Coastal Alabama Fishing Report - 4/23 -4/30/2018
- Captain Billy Howell
- Apr 30, 2018
- 16 min read
The Bite is Heating UP!
If you have been holding out, waiting for the perfect day to go fishing, you missed a fantastic week on the water in some areas and mediocre in others. The week started out with 10-15 MPH winds out of the northwest, temperatures in the upper 50's and an incoming tide. Fortunately, the quick front that moved through last Sunday didn't dump buckets of rain up north, so we really didn't have that much new water. However, Mobile Bay is still reeling from the influx of fresh water from the previous weekend and still looks like chocolate milk. That hasn't totally shut down the bite in the bay though. People are still catching a few speckled trout around Gaillard Island and on the reefs in Mobile Bay. Topping the hot areas to fish this week have been the Theodore Industrial Canal, Dauphin Island around the shoals, Mississippi Sound around oyster beds, the Intracoastal Waterway between Bon Secour and Orange Beach, the artificial reefs and docks and grass flats on Old River in Orange Beach. People are catching speckled trout, redfish and flounder on anything from live and Vudu shrimp under a popping or slip cork, soft plastic mullet or shad imitators like Matrix Shad, Egret Baits Wedgetails, Norton eels or Fin-s flukes on a jig head, mullet imitating topwater lures and other mullet or minnow imitating hard baits like Matrix Mullet and Rapala Subwalk. If you are able to secure some 3-4" live croakers, the larger speckled trout are eating them like candy. The bite has been solid in both the morning and afternoon hours. If you are a member of any of the Facebook fishing pages around here, you have already seen stingers o' plenty this past week.
For those who have always who have always wanted to wrestle an alligator but didn't want to die, head out to Dixie Bar and wrestle a bull redfish instead. With the incoming tides and fairly clean water, anglers have been able to spot these large schools of powerful fish cruising the bar in a feeding frenzy. This time of year, a north wind and an incoming tide set up perfect for having a successful adventure.
In the surf, the pompano stomp is on and has been for nearly two weeks. The only difference is, the bigger have started to show up. Surf guides are catching limits of pompano and then some. Pompano pinwheels and smiles as big as the sun are a good sign that the bite is hot. Most pompano are being caught on fresh peeled shrimp, fish bites with the larger ones being caught using sand fleas.
Pierist's have had a great week catching a wide variety of fish from pompano, spanish mackerel and king mackerel.
Offshore, mother nature finally took a chill pill, provided a sea worthy day earlier in the week and gave us a whole weekend to play in her giant fun-house. For the past few months, trusting a sea forecast for more than 36 hours prior to your departure has been like trusting a hooker when she claims to have tricked her last John. Luckily, coming into this past weekend, the forecast held pretty tight and led to a beautiful weekend on the water.
Hopefully, you spent at least half your weekend on the water or near it. If you weren't fishing, maybe you were at least able to successfully toss a mullet across state lines down at the Flora-Bama.
These reports require a collaborative effort from all the contributors, so please click their link and follow their social media accounts. Also, subscribe on our website at www.bentoutfittersfishing.com to receive these reports as they come out. Please leave comments at the bottom of the blog after reading and let us know if you find the information interesting and helpful. If you would like to get local fishing news or a tournament announcement in the blog, email bentoutfittersfishing@gmail.com This weeks prize pack will be courtesy of Matrix Shad. Like and Share the report on your personal or business page, Follow our Facebook page and subscribe to our website to get in this weeks drawing. For every 20 shares, we will give away 1 $ 20 Academy Gift Card and a Matrix Shad. (Max is 5 winners). Once you have followed instructions, type done in the original blog post on Monday.
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 says, the speckled trout bite has really picked up over the past week on the reefs around Orange Beach and the grass flats on the Perdido Key end of Ole River. Decent trout are also being caught around the docks and also in the long stretches between Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Live shrimp has been out catching artificial lures in numbers but most of the bigger trout have been caught free-lining 3-4" live croakers and soft plastic artificial lures. Capt. Taylor says, pompano are also still being caught off the jetties leaving Perdido Pass.
In a couple cobia cruising trips this week, Capt. Taylor says they have spotted a few but have not been able to get them to eat.
Pictured above is a unique catch by Captain Taylor while fishing about 8 miles offshore this past weekend. Identify it correctly to win a matrix shad sampler pack.
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.
Eastern Shore - Weeks Bay - Mobile Bay
Bayside Charters - Captain Patrick Hill
Facebook: @baysidecharters
Instagram: @phill04
Website: www.baysidecharterfishing.com
Cell: 251-379-0560
Captain Patrick said, "Fishing was tough last week, created by a culmination of high west winds and nasty water." Capt. Patrick said they were able to find a few trout and redfish in the rivers but had to work much harder to put the solid box together that had been considerably easier previous weeks. In the end, they caught enough for the clients to make a few meals, but more importantly they sent the clients home with smiles on their faces. Like most of the rest of us, Captain Patrick is ready for the winds to lay down and Mobile Bay to clear up.
Below are a couple memories that Captain Patrick made possible this week.
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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 had an opportunity to get to know his new boat this week. Clients from Mississippi, Iowa, Florida and several from Alabama, all experienced Mobile Bay, the Mississippi Sound and / or the Gulf of Mexico. His tactics and locations changed everyday due to the wind direction and client expectations. They found plenty of rat and lower slot reds around the western side of the bay using popping corks with live, dead and vudu shrimp. Mixed in with the reds, they found plenty of puppy drum and a few sheepshead. They did manage to locate and land several really nice speckled trout in both Dog River and Theodore Industrial Canal using soft plastic jigs on 3/8oz Bomber jig heads and using free-lined live shrimp. One of their trips they managed to sneak out in the gulf to land some magnum bull reds on Yum Mud Minnows rigged on 1/2oz bomber jig heads. The upper Mississippi sound in Grand Bay and Portersville Bay provided some action while they were there, but not as stellar as they had hoped. Captain Patric says, "this coming week has bigger tides and puts us on the backside of the recent full moon, so I expect the bite to improve daily."
Not everyone gets to fish with Instagram celebrities / brand ambassadors, but Captain Patric has had that opportunity on more than one occasion. This past week Capt. Patric hosted the owners of Fishing Chaos , outdoor enthusiast Dr. Simon nd well known brand ambassador Sara Salt for some promotional work for the highly anticipated release of FishingChaos.com new web and application based personal fishing assistant to be launched at iCast this summer. For some great fishing scenery, give Sara a follow on Instagram and also stay up to date with the launch of Fishing Chaos by following them as well.
Pictured above was a triple-up on bull reds on Captain Patric's new boat.
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 JayO says, "the wind is still wreaking havoc with spring fishing." This week he spent a lot of time fishing the Theodore Industrial Canal (TIC). The days with less boat traffic were the more productive days catching fish up to 5 lbs. Live shrimp was the ticket. Daron Mosley landed a massive 10.04 lb trout out of the TIC this past week as well. That is biggest fish he has seen or heard of coming from the TIC in quite some time.
He was also able to find some pockets of clean water on the western shore flats of Mobile Bay between the TIC and the Mobile River that were holding fish again. These fish were caught with Vudu's under popping corks and Rapala Skitterwalkers.
He also ran a trip out of the Mississippi Sound, fishing from West Fowl River to Grand Bay. While not finding the fish bunched up in any one spot, they were still able to catch good numbers of fish scattered about. Unfortunately, a lot of those fish were under sized. Live shrimp and Vudu's under popping corks did the trick here.
The long range forecast is still showing little rain and higher temperatures, which should help clean up the Bay and get the water temperature where it needs to be to make the fish more aggressive.
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!
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 said, the pompano had a great run this week! Surf fishermen from Destin, Fl to Fort Morgan, AL caught some really nice fish. That being said, certain places did better than others from one day to the next. Capt. Dusty said, peeled shrimp and Fishbites did the trick all week for most locals, while anglers to our east used sand fleas. With the early morning north winds the past few days, the calm conditions allowed more anglers to catch pompano. They have caught pomps o' plenty this week, a few whiting, black drum and spanish mackerel. Captain Dusty says, "more beautiful weather is on the horizon this week, so go catch 'em."
Pictured above is one of Captain Dusty's clients with a couple nice pomps and a spanish mackerel.
The Pier Review
Captain David Collins
Captain David says, "the water is on the rise and it's time to start slinging Rapala X-Raps for king and spanish mackerel." Capt. Collins would like to remind people fishing from the pier,"do not feed the sharks!' He says there are still plenty of whiting and BIG pompano being caught in the shallows. Also of note, Mahi are already being caught at the Florida piers. Captain Collins says, "Keep casting and get bit!"
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 says, "Spring fishing is on fire right now!" He ventured into the Gulf 4 days this week with those trips producinig limits of beeliners and triggerfish, big ones at that. Capt. Bryars says, he is eagerly awaiting the May 1 opening of amberjack season in the Gulf of Mexico. He said there is nothing quite like being made a fool by one of these reef donkeys. The amberjack they have been catching have been fairly close to shore. Amberjack season opens May 1 and runs through May 31. Capt. Bryars also said, "the warmer water temperatures have brought a significant amount of bait to the area allowing them to connect with more good quality fish." Reel Kill Charters special fish of the week was a scamp caught in about 90 foot of water. Scamp are more commonly caught in around 200 feet of water in our area on rocky or hard bottoms.
Pictured above was a nice haul from one of Captain Bryars trips this past week. Very Nice Capt!
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 and he 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
Pressure; something you put on yourself unnecessarily, when we should just be enjoying the moment. Early in the week, my dad's neighbor and his friend came to Orange Beach and wanted catch fish. Both anglers preferred the calmer waters offered by our bays. We left the dock around 7:00 a.m. and headed over to Bayou St. John reef, not too far from Sportsmans Marina. The temperature was perfect, the northwest winds were fairly light and the tide was moving in. There weren't but a couple other boats in the area, so we decided to set up just off the reef and cast onto it. As soon as I got both slip corks rigged, I grabbed my shimano curado bait caster rigged with a jig head and finesse fluke and cast it out. Before the bait had a chance to sink, a fish had already grabbed it and was running. I handed the rod off to my neighbor to let him feel the bend. At the same time, the other customers's cork disappeared and he brought in a beautiful speckled trout. This went on for about 2 1/2 hours until we ran out of shrimp. That morning, we probably caught 30-40 fish and never moved more than 200 feet. We ended up keeping enough for a few meals, 16 speckled trout, 3 bluefish and 2 spanish mackerel. Moral of the story, don't put undue pressure on yourself just because you are fishing with someone who personally knows you. Just do what you always do!
On Wednesday afternoon, I was headed home and got a text from my brother in law asking if I wanted to hop on his skiff and wet a hook. Who could turn down an offer liket that? Conditions were far from ideal, especially launching from Pier Street in Fairhope with an 18 mph southwest wind. While the ride was wet and bumpy, the drifting wasn't so bad. It was, however; a good thing we both had on quick dry performance apparel. After drifting over Battleswharf Reef a few times, we noticed a large numbers of finger and mature mullet jumping out of the water. We decided to drift through it and "BOOM, it was on! We had a double hook, with the largest speckled trout right at 22 inches. We drifted the mullet school several more times and caught a few more fish; just enough for dinner.
This past Saturday, with us finally predicted to have beautiful weather, we ran a last minute buddy trip. We ran out about 50 miles to hit some of our deep dropping spots and caught a few grouper, sea bass and white snapper. Since the deep dropping was slow, we moved to 245 foot of water and tried our luck with the beeliners. Turns out, we didn't need luck. From the moment we dropped our first line (double hook chicken rigs with 8 oz weights baited with squid), until the time we decided to leave, everybodys' rod was bent and fish were going in the box. We caught everything from red snapper, almaco jack, scamp, vermillion snapper, white snapper to a mystery fish that I now know was a creole fish.
Later in the afternoon, west winds picked up, so we ran in to a spot 20 miles out to pick up our limits of triggerfish. Once we got to the spot, I gave the crew 20 minutes to catch their triggers. Conditions continued to deteriorate, so badly that occasional waves crashed the bow. The ride in was one of the more challenging ones I have ever had. We were weaving back and forth like a skier on the bunny slopes. The most challenging part was trying to stay dry. Maybe Mother Nature was just trying to tell us we were stinky and needed a shower, i don't know.
After safely arriving back at the dock, the real work began. We cleaned the boat and loaded the car by committee and were able to get away from the marina in a half hour. On the way home, we stopped at the store for a coke and a candy bar. By the time we got home I had caught my second wind, we unloaded everything and I was able to clean three coolers of fish, wash the reels and get everything stored properly by 1:00 a.m. What a day! Between 5 anglers, we brought home a couple hundred pounds of meat and will be set for the next few months!
We are looking forward to the continually improving weather and warmer waters and summer visitors!
Pictured above was the haul from our meat mambo! Good times with friends and family.
Captain Billy has a few 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
This weekend there was a tournament for Wounded Warriors in Gulf Shores this weekend, with several local guides contributing their time and effort to help our veterans out. ACFA will hold their monthly meeting this coming Thursday, May 3 at Moe's Original BBQ in downtown Mobile. Saltwater Finaddicts is still selling tickets to the "Finaddicts at the Grounds" drawdown on May 19. They announced that the drawdown tickets will be limited to 500 tickets. They are also gaining sponsors every day with what looks to be a healthy prize stash. A direct link to the event is listed below.
Local Tournaments
The United Cerebral Palsy Foundation will be holding its annual inshore tournament next Saturday, May 5, 2018. Tickets are $ 30 for those 13 and over and $ 10 for Kids 12 & under. The weigh-in will be held at Ralph and Kacoo's on the causeway from 1:00-4:00 P.M. Click the link above for more information.
The Tourne' Tournament will be held on May 26, 2018. Rick Tourne' and his family suddenly lost his wife, Lori, a few weeks back, leaving one of our fishing family devastated. They are selling tickets for the event and also working on gaining sponsors to help raise money for the event. 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"! Ticket sales will be capped at 500. 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
This weeks' culinary treat comes to you courtesy EatAlabamaSeafood.com. We've highlighted a couple offshore species in previous weeks so we thought we would bring you something new to try from the bay. This weeks recipe has a cajun flair to it.
Redfish with Pontchartrain Sauce and Conecuh Jambalaya
Serving Size - 1
Ingredients:
6oz - 8oz portion Alabama Gulf Red Fish filets
1/8 cup Vegetable oil
2 tbsp Blackening seasoning (Paul Prudhomme or Zatarain's preferred)
Pontchartrain Sauce
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
1/4 cup Mushrooms, sliced
3 (21-25 count) Alabama Gulf Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Roasted garlic clove, minced
1 tsp Creole seasoning (Zatarain's or Tony Chachere's preferred)
1/4 cup Chardonnay (chef's choice)
1/2 cup Heavy cream
Conecuh Jambalaya
1 quart Parboiled rice
1 1/2 quarts Shrimp stock
3/4 lbs Conecuh sausage (cut on the bias)
1 cup Yellow onion, small dice
1/4 cup Red bell pepper, small dice
1/4 cup Green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup Celery, small dice
3 Garlic cloves, minced
3 Bay leaves
1 tbsp Thyme
To taste Kosher Salt
To taste Cayenne Pepper
To taste Tabasco Pepper Sauce
Instructions:
RED FISH
Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Apply desired amount of blackening seasoning to the Red Fish. Cook on blackened side until half done, flip and cook until done.
PONTCHARTRAIN SAUCE
Melt butter in a pan. Add the mushrooms and shrimp. When the shrimp are half done, flip to the other side. Add garlic and creole seasoning. Deglaze with chardonnay. When the wine is almost evaporated, add heavy cream. Reduce until cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
CONECUH JAMBALAYA
Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and let cook about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender, but not overcooked. Once all ingredients are ready, place a desired amount of the Jambalaya in large bowl. Place the Red Fish on top of the Jambalaya. Pour the Pontchartrain Sauce on top of the Red Fish. Garnish with parsley and green onions.
Sponsor Spotlight
Our sponsor spotlight this week features Matrix Shad. Whether you are bass fisherman or inshore enthusiast, Matrix Shad has a variety of products that catch fish. Chas Champagne describes his Matrix Shad as 3" fish candy, ideal for fishermen of all varieties. They also sell GoldenEye jig heads. These jig heads are built to last, and come in a variety of sizes. Matrix Shad, headquartered in Slidell, Louisiana has been gaining popularity with local guides and recreational anglers because they catch fish. My go-to matrix shad is the vortex shrimp cocktail with chartreuse tail pictured below. If you want to learn more about using the product, subscribe to their DocksideTV channel on YouTube. It will be worth your while.
If you like hard baits, you will love their Matrix Minnow and the Matrix Mullet pictured below left to right.
Fact, Matrix Shad catch fish. If you are looking to add some to your tackle chest, you can find them at most any tackle store or you can order from their website at matrixshad.com
Summary
The 15 day forecast looks fantastic, highs in the 70's and 80's with nighttime lows in the 60's and little to no rain, so the muddy Mobile Bay and murky green waters just off the beach should start to clear up. The wind for the upcoming week will primarily be steady and out of the southeast with unfavorable conditions for offshore fishing. You can't catch fish from the couch though, so get hit the bays, a pier or the surf! Wet your hook and get Bent!
If you are planning a vacation to the area and want to take advantage of great fishing, cruise the bay or islands, there are plenty of options for you. 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.
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