Flatfish On The Bama Coast

The flounder: one of more popular and tasty fish found on our Gulf Coast. Here's where to find and how to catch them from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach.

By Phillip Gentry

The jig hit the water just inside the rip created by the current washing across the rocks along the seawall that my fishing partner, Jeff Chambliss, and I were targeting. I left the bail on the spinning reel open as the jig rolled along with the current on its way back toward Jeff's boat, which he held parallel to the wall with his trolling motor. I flipped the bail closed and started taking up slack, beginning to feel the bait as it bumped across the sandy bottom next to the rocks.

The bite was signaled by a distinct thump -- nothing more. No line-stripping run like a summertime redfish, no slash-and-grab like a speckled trout: just that thump. And then everything seemed normal.

Except that my line had stopped moving.

Quickly glancing up at Chambliss, a veteran inshore guide from Orange Beach, I remembered his earlier instructions about waiting for the fish to start chewing -- and after at least 10 seconds, I felt it. Maybe "chewing" isn't the right word, but that's sure what it felt like.

The fish had grabbed my jig as if it were an injured mullet being flung along by the current. Once it had a firm grasp on its prey, it settled back to the bottom while its dinner expired. The joke was on it, however: Its dinner wasn't dead -- merely playing the part.

As the unseen fish began devouring his meal, I tightened up the slack on my medium-weight All Star spinning rod and then arched back to cross my quarry's eyeballs with a long, backward sweep of the rod. The creature at the other end of my line exploded into action as the point of jig's hook drove home.

Lying flat on the bottom, the flounder has the laws of physics in its favor. Its broad, flat body can create enough drag to sometimes give the fish enough force to wrap the line around the closest obstacle and break it. Steady pressure on the head, however, angles a flounder's body like a Frisbee thrown into the wind -- and up it comes. After a brief struggle, the flounder's path altered to a course that eventually led it to a frying pan.

Continued on Alabama Game & Fish

New rules affecting shark fishing

By David Rainer | Clanton Advertiser

Published Monday, July 28, 2008

Have any idea how far away a bull shark can pick up a blood trail?

Believe it or not, it’s one mile. That’s right, 5,280 feet.

And that is one of the reasons there has been a change in the way anglers in Alabama can fish for sharks.

After tweaking the language in the regulation to ensure safe fishing practices would not be hindered, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division recently enacted a regulation to prohibit chumming or bloodbaiting for sharks in certain areas.

The regulation reads:

“It shall be unlawful within three hundred feet of the shoreline, or on a public pier, or on a private pier where an unsafe condition is created, on or in waters of Alabama under the jurisdiction of the Marine Resources Division as provided by Rule 220-2-.42, to fish for or target sharks or any species by those methods commonly known as ‘chumming’ or ‘bloodbaiting.’

Clinton Advertiser

New Recreational Gill Net License Sales to End

May 23, 2008

Contact: Vernon Minton 251-968-7576

Effective June 1, 2008, no new recreational gill net licenses will be issued under legislation passed during the 2008 Legislative session and signed by Gov. Bob Riley.

Act 2008-467 limits recreational gill net licenses to those persons who hold or purchase current recreational licenses by midnight May 31, 2008.

Also included in the legislation is a provision that if a license holder fails to renew the recreational gill net license each year, the license will be retired. In other words, this means that if you don’t have a valid recreational gill net license as of midnight May 31, 2008 and you do not renew it each year, you will never be able to buy one again.

The legislation also included a restriction on deployment of a recreational gill net. The new provision stipulates that a recreational gill net may be a maximum of 300 feet in length and shall be set only by wading, which is defined as walking on the bottom, swimming, or treading water.

Also, by current regulation, the net may not be set more than 300 feet from the natural shoreline.

The legislation also created a surcharge of up to $8 in addition to the normal charge for annual resident and nonresident saltwater recreational hook and line licenses. The surcharge will be zero from June 1 to Aug. 31, 2008 and the surcharge for the 2008-2009 license year will be $8 per license. The legislation stipulates these monies will be collected for five years and placed into a Marine Resources Restoration Fund to administer a voluntary program to acquire and retire commercial gill net permits of commercial gill net fishermen.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.

Wrapup from the Conservation board meeting

EUFAULA -- Members of the Conservation Advisory Board wrapped up a tight, tidy and efficient 2 1/2 hour meeting Saturday with a flurry of proposals including tightening of shark fishing regulations at Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.

A previous regulation issued last week included vague wording that has been clarified and tightened. Blood bait and chumming for sharks is prohibited within 300 feet of the shoreline, either from the beach or from a boat, and that includes bow fishing (from shore or boat).

"We don't want to put anyone in harm's way or negatively impact (legal) fishing," said Vernon Minton, chief of the Alabama Marine Resources Division. He and Maj. John Jenkins have met or talked with other Gulf of Mexico state agencies about trying to establish some kind of regulation to tighten shark fishing -- which can be a problem if people don't use common sense -- and said Florida's officials are interested in Alabama's regulation.

"We will be the first state with a workable solution that does not negatively impact legal fishing," Jenkins said.

Mobile Press-Register

Editor's Note: We have not seen the new regulation as it has been rewritten, but will publish it here as soon as it is availabe.

New Conservation Regulation Addresses Shark Fishing

CONTACT: David Dean
334-242-3165

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has implemented a new regulation regarding shark fishing. The regulation, signed by Commissioner M. Barnett Lawley, prohibits “chumming” or “bloodbaiting” for sharks within 300 feet of the shoreline or on a pier.

Chumming is defined as the throwing of bait or fish parts into the water to attract fish, while bloodbaiting is defined as the use of blood, chemical or synthetic attractants, fish parts, chicken parts or other animal parts to attract fish or sharks.

The regulation also makes it unlawful for any person to surf fish, bow fish or fish by any other means from any pier or beach in a manner that presents an unsafe condition to any beach goers, sunbathers, swimmers or any other person.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.OutdoorAlabama.com.

Editor's Note: We contacted Mr. David Dean with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for a clarification of the above press release. Mr. Dean told us that the new regulation were in no way intended to prevent people from Surf, or Pier Fishing for any species other than sharks.