Thread: 2019 Fishing Recap

I thought it might be a good idea to use this down time at the end of the year to recap the highlights and lowlights of the year. Let's start with the lowlights. Feel free to add others and to contribute your memories, significant catches or whatever you'd like to share.

Remembering the friends we lost is both painful and important. I'll mention two of them, Harley Rogers and Garrett Slaughter. I got to know Harley once I moved down here in 2018 and spent many enjoyable hours in his company on the rail. Harley was THE master fisherman of the Gulf Shores pier and while he did live a long life doing what he loved to do, it was still sad to see him go. I didn't get to know Garrett well, but I do know that he was well-loved by many who did get to know him out on the octi and in the community. His loss was especially shocking and tragic. He will certainly be missed, too.

2019 was a year, for me, characterized by meeting wonderful new friends and building on past friendships. Thank you so much for your kindness, generosity and friendship - everybody. When we're able to get back together on the rail in 2020, it's likely to be different, because of the new pier construction, safer (for the same reason) and familiar because we'll pick right back up where we left off. Whenever that time presents itself, it will be great to see you and spend time on the rail with you again. Let's just hope for good weather, and a fast resolution to the building challenges that face the construction crews doing the renovation.

So here are some of my recollections, from 2019, by species.

Sheepshead - This was probably my best sheepshead fishing year because I devoted more time to it than in previous years. I ended this year with a set-up that incorporates a larger test leader (about 20 lb. test) and an #8 treble with fiddler crabs, primarily.

Slot reds - It was another good year for slots. I caught them on live LYs, baby hardtails, cut bait, live and fresh-dead shrimp and even gotcha plugs. Fishing for them was good from the octi, near the bathrooms and in the surf. For a while there, you just couldn't go wrong.

Spadefish - One of my goals for this summer was to spend more time targeting spadefish. I did, with mixed results. They seemed to be more finicky this year -- but it was probably me being more impatient. I'll keep fishing for spadefish in the summer until I get good at it. And after that, as well.

Spanish Mackerel - I caught bigger ones in 2018, but I caught as many Spanish as I wanted this year. I had success tipping my white jig with a ladyfish strip and also using small LYs.

King Mackerel - The king bite was "hit or miss" -- without the "hit". On the days when kings were in, so were the sharks, making it unlikely that you could get a fish over the rail intact. Still, there's nothing like a king strike!

Pompano - I caught my first pomp on Jan 2 and had some luck on them throughout the spring. I thought that it was a decent year for pompano. The most recent one was caught on Gulp Ghost Shrimp. I'll be interested to see if that's a "THING" or not in the Spring.

Speckled trout - The Spring speck bite was pretty good on live shrimp and then baby LYs. Once the pinfish moved in, there was less of a chance of getting a good bait down to them. But it wasn't unusual when they were biting to catch a few good ones.

Whiting - January produced some huge whiting. They were picky, though and sometimes ONLY wanted fishbites and shrimp, other times only wanted live shrimp and then other times only wanted ghost shrimp. This fall hasn't produced, for me, the monsters that yanked on my line last year and at the first of this year. But the year's not quite over yet and I suspect that a real cold snap will get them going again.

Flounder - It's probably the most disappointing season ever, was 2019 for flounder. I caught a few all season, as bycatch, mostly because fishing for them was just so slow and the fish were mostly so small.

So here's an early toast to 2019 and all of the memories it brought. Whether it's broken hearts, broken lines, tossing out a live bait or a one-liner, we leave 2019 behind but keep the valuable memories. I hope that your year was as wonderful as mine! Have a great holiday season and a safe and Happy New Year!

Great report thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Stay safe and hope the Pier is finished by mid March.

Off year for me and others..... but the pier friends never disappoints..... fishing and not catching..... hope 2020 improves for catching..... MERRY CHRISTmas to all .....
thanks for sharing

Thanks for an excellent condensation of the year's action. I hope everyone has wonderful holidays and is rearing to go when the pier reopens.

Good Recap Tom.

Could not agree more about the flounder shortage. I managed only 22 keepers all year. Bright spot is that just before the season closed in late Oct., there were quite a few short ones caught. (they would have been keepers before the length limit change).

Gotta add the never reported before, EPIC tripletail event on 9/22/19.

Merry Christmas everyone.

I Agee about the year and flounder. Good year for me and the pompano. Whiting treated me well also but not as many big ones as the year before. I am fishing mostly on the four seasons pier or Perdido pass.

My first year fishing the pier, definitely not my last. Two days I will not forget was earlier around August or so when the slot reds were on absolute fire that morning..

I walked on the pier at around 4:30AM and a few of the night fisherman had limited out and were still catching them. Dropped down a big jig and got smacked before it could even hit bottom. We were netting them two or three at a time, that lasted until about 7 in the morning. Must of been a couple of dozen beneath the Octi. Fastest Redfish limit of my life!!

Another day I won’t forget is when it an absolute monsoon came thru and the Spanish turned on quicker than you could blink as soon as the rain came. They weren’t real big or any smokers but I just thought it was a cool experience to have witnessed.

I look forward to many more fishing years on the pier!! Merry Christmas to you all

This was my 8th? year fishing down there...
It was the best i've seen for the slot reds in a while, I had no issue this summer..
Spanish was pretty decent as mentioned...
I caught more nice size blues this year than I have my entire life...
I still didn't get that king monkey off my back
Crabs were interesting this year...
all in all... it was a great year.... I am looking forward to returning after the remodel..

Originally Posted by Mr. Cleland

This was my 8th? year fishing down there...
It was the best i've seen for the slot reds in a while, I had no issue this summer..
Spanish was pretty decent as mentioned...
I caught more nice size blues this year than I have my entire life...
I still didn't get that king monkey off my back
Crabs were interesting this year...
all in all... it was a great year.... I am looking forward to returning after the remodel..

We'll get you a king come April if John G. can get his mafia contacts to supply some good cigar minnows.

After that it's pompano smack down time. Maybe even a trip over to Navarre one day if the water is too dirty in Gulf Shores. I learned not to go there without live sandfleas. I also learned those are some territorial pier fishers.

My visits to the pier were great for the most part.

There were still a few stray sheepshead in April. Haywire will always catch more sheepshead than me. Even when I use cave crickets, redworms, cheddar cheese curds and deli ham for bait.

This year was promising for kings in April. I got to see a couple come right up to the pier and "window shop" various baits before swimming off. I saw a 49lber decked on day in April. Then it sort of tapered off and died.

I don't remember seeing a big ling caught while I was there in March, April or June. Pretty surer it was an off year for them at the pier at least.

David LEA taught me the art of spoon feeding Spanish, double crappie jigging Spanish and spearheading Spanish. April was awesome for Spanish. David LEA is a master at catching Spanish. I'm glad the "lifetime supply" of spearheads I had at the beginning of the year weren't a lifetime supply.

I learned that specks are more apt to bite when using small diameter fluorocarbon and a tiny hook. Reel Magic is great stuff for your reels but it makes fluorocarbon very reflective to sunlight and the pier lights. I also learned that pier specks and Little Lagoon specks are different animals. Lagoon specks are easier to catch, much thinner and host more parasites than their pier dwelling relatives. Ted will always catch more specs than me.

Flounder fishing was terrible everywhere I tried. Aside from a few that I caught as bycatch when speck fishing most were small and scarce.

Big spadefish want to mate around the pier or eat jellyfish and aren't the least bit impressed by my shrimp and fishbites.

Mangrove Snapper are masters of biting a bull minnow off a hook without getting hooked.

Leatherjackets are to be handled with the same respect and care as stingrays, hardhead catfish and Gotchas.

Neglecting to stay hydrated will loosen a kidney stone.(thanks for the tip Adam Burroughs)

The E.R. entrance to the South Baldwin Hospital is on the North West of the building and has a separate entrance for ambulances.

I don't remember a day of fishing the pier that I didn't see someone face plant on the rotten boards. Big thanks to the Park System for the facelift that's about to happen.

We lost a few of the pier family this year. I knew a couple of them and the pier won't be the same without them. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and tight lines.