Thread: Advice for a newcomer

Hello everyone I’m coming down this weekend and will be spending a week in gulf shores. I’m bringing 2 of my lamiglas 13 foot surf rods with me and plan on doing some fishing. I haven’t fished on the ocean at all. Just looking for some tips and advice on a somewhere to fish and some bait to use. I’m from Missouri and mainly fish for blue catfish and crappie

I've been out of circulation myself, so I don't know what's biting, but you can get a report at the link below. The report usually covers all aspects including surf, inshore and offshore.

As far as tackle it depends on what you are targeting, but in general don't use any more weight than you need to keep the bait positioned, no more leader than for the species targeted , smaller hooks are better unless you are going for bull reds, and fresh dead shrimp is better than frozen (cut bait is fine for bull reds). The best surf bait is fresh ghost shrimp but you have to suck them up with a pump (available most tackle stores as is magic thread to help keep them on a hook). Live shrimp are good for speckled trout, but you have to know what you are doing to find them and small fish will usually make quick work of your bait, so unless you know what you are doing they are a waste of money.

EDIT: I just listened to this week's podcast. You will definitely want to listen to what the Pier #r says - he goes into tackle and rigs.

https://alabamasaltwaterfishingreport.libsyn.com/

Check out "Bama Beach Bum" and his YouTube videos on fishing from the beach. You'll probably want to target redfish, mostly, this time of year.

I just listened to the podcast mentioned above. It is well worth the time spent. I had one question when Pier#r was talking about scraping the lady fish flesh off the filet. HOW DO YOU AVOID GETTING THE TINY SCALES INTO THE SCRAPED FLESH? I enjoy experimenting with new uses for fish and plan to try some next month.

Originally Posted by oldfisherman

... I had one question when Pier#r was talking about scraping the lady fish flesh off the filet. HOW DO YOU AVOID GETTING THE TINY SCALES INTO THE SCRAPED FLESH? I enjoy experimenting with new uses for fish and plan to try some next month.

I learned to either deal with the scales that fall into the meat (not many really), or scale the ladyfish before filleting...


The near finished product (add boiled eggs, mayo, diced pickles, and seasoning...

HOW DO YOU AVOID GETTING THE TINY SCALES INTO THE SCRAPED FLESH?

Flip it over. You're scaling the wrong side.