Thread: winter pier fishing advice

I recently walked the pier while staying in Gulf Shores. I was amazed by the amount and size of fish being caught and wanted to plan another trip. The earliest I can go is December and I was wondering what fish can be caught off the state pier during that time of the year. If anyone can tell me the type of fish that are biting, what rod and tackle to use, and what time of day is best I would appreciate it, thanks.

Reds, sheephead, whiting

Go to the Gulf State Park Pier Fishing Reports and scroll back to December of 2013 and you'll see the catch reports

It depends on the weather/water temps. Some years, kings will still be in! Most years, though, redfish, whiting, bonito, flounder, and sheepshead. I usually leave the king rod at home during December and just concentrate on the near-shore species. I got a heck of a surprise one year when a huge bull shark rolled at a hardtail that I was pulling out of the water. Instinctively, I dropped him right back down and he bit into the hardtail and (I guess) let go. I tried to set the hook (don't know why, it was 12 pound test) and the hardtail came back with puncture marks!

In the few years, there have been years when kings were caught thanksgiving week and the occasional Spanish were caught in January, but there have also been cold winters like last winter when the season was much shorter. However, there are fish to be caught.