Coastal Fishing Connections - Alabama Report - 8/5/18
- Captain Billy Howell
- Aug 6, 2018
- 19 min read
Every House Needs A Doormat!
Some people are a legend in their own mind, but when it comes to flounder fishing, T.J. Bussie is the "flounder pounder." While I've only met T.J. on the water, social media connected keeps us connected. As I stated on the weekly live broadcast on the @coastalfishingconnections Facebook page, technology is a great thing, but only to the extent you can use it effectively.
This week, T.J. shares in his own words about growing up near the Bayou and his passion for the flat fish.
"Growing up near the Bayou, it is expected you know how to fish. I started fishing with my dad at a very young age on the Dauphin Island Pier, Cedar Point Pier or anywhere I could get a line wet. One day, I caught my first flounder by accident at the Causeway.
From that point on, it turned into an addiction. I kept going back to the Causeway for more, until one day I met Marty Garmeson and he began to teach me the basics of how to flounder fish. Over the years I have refined my skills of fishing for flounder and cannot wait until the day my children catch their first flat fish.
Fishing for flounder is not for the faint of heart, it’s frustrating, exhilarating, rewarding, but only if you know where to fish. My favorite places to hook up are structures and drop offs. Flounder love to lay on the bottom near rocks, piers and grass lines. The more structure the better. Early in the morning, the flounder will lay in the shallows, even in a foot of water. If you find some grass or mud flats, drag your bait away from the grass. As the sun rises they tend to move towards the deeper holes and drop offs. A good rule of thumb when fishing for flounder is “If you’re not getting hung up, then you're probably not in the right spot."
Flounder love to ambush their food, so you have to remember that while fishing. Live bait is meal of choice for flounder, just look at what bait is around the area where you’re fishing. Bull minnows, or mud minnows, are best bait that you can use just about anywhere. My number one bait is finger mullet with about a foot and half of 20 pound fluorocarbon leader and a 1/0 Owner k-hook. Finger mullet like to swim up which allows the flounder a chance to ambush the bait.
If live bait isn’t an option they will bite an artificial with a paddle tail. My pick is the white or pink Matrix shad. You don’t need a fancy jigging technique just drag it slowly on the bottom until you feel the thump of the flounder. It takes time and patience to learn the art of flounder fishing.
Stay with it and it will get easier with time. And after a long day of fishing there is nothing better than coming home to cook the best fish in the ocean."
News, Notes and More!
ACFA held their monthly meeting at Moe’s Original BBQ downtown on Thursday with Lee Minto talking about fall fishing on the delta and catching flounder. The ACFA food committee that is willingly responsible for ensuring participants don't go home hungry after the monthly tournaments pleaded to members to help provide fresh blood for the committee. CFR weekly contributor JayO spoke about how to target blackfish and fielded a plethora of questions. Saltwater Finnadicts was also on hand to tout their upcoming tournament and gave away a pair of tickets during the meeting.
This past week, if you didn't have to dodge a thunderstorm or get wet, you weren't fishing, or at least you selectively chose your days. The Mobile area saw 3 inches of rain one day this past week. The trout bite has been much tougher with the hotter days, so get em early! There have been enough puppy drum and redfish to pass the time and put a nice box of fish together. If you like to catch big jacks, they are in the bay, just spend a little time chasing the shrimp boats. The triple tail bite is on fire, so keep your eyes out! Don't discount anything floating.
Highs in the upper 80's with light winds early in the week will offer nice seas to target the reef donkeys and triggerfish. Leading into the weekend, the rain chances go up and wind is expected blow building the seas just in time for everyone to be off work. Don't sweat it though, in our area things could improve or decline day to day.
On Sunday night, we were live with Joey Landreneau, creator of the Slick Lure to talk about how he came up with the lure, the different products they have, the recommended hooks and how to work the lure. Click this link to watch!
For information on what's biting, what to use and other tips to catch more fish, check out the guide reports below. We cover Orange Beach to the Mississippi Sound.
Until next time, 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
"The inshore bite this week was pretty good, even though we missed a few days due to rain. We found good numbers of white and speckled trout in the bay. Black drum of all sizes are still in the back bay and can be caught using large live shrimp. The redfish have been scattered but holding in areas around deep docks.
Captain Dusty offers guided fishing trips 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
"The theme for this week was slow down. I think my biggest mistake in the summer months is fishing too fast. This report I will focus on pointing out the areas of my week were slowing down paid off.
Sunday, we had post full moon conditions and an afternoon high tide. The Sunday fun day group consisted of 3 boys and two adult men. Our first stop was a fairly quick bite. Casting live shrimp under popping corks around rocks and pier pilings we were getting some kind of bite nearly every cast. Landing both slot and rat reds, puppy drum, ladyfish and croakers, the youngsters on the boat were having a blast. We literally put the power poles down and didn’t move for about 2.5hrs. At times the croakers and ladyfish almost ran me off but I played the patience game and waited out more and more keeper reds and drum. After catching a gaggle of slot reds and puppy drum for the cooler, we made a move. Our second stop was up the Mobile River. Using my xi5 trolling motor I positioned the boat to be able to cast to a shallow area along the river back with live and dead shrimp in search of more redfish. Well, we did land a couple more reds but the bonus was catching mangrove snapper in the 10”-14” size range, yes up to 14”. The Alabama minimum size limit on mangrove is 12”. We ended up pulling 8 Keeper mangroves from this spot and used up the remaining bait. A great fishing day with stories for all the men and boys aboard the Ugly Fishing Blue Wave.
Monday, I felt like I was cheating but I used nearly the exact same float plan as the day before. The results were slightly different. We didn’t land as many drum but we did better on redfish and we landed some really nice speckled trout as a bonus. Instead of targeting the mangroves as a second stop, we headed into the delta for some additional redfish fun. We did not get bit right away and I actually thought about vacating the area when one the anglers on board sticks a drag pulling redfish. I notice that he had cast well past where I had instructed to cast... lesson here is don’t focus on the “exact location." In order for the others on board to land his or casts in the similar area I trolling motored up and dropped the power poles to hold us in what should be the right area. We now have the boat sitting on top of where I normally fish and casting into what I thought would be dead water. Boy was I wrong. My crew kept me busy for the next two hours netting fish after fish. We tagged and released a bunch and kept a mess for my guests to take home.
Tuesday, our guests were staying near Fort Morgan so I opted to pick them up at the newly redone boat ramp at the Fort Morgan State Park. The guy who booked this trip drove 8 hours the night before just to treat his dad to a fishing trip with me. He headed out into Mobile Bay with breezy Southwest winds. I decided to make my first stop at one of the rigs in the lower portion of Mobile Bay. As I do with all my guests I explain the fishing process step by step. “Here is a shrimp, this is where you hook it, here is how a spinning real works. We are using slip corks, simply drop beside the boat and begin paying line out. Oh crap! Here you go, a fish just snatched the cork under.” The father lands a 28” Redfish on the first shrimp, first drop. We then continued to get bites on nearly every bait drift. Redfish, Black drum, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, but no speckled trout, yet. After our first area quit producing, I made a quick circle around the rig looking at my raymarine Axiom 12 like a radiologist studying an X-ray. “I see 'em” “now just have to see if they want to eat.” The son on the trip drops a bait over and as soon as the cork stands up straight it shoots under and we land our first speckled trout of the morning. A dandy 2.5# trout. I tell them “let’s do it again!” Well, that was it on the trout. Just one. We did land a few more spanish mackerel and had a few more break offs, which is a bit frustrating. My next move was toward shallow water since the tide was peaking. Very slowly we floated along the shoreline of the little point clear area. After landing a single speckled trout and a rat red in one area, I decided to circle around and power pole down in that area again. Slow and steady the bite picked up. One trout turned into 3, then 6, then more! Mix a redfish or two in and then pick up a real trophy speckled trout! This turned into an awesome day and my customer said this fishing trip was his best ever and worth every penny and the 16 hour round trip drive!
Wednesday, my crew was once again staying in the Spanish Fort area so I opted to have them make a short drive to the causeway area. I decided a reverse float plan from our stellar Monday trip would be perfect. Well, it started out fantastic! Several slot and even one slightly over slot red got us started in the same general area as my Monday trip. We then decided to hit several other areas and we continued to land slot red after slot red and sending most back into the water with tags in their side. After this bite ran its course, I opted to go look for speckled trout. We landed a few on popping corks and live shrimp along some sharp drops in the Mobile River but that was it. The rest of the day just kind of fizzled out. All in all had a good trip, but I love ending on a high note.
Thursday and Friday, marked the first and second two boat charter I put together with my brother Jeffrey Garmeson owner of Troutlaws Fishing Charter. We launched in the Weeks Bay Area both days. Day one had a radar full of rain but no lightning, so we headed out. We started out on some docks just north of Mullet point. Boom! First cast 2lb speckled trout followed by several more on consecutive casts then the bottom fell out. Rain poured on us and the unfortunate part was that the bite shut down, completely. We moved around hitting docks, piers, pilings, reefs with very little to show. I decided a stop by the rocks at the grand hotel was worth a shot since the pelicans were diving so much in that area. Our first couple of casts yielded croakers and other trash fish kind of bites. Then, one of the guys made a cast right up next to a rock. This cast looked good to me and the redfish that grabbed his shrimp almost instantaneously. Cast after cast one of the gentleman on the Bluewave found the sweet spot. The other two anglers were missing the mark and continued to feed the trash fish. Finally, all three men were on them fast and furious. Some fish going on ice and some receiving a uniquely numbered tag for research purposes. Once the bite died off we looked for a triple tail but we came up short. Same group on Friday, we headed toward the fort Morgan peninsula because I liked the tide. However, the much stronger than forecasted east wind made things more difficult than I anticipated. I decided to fish inside of the creek areas for redfish and then move out into the bay should the wind subside. The creeks ended up producing plenty of action from white trout and a mix of keeper and undersized speckled trout. As the wind died a little we moved to the outside and fished the shoreline where we weeded through the trash fish bites to land several really nice upper slot redfish and a couple of keeper speckled trout. Two days of fishing with the same group is always a great way for people to experience several different fishing tactics and techniques and hopefully catch a variety of species.
Saturday, was surprisingly good fishing. Some areas were dead or were covered up with boats but we continued moving to areas with no boats so we could spread out and fish. We found fishing to be slow but steady nearly everywhere we fished. The slow part is a little painful, but damn did it payoff! Big nice speckled trout, plenty of slot reds and a pile of puppy drum with a trip, capped off with a bull red which fell for a new lure I am experimenting with. We found productive fishing areas from Fort Morgan to Middle Bay Lighthouse in both shallow and deep waters. We caught fish on simple split shot rigs, slip corks, and popping cork rigs.
Sunday, I had the perfect plan. The tide was perfect for the float plan that I was following. In my head I was expecting high-fives all around and an ice chest full of speckled trout. I was wrong. One speckled at my "fill the box" spot was not what I visioned. We did however make hay with two big nice bull reds for some great early morning photographs. We made a shift from deep water to shallow. With in a few minutes we landed our first slot red then slowly worked through the trash fish to pull in more slot and rat reds with some sweet meat puppy drum mixed in. As the day was getting hotter I decided to move back toward deeper water were we ended our fishing day with epic battle between the teenager on board and the mighty Jack Crevalle.
This week I have trips scheduled for both near shore fishing and inshore fishing. I do have one day available for booking. Upcoming Thursday, August 9 is currently available, so give me a call at 251-747-1554 if you are interested in this day or any other day coming up. Also it won’t be long and we will be fall fishing in the river and in the upper bay. If you are interested in the fall fishing, I recommend booking early because these dates do not last long.
Have a great week and best of luck on your next fishing trip. Remember, if it’s good bad or ugly it’s better than cleaning the garage."
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
"The trout bite continues to be difficult once we get into the heat of the day during these dog days of summer. The wind was brutal the past week as well. Capitalizing on the early bites you get seems to be the ticket. There was also some good midday action on deeper structures. Live shrimp and Vudu's under popping corks as well as slip corks continue to be the ticket in most areas.
We have still been 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. 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 got a little tougher this past week, especially with the weather. We were still able to catch a few, when the weather allowed, but we did notice a lot of the fish we found were very skittish which probably can be attributed to all the recent pressure on them."
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
"The crappie action is really tough right now. I went a few times this past week and only caught four keepers in two trips. I went on the Alabama river Friday morning and fished hard, but still couldn't locate a consistent bite with quality fish. I did end up catching a monster crappie on a acid rain jig!
I went to the upper Tensaw Delta Saturday morning, and the bite was very slow there too. I ended up catching about fifteen crappie, but only had four keepers. I changed things up around mid morning and started fly fishing with a popping bug for bream and it was a blast. We have about 2 more weeks of tough crappie fishing and the bite will turn on and last til December. Until then, I will be taking my fly rod.
Thank you Dip for that outstanding report! If you like to freshwater 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
"Like many others, this dog days of August have forced patience and he had this to say. "We have entered the heat of the summer for August and September. These months can be the most difficult for whiting and pompano, but other opportunities present themselves in these months.
Pompano were tough to come by this past week and I anticipate that being the case for the next couple months until the water temperatures cool down a bit in the fall. Something that was interesting to see this week was a good run of small black drum or “puppy drum” in the surf zone. These are fantastic to eat and when they are present are quite easy to target. Using the same tactics as pompano fishing is the best way to pick up these fish. A simple pompano rig with a piece of Fishbites and fresh dead shrimp will do the trick. Black drum are not regulated in the state of Alabama, so it is a easy fish to put in the cooler. Smaller black drum are very similar to their cousin, red drum, and are excellent table fare! In my opinion they are slightly better than red drum because their diet is primarily blue crab and seems to make the fillets just a bit sweeter.
Other than black drum we are still catching whiting, redfish, and the occasional loner trout. If possible, I would carry some live bull minnows, finger mullet, or croakers with you to pick up the trout and redfish right now. They have been picky eaters lately and not eating dead or live shrimp right now."
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 says, "This month is on the pier is kind of like fishing a neap tide or ugly water; you kind of have to take what you get. Water temperatures tend to be hot, and it's not near deep enough water to provide close access for the predators that want it cooler. Jacks, reds and tarpon are still cruising the pier area, but it's tough fishing. You CAN get a limit of spanish mackerel if you start early along with random king mackerel, occasionally. Flounder are there to be had if you put in the time.
It's called "fishing" not catching for a good reason. It still beats sitting at home. Fall fishing is right around the corner and I personally can't wait."
Keep up with the latest Gulf State Pier information at GSPierfishing.com. or on Gulf Shores Pier Rats.
Offshore Report
Orange Beach, Alabama
Bent Outfitters Fishing - Captain Billy Howell
Facebook: @bentoutfittersfishing
Instagram: @bent_outfitters_fishing
Website: www.bentoutfittersfishing.com
Cell: 601-938-7161
"This past week started with a beautiful but windy Sunday morning. The wind was a little more than we had expected so we started the day south of Mullet Point fishing docks and piers using a popping cork with live shrimp. The speckled trout bite was fast and furious, so when it petered out we headed into Weeks Bay and Magnolia River to target redfish. The two brothers we had onboard had a little competition going on, Baby baby brother ended up taking the day with most of the slot redfish.
Since our season has finally slowed down, I had an opportunity to take my garage from CHAOS to ORGANIZED CHAOS and to do something I had been wanting to do, build a single piece rod rack. The garage cleanup was frustrating and relieving at the same time. Pictured below is the 50 capacity rod rack that I built and on the wall is a 2x8, with 10 inch PVC strapped to the 2 x 8 with 10 additional slots. The only thing I have left to do is sand, stain and lacquer it.
On Thursday, I got to take the local Daiwa rep, Joe East, his kids and grand kids fishing for a couple hours on Mobile Bay. For just a couple hour trip, the fishing was fantastic. It was overcast and comfortable as we left from Pier Street. We left the water with puppy drum and sheepshead still biting. All fish were caught under a Fairhope Rattle cork with about a 3 foot leader using live shrimp.
On Saturday morning, we ran offshore into a choppy swell and hammered the triggerfish. In the afternoon we decided to go target triggerfish and they did not disappoint. We also dropped some live bait for AJ's over reefs we had caught them on during red snapper season. Unfortunately, we didn't hook. Nothing beats getting to catch fish with your kids and my daughter Mallory, was one lucky angler on Saturday!
It will be a light week for us since I am out of town for some training, but we look forward to getting back out next weekend!"
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.
Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, Alabama
Southern Drawl Charters - Captain Michael Pittman
Facebook: @southerndrawlcharters
Website: www.southerndrawlcharters.com
Cell: 251-599-8610
Captain Michael Pittman continued to be a busy man, smashing spanish, kings and triggerfish. He even found time to go speckled trout fishing. They got a late start to their day, but Captain Mike Pollman and Capt. Michael managed to catch some pigs free lining live croakers
Captain Michael Pittman has been running guided trips out of Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan for 3 years. He targets nearly every species and has a motto of "We kill fish." His goal is for every group of people that walk off his boats not only remember a great fishing trip. but to make lifelong friendships.
Upcoming Tournaments
Saltwater Finaddicts Inshore Championship is coming up on August 25th and 26th so make your plans today. This year they will have more sponsors and prizes than ever before as their group has grown to almost 10,000 members. Bent Outfitters Fishing is donating an inshore trip for this tournament.
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
Once again this week, we take on the Nuisance Group! Melinda Ellis spurned doubters this week by shooting video of preparation and dining on sand fleas. All this bravery got her an invitation to the Nuisance Group on Facebook by Chris Sherrill. Here you go!
Deep Fried Sand Fleas
Catching/Finding Sand Fleas
Sand Fleas are located on the shoreline and are easy to locate once you know what your looking for! I find it easier to locate them at night so I can shine a light on the sand. Your looking for a collection of small ripples in the sand and it's usually on the shoreline where the waves are rising and falling. Once you find some ripples it's best to scoop them up using a sand rake. You should be able to scoop up a dozen or so at the time.
Cleaning/Dressing Sand Fleas
The sand fleas need to be rinsed repeatedly in fresh water to remove all of the sand. Remove their "digger". (a sharp muscle located underneath them used to help them dig down in the sand) and remove their 2 sharp "horns' from their head. Also, most of the sand fleas I've caught are female and have eggs underneath them, so I rinse those off as well.
Fried Sand Fleas
"Dressed" Sand Fleas
Cornmeal/Flour Mixture with seasoning (2 parts cornmeal, 1 part flour with salt/pepper and tony's)
Egg wash (2 beaten eggs/1/4 cup of water)
Hot Oil
Once oil is hot, dip sand fleas in egg wash, then dip and coat in cornmeal mixture, then drop in hot oil. Fry until golden brown. (should only take a few minutes)
Serve with your favorite tarter sauce, cocktail sauce, or ketchup!
Thank you Melinda for sharing this with us!
Sponsor Spotlight
In our infancy we are still looking for sponsors so this week, the giveaways will be courtesy of Coastal Fishing Connections. We will be giving away a $ 25 Academy gift cards. Read below and submit your answer to get in the drawing.
Weekly Giveaway
Read below and get in the drawing for this weeks' giveaway!
What is T.J. Bussies' number one bait for catching the flat fish?
Congratulations to Alexis Keller Burns, Tanner Martiniere and Ricky Strickland for winning the 3 Slick Lure sample packs.
Submit your answer via email to coastalfishingconnections@gmail.com
Like and Follow the 2 new social media accounts set up for the weekly report and share our 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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