First time to Gulf Shores and the Pier (equipment reccomendation)

Hello, I will be camping with my boy's (7 & 11) at Gulf Shores State Park for the last week of July. We plan on fishing the pier daily and surf fishing some as well. I'm an avid bass fisher but have never fished from pier. I would like some advice on suitable rod & reel, line & tackle that I should bring for the pier. We're not looking to target a particular species, my boys just like catching fish. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how is the fishing for late July?

Thank you
Kenny

The search feature of the forum is your best friend. All the information to answer your questions will be found by searching. Search for rod and reel , July reports, etc.

Bass sized spinning rods and reels with 8-14 lb mono are fine for fishing light jigs and lures. You will do well with these for most everything but king mackerel, which will be slowing down if water temps are normal (getting warm). Boys that age will have a blast with hardtails and ladyfish which will be abundant in the warm water (but are not eating fish). Spanish mackerel should still be around in fair numbers during the day and are good eating.

If the boys are not that handy casting artificials, just Carolina rig fresh dead shrimp (from the pier or surf). You won't catch Spanish this way but whiting are still around in good numbers and you'll get the occasional hardtail, ladyfish, or possibly a pompano.

The 7 year old might be more entertained catching bait. The shallows will be crazy with small pinfish which will give non-stop action on a small gold hook with a light weight or under a bobber. If you want to fish farther out he can be entertained with a sabiki rig catching sardines and such.

Edit: if you go for Spanish you will need 40-50 lb leader, maybe even wire if the bite is hot. A "Gotcha" style jig is the most reliable, Looney jigs are good also as are straw rigs behind a bubble.

First time for me was a bit intimidating. I read different posts in the forum, spent a couple hundred bucks on all sorts of different hooks and rigs and line etc. got there and realized I still didn't have a clue to what was going on. Best advice I can give is keep it simple. Carolina rig and fish like you do for channel cat. you'll catch an assortment of fish that you will all be asking folks what it is. Talk to the people on the pier and just watch and learn as you go, just don't over think it cause it's not something you can be great at over night.

Thank you very much!

Hope you/us catch some fish,we will be there camping July 24-29 and will spend a lot of time on the pier,grand kids 10-11 will be there to keep us entertained :barbershop_quartet_:D

Mike we will be there starting July 22, so i will have to look you up. We plan on doing a lot of fishing and beach going. I'm looking forward to it.

No idea about the pier in July/Aug but I've surf fished a good bit in that time frame over the years and have usually done pretty well in the surf, weather permitting. Many active species. All of the usual rigs have worked fine for us. Live shrimp, fresh dead shrimp, fishbites, spoons, top waters, and Gulp shrimp on jigheads are our standard baits/lures. My strategy is to always have a few rods...a couple Carolina rigged for shrimp, and at least one with a spoon if the ladyfish are in close and active.

The ladies will also hit shrimp readily and they are great fun on lighter rods to fight and land. My kids loved catching them when they were your kids' age.

On calm days in the surf we've had some success with top waters in the morning and various hardbaits too.

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Originally Posted by Kenny8906

Hello, I will be camping with my boy's (7 & 11) at Gulf Shores State Park for the last week of July. We plan on fishing the pier daily and surf fishing some as well. I'm an avid bass fisher but have never fished from pier. I would like some advice on suitable rod & reel, line & tackle that I should bring for the pier. We're not looking to target a particular species, my boys just like catching fish. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how is the fishing for late July?

Thank you
Kenny

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Kenny - It's a good idea TO target a particular species. I'd carolina rig with a SMALL HOOK for whiting and just a fingernail size piece of fresh-dead shrimp.

I say this because using too-big hooks and/or too much bait for whiting means that you won't catch them. They'll pull the bait OFF your hook because they can't get the whole thing inside their small mouths. Whiting will likely be around (you can usually catch them close to the surf) and you may also catch black drum, pompano, pinfish, hardhead catfish and hardtails. By targeting a particular species, though, you'll likely catch other species.

Use fresh-dead shrimp pieces. You may also use a small bit of "FishBites", a prepared synthetic shrimp-flavored product that looks a little like double-bubble bubblegum. Again, you'll want to use a tiny piece. July is also a great time for spadefish. Since spadefish are not typically bottom feeders, but feed naturally on jellyfish in the top 1/3 of the water column, you'll want to use the same set up for whiting - Just replace the egg sinker with a weighted float (weighted for casting distance). Again - small bait (fishbites are great because they're hard to nibbble off), small hook.

During late July, you'll likely see large schools of mullet under the pier. Just FYI, they won't hit your shrimp bait and while they can be caught snagging, it's a little dangerous of an activity for beginners. I wouldn't recommend it because there are typically a lot of tourists/sightseers on the pier who could suffer as bycatch to a weighted treble used by someone unskilled in the activity.

If you need anything related to pier or surf fishing, do yourself a big favor and go to J&M Tackle on Canal Rd. in Orange Beach.
The people working there are local fishermen and will steer you right. You might even meet a forum member or two while you are there.
You will come out with only what you need and a wealth of good tips from experienced fishermen.

I am a non-employee, happy customer!

If you don't need anything related to any kind of fishing, go to J&M anyway. Your whole family will enjoy it. They have something for everyone and if you are a way-inland guy like me, there is some really neat stuff to look at that you've likely never seen before.

As mentioned, keep it simple, keep it small. Camping, end of July, hope you have a camper with A/C. Otherwise, at top of my list would be keeping cool.

Thanks for the great tips, it is greatly appreciated! I will hit up J&M for some terminal tackle and bait.