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A good friend and I are planning to come down tonight and fish the pier this weekend with my 13 year old sons and a couple of their friends. Just looking for a little bit of advice to help us be a successful while down there. I've read a lot of the post on here and have learned a lot. But I've never been fishing down there this time of year so any advice you locals have would be greatly appreciated
First off, fishing hasn't been real great recently, so if you don't have a lot of luck, it's not just you. Unless you are fishing for kings, keep your tackle light, about the 12# class and your hooks in the #4 to #2 range, presuming tht you are bait fishing. Use fresh dead, never frozen shrimp (not squid) available at Hooked Up tackle at the base of the Hy 59 bridge into Gulf shores on the east side. Live shrimp are great, too, but don't weigh them down with a big sinker, just let them drift for Speckled trout. For Spanish, use a bubble rig or Gotcha. DO NOT use those pre-made, double hook, black plastic coated, wire leader bottom rigs. Check the reports for what has been biting lately and use the search feature to get more info on how to catch what. Make a trip to J&M Tackle in Orange beach. Be sure to buy a "ribbon rig" to catch LYs for bait. Be careful in the heat and best of luck.
The curse of the fishing reports that vary between 'nothing today' and 'pretty good today' dictates that I bring half of everything I own.
Let me assure kball9123 that there is more than a "little bit of advice" in Haywire's reply. That one paragraph will easily cut several years off the learning curve of any angler new to the pier.
Be friendly, talk to folks, watch and learn, ask questions. Welcome to the greatest place on Earth. Oh and most the regulars that know a lot, arrive early, hangout on the Octi, and love a good donut. Tight lines!
Jelly donuts will take you a long way. Don't be afraid to ask. There are a few sourpusses on the pier but are greatly outnumbered by nice guys.
I am planning to start fishing about 3-4 a.m. and fish for as much as I can until Sunday morning. I am going to pick up some bubble rigs on my way down. thanks everyone for the advise. Maybe I can can put some fish in the cooler. I do not plan to come home empty handed. Even if I have to put pin fish on ice lol
Also, don’t forget to post a report, we love reports good or bad
You won't find a ton of pre-tied bubble rigs far from the Gulf, but a clear Tuff bubbles, black swivels, and florocarbon leader material will be available, and those are key components.
Cabela's in Huntsville-yes, Huntsville, Alabama had several pre-tied bubble rigs with McDonalds straws on the business end. They had a few other saltwater item such as leader wire but they must get theirs made of gold. I also noticed a lot of the Cabela's brand merchandise being phased out and lots of Bass Pro Shops merchandise in it's place. I asked a sales associate if they were eventually going to change all of the Cabelas stores to Bass Pro and he said "I can't say for sure, but I won't deny that is happening".