October 26 2009 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) -How do you spend
your winter? Experiencing cooler weather, football games, hunting, busy
schedules, staying inside, Orange Beach fishing… Wait a minute. You
didn’t think that going to the beach and fishing just happened in the
summer? For many, it does. But for me, the fall and winter is about all
of the above and much more. I enjoy the
comfortable weather of fall and winter in Orange Beach and Gulf
Shores, Alabama. Give me some Alabama Gulf Coast gumbo, shrimp and fish
and I will give you a big smile. Add some Orange Beach bull redfish
fishing, and I will give you a yell. Catching 20 to 35 pound bull
redfish on light tackle by the beach, in calm seas, in the warm winter
sun, on the back deck of a nice comfortable boat, drinking Costa Rican
coffee, is just absolutely awesome. Take it from me, Captain Don
McPherson, owner and captain of Getaway Charters: Fall and winter can be
a blast.
It is October and the first big bull redfish have just appeared
along the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Each cold front that
arrives pushes bait out of the inland waters and out into the gulf. This
means redfish will be in search of this bait near shore. Many people
across the country think of a cold front as being horribly cold weather
with rain and snow. Well, since we are on the southern gulf coast, the
cold fronts will often weaken by the time they reach us. The outcome is
often just some nice cooler weather with temps in the 50’s and 60’s. Why
do I like Orange Beach fishing for big bull redfish in the winter? First
of all, there are just not many places I know of where you can catch
whopping 20 to 35- pound and larger fish, just off the beach. Calm seas
usually exist because the typical fall and winter north wind is blocked
by land and the row of condos along the beach. This is relaxing and
certainly takes the fear away from anyone who has thoughts of sea
sickness. We are always just a few minutes from the dock. These giant
fish can often be caught on a short trip from 3, 4 or 6 hours.
On a typical day, I depart from the marina with a cup of coffee in
my hand as we cruise toward the Gulf of Mexico where it all begins. I
enjoy watching customers take pictures and videos of pelicans and many
other birds diving as they search for their morning breakfast. Add a few
dolphins and you have an entertaining morning show before we even
arrive to the gulf. As we pass under the bridge, I am already gazing
through my binoculars as I search for any birds that may be diving into
a school of bait. This is often a sign of big bull redfish underneath,
pushing the bait to the surface. If I don’t see the right conditions
then we will place a few trolling lures behind the boat as we continue
down the beach in search of that giant school of redfish, everyone gets very relaxed as they do a
bit of sightseeing along the Gulf Shores beaches. All of a sudden, I see birds diving everywhere. This looks like the real thing. I yell for everyone to reel in the trolling lines. I don’t want to wait and take a chance of missing this bite. I throttle up the engines and race down the beach.
As we get closer, I get excited as I know what could happen. I
stop the boat just short of diving birds and bait is everywhere I look.
We are located. The water is red with giant redfish everywhere. We cast
into the school of redfish with light spinning tackle. It doesn’t take
long before we have two big redfish hooked on 20 pound test line. The
reel is screaming and this now becomes a team sport as everyone who does
not have a rod in hand is cheering the anglers on. I reach over and
turn down the XM satellite radio where we can all communicate. Everyone
has forgotten that their favorite football game was on. That is okay
too. Both rods are still bowed over as the excitement continues on the
back deck. I have to grab my camera and take a few snapshots. Both fish
are finally netted. Everyone else rushes to take more pictures as we
release these fish safely into the water to live on to give someone else
the same excitement one day. We promote catch and release with these bull redfish, but they are tasty grilled or blackened. It is always your choice to keep or release. As I look around, I still see redfish everywhere. We are casting jigs and now a topwater plug along the surface. Someone yells, as a big redfish explodes on the surface attacking this topwater lure. The fish is hooked and there must be a dozen more chasing behind. Oh wow!
As many times as I have seen this, my heart still races at this awesome sight of a giant school of redfish. We have caught and released several big fish and it is time to travel to the dock. After a short ride, we are back at the dock and it is not even 12 noon. Guess it is time to watch some football on the big screen and enjoy the gumbo, shrimp and fish. I am now smiling, and oh yeah, I did yell when I saw the big school of redfish on the surface.
If you would like to book a fall or winter redfish charter or just view
my Orange Beach fishing reports and pics, you may go to my website
Orange Beach Fishing for Bull Redfish
