Fishing on 8/8/2016 to 8/11/2016 (Beginner)

Hi all,

I plan to visit the pier during first week of August. I am not very good at fishing and need some help!
I just have a fishing rod with a tackle box that has bunch of materials in it. I know my rod is good enough to fish at a pier if I want to catch something that weighs less than 20 pounds.

I just need some recommendations for baits (live) and hooks to use if I want to go for flounder and mackerels or any type of fish that can be good for a beginner to catch. I believe that there will be some nice people out there to help, but I wanted some opinions from you all as well.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum- I too made my 1st visit to the gulf shoes are about three weeks ago and like you got on forum prior to visit to start asking questions- you are about to be introduced to some very knowledgeable and patient people- I do however reccomended that you use the search tool at top right of page to look for the many questions you might have- I kept a notebook close by for the many different rigs ( terminal tackle,leaders, hook size ...) for different species- and yes it is crucial- hope you hav a great trip!

----And go back and check the fishing reports for that time period for the past couple of years to see what you can expect to catch.

In previous reports, there are drawings of rigs, descriptions of baits to use for specific species and where on the pier you can expect to find those particular species of fish. In addition to the archived information, I suggest that when you get to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach you FIRST go to J & M Tackle and ask their professional staff what you need. They won't steer you wrong and they won't sell you a bunch of stuff you don't need.

Generally, at that time, Spanish mackerel, spadefish and whiting are usually caught by those who rig correctly. It's not realistic to expect local pier fishermen who frequent these boards to answer the same exact questions from the hundreds of people who come on the site needing information. Your question - whatever your question is - has already been asked and answered many times in every way imaginable.

Do remember to bring and apply high-protection sunscreen! Wear long sleeve shirts and pants, a hat/baseball cap, and bring a rolling ice chest to put your fish in!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Haywire

----And go back and check the fishing reports for that time period for the past couple of years to see what you can expect to catch.

---

hzw0028,
This is a good starting point, since gaining knowledge of pier fishing is VERY specific to the particular species you want to catch and which is available at the time you'll be fishing. In other words, hzw0028, if you're going to go after spanish mackerel, you'll use a completely different rigging/bait from how you'd rig if you were going after spadefish, for example. You have to know which fish require a specific leader because not all fish have sharp teeth, like spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and bluefish do.
There's a lot of information in the archives of these pages, but the good news is that you have months to review and prepare. Absolutely everything that you need to know can be found by using the Search feature.

Best advice for August is bring good wide brimmed hat, lots of sunscreen and a lot of water/Gatorade-type drinks.
Hot is an understatement.
Water temps will be in the upper 80s/low 90s and air temps will be in the 90s.
Humidity will be 90%+.
The sun is brutal.

Fish early (pre-sunrise) to late morning. Retreat between 11am & 4pm, then come back for the evening bite after the afternoon thunderstorms roll north.

Not to discourage you just want you to be prepared.