Thread: Fishing the Pass

General info on how to fish the Perdido Pass.
I see people fishing but few catching. I see pictures of people that have caught fish there.
I understand that you can use little crabs on the bottom for Sheep Head and sometimes shrimp for Mangroves.
When and how can you catch the Bull Red fish?
Is incoming or outgoing tide the best. Slack tide?
Do you just put on a large weight and toss out some cut bait and wait?
I would be fishing the West side of the bridge so is left of the bridge best or right where all the benches are better?
Any info on this area would be greatly appreciated. I would like to catch Reds, Blues, or Black Drum.
Can you even fish when the tide is rolling?
Can you share with me where to get a tide chart for this area and how to read it?
Last question to the far right past the restaurant there is a sea wall. How do you get to that wall without crossing the restaurant property or get to the jetty?
I use to fish here when there was a marina on the left and a little bait shop on the right. Everything has changed. You use to be able to walk across the pass on blue fish,
Sorry to ask so many questions just new to the area.

Originally Posted by Nunoslg

General info on how to fish the Perdido Pass.
I see people fishing but few catching. I see pictures of people that have caught fish there.
I understand that you can use little crabs on the bottom for Sheep Head and sometimes shrimp for Mangroves.
When and how can you catch the Bull Red fish?
They may show up any time, but generally at night (around the lighted area), dawn and dusk are best.
They may eat a piece of dead shrimp. But try larger baits like a live croaker or pinfish, chunk of fresh mullet, or 1/2 a crab. Or go looking for them with lures (see description below).

Is incoming or outgoing tide the best. Slack tide?
Either incoming or outgoing may see schools of redfish move through the pass. Generally it is better with little or no boat traffic. Timing can be critical as the current can run swiftly at times and barely at all on NEAP tide or slack tide at the time of tide change. The current (or lack of) should dictate where you fish and when.

Do you just put on a large weight and toss out some cut bait and wait?
Some do, but that can be a looong waiting game (or no bites at all).
You can walk the wall and jetty casting deep diving plugs, large spoons or bounce/drag jigs off/along the bottom.

I would be fishing the West side of the bridge so is left of the bridge best or right where all the benches are better?
It can be either at times. Note there is a LOT of submerged rip-rap (rocks) along the base of the seawall from the bridge to the houses where the jetty joins in the 'corner'.

Any info on this area would be greatly appreciated. I would like to catch Reds, Blues, or Black Drum.
Start a log book that tracks the tide, weather and water characteristics along with what was caught: how and when.
This will help you build your knowledge base to understand the Pass better and faster.

Can you even fish when the tide is rolling?
Hard to do when the current is running 2 or 3 knots or the wind blowing sideways at 25 MPH.
Look for what i call 'quiet corners' where the current is deflected and easier to fish.

Can you share with me where to get a tide chart for this area and how to read it?
https://www.outdooralabama.com/sites...%20Digital.pdf
Scroll to your month, look up the day and time of high or low tide. NEAP tide days have more than 1 high and 1 low.

Last question to the far right past the restaurant there is a sea wall. How do you get to that wall without crossing the restaurant property or get to the jetty?
Anglers have been using the shell parking area at the western end of The Gulf parking lot (near the empty concrete slab).
I understand that property was recently sold, so not sure how long we will still be able to use it.
But when The Gulf restaurant opened I asked them about egress, and they assured me they would not hinder 'walk throughs'. Though the state erected a chainlink fence at the edge of the public parking area a couple of year ago.

I use to fish here when there was a marina on the left and a little bait shop on the right. Everything has changed. You use to be able to walk across the pass on blue fish,
Sorry to ask so many questions just new to the area.

Asking questions, and observing is how we learn ;-)