This week’s Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report featured Captain Ben Knight, Cooper Garmeson, and Jim Cox. The big theme this week was that spring fishing is getting better by the day on the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan side, with pompano showing up in force, quality trout and flounder mixing in, and surf anglers finding steady action close to the beach. The episode also highlighted the upcoming Destin Boat Show, which is shaping up to be a major addition to the Gulf Coast boat show calendar.
Conditions Recap
Conditions on the east side of Alabama’s coast continue to look different than what anglers often see farther west in Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound. Water clarity has been a major advantage around Orange Beach and Fort Morgan, especially on the incoming tide and in the surf, where cleaner water has helped pompano, trout, and flounder settle into more recognizable spring patterns.
Wind has still been a factor, but not enough to shut things down. Captain Ben Knight said the pompano bite has been best once the sun gets a little higher and anglers can more easily work those current seams around Perdido Pass. Cooper Garmeson also said the surf water around Fort Morgan has been beautiful lately, with only the wind causing much trouble. The overall picture this week is that spring is clearly building, bait is showing, and several different fisheries are opening up at once.
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Inshore Report
Pompano, trout, flounder, and bridge redfish report with Captain Ben Knight
Captain Ben Knight said the pompano bite has been the highlight of the past couple of weeks, and by his account it has been one of the best runs he has seen in years. He said these fish are showing up in big schools around the jetties and feeding well on both incoming and outgoing tide, though the incoming has been a little better overall. Ben typically starts his mornings farther back in the bay, then slides out toward the jetties once the sun gets higher and those fish get easier to target.
For anglers fishing live bait, Ben said a simple Carolina rig with a lighter lead, fluorocarbon leader, and a small J-hook has been very effective. He likes to use smaller live shrimp because pompano have small mouths and tend to eat those better than the larger shrimp trout and redfish often prefer. Around the jetties, he is looking for current seams, swirls, and edges where water is rolling around the rocks. On the outgoing tide, he likes to set up down-current and throw up into the flow, while on the incoming tide he often positions a little differently and lets the current bring the bait back around to fish that are staged off the rocks rather than directly on them.
Ben also spent a lot of time breaking down how to catch pompano on jigs, which is something many anglers still associate more with the beach than the boat. Once he knows fish are there and feeding, he likes to switch from shrimp to pompano jigs for clients or for himself if conditions allow. He said green and pink have both worked well, and he fishes them by casting up-current, letting them sink, then giving them a few pops before letting them fall again. Most bites happen on the drop. He described the strike as a couple quick taps or a sudden stop that feels like the jig hit something, but once that happens the fish usually already has it.
Bluefish have been enough of a bycatch problem around the jetties that anglers should expect to lose a few jigs, but Ben said that is just part of it when the bite is good and multiple species are mixed in. He still sees the jig bite as one of the most fun ways to target pompano, especially for anglers who prefer artificials.
Flounder are also beginning to show up in encouraging numbers. Ben said they are not the main target on most of his trips right now, but they have been a regular bonus fish while throwing shrimp and fishing around the structure. He is seeing enough keeper fish to feel good about where that bite is headed, and he believes the recent stocking and management efforts are helping. On his side of the bay, he said it is nice to see those fish showing up this early and with this kind of consistency.
Trout are also improving around the grass beds and surrounding areas, with some quality fish showing up in the lower bay and around the islands. Ben said he has been catching good trout in that 21- to 22-inch range, especially early, and although there are still plenty of smaller fish around, the better fish are starting to mix in more often. He also pointed out that many of the pompano he has cleaned recently have been full of roe, a reminder that the spring spawn is a big part of why they are stacked up and feeding the way they are.
For anglers looking for something heavier, Ben said the residential overslot redfish around the bridge are still there as usual. As the water warms, shrimp get harder to keep away from bait-stealers like pinfish and small mangroves, so he has been keying more on live alewives. He rigs them on heavier Carolina rigs with a larger circle hook and lets them drift naturally through the legal down-current zones around the pilings. His advice on those fish is simple: let them eat. Those redfish often need a second to really get the bait, and anglers who jerk too early are likely to pull it away before the hook ever has a chance to do its job.
Surf Fishing Report
Fort Morgan surf report with Cooper Garmeson
Cooper Garmeson joined the show with a strong Fort Morgan surf report and a fun reminder that good fish do not always require a boat. Cooper has already built an impressive reputation as a young angler with multiple junior world records, but on this episode he focused on the simple spring surf bite he and his family have been enjoying during spring break.
He said they have been catching a lot of whiting, along with a trout, flounder, Spanish mackerel, and a few hardheads. The setup has been straightforward: fresh dead shrimp paired with Fishbites, including sand flea flavor, on a homemade rig that has been producing consistently. Cooper said they have been using both one-hook and two-hook versions and have not seen a huge difference between them overall.
One of the more useful details from his report was where those fish have been holding. Cooper said the whiting bite has been best up close in the trough, while the bigger fish have generally come from baits cast farther out past the sandbar. He also noted that the surf water has been very clear lately, with wind being the main thing that has dirtied it up at all. That cleaner water and mild temperature seem to be helping multiple species feed along the beach.
Cooper also mentioned using brightly colored floats on the rigs, particularly neon green and hot pink, though he said neither color seemed to have a clear edge over the other. The overall takeaway from his segment was that surf anglers around Fort Morgan have a lot to work with right now, especially if they are willing to keep things simple and fish the trough along with the outer bar.
Destin Boat Show Spotlight
Preview of the Destin Boat Show with Jim Cox
Jim Cox joined the show to talk about the new Destin Boat Show, which will run May 1-3 at Sunset Isle Yacht Club and Marina on Okaloosa Island. Jim said the show has been a long time coming, with dealers wanting a true boat show in the Destin market for years. A trial run in the fall helped prove there was real demand, and now the spring event is set to become the final stop on the Gulf Coast boat show circuit.
What stood out most from Jim’s segment was how well this show seems designed for the Destin market itself. He emphasized that Destin is not just a hardcore fishing town or just a leisure-boating town. It is both. That means the show is expected to include a wide range of boats, from center consoles and bay boats to tritoons, luxury boats, and other family-oriented options. Jim said that variety matches the way people actually use boats in that part of the coast, where a single boat may need to fish, cruise, sandbar hop, and entertain all in the same week.
He also talked about why a boat show like this is valuable for buyers. The benefit is not just finding a deal. It is getting the chance to compare several different boats in one place and ask detailed questions of people who really know them. Jim made the point that little things can make a big difference in how much someone actually enjoys owning a boat, and a show gives buyers the chance to step aboard, look closely, and figure out what really fits their lifestyle.
For families, the show is also being built to feel more accessible and enjoyable than a quick walk-through of a crowded sales lot. Jim said the venue offers easy access, wide docks, and room to move around, and the event will include food, drinks, fishing seminars from Half Hitch, kid-friendly activities, and coastal lifestyle vendors in addition to the boats themselves. He described it as a show that should appeal not only to hardcore boat shoppers but also to anyone who enjoys the broader Gulf Coast boating lifestyle.
What to Expect This Week
The best near-term trend in this report is that multiple spring bites are clearly strengthening at once. Pompano are the headline species right now on the east side of the Alabama coast, and Ben Knight made it sound like anglers should take advantage of that while the bite is this strong. At the same time, trout and flounder are both improving, and the Fort Morgan surf is offering a very good mix of action for anglers who want to fish from the beach.
If the water stays clean and the weather gives anglers a few more decent windows, there should be plenty of reasons to fish the lower coast over the next week. This is one of those spring stretches when the number of available options starts to become one of the best parts of the report.
