Fishing and Fun Heating-Up on Alabama’s Gulf Coast This Spring and Summer
Day 1: April’s Pier Rat Picnic at Alabama’s Gulf State Park Pier
 If you’re planning a fishing trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast this year but don’t know how or where to fish or what baits to use, there’s no better place to learn than on Alabama’s Gulf State Park Pier, the longest pier on the Gulf of Mexico, at Gulf Shores, Ala. The Pier Rats, a group of fishermen who fish-off the Alabama Gulf State Park Pier almost every day, know the best fishing tackle and techniques for catching any species of fish that swims near the pier. These men and women are the real old salts of the sea with years of pier-fishing experience. They’re the pier masters.
 But the Pier Rats as they’re known are more than just seasoned pier-fishing anglers. They’re the hosts and the unofficial managers of the pier. They help enforce pier rules and aid anglers in catching and landing their fish. All the Pier Rats have carts with them with landing nets designed to land smaller fish caught from the pier, as well as three-pronged gaffs to help land monster-sized fish, like king mackerel and cobia. The Pier Rats also freely give knowledge and helpful suggestions to assist newcomers in catching fish off the Gulf State Park Pier. Anyone who wants to learn more about catching any type of fish or all the different species of fish from the pier can talk with one of the Pier Rats and learn everything they need to know. The unofficial mayor of the pier is Pete Aguon of Robertsdale, Alabama, who fishes there regularly. Aguon’s a giant in hospitality, and he’s always working to ensure the success of all who come to fish the pier. According to Aguon, “On April 30 this spring, we’ll have a Pier Rats picnic like a covered-dish supper.  Everyone will bring food and drinks, and we’ll spread the food out and have a great time of fellowship. The public’s welcome to fellowship with us, as long as they bring a dish to share.”
You’ll also meet Pier Mice on the Gulf State Park Pier – the young people who also are a part of the group at the pier. But just because they’re called Pier Mice doesn’t mean they’re inexperienced fishermen. They’re not. Most of them have landed more king mackerel, redfish, speckled trout, whiting, ground mullet, sheepshead, flounder, pompano and many-other species of fish from the pier than any other angler, with the exception of the Pier Rats. The Pier Mice’s goal is to gain enough knowledge on fishing and the rules and the etiquette of the pier to one day become a Pier Rat. The Pier Mice also will be participating in the Pier Rats’ picnic.  So, if you’ll be at Gulf Shores or Orange Beach April 30, prepare a covered dish, come to the pier, and plan to meet some of the best pier fishermen on the Upper Gulf Coast.
To learn more about fishing the Gulf State Park Pier, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, call 251-948-7275. For more information on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, go to www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com, call 1-800-745-SAND (7263), or write info@gulfshores.com
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