2018 Recap

My year of fishing didn't start until the last week of August, but I have to say that it was characterized by diversity. From August to October, there were slot reds hanging around the pier, many times visible and hungry. Most days, during that same period (it tailed off toward the end) there was a pretty good Spanish Mackerel bite. All during that time there was a constant presence of blacktip and spinner sharks. Sometimes, dozens of them would be visible, swarming hooked Spanish and following bubble-rigs and other lures for the purpose of acquiring an easy snack. The key to getting a Spanish Mackerel in was to tighten the drag and race him in before the sharks could ambush him. Big Spanish presented a particular challenge, but I did manage to catch one really big one at 5 pounds, four ounces.

Sharks all but prevented epic King Mackerel days because they'd sense the struggle and slash at a king, either cutting it in half or taking the whole thing. Frustration abounded for most fishermen on most days and most days I went to fish for something else if the sharks were too thick. Pre-dawn speckled trout were fickle in their response to perfectly presented baits. I caught some really big ones, but most of the time they had typical Gulf Shores Pier lockjaw. One day, Harley and Pier#r were just slaying them and I couldn't get a bait in the water for netting their fish for them! It was one of my favorite moments on the pier, this year, witnessing their skill. Harley also showed me a different technique for snagging mullet. He intentionally splashes the weighted hook in the tight schools, dispersing them at first, but then concentrating them above the hook as they move in to investigate the bubbles. It was a special treat to get to fish around Harley this fall and get to know him a little bit.

Many days, big Jack Crevalle and Bull Redfish would come through and many fishermen would hook up at the same time. I usually just got out my pier net and tried to help with the effort. It was good to see most folks putting the Bull Reds and Jacks back to make little reds and jacks. I did keep some baby jacks this year and I'll do more of that in 2019. They were great fried and I'll try them on the grill, too, next year. I caught lots of slot (as well as undersized, which I threw back) reds and most came on cut pinfish. Bluefish were willing, available, and aggressive in the late summer smorgasbord, as well!

I spent most of November and December going after whiting. On average, they seemed to be bigger this year, with fairly frequent 18 inch fish and many in the 14 - 16 inch range. I was happy to see lots of people enjoying that resource. I didn't spend a lot of time trying for flounder. That will be a species that I spend more time on in 2019. When the water would "dirty up", there was usually a decent croaker bite going on at the octi, for SOMETHING to stretch your string.
My goals for next year are to LEARN more about sheepshead catching and keeping them from the pilings, to learn to use a ghost shrimp pump so that I can have that special bait to use on sheepshead and pompano, to try NEW fish (for me) that I've never tried before (squid, octopus, for example) and maybe shoot for a state record.

Truly notable were the valuable conversations at the rail, and real friendships developed at the pier. Thanks to everyone for being my friend. I genuinely appreciate you!

Feel free to share YOUR recollections of 2018. What did you catch and what are your memories from the past year?

Everybody have a safe New Year's Eve, then a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a fulfilling and prosperous 2019!

i sure did think about fishing a lot.

Thanks Tom for a great recap! Happy New year to all of the nice people who fish the pier and especially those I had the privilege to meet this year. My journey began in March when I met Ironman172 (Bill) on The Forum. I put two and two together with his Forum
name and it turned out that we had a lot in common with backgrounds in heavy industrial manufacturing process construction. On my first trip down in April with my wife Sharon, I was surprised (and happy) that Bill’s stay lapped into ours. He helped me with the right choices on gear, tackle, and pier fishing methods. I’ll never forget some of his first words of advice coming from 25 years plus of experience. After looking at my tackle he said....”get rid of that crap!” I laughed, got rid of it and started to watch what he and all the regulars were doing. It was my first day on the pier. On the second day Sharon caught a nice Pompano and with the aid of the second person we met...Chillinfish (Mark) she got the prize grocery fish over the rail. We had a great meal that night with some of the best fish we had ever eaten. The hook was set for us and we would be back to The Pier.

Before we left in April I purchased a Fish-N-Mate cart along with a new rod and reel combo at J&M Tackle. Let the fun begin! For the next four months I had a great time upgrading the cart and adding enough rods, reels and tackle to start a small retail shop!
I couldn’t wait for the scheduled trip we had booked in October. In mid-September on the spur of the moment I headed down to the pier (675 miles or so) to experience some one of the hottest Septembers there ever. No matter. Fished every day, caught a few fish, learned a lot more and the hook of the pier experience was getting deeper. Met some more nice people, even the Pier#r himself who shared a lot of his experience on hook sizes with a stranger from Kentucky.

On the next trip in late October we arrived right after the hurricane. The wind blew from the North the whole week and the water conditions weren’t very good for fishin. We fished anyway and had a great time. The highlight of the trip was a very generous gift from Eym_Sirius of that 5lb 4oz Spanish. Thank you Tom! We have had two great meals of it back here at home and still have half of it in the freezer waiting for that special night. A special thanks to David Lea for saving one of my lures from that “Great White” and schooling me on the flounder technique.

It is truly is “A Wonderful Life” when a couple in their seventies can find and experience
a new adventure of fun and fellowship.

Thanks to all you pier people. Hope to see you in March or April or both!
Again, Happy New Year,
Bobby and Sharon
Prospect, KY

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Prospector46

Thanks Tom for a great recap! Happy New year to all of the nice people who fish the pier and especially those I had the privilege to meet this year. My journey began in March when I met Ironman172 (Bill) on The Forum. I put two and two together with his Forum
name and it turned out that we had a lot in common with backgrounds in heavy industrial manufacturing process construction. On my first trip down in April with my wife Sharon, I was surprised (and happy) that Bill’s stay lapped into ours. He helped me with the right choices on gear, tackle, and pier fishing methods. I’ll never forget some of his first words of advice coming from 25 years plus of experience. After looking at my tackle he said....”get rid of that crap!” I laughed, got rid of it and started to watch what he and all the regulars were doing. It was my first day on the pier. On the second day Sharon caught a nice Pompano and with the aid of the second person we met...Chillinfish (Mark) she got the prize grocery fish over the rail. We had a great meal that night with some of the best fish we had ever eaten. The hook was set for us and we would be back to The Pier.

Before we left in April I purchased a Fish-N-Mate cart along with a new rod and reel combo at J&M Tackle. Let the fun begin! For the next four months I had a great time upgrading the cart and adding enough rods, reels and tackle to start a small retail shop!
I couldn’t wait for the scheduled trip we had booked in October. In mid-September on the spur of the moment I headed down to the pier (675 miles or so) to experience some one of the hottest Septembers there ever. No matter. Fished every day, caught a few fish, learned a lot more and the hook of the pier experience was getting deeper. Met some more nice people, even the Pier#r himself who shared a lot of his experience on hook sizes with a stranger from Kentucky.

On the next trip in late October we arrived right after the hurricane. The wind blew from the North the whole week and the water conditions weren’t very good for fishin. We fished anyway and had a great time. The highlight of the trip was a very generous gift from Eym_Sirius of that 5lb 4oz Spanish. Thank you Tom! We have had two great meals of it back here at home and still have half of it in the freezer waiting for that special night. A special thanks to David Lea for saving one of my lures from that “Great White” and schooling me on the flounder technique.

It is truly is “A Wonderful Life” when a couple in their seventies can find and experience
a new adventure of fun and fellowship.

Thanks to all you pier people. Hope to see you in March or April or both!
Again, Happy New Year,
Bobby and Sharon
Prospect, KY

---

Thanks for the kind words, looking forward to our paths crossing in the future , kind sir

As far as I'm concerned, the people I've met on the pier are far better than the fish I've caught. And I've caught some dang fine fish.

I'd just like to thank all the people I gave fish away to this past year. I hope you enjoyed eating them as much as I did catching them. Hope to see everyone a lot more this coming year we're trying to get Linda retired and I know she won't mind spending more time at the beach.

Mid October to mid November this year at Four Seasons pier. Some species did poorer this year but always caught enough to enjoy. Pompano did especially well this year but flounder were disappointing. Reds in the slot were fun and saved for the freezer. Whiting of a good size did well in November. Assorted other species kept and I have a good variety in the freezer to supply my fish dinners 2 or 3 times a week. Difficulty walking prevented me coming to the state pier but I enjoyed the information on this site and comparing the pier catch here with what I was catching. Thanks to all of you folks for the information you provide as it helps an old man get thru the hard days. Surgery next week may make things a little easier for me this year.

Year 2018: A pierpounder's review
In a nutshell, like many others I sure didn't get to fish the pier nearly as often as I wanted to this year. But thanks to our many contributors, we all were able to participate vicariously through your reports and photos. Thank YOU all for making this the greatest fishing pier and forum!

Following is a chronicle of the year 2018, gleaned from reports archived in our GSPFForum...

JANUARY began in the grip of an arctic cold snap, with air temps dipping into the mid 20s on the morning of the 2nd. The pier was CLOSED most of that first week due to frozen pipes, and did not reopen until Friday Jan. 5th... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-closed-15014/
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-0800-cold.jpg

Even then, the damage was so extensive it took park crews several weeks to fully restore the bathrooms and water service out on the pier.
Alabamaslama reported: "I fished all day Sunday and saw a several whiting caught and myself and others broke some sheepshead off the east side of the octi. I actually snapped a rod trying to horse one out of the pilings. I only saw one sheepshead actually landed with only 2 or 3 others targeting them."

I went down on Friday the 12th just to meet up with 'Bama Beach Bum' so we could shoot a video. It was less than ideal conditions (NO fishing). But FWIW we did get the video, and had a great time shooting it... https://www.facebook.com/bamabeachbu...3197395605508/
https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...3f&oe=5CC712D8
But with more subfreezing temps forecast, the pier was closed over that following weekend and into the next week!
Another arctic cold outbreak occurred on the 17th when air temperatures again dipped into the lower 20s that morning, exacerbating the situation and slowing repairs. The water temperature plummeted to near 50! But as usual, things warmed up a few days later and some fish got the memo.
Many whiting (up to 2#) were landed in great numbers on Saurday the 20th. But the action was 'streaky' over the following week, with "hundreds" caught one day (20th & 22nd) but not for a day or two following.
00706 said it best "Yesterday was the most whiting I've ever seen-- today was nary a nibble! Classic GS pier! Anyway, on a more positive note I'm digging this cold winter It usually leads to a productive spring-- oh Schlitz I just jinxed us again!"
He added "It's not often that you see whiting being caught (2 at the times) on touron rigs! I felt compelled to say something guys! I heard the porpons moved in late Saturday evening and along with the pelicans, loons and ospreys devoured the remaining nibblers! Thursday and Friday could see the bite turn back on before a massive wave event on Saturday and Sunday Heard from the wade fishers and surfers that the water is frigido at around 49-50 degrees!"

I was finally able to get in on the whiting action Friday Jan 26th, which was a chilly but near epic day with a few hundred 12' to 15" whiting landed... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...y-1-3-a-15061/
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...3-dscf0558.jpg

After a few rough days, another whiting catching flurry occurred on Wednesday the 31st, which included several fish over 18" and one about 20". These were bonafide 2 1/2 pound whiting as reported by fshntime... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...whiting-15080/ "Got to the pier at daybreak. Water was fairly mild, but with only about 1 foot visibility and little to no current. Stopped at the shallows to try for some whiting for supper with only two other fisherman. Icy cold ENE wind. Hands just about froze. Not much happening.
Then around 7am, everything changed and my hands forgot about the cold. Almost as soon as my fresh dead shrimp hit the water, I hauled in a nice whiting. This continued until 12:30 when I finally left. Helped some friends out and taught them how to rig and fish for whiting during the last two hours as I already had my cleaning limit of about 50.
By this time the rail had filled from the shore almost out to the "T". And most jackets were coming off in the glorious sunshine.About every 5th fish was 16-18". It's been a long time since I've seen that size and abundance of whiting and not a ground mullet mixed in!
Not only did I have supper tonight, I also had supper for the next several days. I've tried recently to hit it right the last few weeks, but could never hit it when they were biting. Finally today was the exception. What a blast. Tater told me it'd be a good day and Haywire was still off hunting somewhere, so the fish were there!
Everyone there got what they wanted today. Even saw a fellow land a pomp and another with a black drum. An awesome day.
Good fishing everyone and thank you Tater for the forecast."

This is what pier fishing camaraderie is all about folks!

FEBRUARY
After one of the coldest months in recent history, this month turned out to be one of the mildest we ever experienced at the GSPPier. And the fish, along with the fisherfolks responded well!

On Saturday the 3rd 'will46r' reported in: http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...ng-bull-15092/
"Friend, his 7 year old son and I made a day trip to go after whiting.
We get to the Pier around 10ish. Was windy and mid 50s. Guys were concentrated in the shallows but we didn't see any bent rods. Reports were "those 2 guys have caught all the whiting."
We looked around and decided to go to the Octi and work our way back. Not much going on down there until we had a 1 hour or so run of silver trout and croakers. All small but we didn't get skunked.
Around 1130 we decide to head in to the shallows, guy on the north side of the T said he'd caught a few whiting. We go about a third of the way from the T to the office and sling bait on the western side. Few minutes later we started getting hits on fresh dead shrimp. All 3 of us are decking a whiting every 15-20 minutes. Not super hot but we were happy.
We were dropping our bait within 10 yards of the pier. This seemed to be the sweet spot. Lot of guys on either side of us casting way out weren't getting bites. A few guys started pitching their rigs about the same distance and started hooking up. After 2 hours or so it slowed down.
Buddy wandered closer in as the rail cleared. He walked back 5 minutes later to toss a whiting into the cooler. We moved. Started hooking up again. Little while later he netted a large black drum for a guy fishing on the east side of the pier. "One last cast, dang it. Something stole my bait." Slings fresh dead into the same area. Drag on his ultra-light starts screaming. 15 minutes later he decks a 30+" bull red. So total is like 20ish keeoer whiting including one in the 18" range, bull red, silver trout and croakers.
We caught everything on fresh dead shrimp. At the Octi we caught everything on double drop rigs. In the shallows we caught everything on Carolina rigs with flouro leaders and size 6 treble hooks. Double drop rigs didn't even get their bait stolen.
As we left buddy's son said "best trip ever!" Great day. See y'all again in a few weeks!"

A few days later, new forum member 'Capt'n Ron' reported "Thanks for the replies guys. My friend and I made it to the pier today. We caught 10 whiting. Many whiting were caught by the guys that know how to fish especially in the morning. Had a great time . Hope to go again some day. Nicest pier I have ever been on. What a treasure... Capt'n Ron"
He added: "We caught the Whiting on frozen shrimp. Many nice guys helping us by telling us what to use and how to catch them. Even gave us some smaller hooks and bait to use. I came with too heavy of line and too big of hooks for Whiting."

Frequent forum contributor 'fshntime' had a great report that weekend also: http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...but-fun-15095/
"Got there at daybreak and only one other fisherman. Water was rough, breaking out to "T". Dingy brown with strong east current and Strong West wind. Nothing going on and rain was past us.
Then about 7:30, an occasional nice whiting. Friend Jim showed and I had a few in the cooler for him, along with a couple donated by Massachusetts Randy. Added a few more, then netted a nice 7.5lb. Red Drum for JJfish.
Saw a young Pelican land near us on the rail, with a hook and 20' of line blowing in the wind. Thought I'd save the day, so as I walked past, I was able to grab the line. As luck would have it, he flew and the line broke. More bad luck when he decided to leave by flying down along the rail and tangle all four separate lines at a time. JJfish was able to net him, even with the rough surf and high wind. While Ray, I and Randy held 4 rods. What a tangled mess! After about 20 minutes of cutting, removing hooks and untangling line, we were able to release the gratefull fellow unharmed and free of the lines.
It was a lot of trouble and we all had to retie but, I don't like to see any living thing suffer.
We left about 11am, with a nice cooler of groceries when the sun started to peek through and the rail got busier. As usual it was a great morning.
Until tomorrow, good fishing everyone."

Stewardship of the resource is always important to these folks. Maybe more so than even the camraderie and certainly more than just catching groceries. Gotta love these guys!

I was soon again fortunate to share in the action and reporting ... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-2018-a-15107/
"All I saw for 3 hours was an occasional 10"-11" whiting being landed by about 50 anglers.
After about 2 hours I finally caught a 'keeper', but it was a 16" sheepshead on my 2# outfit.
We liked to have never got it in the net on the upwind side of the pier.
After noon the crowd thinned a bit and so did the clouds.
I relocated out to sandbar and caught a 14" whiting.
On the west side I broke off two sheepshead in a row.
So I went to my 4# and landed two more @ 16" and 17" FL..."
http://oi64.tinypic.com/24eq4js.jpg

But we all know not every day is successful in terms of bringing home the groceries...
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-2018-a-15115/
frednic wrote: "I was first on the Octi after the rain quit a little before 7:00 am. Something acting like a sheepshead killed my first shrimp on the way down. Proceeded to lose five shrimp in about a half hour or a little more (including one hook bit or broken off (4 lb test)). Then the bite shut off.
Sheepshead 5, me 0.
One other fisherman on the octi while the bite was going on also had numerous nibbles in the same time.
Bite was at dead slack low tide and before the wind started from the north.
I dropped a probe in the water and got 64.8 degrees.
Some of you experienced sheepshead fishermen need to try it early and show us how."

Then the very next day 'eym_sirius' reported this... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...13-18-a-15120/
"Tuesday, 2/13/18, was a great day for the whiting bite! Lot's of 'em, big ones, too. Because of the Mardi Gras Parade in Gulf Shores, I couldn't get to the pier until the afternoon. Still, what a glorious day! Mid-70s, sunny and warm, and the fish were biting. I didn't see any other fish but whiting caught and there were probably a thousand caught. While I was using fresh-dead shrimp, most people were using previously frozen shrimp pieces and catching them like crazy. Of the twenty-something I caught, none was undersized and I saw some real whoppers brought over the rail. One more thing that HAD been a concern was the water clarity, but it was absolutely beautiful! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!"

But the next day the skunk showed back up... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...morning-15122/
'eym_sirius' wrote "2/14/18 Morning
I guess all the fish were caught yesterday! I ran into fshntime trying his luck for whiting. He reported only a few fish caught this morning, but the whiting (according to the report) were on the large size. I was on the pier for a couple of hours and saw ONE fish caught. That was a beautiful large pompano, caught on a ghost shrimp. That was it. The water looked good again, though it was just a tad rough from a gusty wind.
Still, it was another great February day!"

Then, the next day... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-2018-a-15123/
Pier#r wrote: "WOW!
The biggest news of the day has got to be about some spanish mackerel being caught at the pier today!
Along with some sheepshead, whiting, pompano and even speckled trout!!
The water temp has jumped up to about 65 and it looks like that is kicking things off for an early spring.
Let's hope this warm weather holds... "
But it didn't (of course), as the next day was foggy. Still Lester Huerd, Sr. reported on FB "small whiting and white trout."

--- to be continued ---

February: part 2

Things sure flopped around again the next day when the venerable 'Haywire' made an appearance... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...17-18-a-15134/
"Made my first trip of the year to the pier this afternoon and though I'd passed through some sort of time portal. The parking lot looked more like June than February and the rails were lined on both sides all the way out to the octi. Knew it was going to be an interesting time when a couple of guys came up behind me and asked if I was going fishing. I wonder what tipped him off, with my cart carrying half a dozen rods, ice chest, pier net, two live bait containers, two tackle boxes and various knives and pliers for various functions.
I didn't get very far down the pier before one of my old pier buddies showed me his ice chest with four nice trout and a toothsome pompano in it and said they'd just started biting. I quickly found an open spot and free-lined a shrimp---immediate hookup and just as immediate hookoff. I rebaited and watched Big Jay hook into a real nice pomp, and as I was admiring the fight, a two pound trout nailed my shrimp and got himself caught. Before the short afternoon was over I caught one more and lost a couple, but a couple of other guys had the secret and caught a dozen, if not more among them. I only saw one whiting caught. No sheepshead. The octi looked dead---I never got further than halfway to the T.
The water looked pretty OK, considering---cloudy green. No current to speak of and a light breeze out of the SW. Supposed to go SE tomorrow."

Certainly he went back... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...18-18-a-15140/
'Haywire' wrote: "When my alarm clock went off at early o'clock, I immediately rationalized that I had not heard of a good early bite, so I rolled over and picked up the weird dream where I'd left it---something about me catching lots of fish.
Anyhow, I made it to the pier at the crack of Ten. Got no good reports from the shallows and went on out to the octi where I had my choice of the top spots. Not long after I started, I had what I firmly believe was a bite from a sheepshead---even had the rod in my hand when it happened---but after that it was pinfish and nothing. No fish bit my fiddlers. I saw one keychain Spanish caught on a sabiki, and a few white trout.
I left, but didn't get all the way gone. I stopped where the specks had been yesterday and drowned a couple of shrimp, whereupon I noticed one of our premier speck fishermen propped up on the rail a little closer to the beach. When I walked over to him, he pointed out some interesting shapes. I threw out my shrimp and danged if I didn't hook up. Max netted it for me, and a few minutes later I got a second one and Max netted it just as the hook pulled. Whew. That was it for me, except for one bite from a hog-size trout that sucked the shrimp all the way in as I watched, then somehow spit it back out without being hooked. Ted caught a fine slot red and one good trout by the time I left at 3:30.
The water was a tiny bit clearer than yesterday, again with no current. There was no breeze until noon, and it got downright toasty in the sunshine---I missed a spot with the sunscreen that will keep me entertained for days. Little SE breeze picked up after lunch."

Speaking of warmth and 'Sunshine', she chined in on the 20th with the stunning news... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...20018-a-15145/
"John Gaines called us yesterday, and told us fish were gonna be caught this week. After doing crappy house chores for a couple of months, it was too easy to set the alarm for 4:30am. We fished... and you have to pause here...cause when you love to fish...and you haven't fished for 2 months...deep sigh...well, you know. I had 1 knocker, bait fell apart, Steve had a taker- took 100 yards of line, he got it turned and was bringing it back, but it musta tail whipped his line. We left- only because we still have more home chores unfinished. My son, Alex got off work this afternoon, and twisted Steve's arm to go back...and VIOLA... he had the pleasure of gaffing it...couldn't weigh it, new scales ordered, but, Steve guesses 22-25. Did I mention we love to king fish? Go Team Langston
P.S. Caught on a cigar minnow from J & M. Before Steve's- another angler hooked a king on an xrap, got it to the pier to be gaffed, but it pulled off."

Then (as expected) fishing went a bit downhill the next day... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...21-18-a-15147/
'Haywire' wrote: "When I got out to the octi this morning, I quickly realized that I didn't have enough weights in my tackle bag to fish for sheepshead, and even if I did, I'd never be able to reel them back up. The current was that bad. If the shrimp got down six feet, it was already twelve feet back under the pier and between the pilings---a guaranteed cutoff even if you did get a bite. Yeah, I got one bite and one cutoff, and that was it for my fishing.
You know I didn't get out there early, and by the time I did, all the early fishermen had told all their lies to each other and were headed toward the beach---fishless. The water was churned up in the shallows, but clearer south of the bathrooms. Had a little bit of a brown tinge to it, but was plenty fishable. The wind was SE at 12 to 14 knots, and, as I said, the current was ripping out of the east. Gotta remember that this is still February, no matter how warm it feels. Still a bit early. All I saw caught were a few junior size croakers and white trout.
The water is going to get warmer and the fish are going to bite. Gainer said he saw a king skyrocket to the east. I did see one shark hooked and lost south of the bathrooms as I was leaving. I hope things picked up after lunch.
Oh, yes, I did find someone's hearing aids lying on the octi deck and turned them in at the office. Hope this helps somebody out---them things ain't cheap."

And it got worse... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...aywater-15154/
'frednic' reported "Bay water today. Nothing happening on the Octi. But it is a beautiful day.
Edit: the water was stained, but not cloudy - few fishermen. I was there from 8 'til 1:00 pm and there was not much happening on the octi. One hookup around noon was thought to be a king, but the fisherman lost it. Nothing else but a few white trout, croakers, and squealers.
I dangled a sabiki for a bit to see if any bait had showed up, but no takers.
I was told a few whiting had been caught in the shallows and tried myself for about a half hour at 10:30, but did not see anyone catch anything."
And 'ChileRelleno' added "My son and I fished from the shallows to the Octi and back to the shallows.
We threw live/peeled shrimp, fiddler crabs, sand fleas and Pinfish, every which you can, freelined, under corks, Carolinas, single/double drops and more. I tossed Gotchas, Yozuris and Bombers too with no takers.
The only bite I had was a 15-20# Southern ray on a double drop Pomp rig with a sand flea and a piece of peeled shrimp, the ray ate the sand flea.
The only keeper fish we saw were a sammich size Spanish and a foot long Croaker.
Heard from a reliable source that a few White Trout were landed on the Octi in the early AM.
I saw lots of hardheads.
I heard from another source that Perdido Pass was just as lifeless."

Then by the end of the month fishing had turned downward again... http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...27-18-a-15160/
'snake' reported "I got out there around 7:30. The shallow end was shoulder to shoulder but no fish coming over the rail. Water was pea soup early then cleared with the changing tide. Saw one guy cleaning a couple of small Spanish. Sharks were waiting on the carcasses. I did hook into one of those bronze steam engines and he broke me off pilings next to the bathrooms. Shortly around 9 the wind was howling so I packed up and headed to the pass. Got out around the pass around 930ish and landed one big 20” 5.93# sheepshead."

Still it had been a record breaking winter, with the first ever February king put on the pier along with TONS of whiting and a few sheepshead, and it was still wintertime!