Another year is spent and another looms ahead.

What changes will 2013 bring to the GSPPier?

The Beach Fill Project marches westward and is now just west of the pier. People ask will it help or hurt. The answer is probably some of both. In the short term water clarity may suffer both during the dredging and in susequent storms when the waves stir up and filter out the sediments trapped in the inferior sand put on the shore. Also the lack of beach ‘pools’ and the smothering of their resident invertebrate species could begin a period of hardship for those fish species dependant upon them.

Let’s hope (and pray) these changes work out for the best in the long term and fishing good fishing continues to grace our pier and beaches!

 So far this fall/winter the bull reds have not been as active around the pier as in years past and flounder have been virtually absent. Whiting numbers have probably been about average as are sheepshead, black drum and bluefish. Pompano have been the bright spot for many anglers with the saavy and persistence to pursue them with bait. FRESH shrimp and ghost shrimp are the baits of choice fished on bottom just outside the swash zone, especially on an incoming tide (afternoons).

In case you haven’t heard, this is all but a ‘done deal’.

Gulf Shores council set to vote on beer sales at Gulf State Park Pier

By law, alcohol has NOT been allowed on the pier since it was opened 44 years ago. And this prohibition was recently (in 2011) extended to other areas of the Gulf State Park and other state parks.  The pier has long touted its “Family Oriented” atmosphere, but one has to wonder how the inclusion of beer sales at the pier concession may influence that perception in the future. Also, why the quick flip-flop (in less than a year) on the issue by the Park Department and the DCNR?

This is one of those ‘push-button’ issues I have heard again and again over the years from anglers and other people on both sides. Some feel it would do irreputable harm to the pier and increase the likelihood of verbal and even physical altercations between inebriated anglers and/or walk-on visitors. They site similar altercations which have reportedly occured on the Florida Panhandle piers which allow alcoholic comsumption and sales. On the other hand some people (obviously including ’higher ups’ in the State Park Division and Department of Conservation) now believe that alcohol sales at the pier would be a good idea and revenue boost, and that the possibile negative affects or publicity is not an issue.

If this resolution is allowed to come into being unchallenged what assurance and protection does the public have that beer sales on the pier will not negatively impact the perception of it still being a “family oriented destination”? And what’s to keep other parks and venue’s from following suite? And what other park and pier regulations are subject to change?

Perhaps the prohibition on catching sharks could likewise be repealed

Pier#r

I’ve often noted this time of year with a certain enthusiasm. As the seasons change so does the nature of the folks who fish at the pier or on the beaches along with their tactics and dress. The families with school age kids are otherwise occupied, and so too are the folks whose interests take them to the woods or rivers or away to ballgames, or those who just don’t like colder weather. But it’s the influx migration of ‘snowbirds’ that signals the onset of cooler weather and a different sort of fishing along the coast.

 As mackerel season winds down with every degree drop in the water temperature, other opportunities wind up for redfish, drum, whiting, sheepshead, etc. But I don’t believe it’s over yet. The water temperatures at Perdido Pass and Mobile Bay are just now falling into the 60s. And only 12 miles off Orange Beach the water is still in the mid 70s, plenty warm enough for another run or two of kings and spanish mackerel at the pier. As with most late fall runs it will be ‘hit-or-miss’, but after the air temps modify later this week and the moon begins to wane we should see the water temp rebound a few degrees at the pier. It seems IF the baitfishes come back to the pier in decent numbers that should signal a return of mackerel. Likewise, NO bait would likely mean few mackerel. But at least some can be expected in the coming weeks especially if the weather moderates next week on the heels of this unprecedented weather event (hurricane “Sandy”) affecting the eastern seaboard and most of the eastern third of the country with these high winds and below average temperatures.

 Anyway, there should be other distractions to keep anglers busy at the pier. The schools of bullreds are ‘overdue’ to start running the coastline chasing wads of pogies (menhaden) and redminnows (bay anchovies). Diving pelicans are usually a signal for this kind of action and they are often accompanied by marauding groups of bonita (Little Tunny), spanish mackerel and “northerns” (Atlantic Bonito). So keeping a Looney Jig or Bubble rig tied on a pole at all times is likely a good idea. As is keeping a large plug, jig or spoon that can be cast out when schools of bull reds are sighted. Outlying fish can often be hooked by blind casting in the general direction of a surface school which may still be 200-300 yards away as many individuals roam around the school unseen. The best approach seems to be letting the spoon or jig sink at least 15’-20’ deep before starting your retrieve, then pausing or allowing the lure to fall back toward the bottom intermittently to elicit a strike from fish that are following it from below or behind.

 Even though anglers MAY retain one redfish over 26” per day, keep in mind these bull reds are ‘breeding stock’ that take 5-10 years to reach that size, but once they do may live an additional 15-30 years adding to their numbers (exponentially) each year. Also the larger fish are not usually the best eating and they are excellent candidates for catch and release when treated properly. Bring the fish in as quickly as you can, use a net NOT A GAFF, unhook quickly (snap a pic or two) and put it back into the net for a softer ride back down to the water. NEVER THROW A BULLRED OVER THE RAIL as this will often stun them lessening the likelihood of a successful release.

Be a good steward over this wonderful resource we have been blessed with!    

David Thornton

Pier#r