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I'm giddy as a fat kid with a new box of double stuffed Oreos!! Ill be down there fishing in 14 days from today. Got a lot of advice from you guys on here and have ordered most of what I need to fish in the salt. Hope fish are still biting when I get there. Thank yall for your help. Don't catch em' all!! See yall soon!
I'll be arriving a couple of days after you get there. I seem to have the fever too. I've ordered new gear, re-lined and lubed the reels, built new surf spikes, and even went on a "dry-run", catfishing from a pier with my new cart.
Best of luck to you!
Lucky guys.....my trip doesn't look to good for me right now with the health issues with the mother in-law.....unless something chages for the better.....there is plenty of fish in the area to go around
Good news. I don't know ya but I'd be glad to fish with you if your fishing alone like me.Quote:
Originally Posted by backwoods
What kind of cart? Thinking of building or buying one!
Some people might poo-poo my choice, but I went with the Berkley cart linked below:Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpbeads
Berkley® Jumbo Fishing Cart | Berkley®
I needed something that would break down to travel conveniently in a compact SUV. It is pretty well thought out. It has eight rod holders, a bait station with a cup holder, knife holder, and scissors holder, and sand spike holders just above the wheels. I have also found a "hidden benefit" of this cart. It already has a place in the cargo liner to put a bucket, but I have discovered that the pull handle dimensions allow you to to slip a bucket down within it's rails. It will hang there perfectly, requiring a slight tug to pull it loose.
One thing that made me feel better is that I found out after I bought it that "Chris V" from the Pensacola forum uses one. If you keep up with him and his catches over there, you will find that he is one of the people in the GS/OB area that understands the area fishing on the same level with Pier#r. If fish are biting, it seems that Chris is on them.
Understand, if I were a local, or were willing to make my family travel in one of my pickups, I would have bought a traditional tube pier cart and added Wheeleez for the surf.
In my case, I like to travel (to the beach) in my wife's Honda Element AWD. It has rubber floorboards and waterproof upholstery. It's perfect for hopping in between wade fishing spots (or waterparks, with the family). It also has elevated rear seats (which all fold into a bed for naps) which allow rods to be stowed underneath. I can put more fishing gear on the inside of the Element than you can in a Suburban, while still maintaining passenger space. It's actually quite shocking. I just didn't want to have to attach any external racks for a cart if I could avoid it.
I've got a couple of inlaws with me that are new to saltwater (and aren't really fishermen to begin with). A lot of my fishing will be beachfront at my condo in Orange Beach. I do, however, hope to make a couple of fishing expeditions elsewhere. On my list of potential spots are the pier, Dixey Bar, West Pass, or maybe some wading in Little Lagoon. If nothing else, let's keep in touch via forum for fishing reports. Let me know what is working for you and I'll let you know what is working for me. If I can come up with a solid plan (things change quickly with inlaws and small kids) I will let you know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kdavis
These guys hooked me up last year. I have decades of fishing experience, but had never seriously pursued fishing in salt water. Last year, I ended up catching 20 or so species, and had a blast. I have tuned up my gear selection and intend on focusing more on certain species this trip.
Ill definitely keep in touch while I'm down there so we can compare reports. I'd love to catch 20 species! That would be awesome. I like action so I'm bringing lures and plugs hoping to catch some fish on those when bait is slow or scarce. Ill be hiting the surf a lot too around ft Morgan in front of the house and drive a few miles to dixey bar tooQuote:
Originally Posted by backwoods
NorthernTool.com supplies high quality tools and equipment at low, discount prices. from Northern Tool + Equipment
To late now, but one of these could have helped ease your travel cramps [if you have a reese hitch ]
Quote:
Originally Posted by backwoods
I have the exact same cart and have used it for a few years now. My wife bought it for me so she didn't have to ride in my pickup every time we went down there. I really like it and it fits in her car perfectly, it also stands up and doesn't hardly take up any room in our closet off the balcony of our condo. What I was worried about was with all the salt air and the numerous hinge joints on the cart that they would rust or get stiff or freeze up, but it works perfectly with no stiffness at all. The thing I like best is what I never thought about when I first got it, is that it sits quite a bit higher than the other ones and when the cooler is in it's the perfect height and you don't have to bend over. But the extra height will make your 8 foot rods hit the top rail of the pier entrance, both of them actually, put the longer rods in the rear rod holders and they just clear. I usually just bungee cord my tackle box to the top of my cooler but it does fit perfectly on the rails under the cart. The only problem I forsee is the fabric might mildew and not hold up, and it does stain easily, but a few blood stains don't bother me, unless it's my blood. It will hold a five gallon bucket, a 3 gallon bubbler bait bucket a fairly big cooler and still have room to put a few bags with your rain gear and towels etc. Overall I like it for my needs so far, but if I lived down there and had my truck I would build my own and have all the bells and whistles. I really enjoy looking at all the different types of carts especially the home made ones.
What could a guy expect to catch on top water plugs (poppers and walk the dog baits) from the pier or surf this time of year
Get ya an old wheel chair, I used this one for 3 or 4 years. Folds up easily.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpbeads
http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/...-9-2011004.jpg
Thanks for the heads-up on the pier entrance. I had not thought about that, but I have realized that I might be breaking down the longer rods to get on the elevator at my condo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grandpa Kirk
Much like you, if I were "allowed" to drive one of my pickups on these adventures, I'd definitely go custom.
I am also slightly concerned about the long-term durability of the frame and hardware. If the liner goes bad, it would seem to be possible to "skin" the frame with sheet aluminum or stainless. I bet the added rigidity might be just what the doctor ordered anyway. That should be possible without losing the folding ability.
I intend to put together an "adventure van" of sorts within the next 12 months. At that point, I will consider external rack solutions for a custom cart. Getting to add a rod tube to the top so that I can join the "one piece" nation will be a big step up in my opinion as well.
Take what I say with a grain of salt, as you are aware of my limited experience, but given how near that you said that you are to Ft. Morgan, I'd be slinging Badonk-a-Donks, Unfair Rip-n-Slash's, or similar topwater or jerk plugs at dusk and dawn. I also think that either bullreds or at least decent sharks are a no brainer on the West end with live bait. I can't even legally shark where I am.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kdavis
If I were down where you were going to be, I'd be on the point near Dixey Bar, wading Little Lagoon, or even West Pass, if I got bored with the previous options. You can surely catch better fish in front of where you are staying than I can in Orange Beach without me going to the big pass or the pier. I seem to have a personal thing for redfish, which should be better in your direction. My inlaws like sashimi, so I have read that putting them on Spanish isn't a terrible thing to do, back East.
Trust me, if it were an option, I'd be down where you are, and I wouldn't be worried about the pier. Also, take that with a grain of salt, as I don't really like crowds (like the pier or big pass would have). I am uncomfortable enough when I land a nice fish in the surf and have the morning joggers and assorted surf scavengers show up in the peanut gallery. I'm stuck in a situation with kids and women that like splash pads, lazy rivers, waterslides and other such trivial contrivances. I'd rather be lagoonside with beach access, but with a large party, "Daddy" is outvoted.
To put it into context, I'm all the way on the other end of things and I'm still considering driving to your end just to fish, when I get some "me" time.
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