Overnight Tuna Trip

April 13, 2010 in Action Charter Service, Alabama, Fishing Report, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Orange Beach

Hey guys, just as I expected we had a great trip. The weather was supposed to be fair on Saturday and then get better on Sunday and it did, but I think it could have been a little better on Saturday, it was a little too bumpy and rolling. The waves were only 1-3 feet but we had to ride out “in the trough.” Sunday was as good as it gets; slick calm, no wind, no current and the fish were biting.

Saturday we started off catching some White Snappers, Triggers, Mingo’s and some Real Nice Amberjacks. Some were in the 60-70 pound range. We did troll out and back but the water is still so cold that we didn’t get a bite. After catching some AJ’s we went on out to the deep water rigs starting with the Petronius. We arrived about an hour before dark and put the Ballyhoo out on the slow trollers and pulled around the rig. Right off jump street, we got a double hook up. Two Black Fin Tuna. I told my deck hand Eric to pull the lines in and let us try some jigging if they were going to bite this good. He already had the poles out and rigged up so we pulled up to the rig and started jigging. We caught a few kind of hit and miss and decided to go on out to the next rig offshore, (the Marlin) and try it for some Yellow Fin Tuna before it got too late. After high Speed trolling out there it was dark when we arrived so we tried jigging even though I didn’t see any fish on the fathometer. No luck, they just weren’t there. So, we hauled butt down to the next rig (Ram Powell) to see if they were there. The report I got from another captain just the week before was that this was the only place they did any good. So with high hopes we pulled up to the rig and made a pass around it to see what we could see on the fathometer. Nothing! Not a single dot on the meter. No bait on top or fish below. At this point I made an executive decision and decided to go all the way back up to the first rig we left, the Petronius, where they were biting. We used this time to enjoy the Extra Large Filet Mignon that our customers from Birmingham, AL brought with them along with all the fixin’s from there restaurant. It didn’t last long, as a matter of fact if one of my deck hands hadn’t brought me a few small pieces I wouldn’t have gotten any, it went so fast. After we returned back up to the first rig, we jigged some more and caught several more Black Fin Tuna. However, everyone was spent by then, especially after that good meal. So we pulled out from the rig, dropped a squid over for a sword fish and caught forty winks. We woke up around 5:00 a.m. and returned back to the rig after having some coffee where we resumed jigging and ended up catching several more fish. By now the weather was absolutely beautiful. We fished our way back to the dock that evening and celebrated what a great trip we had.

Now the Cobia are running and we are tying on our ling lures. We have Cost Guard Inspection on Monday and right after that, I’M GONE! Check with me next week to get the whole story on the Cobia Run!

Fishing Orange Beach – Cold-Front Catch

April 14, 2009 in Action Charter Service, Alabama, Fishing Report, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach

Fishing Orange Beach - Cold-Front Catch

We don’t like it when it gets cold, but the fish don’t seem to mind most times. As a matter of fact, they seem to notice the change in barometric pressure and go on a feeding frenzy. As the high pressure center approaches it draws in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico with low pressure. As the pressure drops the fish sense it and knowing of the impending change begin to feed. This gives us a chance for some great opportunities to catch the big one. We also remember to consider the tidal flow when planning your trip. In our area some of the best spots for bait are, under the bridge at the sea wall, out at the end of the rock jetties, on the point in the grass beads, generally somewhere there is a change in structure to give the bait somewhere to duck in and hide while being washed down stream. Remember, live bait is always preferred for offshore fishing for the big ones. If you have any questions that I can help with please call me @ 1-888-558-3889 or e-mail me CatCharters@FishOrangeBeach.Net.

-Captain George Pfieffer

Repeat Performances

July 7, 2008 in Action Charter Service, Alabama, Fishing Report, Gulf of Mexico

With Action Charter Service, consistency is the key to success. The good weather, calm seas and hungry fish are all consistent as well as our catches lately. We’ve had the good fortune of good weather and great anglers who have been bringing in the fish. Amberjack are plentiful offshore around 40 to 50 miles and a few Cobia have been showing up on the deep water wrecks.

We stop in the mornings and catch our live bait just offshore before we go out. Hard tails, green Elwys, and Cigar Minnows are still plentiful around the pass. As for the deep water fish, Scamp and Grouper are still holding strong in about 250 feet of water. The extremely large Vermilion Snapper (or Mingos) have slowed a little bit but are still in good numbers. As usual, they still prefer cut squid or small live bait like Cigar Minnows. We use small circle hooks in the deep water because it is so hard to feel them bite, it seems to help the customers land the fish in the boat.

King Mackerel, Bonita, Jack Cravelle and Spanish Mackerel are all biting good on the four hour trolling trips close to shore and out about five to six miles. We use small clark spoons and a number 2 planer with about a twelve foot leader and troll at about 5-6 knots. Most of the fish are holding around some of the wrecks but there are schools swimming out in the open water close to the beach. Just look for the birds, they’ll always show you where the fish are.

Check out our catches below and come fishing on the C.A.T. Boat with Captain George Pfeiffer!