Editor’s Note: Red snapper are being caught off Alabama’s Gulf Coast within 1 mile of the beach. Captain Marty Starling operates a 24-foot boat, based out of Zeke’s Marina in Orange Beach, Ala. Because Starling knows his history and how to use a depth finder, he’s catching red snapper almost within rock-throwing distance of the beach at Orange Beach.
“I fish on old ballast stone that probably was dropped overboard when sailing ships came into the port at Mobile Bay to load-up all types of goods for transport to the North or to Europe,” Captain Starling says. "These sailing ships would use ballast stones to balance their loads, and when they were ready to load new shipments, the ballast stone was replaced with cargo. Over the years, these old stones have created an underwater wall. When the current hits that wall and is forced down, it removes the sand and creates a ledge just below the ballast stone where red snapper concentrate.
“My parties have caught red snapper off this ledge for about 2 or 3 years. On the second Saturday in November, Bill Arant of Birmingham, Ala., and Charlie Robertson of Memphis, Tennessee, fished with me on that little ledge, and they had a great trip. This one spot gives me a place to run to and catch red snapper close to port and within easy reach, even in rough seas. Although we don’t catch really-big snapper there, we can catch a legal limit of 2- to 4-pound red snapper.”
Sailing ships came to Alabama as early as 1540 when Hernando DeSoto sailed into Mobile Bay and set-up camp at what is now Fort Morgan. Because so-many goods and services came through the Port of Mobile, thousands of those early sailing ships, including merchant, war and pirate ships, roamed Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Most of those early sailing ships carried ballast stone, so a lot of it can be found near Alabama’s Coast line. Today’s anglers are finding red snapper near shore in the small shelves and channels created by the ballast stone on the bottom.
“We use 10-pound-test line and the same tackle we use to catch speckled trout and redfish to catch the red snapper,” Starling explains. “We’ve caught red snapper that would weigh as much as 10- to 12-pounds each on 10-pound-test monofilament line. We fish on a 30-foot-deep ledge that drops-off to 36 feet. A lot of live coral has built-up on the old ballast stone, which creates a small natural reef that holds red snapper. We’ve caught and released as many as 100 red snapper in a day of fishing from this small ledge. We bait with whole and cut cigar minnows, but we’ve caught our bigger snapper on the whole cigar minnow. In a 4-hour trip, we’ve caught 15 red snapper and released all but our limit.”
Starling mentions last weekend that they had a few triggerfish bites on this small reef, but they didn’t have the right baits or the right-sized hooks to catch them. “To catch triggerfish, you need squid or some type of cut bait that will stay longer on the hook than a cigar minnow will,” Starling advises.
Red snapper will hold on these types of ledges year-round. Starling reports catching snapper all year from this small ledge he’s pinpointed. Since the beginning of the special fall red snapper season, which runs until 12:01 am on November 22, he’s gone to this small reef and produced red snapper for his customers every weekend of red snapper season. “When red snapper season ends, instead of targeting snapper, we’ll be targeting redfish (red drum),” Starling mentions. “The best day to fish for red drum is any day you get a north wind, especially when you’ve had 2 or 3 days with a north wind.”
The red drum will weigh from 17- to 35-pounds each. Starling catches these big redfish on 10-pound-test line. Right now, anglers are having no problems catching redfish in Gulf Shores, Ala., from Gulf State Park Pier by trolling near-shore off Alabama’s Gulf Coast and by fishing off the beach. Red snapper season ends this weekend, and if you hadn’t had the chance to catch some of those beautiful red snapper, make plans to go.
To fish with Captain Marty Starling, call 866-2GO-BIG2, or visit www.big-fish-charter.com, or email him at captain@big-fish-charters.com. You can learn more about fishing Alabama’s Gulf Coast by calling Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism at 800-745-SAND (7263), or visiting Top 100+ Fishing Charters & Tours in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach.