Gulf Shores Fishing

[budman]

I am going to be in the Gulf Shores area, Fort Morgan, at the end of April and thinking of taking my 8 weight and looking for a place to use it. I am going to be on a family vacation so I won't have all day to fish but will take a little out to fish a new area. Any idea on where to try and what to throw.

[Flysmallie]

I go there every year. I take my 8 wt out early every morning with some clousers and catch lots of fish right from the beach. Lady fish, redfish, jacks. It's a good time. Get out there early, at sunrise, and usually fish for a couple of hours. There is some access to the North in Mobile bay. And you can take the highway west until you run out of road and fish the point. Lots of walking out there but still a fun time, 

Where you staying? 

[budman]

Will be staying in Morgantown. Says it is about 14 miles west of HWY 59 and 5 miles east of the Fort. Are you fishing the same for both the Gulf and the Bay or the totally different?

[Flysmallie]

I just fish the beach. Been a long time since I have tried the bay. The redfish bite is better in the bay but I don't care what I catch just as long as something tugs on my line. And it's so much easier to just walk out to the beach for a couple of hours. Mostly I catch ladyfish. Which truthfully are nasty. They bleed easily ad they are really slimy. But they are a whole lot of fun to catch. They will jump 5 or 6 feet out of the water when hooked multiple times. Just make sure you have a good strong leader. Those fish have a lot of sharp edges and will cut your line quickly. Last couple of years I've been using 5 or 6 feet of 20lb test for the leader and then 2 or 3 foot of braid for the tippet. These fish don't know what leader shy means. Scoot your feet to keep from stepping on a ray and watch out for the blacktips.

Here's a typical ladyfish that you will find.