Coastal Clean Up September 18

Well it has been a crazy summer, but we still love our life in paradise. Fishing has been open everywhere for catch and release for almost a month. The charters are out and the fish are biting. As the summer comes to a close, it’s time to care for the great beaches we call home.

Saturday, September 18 is the 23rd Annual Coastal Clean Up. It may have more meaning this year, but we have always taken pride in the amazing beauty of our beaches and the strength and diversity of our wildlife. Taking this day to protect that beauty is the least we can do to preserve the way of life we all love.

So come on out - catch your fill of trash and debris. Over the years the Clean-up has had 48,446 volunteers remove 902,242 pounds of waste along 2,847 miles of coastline. This year with all the media attention this area has received, we expect record numbers of visiting volunteers. Let’s make sure they are welcomed and well-received.

For more information about the 23rd Annual Coastal Clean Up, visit www.alcoastalcleanup.org or call 251-621-1216.

It’s Almost Snapper Season (and Yes We’re Open!)

I’ve been hearing good things about the fishing out of Orange Beach lately. Though it’s true that fishing isn’t possible in certain areas of the Gulf, fishing is still open 25 to 30 miles out of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Fort Morgan, inshore fishing is unaffected, and lots of fish are being caught.

And snapper season opens Tuesday, June 1st, so if you’re in the market for some red snapper, come on down—enjoy the fishing and the still-beautiful beaches.

Visit www.obfishingassociation.com for more information about area fishing and the oils spill.

Lots of Fish along Alabama’s Gulf Coast

I missed out on the Cobia Tournament in Gulf Shores, which ends today, but I hear it’s been a huge success, and the cobia are still going strong along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Can’t wait to hear the results of the tournament!

I’ve also heard that the red snapper are plentiful right now, even though snapper season hasn’t officially started (not that that matters much to the snapper). This year the season will run from June 1st until late July—so I now have a good idea of when my big Gulf fishing trip will be this year.

Check out the Orange Beach Fishing Association website for more information about what’s biting this month.

A Little Etiquette

Fishing is always a fun adventure, especially that first-ever outing. I remember how excited I was during my first deep-sea fishing trip out on the Gulf as a kid, how I was in awe of the boat and the captain and the size of the fish.

I also remember how no one in my family really knew what exactly to expect going into our little escursion (we were such amateurs back then), and other than bringing sunscreen, we weren't as prepared as we could've been. No one thought about the possibility of sea sickness. I was lucky enough not to be affected, but my parents, sister, and aunt all discovered that they could've benefited from a little motion sickness medication.

Not thinking of every little detail is part of being human, so it's helpful to have a web page that thinks of these things for you. The Orange Beach Fishing Association's new website has a "Trip Tips" page with "Charter Trip Passenger Suggestions & Etiquette." These tips give you things to consider for yourself and your group as well as etiquette guidelines to help show your gratitude to your charter captain and crew.

You can check out the tips page (and the rest of the site) at http://www.obfishingassociation.com/triptips.html.

Fishing Rut

Can you get into a fishing rut? I think so. Maybe you developed a favorite location and haven't bothered trying a different spot in a while, or maybe you always fish offshore and want to try inshore fishing. A couple summers ago, I spent a week fishing along the Gulf Coast, and it seemed like all I was catching was grouper.

This is why I love Orange Beach: it's a great place for avoiding a fishing rut. Inshore fishing, offshore fishing, deep-sea fishing--they have it all down there. And if you're tired of catching grouper, mackerel, and red snapper, a growing trend along Alabama's Gulf Coast is to fish for more unusual fish like snowy grouper, tilefish, and scorpionfish, among others.

Until recently, I'd never heard of some of these odd fish--scorpionfish? The name of that one in particular was startling to me. But from what I've heard, these species of fish are very sought-after, and very tasty--even the scorpionfish. I'm going to have to try that one for myself.

Go to http://www.orangebeach.com/fishing/ to learn more about Orange Beach fishing.

Reeling in the New Year

It's a new year--time for a fresh start filled with New Year's resolutions. The typical resolutions abound in my home: lose weight, exercise more, spend less, etc. But being the fishing addict that I am, I feel the need to include a fishing-related resolution.

But what would make a good fishing resolution? Making a point to take more frequent fishing trips, maybe. But as awesome as it would be to fulfill this resolution, that's not always practical.

Someone suggested I "branch out" and try some vacation/fishing destinations other than Orange Beach. Trust me, I've done this--and still do on occasion. I don't frequent Alabama's Gulf Coast out of ignorance of what else is around, I go there because I love Gulf fishing and I love the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. If the point of a New Year's resolution is to improve your life in some way, why would I make an effort to avoid my favorite vacation spot? Next, please.

Spending more time with family is another popular resolution. And given that my major fishing excursions last year were with friends, I think I'll strive for at least one major fishing trip with family this year (at my beloved Orange Beach, no less).

What's your New Year's resolution, fishing or otherwise?

Big Fish

I know a lot of people who think fishing is exclusively a summer activity, something you try for an hour at a nearby pier during your beach vacation so you can take some pictures and say you went fishing--and maybe actually catch something. These same people were baffled when I told them I'd be fishing along the Alabama Gulf Coast this month.

But the truth is, if you want to catch big fish, this is a good month for it. I'll be going inshore fishing in the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area, and I'm counting on finding some bull reds, which on average weigh between 15 and 20 pounds. I went on this same fishing trip this time last year, and in four hours the group I was with managed to catch more than 30 bull reds. It was the first time I was able to tell an "I caught a fish this big" story and actually had pictures to prove I was not exaggerating.

Read more about the bull reds and other fish that can be found along the Alabama Gulf Coast here: http://www.orangebeach.com/fishing/biting/.