PierPounder

11/01/2026

It took a lot of patience and team effort to land this yellowfin tuna from Navarre Pier ...

11/01/2026

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10/29/2026

Change of seasons is upon us, and the fish know it!

See my report on page 44 of the Mullet Wrapper @https://mulletwrapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Oct-28-Nov-11-2026.pdf

10/29/2026

This iconic Atlantic Coast pier was damaged not by a hurricane but a "nor'easter" (non-tropical low pressure system) that created large swells which impacted the coast for several days causing widespread beach erosion. The force and height of the swells was multiplied because they accompanied higher than average tides!
Note the pattern of damage in relation to the pier "bents" (piling caps) which force wave energy upward...

10/20/2026

This could be the type of project land based fisherfolks in Mobile Alabama have been waiting on for a long time ...

FISHING, BOATING DRIVE MCNALLY PLANS
🏗️ The Mobile City Council approved a $578,920 engineering and design contract Tuesday, October 20, to move forward with major waterfront improvements at McNally Park.

🎣 The contract with Moffatt & Nichol will provide plans for repairing the park's boat ramp, improving its protective jetties, dredging the boating channel and improving public access to the waterfront.

Council President C.J. Small, who represents District 3, called attention to the two McNally Park measures before the council voted.

Small emphasized that the improvements are intended to give residents more opportunities to fish without leaving Mobile.

"We're just trying to make a way," Small said, referring to providing citizens with access "to fish inside the city."

He described the proposals as "some great things" happening within the city limits and District 3.

According to city documents, the waterfront improvements will be developed in two phases.

The first phase will address immediate maintenance needs, including repairs to the existing boat ramp, repairs to a vulnerable section of the jetty and dredging to maintain access through the channel.

The second phase will focus on more extensive improvements to the jetties to provide better protection from waves, improve boating access and reduce the need for future dredging.

Engineers will also evaluate the possibility of adding a new boat ramp and an ADA-accessible walkway along the top of the northern jetty, potentially providing additional access for fishing and other waterfront activities.

The City Council also approved transferring $98,030 in unused District 3 capital improvement funds originally designated for a McNally Park fishing pier into the broader McNally Park Marine Improvements Project.

Both measures were sponsored by Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis and Small.

City officials say the improvements are intended to make the waterfront more accessible, address existing maintenance problems and provide lasting protection for the park's marine facilities.

The $578,920 contract covers engineering and design services, not construction of the improvements.

A construction timetable and total construction cost have not yet been announced.

09/10/2026

When you can go, you go!
So, I arrived on the pier just a little after 6 to a dry east-northeast breeze about 10 knots with 2 foot waves from the souheast.
The water was a bit dingy inshore so I headed straight for the octi.
Didn't do any good, or see anyone else catch anything until I started throwing a looney jig and caught a smallish spanish mackerel. But that was it!
Visibility in the water was only about 5 feet max.
After sunup folkses started catching some short mangrove snapper and the Tebos caught a couple of spadefish.
Once the small LYs came to the surface a few more fish showed up including some spanish mackerel.
The wind veered to the southeast during the day and the shallows got a little rougher and the water around the octi got a little dingier as the tide was falling through the afternoon.
I stuck with it all day, alternating fishing small LYs for mackerel and mangrove snapper. After catching about 10 undersized, I finally got a keeper. Then another and some more mackerel, piecing together a pretty decent haul considering the conditions (12 spanish & 5 mangroves). Nothing big, but some good keeper-sized fish.

Had a great time with some old friends and made some new one too.
Thank You Lord, for putting it all there!

09/05/2026

I arrived at the Gulf State Park Pier just after 5:30 with three dozen LIVE SHRIMP from Hooked Up Bait & Tackle. Some real dandies!
Right away I gave up on the idea of fishing shallow after seeing a parade of ladyfish under every light from the beach out to the octi.
Got to watch a great light show from a conga line of thundershowers offshore a ways. We heard occasional rumbles of thunder though.
As soon as it broke good daylight I started snobbling a cigar minnow and quickly hooked a fine one that weighed 3.6 #
Then it turned into a shark fest with bubble rigs whipping the sharks into a frenzy. EVERY hooked spanish mackerel over 2 pounds was eaten by sharks :-(
I made a couple of moves back up the pier and hooked several spanish but lost them all. Ended up in the shallows tossing shrimp to eager speckled trout. Caught two keepers 17" & 18", but then the triple threat of ladyfish, bluefish, and baby jack crevelle moved in on the action. But the specks kept coming back through the whole morning with several of us keying in on them with live bait.
There were some nice trout caught up to just shy of 20 inches.
It started raining about 9am, mostly a light shower off and on.
We were able to hold a memorial service for Larry Provence after 10am at the foot of the pier. There was good attendance and participation. It was great to meet Larry's wife (Twilla) and his family with so many of his pier family in attendance. Larry is already missed!

So, afterwards I used up the rest of my live shrimp with only one more keeper speck to show for the effort. But I caught 10 keeper crabs on cut ladyfish pinned to a Looney jig.
Then went and caught some small LYs to try on the end again, plus several places in between, but no more luck. All the spanish had left by then. I had to go back to the shallows to finish my limit of speckled trout with a 19 incher.

I cleaned fish and crabs and left by 6pm.
It had been a long day but the clouds and breeze helped make it tolerable except when the sun came out in the afternoon.
But I saw a lot of old friends and made some new ones, and even brought home some groceries.
Thank YOU Lord, for putting it all there!

09/05/2026

I arrived at the Gulf State Park Pier just after 5:30 with three dozen LIVE SHRIMP from Hooked Up Bait & Tackle. Some real dandies!
Right away I gave up on the idea of fishing shallow after seeing a parade of ladyfish under every light from the beach out to the octi.
Got to watch a great light show from a conga line of thundershowers offshore a ways. We heard occasional rumbles of thunder though.
As soon as it broke good daylight I started snobbling a cigar minnow and quickly hooked a fine one that weighed 3.6 #
Then it turned into a shark fest with bubble rigs whipping the sharks into a frenzy. EVERY hooked spanish mackerel over 2 pounds was eaten by sharks :-(
I made a couple of moves back up the pier and hooked several spanish but lost them all. Ended up in the shallows tossing shrimp to eager speckled trout. Caught two keepers 17" & 18", but then the triple threat of ladyfish, bluefish, and baby jack crevelle moved in on the action. But the specks kept coming back through the whole morning with several of us keying in on them with live bait.
There were some nice trout caught up to just shy of 20 inches.
It started raining about 9am, mostly a light shower off and on.
We were able to hold a memorial service for Larry Provence after 10am at the foot of the pier. There was good attendance and participation. It was great to meet Larry's wife (Twilla) and his family with so many of his pier family in attendance. Larry is already missed!

So, afterwards I used up the rest of my live shrimp with only one more keeper speck to show for the effort. But I caught 10 keeper crabs on cut ladyfish pinned to a Looney jig.
Then went and caught some small LYs to try on the end again, plus several places in between, but no more luck. All the spanish had left by then. I had to go back to the shallows to finish my limit of speckled trout with a 19 incher.

I cleaned fish and crabs and left by 6pm.
It had been a long day but the clouds and breeze helped make it tolerable except when the sun came out in the afternoon.
But I saw a lot of old friends and made some new ones, and even brought home some groceries.
Thank YOU Lord, for putting it all there!

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08/13/2026

It is always great being on the ASFR podcast and talking about what is going on with pier and shore fishing ...

08/04/2026

Catching went downhill the last part of July after Tropical Storm "Bertha" made a mess of things. But still some notable catches!
Conditions appear be setting up for August to get back on track...