Mobile Bay Blog

Local pier-fishing action has been going strong for a few weeks now.

Reports coming from the Cedar Point pier tell of steady catches of inshore fish such as white trout, speckled trout and flounder.

At the Dauphin Island pier, the action has been good on speckled trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, flounder and whiting when the conditions are right.

Another species that has made a good showing at the piers lately is pompano. This delicious fish has brightened up quite a few anglers' eyes as the silvery fish run the beaches on feeding sprees.

Most anglers don't come in contact with pompano unless they are pier fishing or surf casting the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Pompano must be at least 12 inches long, measured by total length, to keep. The limit is three per person.

Pompano will hit a variety of baits. Most of the pompano being caught at the Dauphin Island pier are hitting live shrimp. The pompano also will hit fresh dead shrimp or sand fleas.

Pompano fishermen often take a small piece of dead shrimp (just enough to hide the hook) and peel it before placing it on the hook. The bite is quick, so be prepared to set the hook.

Pompano also will hit artificials, especially the half-ounce pompano jig. The hair of the jig is cut off right behind the hook to increase the hook-up ratio. While pink has been hot this spring, yellow and chartreuse are the standard colors for pompano success.

To fish for pompano, cast the jig between the beach and the first sandbar. Let it sink to the bottom, then start a quick wrist action to pull the jig off at least a foot. The strike normally occurs when the jig starts its return to the bottom.

Ever since Hurricane Ivan blasted down the pier in Gulf Shores in 2004, anglers who enjoy pier fishing have had to adjust. One such angler is David Thornton of Mobile. Thornton is so comfortable working the boards of local piers that he carries the nickname "Pier Pounder."

Thornton is among the die-hard pier anglers waiting on the state to rebuild the Gulf State Park pier.

"This time of year, the pompano fishing would normally be great at the Gulf pier," Thornton said. "All an angler would have to do is be there early in the morning with a jig, sand flea or live shrimp that could be casted out away from the pier to the east and worked back slowly to the pier.

"The bite could occur at any time during the retrieve, so you have to be on your toes. As a member of the jack family, the pompano are a tough, stubborn, hard-fighting fish. On light tackle, they are really a lot of fun."

Thornton has many memories of the Gulf State Park pier. Some of his best fishing occurred there.

"I really miss the varieties of fish and the variety of people you met on a pier located in a tourist destination," Thornton said. "I met people from all over the country and made plenty of friends. We all had the love of fishing in common. Young or old, rich or poor, the sport of pier fishing pulled people from all over the country together and gave us all a common bond.

"The official reason for the delay of the rebuild (of the park pier) has been given as an insurance problem. Beyond that the rebuilding of the pier has been a political football that nobody wants to run with. The result is the disenfranchising of thousands of shore-bound anglers. I just wonder how much longer we are going to have to wait to get our state pier back."

Until the park pier is rebuilt, Thornton will get shoulder-to-shoulder with other anglers on remaining piers to get his share of the action.

"I don't mind the crowds," he said. "I'm going to get my pier fishing somewhere."