Anglers who love to fish off piers along Alabama’s beautiful beaches now have two choices to try to catch abundant inshore species.
The Fort Morgan Pier, which was closed for several years, is now open on the tip of the Fort Morgan peninsula. The renovated pier has L-shaped dimensions of 305 feet by 210 feet and 40 feet wide. At mean tide, the pier floor will be 8 feet off the water's surface.
The total cost of design, construction and oversight of the new pier was $3.2 million. Due to the ravages of numerous tropical storms, the old pier had to be demolished and old barges removed. The new pier is much more storm resistant, with a steel sheet pile and a concrete platform. The railings are made of cables. It will also be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. Additionally, there will be ADA parking spaces and a better parking area for anglers. Parking near the adjacent boat ramp has recently been rebuilt too.
For those who love to fish the Gulf State Park Pier, the good news is that the pier will remain open for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the work to repair the damage to the pier from Hurricane Sally in 2020 has been put on hold.
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Commissioner Chris Blankenship said bids to do the work far exceeded expectations from the engineers, who had estimated offers between $4 million and $6 million. The lowest bid received was for $12.5 million. Commissioner
Blankenship said ADCNR is now working with FEMA to get approval for the higher amount and hope to open the project for bids late this summer or fall.
Meanwhile, anglers have access to more than half of the pier, and plenty of fish are willing to bite.
Make plans to visit the Alabama Gulf Coast soon and try your hand at pier fishing.