Gulf Coast Fishing Report for Gulf Shores, Orange Beach & Pensacola

Inshore / Back Bay

Speckled trout and flounder were active inshore, while redfish were less consistent.

On sandbars, start the morning with topwater for speckled trout. Keep the drag a little loose so the hooks do not pull free, and mix a short pause into the retrieve when fish are blowing up but missing the plug.

Trout were holding around docks even with poor water quality.

Flounder and tripletail were both active around Mobile Bay.

During the Mobile Bay jubilee, flounder were visible tight to the bank in the morning.

When the trout bite slows, move toward grass and work for flounder close to the bottom. A weedless soft plastic with scent can be bounced slowly or lifted just enough to stay in contact without constantly hanging in the grass.

Surf & Beach

Pompano, whiting, and bluefish were running on the smaller side along the beach.

Live bait worked for speckled trout along the beach, with deeper water becoming the next move when the shallow bite slowed.

For the beach-trout setup, use a lively croaker and enough jig-head weight to keep it in the strike zone without taking away its movement. Clear beach water favors fluorocarbon leader, and the leader should be checked often when Spanish mackerel or ladyfish are mixed in.

The beach trout bite was strongest outside the middle of the day, with only scattered fish around noon.

From a boat, put the croaker tight to the beach and let it swim off the first drop. At night, deeper water can be the better lane. Be in position before the expected feeding window instead of running to the spot after the bite has started.

If catfish take over on shrimp, change baits while keeping a pompano presentation in the spread.

Nearshore / Pier

Offshore

Amberjack were holding around bottom structure beneath floating grass; bonita were useful for bait and chum.

For snapper, cut Spanish mackerel into large chunks, bury the hook, and double the bait back over the hook point. The oily meat stays on the hook well, and the larger piece helps get the presentation past smaller fish around the structure.

Do not pass every patch of floating grass without looking underneath it. Check the sonar for bottom structure, then try a jig through the upper water column for amberjack and Almaco jacks. Bonita belong in the bait or chum box, not at the top of the target list.

Larger grass mats and broken weed lines also held scattered mahi. Look for bait and movement before committing time, then work a small glass-minnow-style jig or a live bait around the edge. The fish were spread out rather than packed into large schools, so keep moving after a clean look.

Around rigs, do not trust Spot-Lock without watching the boat closely. The structure can interfere with GPS positioning, and rough water leaves very little room for the trolling motor to make a bad correction toward the rig.