Coastal Alabama Fishing Report - 4/9/2018
- Captain Billy Howell
- Apr 16, 2018
- 17 min read
Let's Get Our Spring On!
Two and a half months ago, the groundhog saw his shadow and scurried back to his underworld, signaling 6 more weeks of winter. Over the next 2 weeks, we saw 8 consecutive days in the 80’s, making us optimistic that our furry friend was wrong. Unfortunately, the past 8 weeks have been more like the movie, Groundhog Day; powerful weekend fronts bringing cooler air and strong winds to start our week with warm-up and winds laying down later in the week, all to repeat the following week.
This past week we had beautiful sunshine, temps in the 70’s, moderate winds and some great fishing. For those who have been anxiously awaiting the pompano run and the arrival of king mackerel, surely, you were pleased with this past week. The pompano bite was on fire off the jetties and the beach and some stud king mackerel were caught from Gulf States Pier.
The upcoming forecast is not much different; highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's and windy. Winds will be switching around this week but very manageable, if you plan to fish inshore. Offshore, we aren't so lucky. The seas start out the week in the 8-12 foot range and work their way down to 1-2 foot by Tuesday, then head South as the week goes on.
Unfortunately, the ling (cobia) have not shown up in numbers and that has many local anglers a little concerned. In cruising over the bars in Orange Beach this week, we did spot a couple ling but as soon as we cast in their direction, they dove down. This week has seen passionate discussion on Facebook and forums, questioning why the ling aren’t here yet. Some say it’s because of all the pressure for the past several years without serious change in size and creel limits. Others believe the cooler temperatures have played a role in the sub-par number of sightings and landings. In my opinion, social media, i.e. Facebook and Instagram have played a big part in increased focus and pressure on this highly sought after species. You don’t have to look far to realize the impact social media has on the targeting of a species. Just look at the increased number of blackfish (tripletail) photos on your newsfeed over the past couple years. When we moved to Alabama, I might see one or two pictures posted a year. Now, it's nearly every day while they are here.
Inshore, the popping corks are a rattling, as fishing continues to heat up. There have been reports of triple digit speckled trout caught in a single trip by several local guides using a variety of artificial soft plastics and live shrimp. Most of the fish have been caught on shallow flats and bay reefs. You know the trout are moving down the bay when trout slicks popping up, become a common sight. On days when you can actually get out to fish Dixie Bar, on incoming tide, site casting for redfish has been fantastic the past couple weeks.
In other local news, a staple in our fishing community suffered a major setback this past week. As typically happens in close knit fishing family, by Saturday's end, a major setback turned into a minor hiccup with a happy ending. You can read more about this story later in the report. If you want to get something in the report, please email it to bentoutfittersfishing@gmail.com.
INSHORE REPORT
Orange Beach / Gulf Shores - Wolf Bay - ICW
Tails and Scales Fishing Charters - Captain Taylor Fisher
Instagram: @tail_scalescharters
Cell: 251-550-9301
Captain Taylor spent the week cruising for ling off the beach and catching pompano off the jetties in Orange Beach. He says the pompano bite has been solid, but the ling fishing has yet to be productive. On a scouting trip this week, he saw 2 cobia, at least a 20 lb king mackerel and a barracuda. Capt. Taylor is looking forward to the warmer temperatures over the next 15 days and is ready to stick a brown fish Capt. Taylor said the redfish bite under the dock lights in Orange Beach is pretty good right now but the speckled trout have not shown up.
Captain Taylor has been fishing the Orange Beach / Gulf Shores area from over 10 years, runs his guided fishing trips out of Caribe Marina and always shows his customers a great time.
Wolf Bay - ICW - Southern Mobile Bay
Sunrise Charters - Captain Todd Brice
Cell: 251-979-0584
Capt. Todd Brice was on the water several days this week. He sought out areas that had fish and provided refuge from the prevailing southeast winds. A fisherman's intuition typically pays off, and did so for him and his crew. He spent the majority of his time catching 16-18 inch speckled trout and upper slot redfish using Fin-S grubs, Gulp soft plastics and mirrordynes in 6 foot of water around Perdido Bay. Capt. Todd says there really weren't many other boats fishing the areas he was in. He recommends not discounting waters just because you don't see any boats there or haven't fished there before.
Captain Todd Brice runs fishing charters out of the Flora Bama Yacht Club in Orange Beach, but is mobile and fishes a variety of waters on the eastern side of Mobile Bay.
Eastern Shore - Weeks Bay - Mobile Bay
Bayside Charters - Captain Patrick Hill
Facebook: @baysidecharters
Instagram: @phill04
Website: www.baysidecharterfishing.com
Cell: 251-379-0560
After being out of town the first week of April on a family trip to south Florida, Capt. Patrick, basically relied on knowledge and success from trips before he left, to decide where to fish this past week, whiler factoring in forecast conditions. Early in the week, drifting some of the shallow flats around mobile proved to be very successful. They boated around 50 trout, mainly using vudu shrimp and norton sand eels under a Fairhope Rattle popping cork.
Another day, they had very similar results utilizing the same techniques fishing some of the artificial reefs out in the bay. Even though they had live shrimp on board, they didn't need them. But as the saying goes, "it's always better to have and not need, than need and not have." Over the weekend, they were pretty limited due to a strong cold front moving through, but were able to find a pretty good redfish bite in some of the protected waters in Weeks Bay.
Pictured above is a nice mess of fish caught by Captain Patrick and his crew on Friday the 13th.
Captain Patrick Hill is very mobile running trips from Mobile to Gulf Shores. Captain Patrick has years of experience fishing our local waters and is sure to provide you and your family with a fun-filled, fish catching experience on the water
Gulf Shores - Mobile Bay - Dauphin Island
Ugly Fishing - Captain Patric Garmeson
Facebook: @ugly.fishing
Instagram: @ugly_fishing
Website: www.uglyfishing.com
Cell: 251-747-1554
Captain Patric said, this past week was all about targeting speckled trout and redfish in areas where the wind would allow. He was even able to choose freely a couple days this week thanks to calm mornings. When Capt. Patric has smaller groups of anglers and doesn't have to fight the wind, he equips them with a hook on 17 lb fluorocarbon and a horn-hooked live shrimp. This method is called free-lining. The free-line method is great for targeting bigger speckled trout in water from 1-25 feet. Calm conditions are a must because your s shrimp needs to be able to cruise around as natural as possible. Speckled trout, redfish, and black drum have all fallen victim to the free-line method this month. Shallow water (1-5 ft) in calm to choppy conditions have been the areas where they are fooling their fish with the popping cork. As we move into the 3rd week of April, Capt. Patric says, "continue to utilize the wind to help you cover water on shallow flats, look for cleaner water on leeward areas of the bay, and lastly, don’t be afraid to move to areas south of where you "were" catching fish."
Pictured above is a great speckled trout caught while Capt. Patric took a client to fish some new waters.
Captain Patric Garmeson is very mobile running trips from Dauphin Island to Gulf Shores. Captain Patric has years of experience fishing our local waters and is sure to provide you and your family with a fun-filled, fish catching experience on the water.
Mobile Bay - Dauphin Island – Fort Morgan
Irish Wake Fishing - Captain Jay O’Brien
Facebook: @ IrishWake Fishing
Instagram: @Irish Wake Fishing
Website: www.irishwakefishing.com
Phone: 251-272-4285
Captain Jay says, fishing the past few weeks on the flats of the upper end of Mobile Bay and the Mobile River have been really incredible. He's had several trips where they not only caught a mess of good school trout to eat but have caught some really nice fish in the 4-6 lb range on each trip. Most were released to be caught another day. All of this culminated with an epic group trip he put together for a conference at the Grand Hotel this past Sunday.
The day started off with winds blowing 25-30 mph, gusting to over 40. It looked like their day was going to be a wash. Not being one to give up, he kept in constant communication with the group leader. After initially pushing their start time back for safety concerns, they also decided to change their meeting location to the causeway. It took a monumental effort to relocate the 35-40 anglers and 9 of the 10 boats, but they got it done. Because of the late start and the conditions, all the captains were preparing their crews for the worst, but fortunately they were wrong. What ensued was one of the most epic trout beat downs, Capt Jay had witnessed on Mobile Bay in quite some time. Between 10 boats, it was estimated that anglers landed over 700 trout along with several other species. What looked to be a terrible day, ended up being one of the best days of fishing you could ever imagine. The moral of the story is, "you just never know, until you go!"
They caught fish this past week in 4- 40 foot of water using artificial grubs like the Yum Mud Minnow, the Slick Lure, Mirrodine 27, Vudu Shrimp under a popping cork, live shrimp under popping and slip corks and live shrimp on bottom.
Captain JayO is very mobile running trips from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan. Captain JayO has years of experience fishing our local waters and is sure to provide you and your family with a fun-filled, fish catching experience on the water. Irish Wake Fishing’s motto is Trophies, Groceries and Good Times!
Pictured below is a nice haul by one of the boats from the group trip run last Sunday.
Irish Wake Fishing would also like to thank their sponsors Islamorada Boatworks, Cajun Custom Rods and Smith Optics.
Surfside
Shore Thing Fishing - Captain Dusty Hayes
Instagram: @capt.dustin
Cell: 678-897-0167
Captain Dusty Hayes says surf fishing was on fire all week ! Early in the week, with cooler temps, they saw more redfish, but as the week went on the pompano bite got hot! Capt. Dusty heard of people catching upwards of 30 plus Pompano a day, while others caught only 3-4. Quality was the common theme, as he personally didn’t see one under legal size all week. The surf fishing bite at Fort Morgan for pompano and sheepshead bite was also outstanding. Capt. Dusty says, with clear water conditions, like we had over the past week , fluorocarbon leader will no doubt get you more bites. He said, monofilament works fine a majority of the time, but sometimes it pays off to upgrade to fluorocarbon . Capt. Dusty uses Seaguar blue and pink label and Yozuri pink.
Pictured above is a nice haul of pompano and a nice redfish caught from the beach.
The Pier Review
Captain David Collins
Captain David says "It's time to hit Gulf States Pier, or any pier for that matter." The water temperature is finally right, spanish are thick and the king mackerel are showing up. Capt. David says, there have been plenty of pompano and few sheepshead being caught, if you can get them to play the "fishing game." Worst case scenario though, your fishing! He also says there have been a few brown fish spotted and landed.
Capt. David says, take a friend or family member fishing that has never been. There is nothing more rewarding to him than sharing his passion for fishing with those who have never experienced it. His goal is to leave them HOOKED! Until then, he says, "keep your bait wet and wiggling!"
Additional information, forums and updates regarding pier fishing can be found at Gulfshorespierfishing.com or GS Pier Rats. Gulf State Pier will be holding teir annual Picnic on the Pier, Saturday, May 5 from 12-1:00 p.m. If you are planning to attend please, post what you intend to bring so they can get a list together and coordinate. They are hoping for a great turnout.
Pictured above is a 28lb king mackerel caught at the Gulf State Pier on Friday 13, 2018.
Offshore Report
Orange Beach, Alabama
Reel Kill Fishing Charters - Captain Bryars Bishop
Facebook: @reelkillcharters
Instagram: @reel_kill_charters
Website: www.reelkillcharters.com
Cell: 251-714-6008
Captain Bryars reports that the offshore bite is hot, hot, hot. Captain Bryars ran an offshore trip early in the week and let his crew catch their limits of triggerfish before taking them further south to catch their limit of bee-liners over a natural bottom. While fishing a large underwater rock, his crew caught 5 almaco jacks and a nice scamp on a jig. When you catch fish every place you go, you know it's been a good day. Like many other local anglers, Capt. Bryars is ready for the winds to lay down so he can get back out on the Gulf.
Pictured above is dinner for days caught by one of Capt. Bryars groups
Capt. Bryars has years of experience fishing the Alabama Gulf coast and guides out of Caribe Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama. His trips always brings in a boat load of fish shows his clients a great time on the water.
Bent Outfitters Fishing - Captain Billy Howell
Facebook: @bentoutfittersfishing
Instagram: @bent_outfitters_fishing
Website: www.bentoutfittersfishing.com
Cell: 601-938-7161
Early in the week, we spent time cruising for ling off the beach. Even though we saw a couple, we didn't get the opportunity to bring one in the boat. The few we saw were boat and lure shy. It sure was a welcome sight though; seeing dolphins frenzy feeding off the beach, spanish mackerel schooling and bait balls thicker than molasses.
Exciting for us this week was the opportunity to host Nick, from Fishingbooker.com for a promotional video for our business. Nick and his wife are from war-torn areas of Serbia and are visiting the good Old USA for a couple weeks to shoot promotional videos for their captains. While talking with Nick, he did say he liked the Alabama better than Florida. When I asked him why, he just said the people seemed more honest and trustworthy by respecting appointments he had traveled halfway around the world to meet.
What started as a fairly flat sea morning for this time of year, quickly changed. For the shoot, we decided to stay fairly close to shore, catch a few fish then head back to the dock. When the promo shoot was scheduled, I was expecting a large crew. Reality, was that Nick was a one man show. We motored to the public reefs and I dropped my line in the water, while also holding the bow of the boat into the waves. It didn't take long to hook up to one of those elusive red snapper. Once Nick shot the video of me catching fish, I put a rod in his hand and let him catch a couple fish. Up until last year when Nick came to the United States to do some promotional videos, he had never fished offshore. He told me while on the boat, it was one of the most amazing experiences in his young life. In the 20-30 minutes we were out, we even caught legal triggerfish that I fileted. He texted me shortly after we split up and raved over how him and his wife really loved the grilled triggerfish.
Below is a picture of Nick and his red snapper.
Later in the week, we fished the reefs out in Mobile Bay and caught north of 30 speckled trout. Since we are participating in the TagAlabama program, we tagged and released at least 13 of the fish.
Interesting occurrence of the week, at some point during the car loading on Friday, my captain's license must have fallen onto the ground in the parking lot. Not realizing this until I made it home, a calm panic ensued. After driving back to the boat ramp and coming up empty-handed, I contacted the U.S.C.G. and asked how to get a duplicate. That process alone might make one want to pull their hair out. Should you lose your merchant mariner credentials, the U.S.C.G requires you to re-fill out the merchant mariner application, produce a signed letter of attestation of what happened, a copy of your valid T.W.I.C card, then email, fax or mail it all to the regional office, oh and pay $ 45. I was at the point of paying, when my daughter arrived home from college, opened the front door, she exclaimed "Hey Dad, I have your captains license. Somebody left your captains license wedged in the front door." After a huge sigh of relief, I welcomed her home with a big warm hug :) I would say my faith in humanity is restored, but when I think about it, that's just how we do it here in South Alabama.
This coming week, we have a deep drop trip scheduled, but the sea forecasts are not looking great for that to happen.
Captain Billy has a several years fishing experience in the Alabama Coastal area and guides trips out of Caribe Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama. Captain Billy has a history of putting clients on fish and showing them a great time.
Local News
In the spirit of "I love it when a plan comes together," I love it when a community or family comes together. Last week it was the ACFA, coming together to raise money for the Tourne family. This past week, one of the staple businesses in the Dauphin Island community, A&A Bait, had an engine fail on their boat raising concerns that they would have to close shop. A&A Bait, is a seasonal (mid-March through late September), bait shop on a barge, located near the ferry at Dauphin Island, Alabama. It's the last call for bait before you get to the boat ramp.
In speaking with Mrs. Lilly Ryan, she seems humble, kind hearted with a gentle spirit and has a passion for getting kids fishing. Mrs. Lilly and her husbands goal has always been to have the freshest bait on the island for her loyal customers and ensure that if a kid wants to fish, they give them some bait; oh, and a piece of super bubble bubble gum if their parents allow. To keep the freshest bait, sometimes you have to rotate bait like the items in your refrigerator. From what I gather, Mrs. Lilly values customer loyalty, but moreso; the personal relationships she develops with those who dawn the door. They have always supported the local tournaments and fishing organizations without expecting anything in return.
Recently, Mrs. Lilly started a charity named Guardian Angels of the Thin Blue Line. The group has already planned an upcoming tournament, "Hookin' for the Thin Blue Line," to be held on June 2, 2018. This two day tournament has a goal of raising money to buy much needed equipment for local law enforcement. She does all this without wanting recognition or advertising, but it's hard NOT to recognoize people like this.
Earlier in the week after the incident, she expressed her sadness and frustration with what had happened on her Facebook page. To be able to stay in business, they were going to either have to buy a rebuilt engine or a brand new one. Neither of those options were affordable and ranged from $ 10-20K. Shortly after posting, someone recommended setting up a GoFundme page. By the end of the week, there was a GoFundMe account set up with a goal of raising $ 5,000. Within 24 hours, the goal was met thanks to local citizens including law enforcement. They have even already found a replacement engine and should be back at it soon.
Mrs. Lilly is one of the most humble people I have ever talked to and is so thankful for the outpouring of love from the community.. It is very exciting to see our local fishing community come together in support of such a sweet family.
Local Tournaments
The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama and its volunteers will be hosting its "FIRST BITE ON FOWL," inshore tournament on Saturday, April 21. Tickets may be purchased at McCoy's, Tackle This - Shoot That and Fisherman's Discount. The Captain's meeting will be at the Bluegill restaurant on April 19, with the weigh-in and awards at Fowl River Marina on April 21 from 2-4 p.m. Their will be speckled trout, redfish and mystery fish (TBD) categories. Please support this great cause, whether it is a donation for prizes or participation in the event.
The Tourne Tournament will be held on May 26, 2018. Rick Tourne and his family suddenly lost his wife a few weeks back, leaving one of our fishing family devastated. It's an inshore tournament and more information can be found by clicking the link above.
Guardians of the Thin Blue Line are hosting their inaugural "Hookin' for the Thin Blue Line" to raise money to buy much-needed equipment for local Law Enforcement Officers. For sponsorship info or team entry registration, contact Lilly at 251-402-4933 or send an email to: guardianangelstbl@gmail.com You can also find more information by clicking on the link above.
For the 2nd year in a row, The Rowe family will host the Elaine Rowe Memorial, Kid's Day Out tournament at Dauphin Island. Last year was a tremendous success with over 200 kids participating. The Rowe family says, "Join us for the 2nd Annual-Elaine Rowe-Kids Day Out Tournament. We will have raffle prizes, food, drinks, and more! Get those babies outdoors for a fun filled day!" More informaion can be found by clicking on the image above.
Upcoming Events
Locally started fishing group nearing 8000 members, Saltwater Finaddicts is hosting Finaddicts at the Grounds Drawdown on May 19, in Mobile. Every ticket purchase will get you food, drinks, in the drawing for prizes and "just an all out good time"! The Well Born Band will be providing the tunes. 15% of every ticket purchased will be donated to the Sgt. Foster L. Harrington Detachment, Marine Corps League. For those unfamiliar with the organization, it’s a local 100% non-profit for veterans. They provide Uber rides to doctor appointments, child care, and cater to various other veteran needs. Justin Lee Fadalla recommends contacting him promptly if you’re interested in a booth or sponsoring the event. He can be contacted at 251-623-3240.
Coastal Culinary Corner
Nothing beats catching and cooking your fresh catch. Local anglers will be headed out soon to restock their freezer with red snapper and other salty species and are looking for new ways to cook it. In this weeks culinary corner, we are providing you with a new and exciting way to cook your red snapper. This recipe comes courtesy of EatAlabamaSeafood.com
Grilled Red Snapper with Mango Salsa (Serving Size 4)
Red Snapper Preparation
Ingredients
4 Gulf Red Snapper Filets
4 TBSP Fresh Chopped Cilantro
2 TSP Olive Oil
1 TSP Salt
Pepper to Taste
Instructions
Combine the 1/4 cup of lime juice with the cilantrol and olive oil in a large, shallow dish and mix well. Place the filets in the marinade and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make sure you coat every surface of the filet. Fire up the grill to medium-high heat (350-400). Charcoal recommended. Remove the filets from the marinade after 30 minutes and grill skin side down for 10 minutes on each side or until the skin flakes easily.
Mango Salso - Prep and cooking
Ingredients
1 - Cup Chopped Roma Tomatoes
1 - Cup-Chopped Mango
2 TBSP - Fresh Lime Juice
1 TBSP - Chopped Red Onion
1 TBSP - Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/2 TSP - Sugar
1/2 TSP - Cumin
1/4 TSP - Salt
1/8 TSP - Pepper
Dash of Hot Sauce
Dash - Worcestershire sauce
1/4 - White Wine
1 squeeze - fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp - dijon mustard
1 c -chopped peeled de-veined shrimp
Instructions
Mix the tomatoes, mango, red onion, cilantro, sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, hot sauce and 2 TBSP of lime juice in a medium bowl. Cover each filet with an even portion of mango salsa, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of cilantro to finish.
Sponsors Spotlight
So what is this Vudu Shrimp everyone has been referencing in their fishing report? Well, it's the most life-like artificial shrimp on the market and it's a fish killer! The vudu shrimp comes in a variety of colors and sizes (2-4 inches long and 1/8 - 1/4 weight). The most popular colors in our area are the natural and gold. My go-to for catching redfish, is the cajun pepper with charteuse tail, fished along shallow grass lines. Egret Baits product line is not limited to the Vudu Shrimp. Vudu Shrimp and Fairhope Rattle make perfect harmony for catching fish. Egret baits makes a variety of other baits that fish can't resist, so visit their website today for more information. Their motto is, "Do you Vudu?"
The Vudu prize pack that will be given away in this weeks drawing consists of a pack of Vudu Mambo Mullet, Vudu Eels and Vudu Wedgetails. The question will be posted to our Facebook page on Wednesday of this week. Those names of those who answer correctly will be put into a hat and drawn out on Facebook live on Friday, April 20.
Summary
Special thanks to all the contributors for this report. We look forward to keeping you informed each week of what's happening on the water. Thanks for taking time to read this weeks report. For those who read the report, be sure and check our Facebook page on Wednesday, as will be giving an Egret Baits prize pack for the person that is able to answer the question(s) pulled from the weekly fishing report. Keep those hooks wet, baits wiggling and rods bent!
Comments