Keith Lusher 02.13.25
Residing in Louisiana, I usually make weekend journeys to Orange Seaside for a bit of fishing, however I’ve to confess that I haven’t been because the snowstorm in late January. Since then, I’ve saved involved with a few of the locals there to maintain tabs on the fishing. My greatest concern was that the Alabama coast would see some fish kills from the plummeting temperatures. Whereas there weren’t any main fish kills, there have been studies of some floating fish in some dead-end canals.
Considered one of my buddies who works at J&M Deal with on Canal Street in Orange Seaside known as me proper after the freeze. He advised me that the silver mullet took the most important hit. He stated the morning after that snow when air temps dropped into the kids, he walked right down to examine his favourite canal and located it iced up – one thing he hadn’t seen since that ice storm again in 2014. The die-offs weren’t simply within the canals both. One other pal, Jacob Dawkins, who lives on Little Lagoon, despatched me footage of what he was seeing, and I obtained related studies from of us who fish the tidal rivers and even components of Cellular Bay.
Salinity Dawkins defined how all that snowmelt performed havoc with the salinity ranges, particularly in these again bay areas. He’s been fishing these waters for over 40 years and stated the timing couldn’t have been worse, hitting throughout a neap tide. However as he jogged my memory, these waters normally reply effectively to powerful situations with better-than-normal fishing as quickly as the next month.
What’s Biting Now? Considered one of my mates, Dave Snell, who fishes the general public piers alongside Orange Seaside, has been fishing loads this week. He stated they’re nonetheless managing to place some black drum and sheepshead within the cooler, with the occasional keeper flounder blended in. He talked about the bluefish are nonetheless hanging across the jetties at Perdido Go and Gulf State Park. Dave normally fishes with market bait and even artificials, however stated proper now, it’s all in regards to the reside shrimp. “Don’t depart house with out reside shrimp,” he advised me. “These fish ain’t touching nothing else proper now.”
What Spots Are Producing Fish Proper Now? My contacts at Gulf State Park Pier and across the west jetty at Perdido Go say these spots are nonetheless producing, particularly if you’ll find these deeper holes. As one native put it to me, “Overlook what they are saying about 90% of the fish being in 10% of the water – proper now, it’s extra like 99% are in 1% of the water!”
Ideas for Catching Fish from Land and Pier I talked to pier fisherman Lance Riggs, who’d been fishing 4 occasions this previous week, and he says presentation is the whole lot proper now. These fish are nonetheless sluggish from the chilly, so he’s been having success with lighter traces, smaller hooks, and light-weight weights. Riggs primarily fishes the jetties and advised me to overlook about frozen bait utterly – he’s been doing greatest with reside shrimp, although he’s additionally had luck with shucked oysters and mussels when the shrimp are arduous to return by.
February Outlook: The studies I’m getting are cautiously optimistic total. My contact at Orange Seaside Marina stated water temperatures 12 miles offshore are climbing again into the mid-60s. She predicts we’ll see the massive black drum present up first, adopted by the whiting and, lastly, the pompano as soon as the water warms previous 65 levels. She additionally talked about that afternoon incoming tides have been best—it appears each the fish and fishermen admire that additional heat from the solar.
I plan on making a visit to the coast by the tip of February. Till then, I’ll preserve checking in with my Orange Seaside fishing household and preserve you posted when these pompanos begin displaying up in numbers for surf fishermen. In spite of everything, spring isn’t too far across the nook, and these waters have by no means didn’t ship as soon as that warm-up will get going.
