New to the forum. Need Advice.

Hi all, like I said I'm new to this forum and really like the way it's all set up. I'm from Huntsville, AL and am not new to saltwater fishing but don't claim to really know what I'm doing either. I grew up fishing on Sanibel Island, FL and am used to catching mangrove snapper, spanish mack, trout and sheepshead off of the fishing pier down there as well as snook in the surf. Upon looking through this forum I realize it's a totally different world in Gulf Shores.

Anyways, now for the advice part. I am coming down to Gulf Shores April 11-15 for a conference and plan to hit the pier for a full day hopefully. I assume King Macks will be around then? What other kind of fish can I expect to encounter? I've never caught a king and would really love to get one. I might get laughed at for my set up though. I have a surf rod and reel that I use for surf sharking down in Sanibel. It's an 11' Surf rod with a Penn 950SSm spooled with 65' braid. I realize this may be a touch overkill but was wondering if it's something I could use to try my luck at a King or two? What terminal tackle should I plan on getting for Kings? I also have a 7' rod with a Penn Battle 4000 that I'll try to catch some of the smaller fish with. I do plan on stopping by J&M Tackle to get some stuff when I get there. I realize this is a long post with a lot of questions but I'm just curious how much I will need to spend to hopefully catch a King. Thanks and I love this site. :yippee:

j&m will def help you.

I've got a 9500, and it's pretty much overkill only because of how much it weighs. Lots of folks fish long rods, so don't let that stop you. Just know that working that 9500 all day will be an endurance test unless you are going to fish live bait under a float.
You'd be surprised at how much light tackle is used to king fish, but I think the problem with your 4000 is line capacity. There are one or two who fish them with ultra-light. If you filled it with 15 lb braid (about 325 yds?) you could get by just fine. You could put a couple hundred yards braid backing and a 100 yds or so of 15 or 16 lb mono top shot and still be ok. The folks at J&M can fix you up there. That's probably the best route if you aren't used to fishing braid in a crowd. Even if you are, be prepared for a few who dislike seeing it used for kings without a top shot. That said, you've got the same rights as anyone out there.

Kings should be around. Spanish, too. Sharks, unfortunately, that you can't land on the pier. Reds and jacks may storm through. Lots of bottom dwellers.

J&M will help you. A spool of 30# seven stranded wire, swivels, and treble hooks are essential for kings to make your leader with. You can buy them pre-made surely, but there are threads on the forum that tell you how to tie them. A box of cigar minnows for bait will run you around $15. A sibiki rig will catch live bait at the pier. Either one will work on kings if you are lucky. Bring an ice chest with wheels or a cart if you are spending the day.

Besides that, just look around and watch what others are doing. Find somebody that looks kinda friendly and tell them it's your first trip. You won't have to look far to find a friendly face.

Thanks for all the good advice. I take it people don't like braid because if you don't know what you're doing chasing the fish around it will cut them off? Not used to catching big fish off of piers so please elaborate. Also, how is the pompano fishing on the pier and surf that time of year?

You got it. Braid under a load will cut through mono like a hot knife through butter. It usually becomes an issue when someone doesn't know to follow their fish. They are standing on one side of the octi with a fish off the end on the other side - tight braid cutting across all the lines being fished straight out. It's really not a difficult concept, but you'd be amazed how many will just stand in one spot and watch a fish take off for the other side of the pier with 20 people shouting, "Follow your fish." Those lines will occasionally, somehow, touch the edge of a sharp knife. Just as it cuts when under strain, it will separate pretty fast when it hits a sharp edge.
It gets really bad when there is a bull red or jack run and 10 or 15 folks are hooked up at one time. Like a friggin ant hill that gets kicked. One person can screw up a whole bunch of guys.
Braid also has a nasty tendency to make nasty knots - usually around other people's lines.
Someone else will have to answer your pomp question - don't chase them. Only ones I ever caught were by accident when fishing for whiting.

keep it sporty and take your bream pole for kings. I got my first one on ultra lite last spring.

+10 for divedeep---well said about the braid.

Backwatertech---Lots of good advice, especially about going to J&M Tackle to get outfitted. No, we don't own stock in it, it's just that good with everything you need and unsurpassed customer service. Most of us use #2 or #4 treble hooks in 2x to 4x strength, depending largely on the size of the bait. There are usually plenty of baitfish around the pier and they're easy to catch. We look forward to seeing you there.

Braid and inexperience is a mess waiting to happen. Used correctly it can be awesome but divedeep is right on, all it takes is one guy to screw up a lot of people. People are more patient than most at the gsp, but only to a point. Seen people get hurt pretty bad from people tangling up braid everywhere and then it gets all over the deck as they are trying to chase a fish but can't because they are tangled up some where else. Then the line gets wrapped around peoples feet, on there reels and at that point your endangering others so you've lost your right to your line and its going to be cut.

Sorry as to your question about the rod, a 11ft rod with a 9500 is way heavy to be holding all day fishing. There's no setting it down after casting so it would be wise to get a little smaller set-up. It'll be easier to handle, and a lighter rod will be a lot easier for you to cast. When you have too heavy of a rod for your bait you either throw it off or you can't cast it worth a darn. J&m has this awesome new rod that's pretty cheap that would work nicely. Ask James, he knows what I'm talking about.

Pound of cigs-$5.00,four king leaders-$8.00,sabiki rig & lead-$3.50,3pk of bobbers-$2.00,hand full of spanish lures if king fishing is slow-$12.00.Just beware,if you hit it on a good day it could become very costly because once your hooked to pier fishing,it's hard to get it out of your blood.Oh yea,and catching your first king with the help from your new found friends-priceless dude....

[quote author=john g link=topic=2665.msg24120#msg24120 date=1361018421]
Pound of cigs-$5.00,four king leaders-$8.00,sabiki rig & lead-$3.50,3pk of bobbers-$2.00,hand full of spanish lures if king fishing is slow-$12.00.Just beware,if you hit it on a good day it could become very costly because once your hooked to pier fishing,it's hard to get it out of your blood.Oh yea,and catching your first king with the help from your new found friends-priceless dude....
[/quote]

Spot on!!

You da man John

There you go backwatertech. JohnG is the "J" in J&M. Awesome place and people.

[quote author=john g link=topic=2665.msg24120#msg24120 date=1361018421]
Pound of cigs-$5.00,four king leaders-$8.00,sabiki rig & lead-$3.50,3pk of bobbers-$2.00,hand full of spanish lures if king fishing is slow-$12.00.Just beware,if you hit it on a good day it could become very costly because once your hooked to pier fishing,it's hard to get it out of your blood.Oh yea,and catching your first king with the help from your new found friends-priceless dude....
[/quote]


+1

Wow lots of great advice. Thanks all, not sure what I'm gonna do since that surf set-up is too heavy. I may get J&M to strip what I've got on my Battle 4000 and hook me up with a top shot setup. Can't say I'm used to chasing fish around a pier and don't wanna mess others up. Never got anything about the pompano though. Will they be around then in the surf? And let's say I was to buy another rod/reel combo for kings/cobia. 5500, 6500 or 7500 size? 8 or 9' rod? Thanks again and I'll see some of yall in April hopefully.

The pomps should be in the surf then. I had good luck with them just last week while the weather was pretty (surf fishing, not at the pier) and I'll be back after them when the weather gets better. On the new rig, if it were me, I'd get the 650 with the braid/mono combo which should give you plenty of line to handle whatever comes along---get the 750 if you think you might need a little more safety factor. Either length rod should work fine, all mine are 8 ft. but that's because I can't get a longer one in the car. The 8 ft. would be easier to fish with all day and is a real popular choice on the pier. There are some fine rods available at J&M that won't break the bank (and some that will) and they'll set you up with an outfit to suit you. John's building a custom rod for me that will match my 550 Penn Bait Runner---can't wait to get a king hooked up on it, and that should be happening about the time you'll be here. :fishing:http://gulfshorespierfishing.com/Smi...ne/fishing.gif

You said a mouthful there John!