Fishing Trip to Gulf Shores in March- HELP

Hi-
I am new here and to this addiction, so be gentle...
I am headed to Gulf Shores the last week of March 2014. I would like to tap into the collective knowledge on this forum. (and if the information is already buried in a different thread, just let me know and I'll find it because I am already looking)
Here is a quick list of what I would like to know.

What will be biting-

Where should I go - I plan on surf and pier and maybe bridge fishing.

When is the best time (high or low tide)-

How should I fish for what's biting (bait/lure/?)

What sort of gear should I use?

I would also be interested in a good guide service for pier/surf fishing if it would be worth while.

I currently have a soon to be magged Penn 209 on a 9' Eagle Claw Med-Heavy action pole
Senator 3/0 on a Tsunami 10' Surf rod
Penn 200 Surfmaster on a unmarked 10' surf rod

I would like to use what I have, but Chrismas is coming up...

I know I am asking for a lot, but there is just so much to know.

Thanks,

So far I have time with Pier#r added to the top of my list!
:)

What about fishing for shark? I don't expect that chumming would be ok, so I would not do that.

Welcome to the pier forum Extra_Medium!

Couple of quick points---Shark fishing is not allowed from the pier and you are not allowed to land a shark anywhere on the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach or State Park beaches---$500 fine. The tackle you listed may serve you well for surf fishing, but you will find the rods unwieldy on the pier---most experienced fishermen go with 8' or shorter, and spinning tackle is preferred because it's easier to cast into the wind and you don't need heavy lures. Conventional tackle works well, but spinning seems to be better. A reel with a smooth drag capable of holding 300 yards of 15# mono is an excellent place to start. If you can get to J&M tackle as soon as you get here, they can fix you up with exactly what you need according to your budget. All the folks who work there are fishermen and know what they're talking about and what works best in this area.

Keep using the search feature. It is your friend, and you can find the answers to all your questions. Hope I get to meet you when you're fishing the pier, but that's spring turkey season and I run into some serious conflicts then.

Hiring Pier#r is the best move you can possibly make.

Welcome aboard E_M! Booking Pier#r is the best way to started, you won’t regret it.
Here is a link that has some good general pier info. on the Pier Fishing Questions Board
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...-members-3182/

Go to the Pier Fishing Reports Board and checkout the March reports for the past couple seasons
Pages 13, 14 and 15 contain fishing reports for March 2013
Pages 30 and 31 contain fishing reports for March 2012

You should get all the help you need after a little research and just asking questions.

So what are you supposed to do if you accidentally catch a little shark while fishing for pompano or Whiting? I will be there in July. Never been there either.

Quote:

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What will be biting-
Whiting
Sheepshead
Spanish Mackerel

Where should I go - I plan on surf and pier and maybe bridge fishing.

The GSPPier offers all 3
Perdido Pass is good too

When is the best time (high or low tide)-

Yes ;-)

How should I fish for what's biting (bait/lure/?)

Whiting = dead shrimp
Sheepshead = live shrimp
Spanish Mackerel = lures (jigs)

What sort of gear should I use?

Medium tackle (8#-12#) is prefered

What about fishing for shark?

Most importantly don't try to land a shark on a swimming beach.
That would be asking for trouble, but they aren't out there looking to bust folks for wanting a 'good pull' ;-)

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Welcome to the forum!
Hope this helps!!

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Originally Posted by Extra_Medium

What about fishing for shark? I don't expect that chumming would be ok, so I would not do that.

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Welcome Extra_Medium.
These are a pretty good bunch of guys.
I'm just a lurker here most of the time. And mostly a beach caster. I do venture out on a pier form time to time.

If you have a 6ft heavy rod with a 9/0 spiked on the beach and a kayak for yaking out 5 lb tuna heads. Your going to get busted for shark fishing.
If your casting out baits with a big long steel leader you might be shark fishing.
If you have a bite leader and it looks like your fishing for drum you might catch a shark.

I'm a conventional guy too. The last time I was down there I pulled out a 12ft Star Stellar with an Akios 656 SCM and nobody was impressed at all. But did not really need it.
I've got some on the cheap too with a 500 Penn Jigmaster and an 11ft Diawa Sealine.
What I own I bought second hand.
Not that I don't own a few spinners too.
I've got a 6000 Penn Battle and these guys acted like it was a worthless little reel. Maybe it is, but 20lbs of drag and 300 yards of line is going to get you some fish. You have to have a Stella or a Stardic here to make any waves.

I stood in your shoe this time last year. Read and search here in the realm of the Internet. I have learned much but know nothing compared to others. I have said it once and will say it again. Forum great bunch of on here and in person. Pier#r worth every penny. Put all this together with some good weather equals the trip of a lifetime......

1. You can get your license online before you go down and they allow you to enter the dates you will be fishing.
2. I found basic stuff like treble hooks and sinker cheaper at home than there. Everything else I got at jm's
3. A lot of good places to eat. But the cheapest place around for grocery was Walmart.
4. If your not fishing get up every morning walk down to the beach and take in the view. I never thought that something so simple could be so great.
5. Spend the rest of your life trying figure out how not to every leave.

Too this thread I wish to add is there a list for us googans or just plan visiting folks. If not I would like to see about creating one. It would be a work in progress. I not on here to promote a brand name . But use it to allow us googans a better ideal of what is needed. Also if the gets pinned to a section of the forum I dont know who well be allowed to edit it? But if i put something in wrong or need to add something please just send me a message.


For the Pier

1. Fishing license if you are just going to fish the pier you are covered when pay the daily pier fee. You can do this on line. They allow you to input the date that you wish to start and end.

2. Reels almost every body uses spinning gear. You want something that will hold 300 yds of 20#s Mono. A Penn Spinfisher V in the 7500 an up should work. NO BRAID!!!! If you hook a shark you have to break him off its against the law to bring them on the pier. If you get drug in to the piling you can break it off. What every you end up leaving behind will not be a mess for everybody else. A good smooth drag you will be setting lite then increasing it as the fight goes on . At the bite most fish run hard and you want to let them get that out of their system.

3. Line is Mono and poundage depends on what you are fishing for. I use most 15-20 cover most of your big fish (reds in the 20#s) and 8-12 will cover ever thing else. Last June in between catching big fish we started catching a fish that is called a spade fish. I was glad to be using gear that was probably to heavy but was able to put on the pressure to keep them from running into the pilings.

4. Rods I have seen everthing at the pier. For me I had a lot of fun with a 8'-6" ugly stick lite inshore SPS1186-2H its a heavy (12-30#s) its a 2 piece. I went it because i can use it here at home as much as I would for once a year ocean fishing. I went with 2 piece rods because are easier to load in my truck.

5. Coolers I carry 2 a 70 qts and a small one. The 70 is for your catch and bait. Respect what you have just caught keep it on ice. The small one is for drinks you will dry out before you know it. I also used this to bring down food from home to cook at our condo. We found the price of beef to be a little high and sea food cheaper. Milk was another that made the trip, lunch meat, chips.

6. Kart You say I have a ton of stuff A kart is a very good ideal. I just went to Home Depot and got a garden kart. Works great on the pier not so much om the beach. Zip tie plastic rod holders to the side. A couple of big(15-30#) rods a medium (12#) and a small (8#)

7. You have to use black swivels the mackerels will bite you off right at the line. Some good single strand wire in the 30# class. Some 3 or 4 treble hooks and i would get a box of a 100 I got some 2x strong worked fine. You will want to make these ahead of time. I'm putting some .25" pvc pipe in some foam. About 24" long and 20 or so piece. Foam on both ends would allow to hold 40 per made hooks. slide the swivel end in the pvc and stick the hook in foam. Learn the haywire.

This is a pretty good start I think.
Any Body that has anything please chime In.
I would like to see this pin at the top of the forum.

+1 to pin that last post!

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Originally Posted by fish34

For the Pier

1. Fishing license if you are just going to fish the pier you are covered when pay the daily pier fee. You can do this on line. They allow you to input the date that you wish to start and end.
.

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this is true for Florida's piers, but NOT Alabama....they do sell a out of state pier only license for 11.00 good for the year starting September 1st.....last day is August 31st
but that is pier only ....no good on the beach,jetties or anywhere else but the pier's in Alabama

http://www.outdooralabama.com/oaonli...rlicense10.cfm

Just to make sure everyone understands what the new licenses entail, the new pier license would cover only fishing from the pier structures. If you fish from the surf next to the pier, you will have to have a regular saltwater fishing license,

Now back to Gulf State Park Pier. Residents and nonresidents are required to purchase a fishing permit at Gulf State Park Pier in addition to the pier license. A daily adult permit to fish on Gulf State Park Pier is $8. So, if you’re a nonresident and want to fish on Gulf State Park Pier for one day, it will cost $10 for the annual pier license, a $1 issuance fee and an $8 daily fishing permit for a total of $19. For a resident pier fisherman at Gulf State Park pier, the total cost would be $14.
However, if the license holder comes back to the pier at any time during that license year (expires on Aug. 31), the only fee will be the $8 daily fishing permit

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Originally Posted by ironman172

this is true for Florida's piers, but NOT Alabama....they do sell a out of state pier only license for 11.00 good for the year starting September 1st.....last day is August 31st
but that is pier only ....no good on the beach,jetties or anywhere else but the pier's in Alabama



Just to make sure everyone understands what the new licenses entail, the new pier license would cover only fishing from the pier structures. If you fish from the surf next to the pier, you will have to have a regular saltwater fishing license,

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just to add because I asked,this only includes PUBLIC piers. NOT private piers such as four seasons.

Somebody want to talk about Kings and ribbon rigs?

Got mine at JM's. But I have seen that you can buy a pole that hold the ribbon part inside. Keeps it from blowing in the wind. Also seen a couple guys that had take some pvc pipe of some kind mounted a reel seat. Used that just for that. I keep 1 pole with that on it. Caught bait un did the bait. Put it back in the holder and hooked up on a bigger rod.

The catfish might be biting

So, my question is, if I want to fish the pier and the surf, will a regular non-resident saltwater license cover both or do I need two licenses?

Both with non-resident, pier only with pier license (and still an entry fee to pier either way.)

Repair work to pier is in our future; when is unknown.

#1 is incorrect. You need a fishing license on the pier. It's only $11 annually for all residents/ non residents. Then, your daily pass @$9 or $6 if you're a veteran. Out of state licences for any location is $52, unless you're a border state then the fee is the same as what Alabama residents have to pay in that state.
Either way, you need a saltwater license and a pier pass to fish the pier.

Anybody be interested in getting some group from the pier to go snapper fishing when the season opens? Don't want to spend a fortune but catch a bunch of fish.

Yep, I think I got all that. I’m in Ga. so a non-resident license is $28.50 +/-. And I know a pier license isn’t good for the surf, but, you mean a regular non-resident Alabama Saltwater License won’t cover my license fee ($11) on the pier? So, I’d have to pay $28.50 + $11.00 + $9.00 if I want to fish both the beach and the pier? Seems like a regular non-resident saltwater license should cover the pier, too. The money for both is going to the State. BTW, I completely understand the $9.00 is a usage fee for the pier and that has to be paid if I want to fish on the pier. Seems like double dipping.

You don't need to purchase a license for the pier if you buy a non resident salt water one. You can get the one for just the pier if it's the only place your going to fish. Still will have to pay the 9 dollars to fish the pier or 6 dollars if your a Vet.

Tati, THANK YOU for clearing that up. I guess my question wasn’t worded correctly the first time around.

We will be staying at The For Seasons the first week of May and I don’t know anything about that pier. If it’s a bust, I wanna come the GSP pier to fish. And, I might want to go down to the pass, too.

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Originally Posted by musket

Tati, THANK YOU for clearing that up. I guess my question wasn’t worded correctly the first time around.

We will be staying at The For Seasons the first week of May and I don’t know anything about that pier. If it’s a bust, I wanna come the GSP pier to fish. And, I might want to go down to the pass, too.

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A nonresident saltwater license will cover you on the beach, from a boat, the Four Seasons pier, Perdido Pass, Little Lagoon or the State Park pier. Any saltwater in Alabama. You can get a "pier only" license for $11 that only covers the State Park pier. Then you need the permit-daily, weekly, etc. to fish the State Park pier in addition to your license. I would think you could get into some speckled trout at night from Four Seasons and possibly some Spanish Mackerel off the end during daylight hours. Maybe some flounder, kingfish(whiting) or a pompano too.

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Originally Posted by musket

Tati, THANK YOU for clearing that up. I guess my question wasn’t worded correctly the first time around.

We will be staying at The For Seasons the first week of May and I don’t know anything about that pier. If it’s a bust, I wanna come the GSP pier to fish. And, I might want to go down to the pass, too.

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We always stay at the Four Seasons. The pier is shallow but we have gotten into the spanish. Lots of bluefish. Flounders and even an occasional king.

Think shallow species at Four Seasons pier. It is half the length of the state pier and does not reach deep water. I have had some very good days on that pier and other not so good. Like fishing can be anywhere.

Thanks for the insight on the shorty pier. Looks like I’ll be hitting the big pier, too.