Alabama's Gulf Coast: What's Biting?

May’s Inshore Fishing at the Mississippi Sound and in the Mobile Bay

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:49:00 GMT

Editor’s Note: Captain Scott Jordan of Dauphin Island, Alabama, guides on the Mississippi Sound and in the Mobile Bay. This month, Jordan will tell us where to find the best inshore fishing in May.

Tips for Landing Offshore Fish in May

Thu, 01 May 2008 13:27:00 GMT

Captain Don Walker of the charter boat "Lady D," docks at Sportsman Marina and Dry Dock in Orange Beach, Alabama, and has fished offshore on Alabama's Gulf Coast for most of his life.

Catching May Cobia

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:10:00 GMT

Captain Jeff Colley, Jr., of the “Killing Time,” based out of Zeke’s Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, has developed a technique for catching cobia that has resulted in his boat not spooking a single cobia during the 2007 cobia run. Colley and his fishermen boated 71 cobia in 2007 and tagged and released another 31 fish.

Reeling in April's Best Inshore Fishing

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:41:00 GMT

In April, some of the best inshore fishing on Alabama’s Gulf Coast occurs at the mouth of Mobile Bay under the guns of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines. As a young boy, Erik Davis of Gulf Shores, Alabama, spent much of his childhood in his dad’s boat fishing these waters. Now, he’s fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a fishing guide, like his dad, Gary Davis of Foley, and guiding parties out of Fort Morgan. This month, Erik will tell us what to catch and how to catch them in this history-rich, extremely-fertile estuary area.

The King of Offshore Cobia

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:58:00 GMT

Captain Ben Fairey of the charter boat “Necessity,” based out of Orange Beach Marina, holds the Alabama state record for cobia with a fish that weighed 117 pounds and 7 ounces caught in 1995. He’s one of the most-relentless cobia fishermen on the Gulf of Mexico. Fairey prowls the beaches from Panama City, Florida, to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in search of the brown bombers that make their annual migration in the spring each year.

Gearing Up For A Mammoth March Close to Shore

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:28:00 GMT

Captain Jeff Chambliss fishes out of SanRoc Cay Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, for inshore pompano, speckled trout, redfish, flounder and sheepshead.

February's Fish-Catching Machine

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Sonny Alawine, captain of the “Summer Breeze,” based out of Zeke’s Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, has fished offshore from Orange Beach most of his life. The “Summer Breeze” has a long history of being a fish-catching machine.

Inshore Family Fishing Fun

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:25:00 GMT

Captain Kathy Broughton of Orange Beach, Alabama, an inshore charter boat fisherman since 1994, was once a typical suburban soccer mom and housewife living in Mountain Brook, Ala. “But ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to be a fishing guide,” says Broughton. “My father always had big boats. I’d go along with him, drive the boat and help rig the tackle. I’ve always enjoyed taking people fishing. I finally found a time and a place to live out my dream.”

January's Offshore Bounty of Redfish

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:48:00 GMT

January’s a great month to take a charter and fish for redfish. We’re catching and releasing a tremendous number of redfish this month. You can catch 20- to 30-pound redfish on just about any bait you put in the water. Triggerfish and vermillion snapper (beeliners), which are both delicious to eat, have also really been biting well. During this month, we’re still catching and releasing large numbers of big red snapper.

Hot Inshore Fishing for January

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:50:00 GMT

I’ve been fishing from Mobile Bay to the Pensacola Pass for the last 30 years. There are plenty of fish concentrated between those two openings to the Gulf of Mexico, including speckled trout, redfish, flounder, pompano, sheepshead, bluefish and ladyfish.

December is the Month to Come to the Beach and Fish Offshore

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:29:00 GMT

We’re catching plenty of triggerfish, vermillion snapper and red snapper, which we have to throw back because red snapper season is closed. Grouper, snapper and amberjack are really biting well in December. The vermillion snapper we’re catching weigh from 1- to 2-1/2-pounds each. At this time of year, we usually fish for a mixed bag of fish. Generally, we’ll fish for vermillion snapper, white snapper and triggerfish first, but we’ll also catch amberjack and grouper.

Redfish are On Fire During December

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:27:00 GMT

At this time of year, we’ll go inshore on calm days and targeting big, bull redfish. We fish both the Alabama and the Florida coastal waters. Right now, we’re finding big redfish running about 4 yards off the beaches that weigh from 15- to 35-pounds each.

Tuna Time in Alabama

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:43:00 GMT

Captain Johnny Greene of the charter boat, “Intimidator,” operating out of Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, fishes 12 months out of the year.

November Fishing is Heating Up Inshore

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:11:00 GMT

Rob Kritzmire, owner of Rob’s Inshore Fishing, operating out of Romar Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, says that November is one of the best fishing months on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

October's Offshore Fishing with Butch Tucker

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:28:00 GMT

Butch Tucker, captain of the “Shady Lady” out of Zeke’s Landing Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, fishes all winter with charter parties. This month, Tucker tells us what’s biting offshore and invites you to fish Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

Inshore Fishing in October with Gary Davis

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:57:00 GMT

At this time of year, the fish are moving out of the bays and into the mouths of the rivers. Dog River and Gillard’s Island (a spoilage area) are loaded with speckled trout, redfish and flounder. I fished there two days the first week in October with clients, and we caught flounder, black snapper (gray snapper), speckled trout and a good number of white trout.

Monster Fish off Alabama's Gulf Coast

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:16:00 GMT

Four-hundred-pound-plus blue marlin breach from the cobalt-blue waters off Alabama's Gulf Coast and dance on their tails while engaging in a sword fight in the sky. You'll find some of the best and most-exciting big-game fishing just off Alabama's Gulf Coast. Anglers can catch blue marlin, white marlin, wahoo, dolphin, blackfin and yellowfin tuna, king mackerel and giant sharks when they leave the ports of Orange Beach and Fort Morgan and head out to the deep-water rigs and the Continental Shelf. Fast boats plow the Gulf of Mexico to get sport fishermen out to where the game fish feed. If this summer proves as dry as the last couple of summers, that deep cobalt-blue water will move fish in closer to shore to feed. From Orange Beach, you'll only have a short run in a fast boat to the Continental Shelf and the deep-water rigs.

New Inshore Reefs and More Fish on Alabama’s Gulf Coast

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Right now, we're catching good numbers of speckled trout and redfish," reports Captain Gary Davis from Foley, Alabama. "I have a 9-1/2-pound speckled trout in my freezer, caught by one of my customers, waiting to be taken to a taxidermist. We usually catch plenty of good-sized specks, reds and flounder all the way into November down here. Inshore fishing along Alabama's Gulf Coast has always been excellent, but today it’s even better than in years past."