PierPounder

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...

07/23/2026

Several folks have asked about when I think the Gulf water will clear in the wake of Tropical Storm "Bertha". These are my thoughts:

NO TIME SOON! At least not much in the short term ...

Why? you may ask.
1st the wide wind field of the storm disturbed sediments inshore and offshore.
2nd even though there was minimal rain along the coast or inland there was still a LOT of fresh water in the inland and near shore waters to be mixed into the Gulf.
3rd moderate westerly winds are again predicted for the foreseeable future.
That will help keep the water unsettled and push sediment loaded waters eastward from Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay.
4th we are entering a phase of strong diurnal tides with variations nearly 2 feet next week.
While this helps with mixing the waters, it keeps sediments stirred up longer.

While this is not the end of civilization as we know it, it is the end of of a prolonged period when coastal Gulf waters were clearer than average in Alabama.
While it is certainly not impossible to catch saltwater fish with these conditions, it does make the equation more interesting. But fish still gotta eat ;-)
El Nino years tend to do this kind of stuff, and from what scientists are saying, this one is gonna be a doosey!

07/14/2026

Today I was lured to the Gulf State Park Pier on the receiving end of an elaborate practical joke that was really a beautiful sentiment expressed in word and action by several very thoughtful fishing friends who went over and beyond to gift me a $pecial fishing reel I would never have indulged myself in, plus a $50 gift card to go with it!

I guess you could say I was REEL SURPRISED 😉 lol

God bless you all, especially Lisa Lindy Lawrence for dreaming this up, and Ellis Cattan "Cajun on GS Pier" for executing the ruse flawlessly for our mutual amusement.
As dear as all my fishing friends are, you all will be forever in my thoughts and prayers, especially when I use it. Hopefully for a long, long time!

06/22/2026

Sunday, June 28, from 7 to 9 a.m. for underwater cleaning.

WKRG up to their same ole clickbait tricks with the open wording ...

The Navarre Beach Fishing Pier will be temporarily closed for fishing.
https://www.wkrg.com/northwest-florida/santa-rosa-county/navarre-beach-fishing-pier-temporarily-closed-for-fishing/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WKRG

06/12/2026

https://www.facebook.com/HookedonFairhope/

Fishing tournament in Fairhope for families and kids of all ages! All proceeds benefit non-profits in our area, including FEEF and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Gulf Coast! The tournament is hosted by The Blind Tiger.
June 13, 2026

05/23/2026

I had a spot on the Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report podcast this week. (1:28 to 1:58)
@

Memorial Day weekend is here, summer patterns are starting to settle in, and the Alabama Gulf Coast fishery is wide open from the surf to the pier to Mobile Bay and the offshore tournament scene. This week, Butch Thierry checks in with Angelo DePaola of The Coastal Connection for an update on Orange...

04/16/2026

Here is the mid-April Pier & Shore report/forecast for the lower Baldwin County coast ...
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14bvjf2QWN2/

From:https://mulletwrapper.net/.../2026/04/April-15-29-2026.pdf
@ https://mulletwrapper.net/