General Advice, in town for vacations

Hey all!
Me and my wife are making our (becoming) annual trip to Gulf shores tomorrow throw next Saturday but this year we are bringing 3 other couples who love to fish and were just wondering a few things:

- How has the weather been? I see that there is a heavy chance of rain for the whole week but I know how it can be real sporadic there
- As far as fishing, what's been biting, what bait has been working, etc? We really aren't picky what we catch, we just really wanna see the rod bend lol

Thanks in advance, just trying to get any last minute tips before we pack up!

You're about to get bombarded with a few things, so I'll try and sum them up quickly.

1. The search box in the upper right corner is your friend. There is literally HOURS worth of good reading material and advice on here.
2. There is a Sticky post called What's Biting When, again search.
3. Go visit J&M Tackle on Canal Rd., they have all the supplies that you need!

Great thank you so much! This page is a much more modern layout than most forum pages lol. Thank you!

Short answer: If you are talking about pier fishing, the most dependable and entertaining for sport is Spanish Mackerel on a bubble, spoon, or Gotcha. If you will be fishing the beach the most dependable is whiting on a Carolina rig with fresh dead shrimp or Fishbites.

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Originally Posted by frednic

Short answer: If you are talking about pier fishing, the most dependable and entertaining for sport is Spanish Mackerel on a bubble, spoon, or Gotcha. If you will be fishing the beach the most dependable is whiting on a Carolina rig with fresh dead shrimp or Fishbites.

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Thank you! Yeah I'm reading about these bubbles as we speak lol. Like I said I really don't care what we catch, but I would love to catch some Spanish.

I'd try surf fishing at least once. Lots to be caught and the beach is a pretty peaceful place at sunrise.

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Originally Posted by Mattb

I'd try surf fishing at least once. Lots to be caught and the beach is a pretty peaceful place at sunrise.

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Pardon my ignorance but do you just go anywhere on the beach? We're staying at Island Tower Condo just up the beach in Gulf Shores

Pretty much. If you can locate structure (usual patterns in the sandbars) it can sometimes increase catch rate. I have good luck finding an empty spot on the beach and casting out. If no bite I'll walk a bit and try again. Once you find a few fish, cast out a few rods in the location.

You can use fairly light weight rods/reels while doing this.

If surf fishing, go early to avoid all the swimmer.
Like noted, look for any change in the bottom color or wave patterns.
Whiting may be right at your feet, in the breaking surf, don't cast past them!

Do you typically wade out to surf fish? If so how far?

no, like I noted, the whiting may be right at the surf line, no need to wade or cast far. Some of my best days I never casted more than 20' from the surf line!

In AL you will need a license to fish the surf, a pier license is required to fish the pier. If you have a saltwater license, you will not need to purchase a separate pier license.

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Originally Posted by FishAddict

In AL you will need a license to fish the surf, a pier license is required to fish the pier. If you have a saltwater license, you will not need to purchase a separate pier license.

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Oh that's right! I've always just fished the pier and when we went with guide we went to Florida. Good info!