing that provides hours of entertainment especially for kids who are easily bored. Watching the string come tight as a crab tries to make off with their chicken or fish carcass is a time-honored southern tradition which teaches patience and stealth as they try to ease the crab close enough to net without it spooking and swimming away. Just be aware of the regulations, like to retain blue crabs they must be at least 5 inches from point to point across the shell and keep an eye out for stealthy alligators.
Often the best times to fish along our coast is the day or two as the weather is getting rough after a long flat spell, or the days following a rough period as the water begins to calm down and clear up. Fish naturally use these periods to take advantage of food getting moved around on the bottom or baitfish stirred to move from or into protected waters. The later of these sparked the first really good day of mackerel fishing from the seawall at Perdido Pass recently, as thousands of LYs (Scaled and False herring) staged near the bridge and along the seawall during the previous NEAP tide. LYs like to feed on copious plankton on the surface being swept out of Perdido Bay with the falling tide, and there were numerous spanish and king mackerel waiting south and west of the bridge for any wounded or dying LYs to be swept away in the that same current. This is the kind of action longtime seawall and jetty fishers wait for as multiple mackerel stalk and attack crippled baitfish.
At the opposite end of the island, schools of adult jack crevelle press baitfish like mullet, menhaden, and herring close to the beach around Mobile Point near Fort Morgan. The action is mostly large jacks early in the morning, and bull redfish in the evening with the falling tide. It can be fast paced at times when the fish are blitzing on baitfish surprised by the sudden arrival of these large predators which strike most anything that looks and acts edible.
Lures on heavy class spinning outfits are preferred by most anglers so they can wrestle the beasts ashore for a quick snapshot before returning it to the Gulf and hooking up again. This a mostly a catch and release fishery, though some are retained to haul back to the car about a mile away. You have to really want them bad to do that!
This current fortnight will take us into July after a NEAP tide period centering on June 28th. We can expect the strongest running tides with the most daily tide variation during the first week of July. Again the summer pattern is a morning incoming tide, with a falling tide through the afternoon into the evening hours. Hopefully the fishing will return to normal as the weather does, but we can never be sure what tropical weather lurks from week to week. So stay informed, and plan your fishing accordingly.
The public parking access at Mobile Street off Fort Morgan Road has finally closed so repairs and improvements can be accomplished there, hopefully within 90 days the area will be fully repaired and reopened. Meanwhile surf fishers will have to use alternative venues, or make a mile long hike.
It will still take a while longer to get the Gulf State Park Pier reopened as repairs there are proceeding at a noticeable pace, but still so much remains to be done, like getting the light poles replaced and hooked up. No official notice of a more definitive date than the end of summer has been released, and sources indicate it will be at least the end of August before they could possibly open.