Coastal Fishing Connections - Alabama Report - 7/8/2018
- Captain Billy Howell
- Jul 9, 2018
- 17 min read
Joy, Joy it's a Jubilee
For those unfamiliar with jubilees', it is said that they occur in only 2 places across the world; on the eastern shores of Mobile Bay and in Tokyo Bay, Japan. What is a Jubilee, you ask? "Jubilees are phenomena that are caused primarily by up-wellings or upward movement of oxygen-poor bottom waters forcing bottom-type fish and crustaceans ashore. Bottom water low in oxygen results from several coincidental circumstances, pockets of salty water accumulate in the deep parts of the northern portion of Mobile Bay stagnate during calm conditions. The stagnation is caused by salinity stratification, or layering effect, with the heavier salty Gulf water overlain by lighter, fresher river water. Stratification prevents movement of oxygen from the air into the bottom saline water.These deep water pockets tend to collect plant matter washed into the Bay from the marshes and swamps upstream. As this vegetative matter decomposes, it provides food for the microorganisms in the water. An abundant food supply combined with the warm water temperature causes a population explosion. As these microorganisms grow and multiply, they consume tremendous quantities of oxygen. In this way, the bottom water becomes very low in oxygen-poor water remains in the deep pocket offshore. Due to the lack of oxygen, these jubilee-affected fish and shellfish cannot carry out normal muscular activities, such as swimming. They move slowly and seem reluctant to swim even to escape capture. However, few fish or crustaceans die during jubilees, except for those caught by jubilee enthusiasts." courtesy of the City of Fairhope.com
Jubilees' along the Eastern Shore can occur from Daphne all the way to Mullet Point at one time or in smaller sections along the Eastern Shore. While not set in stone, jubilees' typically happen during the summer months and before the sunrise. Ideally, the previous day’s weather conditions would include an overcast skies, light east winds and a slick surface on the bay. Jubilees' only occur during a rising tide and will quickly cease with the turn of the tide. They also typically happen during a full moon. All of these factors set up the perfect scenario for an experience of a lifetime.
To load the cooler, be prepared to walk and to weed through the undesirables (eels and thousands of tiny catfish) to get to the desirables (crabs, shrimp and flounder). Just be sure to have the bare necessities with you for gathering; flashlight, gig, net, basket and a cooler.
Prior to moving to Fairhope, we had never experienced a Jubilee and were totally unprepared, not to mention, we aren't on the secret call list that exists to give people a heads up. There is a secret Facebook group, Jubilee Alert Eastern Shore, that keeps its members up to date when conditions are ideal. We missed our first jubilee by a few hours thanks to a long day on the Gulf of Mexico. While eating dinner at the Blue Marlin restaraunt in Fairhope, we heard a rumor that jubilee conditions were ripe, then the confirmation came as we finished our crab claws. We rushed through dinner, ran to walmart and bought flash lights, head lamps and dip nets. Unfortunately, a ton of people were there doing the same thing and there were sold out of gigs. As any ole redneck would do, we improvised. We bought mop handles, camping forks and duct tape and made our own. By the time we arrived at the beach along Pier Street, we were on the back side of the Jubilee and only gigged one flounder with our home made gig. We were able to capture enough crabs to make a meal. We spent hours that night, all the way from Fairhope to Mullet point looking for more flounder but still only ended up with the one.
Just this week, we had our first jubilee of the season and of course, we were out of town for the holiday. A good friend of mine Captain Erik Nelson, Finatics Fishing Charters got to experience his first jubilee on Tuesday morning and shared his experience and a few pictures with us for this weeks report. "On Tuesday morning, it was encouraging to see the thousands and thousands of juvenile flounder. I pretty much had the beach to myself. I watched it for an hour before I couldn’t stand it any longer and went and got a gig and bucket from Walmart, because I wanted some flounder to eat. 😂😂 Probably saw 20-25 legal sized flounder in less than a mile walk. I saw shrimp, flounder, eels, rays, catfish, mullet and crabs. One word to describe it is AWESOME! Enjoy the pictures.
With 2 weeks left in Gulf red snapper season for the federally permitted for hire boats, captains are scrambling to catch them while they can. Last weeks' full moon had the bite a little finicky but that switch flipped back on this week and the hungry fish came looking for dinner. Not only did we catch an abundance of fish, but we caught big fish. One thing we noticed this week was a lot of light pink instead of vivid red snapper. If I had to guess, I would say the warmer water temperatures have contributed to that.
Inshore in Orange Beach, the night time dock light fishing continues to be on fire especially for redfish. Just passing a few lights friday night on the way to a friends bay house, we noticed tons of bait balls circling in the lights with lots of dark shadows following them around. In the morning, the bluefish, spanish mackerel and jack crevalle have been busting bait in the pass. Early in the morning just before the sun hits the water, the LY's have been super thick around Cobalt restaurant. Over on the eastern shore, the redfish bite has been insane and the speckled trout bite has been solid in the early am. Sharks have become a nuisance in the bay according to several anglers I spoke with.
The surf and pier continue to be a source of exciting action. Read more about it later in the report.
Expect the summer weather patterns to continue this week with scattered thunderstorms. West and southwest winds will prevail this week but seas should remain in the 1-2 foot range for the majority of the week. West winds are never good for the water clarity on the Eastern Shore and never fun to navigate in offshore but one things is for sure, if you aren't out there, you can't catch them.
Get out there, keep those lines tight and rods bent!
These reports require a collaborative effort from all the contributors, so please click their link and follow their social media accounts. Look for the column header that says weekly drawing, email coastalfishingconnections@gmail.com your answer to the question to get in the drawing held on Facebook live on Friday nights @coastalfishingconnections. 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 coastalfishingconnections@gmail.com
INSHORE REPORT
Orange Beach / Perdido Key / Gulf Shores - Wolf Bay - ICW
Liquid Force Charters - Captain Dusty Hayes
Facebook: @liquidforceinshorecharters
Instagram: @capt.dustin
Cell: 678-897-0167
Captain Dusty has been on the water both day and night the past week and has the scoop. "The inshore bite has been good for us through out the week with lots of slot redfish , big black drum , white trout, and some keeper mangrove snapper here and there .
Live shrimp and bull minnows are a good way to go. Although the warmer months are tough using shrimp due to pinfish and croakers."
Captain Dusty has been offering guided fishing trips for several years in Coastal Alabama out of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and is sure to offer a great time on the water and catch fish!
Eastern Shore - Mobile Bay - Dauphin Island
Ugly Fishing - Captain Patric Garmeson
Facebook: @ugly.fishing
Instagram: @ugly_fishing
Website: www.uglyfishing.com
Cell: 251-747-1554
Fishing Sunday through Friday out of the Weeks Bay Area yielded numerous opportunities and challenges. First with the challenges. The wind and more importantly the wind direction. I often preach about fishing the leeward shores of Mobile Bay when the wind is howling. However, when it’s out of the east in the heat of the summer we always have the treat of jubilee conditions. Jubilee conditions cause dead zones which will completely shut down a bite of any kind.
Second, the opportunities. Due to picking up on the Eastern Shore all week, I was forced to get creative on how to locate and catch fish. Some days we found the wind tolerable to go into the gulf and target red snapper and king mackerel. Other days the winds were brutal and forced me to fish Weeks Bay which has the potential to be good or real bad.
The following pattern I found worked for me and my guests. Shallow docks along the eastern shore and within weeks bay are producing reds and puppy drum. Using popping corks rigged with 24”-30” of leader and a live, dead or vudu shrimp, bull minnows, and finger mullet all worked for catching or fish. The trick is to cast under the piers or tight against the pilings. The huge down side to this pattern is catfish and croakers. You have to and will catch several maybe even 20 croakers or catfish for a few redfish.
Speckled trout fishing has been a crap shoot lately with some days being really good and some being really bad. Use a variety of lures and baits for speckled trout this time of year. Don’t be afraid to through topwater at any point during the day regardless of water depth.
Best of luck anglers, thanks for reading and remember it’s going Good, Bad or Ugly so get out and make it happen."
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 bite has still been tougher than it should be but we are still catching fish. The quality of some of the trout we have been catching has still been outstanding, as some of the fish we have been releasing were up to 6 lbs. We are still having to cover a lot of ground to put together decent boxes of keepers though. Capitalizing on the bites you get is still extremely important.
Live shrimp and Vudu's under popping corks as well as slip corks continue to be the ticket in most areas.We are still concentrating on the wrecks, artificial reefs and rigs from the middle part of the bay all the way to the lower end of the Bay on through the Mississippi Sound. There are also still some fish early in morning on the shallow flats and along the Gulf beaches. These fish were caught with Vudu shrimp and live shrimp under popping corks, Slick Lures, Rapala Skitter Walkers, Yum Mud Minnows, live shrimp on slip corks and free lined croakers.
The Tripletail bite was outstanding this past week when the weather was right. We caught numerous fish this past week including a couple in the 20 lb class that we tagged and released.The nearshore snapper fishing has also been outstanding. Live or dead pogeys or live croakers have been doing it for us."
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.
Mobile Delta
Dippi Outdoors - Dip McMillan
Email: alkeenmcmillan87@gmail.com
Phone: 251-747-9261
Dip has had an outstanding week of crappie fishing and had this to say. "This was a fun week on the Tensaw Delta catching crappies. I started Wednesday morning south on Tensaw Lake, and it didn't take long to find what depth they were in. Most of the crappies I caught that morning were in 5-6 feet of water and holding structure tight. I didn't fish long since it was the 4th of July. I ended the trip with 14 keepers.
On Thursday morning I went back to the same area and the action was fast and furious. I caught a majority of them on minnows but my biggest crappie was caught on a jig! They are definitely in their summer pattern and holding structure. I ended the trip with 25 slabs!
Friday morning action was unreal, once again. I was back on Tensaw Lake trolling structure in 5-8 ft of water using minnows only. I was trolling with 8 poles, but had to start trolling with 2. The action was that fast. Every creek I went to Friday on Tensaw Lake was loaded with crappies on structure. The limit came fast and I was done around 11:00 with some quality fish.
This morning I changed up the strategy to single pole over tree tops and stumps in 5-8 ft of water. I found some big crappies with this technique this morning.This is a fun way to locate them but you go through a few hooks in this process. I ended the trip this morning with 29 slabs."
Thank you Dip for that outstanding report! If you like to crappie fish and want to to the where and how, contact Dip to go have some fun in the delta catching some crappies!
Surfside
Orange Beach - Gulf Shores – Fort Morgan
Bama Beach Bum Fishing - Matthew Isbell
Facebook: @bamabeachbumfishing
Instagram: @bamabeachbum_fishing
Cell: 334-391-5913
Bama Beach Bums' Matt Isbell has had another busy week with sand between his toes. According to Matt, he doesn't have an open day on his schedule until August. Matt shared this with us, "There is lots of action happening in the surf! The pompano have turned back on this past week and we have seen some of the best days of catching since the spring run.
Whiting have become more stable and consistent as you would expect in the summer. We are seeing a lot of really good trout come out of the surf right now. Live shrimp on a Carolina rig can be a simple and effective way to locate some hungry surf specks. Flounder have just started creeping in the surf as well. They have been mostly small and less than legal or just barely over the 12” minimum.
Live shrimp or live bull minnows on a Carolina rig is the best way to entice a bite. Make sure you cover as much ground as possible and hit deeper holes close to the beach. Don’t assume you are too close to shore, many flounder will strike right at your feet!"
Matthew Isbell is the one and only, Bama Beach bum and has been guiding visitors to fish catching experiences in the surf. Not only does he offer guided surf fishing trips, but he also does a lot of instructional videos to help people catch more fish in the surf. His Youtube channel currently has over 2800 subscribers. Click on his link above for more information on how to book a trip with him.
The Pier Review
Captain David Collins
Captain Collins has had his feet on the ground and lines in the water at the pier this week and had this to say. "GULF Shores pier is pretty hot right now; many kings through out the day, plenty of Spanish. The Trout are pretty constant at night. Spade fish and Whiting are eating pealed shrimp pretty steady too. The seafood market is open. There are many Jack and Redfish runs every afternoon and the Tarpon are THICK ! I caught 2 tarpon and jumped 2 more off today , as well as caught 2 good sized Reds . Get out there and sling some bait !!!
On a side note, no additional sharks were caught on shark night this week. The sharks that hang around the pier are resident spinner and black tips. There has been a big tiger shark move in and slow them down just a tad."
For the link to more information about the sharkfishing at the pier, click the link Gulf State Pier Shark Fishing.
Keep up with the latest Gulf State Pier information at GSPierfishing.com. or on Gulf Shores Pier Rats.
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 has had a busy snapper season so far and has been smashing the big fish. His week on the water went like this. "It was a busy week of fishing for us on the Reel Kill. We ran every day this past week and were able to get a limit of snapper each trip. King mackerel are starting to show up again. With only 2 more weeks of snapper season left, we are still catching plenty of big ones. Below are a few from this week."
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
Captain Billy says, "The 4th of July theme rang true with tons of fireworks on the water this week. We ended our week the way we started it, with doubles. With red snapper season closing in a couple weeks, we are trying to maximize our opportunity to take tourists to catch their fish for the freezer. Early in the week we hosted a group from Missouri on a short 4-hour catch and release trip. We caught them, and I released them into my fish box since I don't usually get to keep red snapper this time of year. These boys got their appetite wet and are already planning a keeping trip for next year. Most of the fish we caught this week were using spanish sardines. Spanish sardines are a much less expensive alternative to cigar minnows. Matter of fact they are about half the price. You can even buy them in a 25 lb flat at J&M Tackle for around $ 35.
When we had the opportunity to catch live bait this week, we definitely caught some bigger fish. One thing I've noticed this year is the abundance of 20 lb plus red snapper brought into the dock. I'm still not sure whether to consider that as encouragement or not since they are the breeders.
The latter part of the week and into the weekend we found a solid bite and this time we had live bait pretty much every trip and it paid off. LY were so thick in front of Cobalt restaurant on Friday morning you could throw a cast net once or twice and have all the bait you need for a couple days. We opted for holding to the side of the dock and sabikiing the bait. In 15 minutes time, we had all the bait we needed. With the live bait we caught big red snapper and amberjack.
Every time you go fishing you learn a valuable lesson. Monday, after spending a couple hours in the ER getting stitches, I was reminded of how badly I need to wear my cut proof cleaning glove on my off hand. On Friday night, it was always check your batteries in your flashlight. Friday night, we headed out on our second shark fishing trip of the season. We set out the floating bait, then one on the bottom and one kind of drifting about 10 foot below the surface. Each leader was about 8-10 foot long steel leaders tied to 150 lb mono on Penn 50 Wides. The first hour and a half was full of good conversation and great tunes and then, it happened, right before sunset. The drag started screaming and we were hooked up with our first shark. Before we could get the other rods reeled in and get alongside the shark, he tail-whipped and cut the mono. The length of the leader should give you an idea of just how big that shark was. A couple more hours passed and in the last 15 minutes of the John said, "I sure wish we could hook these ladies up on another shark." And then, it happened again, only this time, we were ready. Everyone ran to a rod to reel them up and I went to my helm and got alongside the shark. Bobbie, strapped the reel in her belt and an hour long battle ensued. When we finally saw the shark, it was nearly half as long as my 28 foot boat and appeared to be in the 600-800 lb range. After 5 runs, we finally got the shark right up beside the boat. Unfortunately, my head lamp wasn't working and my phone was dead and the anglers phone didn't capture the photo well. Then, for the 6th time, the shark ran but this time ran under the idling prop and cut the mono. Pictured below was a shark we caught on the morning trip the next day.
On Saturday, not only were the red snapper and sharks biting but other monsters as well. Wilson, pictured below, got to feel the wrath of the reef donkey! It took him about 15 minutes but he finally wrestled his amberjack to the surface. Unfortunately, they are out of season and this one had to go back to his ultimate playground.
Looking forward to closing out red snapper season strong! We have a few dates open over the next couple weeks so book your adventure today!
Until then, keep those lines tight and rods bent!"
Captain Billy has been fishing the coastal waters of Alabama for several years now and provides a fun-filled, family fishing experience for your family. Captain Billy runs his offshore trips from Caribe Marina in Orange Beach and inshore trips pretty much any where from the eastern shore of Mobile Bay to Orange Beach.
Upcoming Tournaments
Below you will find a mostly complete list of upcoming tournaments put together and posted by Saltwater Finaddicts . Give it a look over and make your tournament plans today.
Coastal Culinary Corner
In this weeks coastal culinary corner we are going to share a recipe for Redfish Bienville. This weeks recipe is courtesy of Wintzell's Oyster House specialties and was posted on WALA Fox -10 Wintzell's uses a crab and shrimp sauce with their Redfish Bienveille. Looks like I have something new to try! Hope you enjoy!
Redfish Bienville
Ingredients:
4 - Redfish Filets
16 - Large Shrimp, butterflied 1 - Package Dirty Rice, Zatarians Paul Prudhomme Blackening Seasson Butter Lemon
Preparation:
Prepare dirty rice according to package. Prepare cream sauce according to recipe. Both will take approximately 30 minutes. For fish and shrimp, put pat of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Liberally scatter blackening seasoning to one side of the filet and place in the skillet. While cooking, squeeze lemon juice on the filet and scatter blackening seasoning across the top. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, flip fish to other side. Apply seasoning to shrimp and place shrimp in pan alongside fish. Cook fish and shrimp for approximately 3-5 minutes, until fish and shrimp are fully-cooked. To serve, place a large spoon full of rice in bowl, place fish filet on top, drizzle with with desired cream sauce and top with 4 shrimp per filet. Note: Wintzell's uses a crab and shrimp cream sauce of this dish. Type of Dish: Entree Servings: Four Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes
Sponsor Spotlight
Nestled in a prime location just over the East side of Perdido Pass next to Cobalt restaurant in Orange Beach, Caribe Marina and Dock Store is THE go-to location for Jet Ski and Boat Rentals, Dolphin Cruises, Inshore and Offshore Fishing and much more! As advertised, they have the "lowest fuel prices on the water."
Not only do they have all the fuel, bait and ice you could need, they have a dock store upstairs to pick up those last minute items you may have forgotten. In my 5 years as a Caribe customer stopping for gas, bait and ice, I have never experienced more eager, hardworking and welcoming dock hands than the ones' at Caribe Marina.
Next time you get ready to head out, stop in at Caribe and see what real dock service should be like and don't forget to tip your dock hand!
Weekly Giveaway
In this weeks giveaway, Caribe Marina and Dock Store in Orange Beach is graciously donating a FREE FISHING TRIP aboard the Outcast or a $100 credit to be used towards bait, ice, pontoon or jet ski rental. It will be "WINNERS CHOICE." Read below and get in the drawing for this week!.
Congratulations to Tommy Badger for winning the DAIWA prize pack and Steven Jones for winning the bonus drawing we did for the 2 Fairhope Rattle corks and Matrix Shad sampler pack!
This week's question. What day this past week was there a jubilee on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay?
Submit your answer via email to coastalfishingconnections@gmail.com
Like and Follow the 2 new social media accounts set up for the weekly report to get an extra entry into the drawing.
Facebook: @coastalfishingconnections
Instagram: @coastal_fishing_connections
Summary
Regardless of the forecasts, the avid anglers and boating enthusiasts will find a way to get their fix. Just a friendly reminder; have all your safety gear up to date, be safe and courteous and but most of all keep those rods 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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