Little Lagoon and surrounding area

Hi all,
I am new to this forum and am looking to get tips for fishing Little lagoon and also the surf in the vicinity of little lagoon.
I will be visiting Gulf Shores for a week in April and will be doing plenty of fishing during my stay. I plan to fish the Lagoon and also do some surf fishing. I am hoping to fish for mainly Redfish and Trout. Below are some questions if anyone can help me.

1. What species are caught in the Little Lagoon and the beaches in that area?
2. Are there any hotspots that people could recommend?
3. What are the best baits and rigs?
4. Could anyone recommend any bait/tackle shops? (I am coming from the United Kingdom and will be looking to buy my fishing equipment whilst at Gulf Shores.

I have experience from fishing in Florida and South Carolina and have caught a variety of species including the two mentioned at the start of my post.
All help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks

Dek

J & M Tackle is the place to go. They can answer all questions and supply you with all your needs at one stop.

Bill

Thanks Bill

go back in time on the post in the fishing reports section and look at the reports given LAST YEAR during the time you plan to be here.

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Originally Posted by TopPop

go back in time on the post in the fishing reports section and look at the reports given LAST YEAR during the time you plan to be here.

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I have already had a quick look at that my friend. There isn't too many reports on the Little Lagoon, hence why I decided to post a question.

I also have been looking into LL but seems not many reports get posted about it. Speckled trout are the main attraction with reds and flounder second. Seems the west end and the pass are the place to start if your in a boat. Take it for what its worth, this is the info I have gathered but Im a couple hundred miles away.

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Originally Posted by Arki

I also have been looking into LL but seems not many reports get posted about it. Speckled trout are the main attraction with reds and flounder second. Seems the west end and the pass are the place to start if your in a boat. Take it for what its worth, this is the info I have gathered but Im a couple hundred miles away.

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Thanks for the reply. I will be fishing from shore or wade fishing if possible. I am all the way across the pond the UK. Hopefully the LL is not full of Catfish!!

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Originally Posted by Dekuk

Hi all,
I am new to this forum and am looking to get tips for fishing Little lagoon and also the surf in the vicinity of little lagoon.
I will be visiting Gulf Shores for a week in April and will be doing plenty of fishing during my stay. I plan to fish the Lagoon and also do some surf fishing. I am hoping to fish for mainly Redfish and Trout. Below are some questions if anyone can help me.

1. What species are caught in the Little Lagoon and the beaches in that area?
2. Are there any hotspots that people could recommend?
3. What are the best baits and rigs?
4. Could anyone recommend any bait/tackle shops? (I am coming from the United Kingdom and will be looking to buy my fishing equipment whilst at Gulf Shores.

I have experience from fishing in Florida and South Carolina and have caught a variety of species including the two mentioned at the start of my post.
All help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks

Dek

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Welcome Dek, we hope you enjoy your stay.
April is usually a 'good' month as fishing improves with rising water temps, but the wind can make it rough at times (too rough to fish the gulf side for the species you mentioned).
1. The speckled trout and redfish are feeding in shallower water as their small prey species become more active.

2. I like to wade fish that area, and if you aren't concerned with getting your feet wet (and maybe even more vital body parts ;-) you can access much more 'fishable' area. The water temps are usually in the upper 60s (F), so waders are optional, but not necessary.
Sandbar drop-offs are the best spots. You'll know where the "hot spots" are by the crowds they draw (that place is NO SECRET ;-)

3. Live bait (shrimp and locally caught 'finger mullet' and other minnows) are very good, but that limits the amount of area you fish.
You can rig to fish them on bottom, or 'freeline' with just a splitshot weight, or use a float (very effective also).
But I have actually done much better (by covering more water) while using lures.
Topwater lures: Spook, Top dawg, Skitterwalk, etc.
Sinking hard lures: small X-Rap and Yozurri, Mirrodine, etc.
Soft plastics on 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jighead : Fin-S, Zoom Fluke, etc.

4. J&M Tackle in Orange Beach has a large, knowledgeable staff and good hours (even live bait).
You may also want to talk to Dusty @ Top Gun B&T and Chris V & Sam's (also in Orange Beach)

Draw on your experience from those other locations and you should 'fit right in'.
Good luck mate!

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Originally Posted by Pier#r

Welcome Dek, we hope you enjoy your stay.
April is usually a 'good' month as fishing improves with rising water temps, but the wind can make it rough at times (too rough to fish the gulf side for the species you mentioned).
1. The speckled trout and redfish are feeding in shallower water as their small prey species become more active.

2. I like to wade fish that area, and if you aren't concerned with getting your feet wet (and maybe even more vital body parts ;-) you can access much more 'fishable' area. The water temps are usually in the upper 60s (F), so waders are optional, but not necessary.
Sandbar drop-offs are the best spots. You'll know where the "hot spots" are by the crowds they draw (that place is NO SECRET ;-)

3. Live bait (shrimp and locally caught 'finger mullet' and other minnows) are very good, but that limits the amount of area you fish.
You can rig to fish them on bottom, or 'freeline' with just a splitshot weight, or use a float (very effective also).
But I have actually done much better (by covering more water) while using lures.
Topwater lures: Spook, Top dawg, Skitterwalk, etc.
Sinking hard lures: small X-Rap and Yozurri, Mirrodine, etc.
Soft plastics on 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jighead : Fin-S, Zoom Fluke, etc.

4. J&M Tackle in Orange Beach has a large, knowledgeable staff and good hours (even live bait).
You may also want to talk to Dusty @ Top Gun B&T and Chris V & Sam's (also in Orange Beach)

Draw on your experience from those other locations and you should 'fit right in'.
Good luck mate!

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Thanks for answering all my questions mate. Hopefully I will do a bit better than my previous trips to Florida (Must of caught more Catfish and other nuisance fish than I thought possible!!). I will let my Girlfriend test the water temperature first before I decide to wade fish.

Just following on from your answer to question 1. What species are usually caught in the surf April time? I enjoyed catching Black Drum in South Carolina last year, and although there were not massive fish they put up a good fight.

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Originally Posted by Dekuk

Just following on from your answer to question 1. What species are usually caught in the surf April time? I enjoyed catching Black Drum in South Carolina last year, and although there were not massive fish they put up a good fight.

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In the surf, in April, I'm using peeled, fresh-dead shrimp on a carolina rig. You can expect to catch pompano (best tasting fish that swims), whiting, flounder, and redfish. You can also expect to catch an occasional small black drum (also very good on the grill) hardtail, hardhead catfish, and ladyfish.


In Little Lagoon, I've had most of my success with speckled trout, flounder and redfish. As noted in other posts, I prefer artificial bait, most notably a paddletail plastic bait. If you're getting ONLY bites from hardhead catfish because they're too numerous, then go to the paddletail baits. Come the first week of April, I'm fishing the pier for cobia, spanish mackerel, and sheephead (for which you'll want to use either live shrimp or live fiddler crabs).
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=4449&stc=1

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Originally Posted by eym_sirius

In the surf, in April, I'm using peeled, fresh-dead shrimp on a carolina rig. You can expect to catch pompano (best tasting fish that swims), whiting, flounder, and redfish. You can also expect to catch an occasional small black drum (also very good on the grill) hardtail, hardhead catfish, and ladyfish.


In Little Lagoon, I've had most of my success with speckled trout, flounder and redfish. As noted in other posts, I prefer artificial bait, most notably a paddletail plastic bait. If you're getting ONLY bites from hardhead catfish because they're too numerous, then go to the paddletail baits. Come the first week of April, I'm fishing the pier for cobia, spanish mackerel, and sheephead (for which you'll want to use either live shrimp or live fiddler crabs).
http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...tid=4449&stc=1

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Thanks. I have used artificial baits in Florida without much luck. I am not too clued up on artificial baits so may of been rigging them wrong, but if they help me avoid Catfish I will give them a go.

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Originally Posted by Dekuk

Thanks. I have used artificial baits in Florida without much luck. I am not too clued up on artificial baits so may of been rigging them wrong, but if they help me avoid Catfish I will give them a go.

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One of the great things about the paddletail baits (see pic) that I use is that they're rigged, ready to go. You just cast them out and retrieve them. I use a steady retrieve and vary the speed according to the depth that I want it to run. They're made of a tougher plastic than curly-tail baits that you put on a lead-head jig, so you experience, less, the problem of a fish biting the tail off of your plastic bait.

The downside to fishing paddletail baits is that they don't catch everything. You won't catch sheepshead or pompano on them. The upside to fishing paddletail baits is that -- they don't catch everything! You won't catch catfish or pinfish. You can catch flounder, redfish, speckled trout, bluefish, ladyfish, and maybe spanish mackerel (if your line is cut by a fish, it was likely a bluefish or spanish mackerel).

You'll want to use relatively light line and a rod/reel combination that can throw the paddletail bait a long way. Because the bait relies on movement, the longer the bait can stay in the strike-zone, the more fish you'll catch. Also key is confidence. Expect a bite on every cast and keep your focus. When you get into a pattern of casting out and reeling in, it's easy to let your mind wander and start thinking of your next cast or what you're going to have for dinner if you don't catch anything! Reflexively, come back on the fish, setting the hook immediately when you detect a strike. I like fishing with artificials because it's proactive and productive.

It's a versatile bait too!

You can vary the speed of the retrieve to work more of the water column and offer a different 'look' to fish that may have 'turned off'.
A slow retrieve just above the bottom increases the likelihood of 'close encounters' with flounder ;-)

Weight of the lure and bait size are a factor to consider with the depth you want to fish to get the presentation you want at a particular time or location.

What weight are those lures in your pic E_S?

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Originally Posted by Pier#r

What weight are those lures in your pic E_S?

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I lifted that pic from another site. A brand that I like a lot is "STORM", the "Wildeye Swim Shad". If it's reds and trout, I'll sometimes use a bigger bait, hoping to hook up with bigger fish. That'd be the 4", 7/16 oz.

I'll go down to 1/4 oz, 3", for flounder, just because they're bad to grab the back half of the bait and not get the hook. I'll let it sink to the bottom and keep the retrieval slow, if super-boring, for flounder.

I've absolutely killed flounder, before, using a 5" plastic worm with a U-Tail (Zoom) on a Carolina rig. It WAS a 6" motor-oil colored worm that I bit off the top inch or inch and a half, dragging a foot or so and pausing. The strike would feel like the peck from a spotted bass and I'd just set the hook immeditely. I don't know whether the flounder thought that it was, a shrimp or a small eel - or what, but it worked very well. I haven't tried it in years because I've had so much success with paddletail baits, but I probably need to revisit that technique in the coming year. I also caught many redfish on that same plastic worm setup.

Old timer on the eastern shore once told me that a small grape colored bass worm fished Carolina style or cut in half on a jig was the best bait ever for flounder.

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Originally Posted by eym_sirius

The downside to fishing paddletail baits is that they don't catch everything. You won't catch sheepshead or pompano on them. The upside to fishing paddletail baits is that -- they don't catch everything! You won't catch catfish or pinfish. You can catch flounder, redfish, speckled trout, bluefish, ladyfish, and maybe spanish mackerel (if your line is cut by a fish, it was likely a bluefish or spanish mackerel).

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Thanks for the help, If it helps me avoid Catfish and Pinfish I will give them a go.