Beautiful spot! I'd like to drop a kayak in and troll the shoreline!

Thank you BKnecht! We sure enjoyed the Orange Beach area once again this year. There are plans afoot to go again next year, and I am anxious to get back! I left the kayak home this time...and regretted the decision! Next time the kayak will join in on the adventure!

Glad you had success on the trout. The tiger trout is an elusive one around our region of the Country, although they do show up now and then. Very cool that you caught your second one!

Nice catching WVMike! That tiger trout is breathtaking in terms of color...wow! Almost begs to have a mount made up...or at least a nice 8 X 10 photo of that same photo framed up!

Glad you enjoyed it Gordon! I have to say that I am starting to really get a kick out of fishing in the salt water!

Thank you Billycrap2! I can see why folks enjoy saltwater fishing so much. There are some really big fish out there!

Thank you OJdidit! It was good to get back home, but we did manage to squeeze in a lot of fun along the way...especially along the ocean shoreline!

Thank you NJ219! I finally got to try out those new single hook flies that I tied last Fall!

Thank you Jarheadfishnfool! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you Saw1! It was a very good time, and the kids, as well as their parents, made some fantastic memories! That being said, things were so quiet after they left that I wished they could have stayed longer! Those girls are filled with vibrant energy!

Have to completely agree...do it once and do it right. Don't waste precious time with needing a "do over"! Good advice Plumbob!

Clever ones for sure! Thank you for passing them along!

What great morning out! Very nice mess of fish!

Just back home from about 6 weeks of bumming around along the salty shoreline of the Gulf in both FL and AL. Winter fishing in Michigan was a complete bust this year, along with any other cold weather outdoor sports, so it was time to make the Southbound journey and leave things behind until Spring. While fishing was always an important part of most days, there was plenty of other side attractions to keep occupied with.

A highlight of the time away was to get a free personalized tour of the Gulf Shores Fish Hatchery located near the local airport on the North side of the inter-coastal waterway adjacent to Route 59. They specialize in raising pompano, redfish, flounder and speckled sea trout. Very cool, and well worth the time spent to learn more about these popular species!

Since we were going to be gone a while it made sense to procure a non-resident annual pair of saltwater angling licenses for both States...that way I could fish anytime the chance arose without worrying about a short term license expiration. Sometimes the water was barren, and other times you just so happened to arrive during a feeding frenzy! Those were the best of times!

My usual approach was to throw various lure types, both top water and under the waves, to temp fish into a bite. Bait lines in the surf worked well too when there was more time to hang around and enjoy the beaches. My favorite fishing memory of the trip was in having a large fish yank one of my surf rods into the ocean while I had my back turned to make a cast with a second rod while fishing from a seawall. The bait, being half of a small "cigar" mullet, had just been tossed out about 125' during a slack tide. Within a minute of hitting bottom, something grabbed it and all I heard was the clank of my rig hitting the handrail as the rod appeared to have been shot out of a circus cannon and launched into the emerald blue waters in front of me. Bugger...that was an expensive bit of entertainment! Shame on me for not having checked the drag setting since this particular reel does not have a "bait runner" setting.

About a half hour later, after deploying another bait rod, I hooked a small red snapper and while reeling the fish in I noticed the yellow braided line of my original rod coming in as a tangled ribbon gracefully wrapped around this new fish! The other rod eventually made it's presence known and a nearby angler assisted me in getting the whole mess safely back onto shore from the depths of the inlet. Boy was I happy! The 20 pound fluorocarbon leader was cut clean off well above where the hook had been.

You never know what kind of fish is out there waiting to find your hook. Big or small, the thrill is still the same! I had numerous fish "break off"...some even pulling me down the boardwalk as I tightened up the drag and tried to manage the fury while putting my back into a reverse curve and hold my ground. Those instances go down in your memory banks as future "tall tales"....

I hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

Setting out the sand fleas (mole crabs) for an anchored swim on pompano rigs. Photo is courtesy of my son-in-law.


One of our daughters and family joined us for the first week. Great fun for everybody as we pursued fish in the surf...like this hefty pompano. A very excited son in law!


Our 2 grand daughters enjoyed the antics of dolphins that kept pace with us on a local tour.


The red snapper that brought my "lost" rod back to me! Thank you little buddy! Promptly released this guy as a reward for his services rendered.


Small bluefish were a blast when you happened to stumble upon them.


The Spanish mackerel action was red hot at times. For a smallish sized fish, they do pack a punch when hooked!


We enjoyed going after blue crabs just for fun by placing shrimp in a small chum basket and lowering the rig into the water via fishing rods. We mostly caught small ones, but did have a few that were large enough to be "legal".


Started each day with a 2 to 5 mile beach walk, for exercise as well as sleuthing around for sea shells. My wife's favorite finds are sand dollars that are still intact.


I believe this small shark is known as a "black nosed" version. He was very relieved to have been let go after posing for a quick photo!


Took a different route "home" on our return so as to make a visit to "Catherdal Caverns", located near Grant, AL...East of Hunstville. Very impressive cavern, and I would highly recommend taking the tour!

Good report with plenty of action NJ! A nice variety of wildlife to enjoy while catching those fish!