11-02-2010, 04:10 PM
Captain Don McPherson on the charter boat "Getaway" had a 12-hour trip with five people at the end of October. "We caught some really nice-sized amberjacks up to 30- to 40-pounds. Our red snapper weighed from 8- to 10-pounds each, and we had one that weighed 13 pounds."
When we asked McPherson what was the secret to catching red snapper out in the Gulf of Mexico right now in November, he just grinned and said, "Just put a bait in the water. The red snapper are really hungry right now, and they'll take just about any bait you drop down to them."
McPherson likes to fish live pinfish and whole dead cigar minnows for red snapper. However, the snapper bite at the Gulf has been so good this fall that some folks say you more than likely can catch red snapper if you only put a worn-out piece of bubblegum on the hook. The special fall snapper season runs until 12:01 am on the 22nd of November, and you can catch and keep a limit of red snapper on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during that time.
"We also caught about a 20-pound king mackerel on the way out to the snapper grounds," McPherson reports. The king mackerel and Spanish mackerel fishing has been exceptional this fall, not only for the charter-boat fishermen, but also for the anglers fishing Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores, Ala. Fishermen have caught vermilion snapper, triggerfish and white snapper in great numbers on the weekends and during the week. You can catch and keep these species all the time.
The amberjack fishing has been at an all-time record high this fall in the Gulf of Mexico. Numbers of amberjacks in phenomenal sizes have been caught, including 40- and 50-pounders coming to the dock at Orange Beach, Ala. During this special fall season, the catching of 15- to 20-pound red snapper really hasn't raised any eyebrows.
The special fall red snapper season held on the Upper Gulf Coast has been a tremendous success from Louisiana all the way to the Florida Panhandle. Once anglers realized that all the fish in the open zones had been certified as, "good to eat," anglers returned to the Gulf Coast in high numbers. These anglers were greeted with bent lines, screaming drags, big red snapper, whopper-size amberjacks and wahoo that would spool 300 yards of line off before they'd slow down.
To catch numbers of big fish, including the species we've mentioned, now is the time to head to Alabama's Gulf Coast at Orange Beach, Ala. To fish with Captain Don McPherson, contact him at Getaway Charters at 251-981-8047, or visit his webpage at www.getawaygulffishing.com. To learn more about fishing the Gulf State Park Pier, which is open 7 days a week, 24 hours day, call 251-967-FISH (3474). For more information on fishing guides and charter boats, lodging accommodations, restaurants and entertainment on Alabama's Gulf Coast, call Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism at 800-745-SAND (7263), or visit www.orangebeach.com. You also can get a fishing report three times each week by visiting the "What's Biting?" column at www.orangebeach.com/fishing/biting/
When we asked McPherson what was the secret to catching red snapper out in the Gulf of Mexico right now in November, he just grinned and said, "Just put a bait in the water. The red snapper are really hungry right now, and they'll take just about any bait you drop down to them."
McPherson likes to fish live pinfish and whole dead cigar minnows for red snapper. However, the snapper bite at the Gulf has been so good this fall that some folks say you more than likely can catch red snapper if you only put a worn-out piece of bubblegum on the hook. The special fall snapper season runs until 12:01 am on the 22nd of November, and you can catch and keep a limit of red snapper on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during that time.
"We also caught about a 20-pound king mackerel on the way out to the snapper grounds," McPherson reports. The king mackerel and Spanish mackerel fishing has been exceptional this fall, not only for the charter-boat fishermen, but also for the anglers fishing Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores, Ala. Fishermen have caught vermilion snapper, triggerfish and white snapper in great numbers on the weekends and during the week. You can catch and keep these species all the time.
The amberjack fishing has been at an all-time record high this fall in the Gulf of Mexico. Numbers of amberjacks in phenomenal sizes have been caught, including 40- and 50-pounders coming to the dock at Orange Beach, Ala. During this special fall season, the catching of 15- to 20-pound red snapper really hasn't raised any eyebrows.
The special fall red snapper season held on the Upper Gulf Coast has been a tremendous success from Louisiana all the way to the Florida Panhandle. Once anglers realized that all the fish in the open zones had been certified as, "good to eat," anglers returned to the Gulf Coast in high numbers. These anglers were greeted with bent lines, screaming drags, big red snapper, whopper-size amberjacks and wahoo that would spool 300 yards of line off before they'd slow down.
To catch numbers of big fish, including the species we've mentioned, now is the time to head to Alabama's Gulf Coast at Orange Beach, Ala. To fish with Captain Don McPherson, contact him at Getaway Charters at 251-981-8047, or visit his webpage at www.getawaygulffishing.com. To learn more about fishing the Gulf State Park Pier, which is open 7 days a week, 24 hours day, call 251-967-FISH (3474). For more information on fishing guides and charter boats, lodging accommodations, restaurants and entertainment on Alabama's Gulf Coast, call Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism at 800-745-SAND (7263), or visit www.orangebeach.com. You also can get a fishing report three times each week by visiting the "What's Biting?" column at www.orangebeach.com/fishing/biting/