Surf fishing in Alabama
Surf fishing in Alabama has drastically increased in the past several year. I would attribute this to 3 things in particular. Number one would be exposure. There are literally about a dozen You Tube channels that have done a great job highlighting Alabama’s surf fishing opportunity. Some of these guide while others simply create educational and entertaining content. Ill list a few of my personal favorites below.
A lot of this content was consumed in mass during the extremely detrimental time in 2020 when our Federal Government shut down the economy (if you cant tell I’m still pissed about that one). That leads us to our next point. Covid not only gave Alabama residents time to watch YouTube but also gave many gulf coast residents plenty of time to acquire a new hobby. After the down turn of the economy many fisherman who would typically take a charter a few times a year simply did not have the money to do so. With that being the case, surf fishing proved to be a slightly cheaper option. In this article were going to break down the surf fishing opportunity Alabama’s Gulf Coast has to offer.
Where to go surf-fishing in Alabama
You can go surf-fishing in Alabama in hotspots such as Perdido Pass, and Waterfront Park Pier in Orange Beach, as well as Fort Morgan Beach and Dauphin Island. In addition, the method “scouting” is important when surf-fishing in Alabama, searching for waters that have certain water and surf conditions that are preferred by the fish you’re trying to target. Keep in mind that darker water indicates deeper depth and sandbars with unique patterns or features, typically mean predator fish are around and looking for a meal. You can also catch redfish, speckled trout, and sheepshead in areas like Bon Secour Bay, and Wolf Bay.
Bait to use when surf-fishing in Alabama
When surf fishing in Alabama, you can use bait such as crab or squid but local fisherman recommend fresh live bait, because the smell and movement will have more of a chance to attract a big catch. With this being the case, you can use live bait such as shrimp, sand fleas, as well as “fish bites” which is another name for artificial baits that have a strong live bait smell. You can use cut bait chunks, when attempting to catch bull-reds, tarpons, or sharks in Alabama as well as ladyfish, whiting and mullet. This link includes the most effective baits and varieties of fish that can be caught while surf fishing in Alabama.
What rigs to use when surf-fishing in Alabama
In Alabama, most fishermen use a double hook rig with light pyramid weight, mostly depending on current and surf conditions. When attempting to catch pompano, you can also use a 1/0 circle hook or 2/0 bait hook with a light tackle to have the chance to catch whiting. A key point to realize is, an important part of surf-fishing is using a strong circle hook that matches the size of your bait. You can use Owner Muttu Light hooks or Gama katsu octopus hooks for larger bait, on the other hand, you can use 1/0 or 2/0 sized circle hooks when using smaller baits. When shopping for surf fishing gear its almost always beneficial to visit your local tackle shop such as Beach Bum Outdoors in gulf shores or Sam’s Bait & Tackle in Orange Beach to find out what the fish are biting that week.
With this being said, Alabama offers multiple locations to go surf-fishing as well as multiple methods and baits that can be used. Our only advice when picking a surf fishing spot is to check the surf fishing access rules for that particular location. Not all public beaches are open to surf fishing. There are a variety of rigs and hooks that can be beneficial as well as certain rules and regulations in place for your safety. If this sound interesting, we work with professional fishermen and charter guides in Alabama to help you choose which ones best for you.
