Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook

Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
By David “The Pierpounder” Thornton
Welcome to the middle Gulf Coast version of a winter weather roller coaster. Soon our lower Alabama groundhog will likely predict the up and down temperature pattern to continue, at least through this fortnight. But the water temperature in the surf has finally dropped into the low 60s, which is right about average for this time of year, and about the lowest we usually see throughout the year.
Fishing, or rather ‘catching’ has been about typically dismal for this time of year as well. Options for shore bound anglers are pretty much limited once the water temp dips into the lower range of tolerance for our native species. Whiting and pompano seem to have pretty much abandoned the shallow surf zone while the Spaghetti bryozoan (Amathia verticillata) infestation has persisted. This translucent or slightly brownish bush like branches (called stolons) is mistakenly referred to as seaweed. But it is actually a colony of invasive, fast-growing filter feeding bryozoan animals called zooids. They grow quickly attached to the sea bottom, or any stable object like a seashell, boat hull, piling or rock until strong currents and large waves rip them away. Then they drift in the currents until the speed slackens and they settle to the bottom again, or encounter a fishing line. To say the least, this current outbreak has hampered surf fishing efforts in the Gulf Shores-Fort Morgan area for some time now. Hopefully, cooler water temperatures will slow the growth, and bring relief to seaweed weary anglers.
Despite all this, we have still been seeing occasional catches of larger black drum in the surf. Though not usually retained for eating, these big uglies break the monotony for anglers and beach walkers alike. They, and the even less numerous bull redfish provide unpredictable action for fish-starved anglers, eager for a pull on their surf rods. Drum are also notorious for gobbling up small baits like a piece of shrimp or a pompano rig intended for smaller quarry. Those battles (on lighter tackle) can turn truly epic as the angler and the leviathan test tackle and persistence until finally something has to give. Even when the outcome favors the angler, larger drum fish are usually returned to the Gulf (after a quick photo op). That way they keep making more fish for a long time, and perhaps make another angler’s day. Black drum are not regulated in Alabama, but Florida anglers do have a 14- to 24-inch slot limit, and a five fish per day creel limit, with one oversized fish allowed.
Other from-shore angling options currently include the omnivorous sheepshead. These methodically feeding fish often graze with their incisor-like teeth around hard structures such as pilings and rocks while nipping at algae and other vegetation growing on these structures. But they will pounce on any small invertebrate (crab, shrimp or mussel) occasionally encountered along the way. Patient anglers usually have to fish vertically along a seawall or from a pier to get their bait into a position for these wary gamefish to see and bite. They can be quite ‘spooky’ in shallow or clear water, and sheepshead fishers may need to downsize their tackle just to get a bite. But finding the right balance is just as important since sheepshead are scrappy fighters that will repeatedly dive for nearby structure in order to cut the line on sharp barnacles. Many anglers agree the rewards of tasty sheepshead fillets are well worth the effort to get them. And even though the yield is fairly low (only about a third of the total weight of the fish), the white flesh cooks up in a variety of ways into nice flakes with a unique flavor.
Action from the Gulf State Park Pier has still been sketchy, but a variety of fish are still available, as is some good company. Even when the fish are not biting, tales are being told by a myriad of anglers from all over. Some concentrate closer to the beach hoping for whiting or pompano while bottom fishing. While other folks group around the middle platform or on the nub trying for sheepshead, croakers or redfish with fiddler crabs or live shrimp. On warmer, sunny days, sheepshead may feed higher in the water column and be visible around the pilings. More often they are in loose schools, scattered along the bottom.
I haven’t heard much about bluefish lately, but they should be active around the pier and passes too. Bluefish may still respond to lures like spoons, jigs and plugs early in the morning, but tend to stay deep once the day wears on. But they often still bite live bait, especially shrimp drifted deep or fished on a Carolina rig on bottom. Redfish, sheepshead and maybe even speckled can be caught this way too. The passes (at Little Lagoon and Alabama Point) offer similar structure, and the same tactics tend to work there. Also, inland structures like bridges, rip-rap and seawalls in Perdido Bay, Weeks Bay and along the Intracoastal Waterway may hold sheepshead this time of year along with other species like redfish, puppy black drum, speckled trout or even an occasional flounder that might be skulking in the chilly back bay waters, rivers and creeks. When available, live shrimp are hard to beat as bait in these locations unless you are pretty much just targeting sheepshead. These inland locations are great alternative venues to check out on days when the Gulf is too rough or dingy to fish. Welcome to the middle Gulf Coast version of a winter weather roller coaster. Soon our lower Alabama groundhog will likely predict the up and down temperature pattern to continue, at least through this fortnight. But the water temperature in the surf has finally dropped into the low 60s, which is right about average for this time of year, and about the lowest we usually see throughout the year.
Fishing, or rather ‘catching’ has been about typically dismal for this time of year as well. Options for shore bound anglers are pretty much limited once the water temp dips into the lower range of tolerance for our native species. Whiting and pompano seem to have pretty much abandoned the shallow surf zone while the Spaghetti bryozoan (Amathia verticillata) infestation has persisted. This translucent or slightly brownish bush like branches (called stolons) is mistakenly referred to as seaweed. But it is actually a colony of invasive, fast-growing filter feeding bryozoan animals called zooids. They grow quickly attached to the sea bottom, or any stable object like a seashell, boat hull, piling or rock until strong currents and large waves rip them away. Then they drift in the currents until the speed slackens and they settle to the bottom again, or encounter a fishing line. To say the least, this current outbreak has hampered surf fishing efforts in the Gulf Shores-Fort Morgan area for some time now. Hopefully, cooler water temperatures will slow the growth, and bring relief to seaweed weary anglers.
Despite all this, we have still been seeing occasional catches of larger black drum in the surf. Though not usually retained for eating, these big uglies break the monotony for anglers and beach walkers alike. They, and the even less numerous bull redfish provide unpredictable action for fish-starved anglers, eager for a pull on their surf rods. Drum are also notorious for gobbling up small baits like a piece of shrimp or a pompano rig intended for smaller quarry. Those battles (on lighter tackle) can turn truly epic as the angler and the leviathan test tackle and persistence until finally something has to give. Even when the outcome favors the angler, larger drum fish are usually returned to the Gulf (after a quick photo op). That way they keep making more fish for a long time, and perhaps make another angler’s day. Black drum are not regulated in Alabama, but Florida anglers do have a 14- to 24-inch slot limit, and a five fish per day creel limit, with one oversized fish allowed.
Other from-shore angling options currently include the omnivorous sheepshead. These methodically feeding fish often graze with their incisor-like teeth around hard structures such as pilings and rocks while nipping at algae and other vegetation growing on these structures. But they will pounce on any small invertebrate (crab, shrimp or mussel) occasionally encountered along the way. Patient anglers usually have to fish vertically along a seawall or from a pier to get their bait into a position for these wary gamefish to see and bite. They can be quite ‘spooky’ in shallow or clear water, and sheepshead fishers may need to downsize their tackle just to get a bite. But finding the right balance is just as important since sheepshead are scrappy fighters that will repeatedly dive for nearby structure in order to cut the line on sharp barnacles. Many anglers agree the rewards of tasty sheepshead fillets are well worth the effort to get them. And even though the yield is fairly low (only about a third of the total weight of the fish), the white flesh cooks up in a variety of ways into nice flakes with a unique flavor.
Action from the Gulf State Park Pier has still been sketchy, but a variety of fish are still available, as is some good company. Even when the fish are not biting, tales are being told by a myriad of anglers from all over. Some concentrate closer to the beach hoping for whiting or pompano while bottom fishing. While other folks group around the middle platform or on the nub trying for sheepshead, croakers or redfish with fiddler crabs or live shrimp. On warmer, sunny days, sheepshead may feed higher in the water column and be visible around the pilings. More often they are in loose schools, scattered along the bottom.
I haven’t heard much about bluefish lately, but they should be active around the pier and passes too. Bluefish may still respond to lures like spoons, jigs and plugs early in the morning, but tend to stay deep once the day wears on. But they often still bite live bait, especially shrimp drifted deep or fished on a Carolina rig on bottom. Redfish, sheepshead and maybe even speckled can be caught this way too. The passes (at Little Lagoon and Alabama Point) offer similar structure, and the same tactics tend to work there. Also, inland structures like bridges, rip-rap and seawalls in Perdido Bay, Weeks Bay and along the Intracoastal Waterway may hold sheepshead this time of year along with other species like redfish, puppy black drum, speckled trout or even an occasional flounder that might be skulking in the chilly back bay waters, rivers and creeks. When available, live shrimp are hard to beat as bait in these locations unless you are pretty much just targeting sheepshead. These inland locations are great alternative venues to check out on days when the Gulf is too rough or dingy to fish.
Welcome to the middle Gulf Coast version of a winter weather roller coaster. Soon our lower Alabama groundhog will likely predict the up and down temperature pattern to continue, at least through this fortnight. But the water temperature in the surf has finally dropped into the low 60s, which is right about average for this time of year, and about the lowest we usually see throughout the year.
Fishing, or rather ‘catching’ has been about typically dismal for this time of year as well. Options for shore bound anglers are pretty much limited once the water temp dips into the lower range of tolerance for our native species. Whiting and pompano seem to have pretty much abandoned the shallow surf zone while the Spaghetti bryozoan (Amathia verticillata) infestation has persisted. This translucent or slightly brownish bush like branches (called stolons) is mistakenly referred to as seaweed. But it is actually a colony of invasive, fast-growing filter feeding bryozoan animals called zooids. They grow quickly attached to the sea bottom, or any stable object like a seashell, boat hull, piling or rock until strong currents and large waves rip them away. Then they drift in the currents until the speed slackens and they settle to the bottom again, or encounter a fishing line. To say the least, this current outbreak has hampered surf fishing efforts in the Gulf Shores-Fort Morgan area for some time now. Hopefully, cooler water temperatures will slow the growth, and bring relief to seaweed weary anglers.
Despite all this, we have still been seeing occasional catches of larger black drum in the surf. Though not usually retained for eating, these big uglies break the monotony for anglers and beach walkers alike. They, and the even less numerous bull redfish provide unpredictable action for fish-starved anglers, eager for a pull on their surf rods. Drum are also notorious for gobbling up small baits like a piece of shrimp or a pompano rig intended for smaller quarry. Those battles (on lighter tackle) can turn truly epic as the angler and the leviathan test tackle and persistence until finally something has to give. Even when the outcome favors the angler, larger drum fish are usually returned to the Gulf (after a quick photo op). That way they keep making more fish for a long time, and perhaps make another angler’s day. Black drum are not regulated in Alabama, but Florida anglers do have a 14- to 24-inch slot limit, and a five fish per day creel limit, with one oversized fish allowed.
Other from-shore angling options currently include the omnivorous sheepshead. These methodically feeding fish often graze with their incisor-like teeth around hard structures such as pilings and rocks while nipping at algae and other vegetation growing on these structures. But they will pounce on any small invertebrate (crab, shrimp or mussel) occasionally encountered along the way. Patient anglers usually have to fish vertically along a seawall or from a pier to get their bait into a position for these wary gamefish to see and bite. They can be quite ‘spooky’ in shallow or clear water, and sheepshead fishers may need to downsize their tackle just to get a bite. But finding the right balance is just as important since sheepshead are scrappy fighters that will repeatedly dive for nearby structure in order to cut the line on sharp barnacles. Many anglers agree the rewards of tasty sheepshead fillets are well worth the effort to get them. And even though the yield is fairly low (only about a third of the total weight of the fish), the white flesh cooks up in a variety of ways into nice flakes with a unique flavor.
Action from the Gulf State Park Pier has still been sketchy, but a variety of fish are still available, as is some good company. Even when the fish are not biting, tales are being told by a myriad of anglers from all over. Some concentrate closer to the beach hoping for whiting or pompano while bottom fishing. While other folks group around the middle platform or on the nub trying for sheepshead, croakers or redfish with fiddler crabs or live shrimp. On warmer, sunny days, sheepshead may feed higher in the water column and be visible around the pilings. More often they are in loose schools, scattered along the bottom.
I haven’t heard much about bluefish lately, but they should be active around the pier and passes too. Bluefish may still respond to lures like spoons, jigs and plugs early in the morning, but tend to stay deep once the day wears on. But they often still bite live bait, especially shrimp drifted deep or fished on a Carolina rig on bottom. Redfish, sheepshead and maybe even speckled can be caught this way too. The passes (at Little Lagoon and Alabama Point) offer similar structure, and the same tactics tend to work there. Also, inland structures like bridges, rip-rap and seawalls in Perdido Bay, Weeks Bay and along the Intracoastal Waterway may hold sheepshead this time of year along with other species like redfish, puppy black drum, speckled trout or even an occasional flounder that might be skulking in the chilly back bay waters, rivers and creeks. When available, live shrimp are hard to beat as bait in these locations unless you are pretty much just targeting sheepshead. These inland locations are great alternative venues to check out on days when the Gulf is too rough or dingy to fish.