Fall Fish Migration
in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
Anglers are missing out if they don’t take advantage of all the fall fishing opportunities along Alabama’s Beaches. The Gulf State Park Pier is open for some great fall fishing for Spanish and king mackerel, bluefish, whiting, redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. If you’re looking to hit the open water, book a charter for triggerfish, amberjack, and tuna.
Best Species to Catch in Fall
Mackerel
Before the cold weather arrives, Spanish and king mackerel will still be in the northern Gulf before their annual migration, and anglers will have plenty of luck trolling spoons and cigar minnows for Spanish in nearshore waters. Kings and Spanish should hang around through October unless we have an unusually early cold front. Many of the charter boats on Alabama’s Beaches offer half-day trolling trips that are almost guaranteed to hook numerous mackerel.
Cobia
Cobia is another species that migrates to warmer waters in the fall and returns in the spring. This species likes to hang around structures like buoys and anchored shrimp boats. Toss live bait and see if you can lure a cobia into biting.
Flounder
Don’t forget those tasty flounder, but make sure you get out on a flounder trip before November. Flounder fishing is closed in November to protect the fish from their fall migration into the Gulf to spawn. Before November, you can find them assembled in the passes and channels leading to the Gulf. If you can locate some bull minnows, the flounder can’t resist them. Otherwise, toss quarter-ounce jigs with a plastic grub along the bottom to get a reaction strike. Anglers are allowed to keep five flounder with a minimum length of 14 inches.
Specks & Reds
As the water temperature cools, speckled trout and redfish will move out to the flats to feed on the shrimp and baitfish, starting a transition that will take them into Alabama’s estuaries and rivers. Known as "Red October," this month is the most profitable time of year to target reds as large schools move inshore. Try to land an Alabama Inshore Slam by reeling in speckled trout, redfish, and flounder in one outing.
Pompano
Whiting and pompano go on a feeding frenzy for those who love to catch fish in the surf when the water temperature drops only a few degrees. Sand fleas, ghost shrimp, peeled fresh-dead shrimp, and fish bites are your best bait for those species. Local bait shops will have the equipment you need to find the sand fleas and suction pumps to slurp the ghost shrimp out of the surf line. Small hooks and light lines almost always result in more bites.
Amberjack, Tuna, & Swordfish
Head offshore to catch the hard-fighting amberjack when you can catch a good weather window. The season for this species opens on September 1 and is scheduled to run through October 14.
Fall is also an excellent time for a multi-day fishing trip into the Gulf to catch blackfin, yellowfin tuna, and possibly a swordfish. Unless you are fishing on a licensed charter boat, you will need the proper fishing license if you fish from the pier, surf, or personal boat. Charter boats will have you covered.
David Rainer
David Rainer has written about the great outdoors on the Alabama Gulf Coast for more than 20 years. For 14 of those years, he covered the many fishing opportunities on the Gulf Coast as outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register. He is past president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and currently serves on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's Outreach and Education Advisory Panel and the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef & Restoration Foundation board.
