Fall Fish Bite In Orange Beach, Alabama
Fall fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama offers some of the best inshore and offshore fishing along the entire Gulf Coast. Fall is a time when the fish bite really turns on and only those who know about how good it can be, cash in on it. Most of the people who visit our area during the fall months of September, October and November are here as either groups or couples without kids. Depending on the size of your group, you can still find a charter that meets your budget and or offers what you are looking for.
In a time when everyone is looking out for their money, there are still those of you know how wonderful Fall fishing in Orange Beach can be and make the investment into a memory of a lifetime. Fishing and the people who fish in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan, Alabama during the Fall of the year, enjoy the cooler temperatures and the usually agressive fish bite.
Fall Inshore Fishing
The inshore fishing is red hot during the Fall of the year. Slot Redfish start stacking up near the Perdido Pass Bridge in Orange Beach and the Dixie Bar in neighboring Ft. Morgan. The Redfishing is excellent during this time period. Speckled Trout start moving into their deep water pattern and can be found along most piers, docks and river mouths during the Fall. They offer a great fight and some of the larger ones weight as much as 7 to 8 pounds. Specks are a much sought after gamefish along the entire Gulf Coast Fishery from Texas to Florida. One thing for certain, Alabama has their share of them that are ready to be caught. They fight real hard and can be easily caught if you are with an experienced fishing Alabama Inshore Fishing Guide.
The offshore fishing usually picks up during this time of the year. Fall fishing traditionally meant a time of the year when friends and buddies came down to stock their freezer for the Winter months. The Red Snapper used to be the primary target in past years but is no longer available except during the Summer months of June, July and part of August each year. Overfishing of this species led to their decline to the point of where the National Marine Fisheries Service took action to stop the excessive harvest and help restore the fishery. Their plan is working. The Red Snappers are recovering at a faster than normal rate and hopefully in a few years, Fall fishing for them may be available again. You can however get with a guide that specializes in light tackle fishing and have some fun catching and releasing them without harm. Not everyone knows how to catch them without harming them like we do.
There are other species of bottom fish to catch in Orange Beach that are good to eat. The Vermilion Snapper has long been a great fish to catch during the Fall. They are about 1/3 the size of the Red Snapper but offer some good eating. White Snapper is another name for Red Porgy. White Snappers are another targetes species that you can catch and keep during this season. Remember, it takes a lot of them to fill a basket. One of the keys to catching them is to have a lot of bait like cut squid in the water at one time. The more people you have fishing at the same time, the better your chances are to getting them fired up and feeding like a frenzy.
Grouper and Amberjack Fishing
Grouper and Amberjack are two species of fish that are a fun to fish for during the Fall. Both species have been severly overfished in recent years to a point where fisheries management has stepped in. Groupers have been fished to the edge of unsustainability. You can catch them in the Fall but there is a chance they are going to see more strict closures in the future. Amberjacks offer a fight of a lifetime. They are another fish that has been hard to catch in recent years. The size limit now is 30 inches at the fork length to harvest. This size requirement that began in August, 2008 has stopped the over harvest of the Amberjack. There are a lot of 27 to 28 inch jacks to catch but you will have to throw them back.
If you are wanting to target Grouper and Amberjack and have a chance of catching ones that are legal size, you need to plan on a 10 or 12 hour fishing charter or longer. The fishing pressure near the coast line (within 30 miles) has been excessive for the past couple of years. You can catch them sometimes on short trips but the reality is you will have a better chance on longer fishing trips. There is still no guarantee on longer fishing trips. You have to get further offshore than 30 miles to have a realistic chance to get them. The further the better is what we say.
Fall White Marlin and Wahoo Fishing
White Marlin and Wahoo fishing has been better this Fall than during the past year. The blue water has moved in as close as 10 miles of Orange Beach. We have had success of catching Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo closer to shore this year than in years past. The White Marlin have been caught as close as 32 miles southeast of Orange Beach on a regular basis this year. Most of the Marlin charters can be done in a 12 hour time period.
Yellowfin Tuna Fishing on Overnight Charters
Yellowfin Tuna are on fire on overnight trips out to the oil rigs. Fall offers some changing weather patterns which causes these highly migratory species to move closer to Orange Beach. These highly migratory tuna swim as far at 150 miles in a single day and eat up to 1/3 of their body weight to survive. The Yellowfin Tuna range from 40 to 150 pounds and are a great source of meat. The only draw back is that tuna does not freeze well and taste good for long periods of time. You need to vacuum seal any tuna you catch to ensure freshness. Most of the Yellowfin Tuna trips are 18 hours or longer. Just like Grouper and Amberjack, you need to plan on a trip that gets you out there far enought to have a chance of catching these moving fish. A 24 or 36 hour trip is a good choice for those who are serious about tuna fishing.
We hope this insight to Fall fishing makes you want to wet a hook. We look forward to seeing you soon.
