Surf Fishing Dauphin Island - skypig Fishing Dauphin Island The Unofficial Guide. Surf fishing on Dauphin Island can be challenging and rewarding. Diversity of fish and diversity of

Surf Fishing Dauphin Island

The Unofficial Guide

Surf fishing on Dauphin Island can be challengingand rewarding. Diversity of fish and diversity ofsurf fishing locations and conditions provide fishingopportunities for everyone from families that want to take the kids out to catch their first fishy tothe experienced angler looking to land a Bull Red.

Hopefully, this guide will provide you with someof the how to’s, where at’s and what with’s to getyour line wet on Dauphin Island. This guide is not acomprehensive guide to all saltwater fishing rather it is a edited collection of post, tips and insightsmostly found on the Arkansas Fats’ Dauphin IslandBBS found at: www.di-bbs.com. Fishing folks, beingsome of the friendliest people in the world, arealways willing to share what is working for them.So if you don’t find the answers you are lookingfor here, ask the person standing next to you at thebeach, pier or sitting out by the jetties. You willprobably learn more in five minutes talking with alocal than you will in reading this guide.

Tight lines!

(*This guide is not an endorsement any retailer or product. Links provided are for the purpose of information or illustration only.)

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Basic Fishing Tackle

Immediately after each and every time you go fishing in salt water, throughly rinse the salt and sand from your reels in fresh water then generously oil and lube.

You don’t need to buy specialized surf tackle to enjoy beach fishing unless you’re going for big fish like Bull Redfish, Rays or Sharks. Most fish that are easy to catch in the surf are less than 3 pounds and lessthan 100' from shore when the surf is calm. Some of the piers on DauphinIsland rent basic tackle. In addition to rods and reels, consider some creaturecomforts. Make a sand spike from a 3 1/2 foot piece of 2” pvc. Cut the bottom off at 45°. Push into the sand about 12” and the spike will hold your rod. Now all you need is a chair, cooler and bait.

Rods and reels can run the full scale of prices, and you usually get what youpay for. Zebco® makes combo packages for around $50.00 and you caneasily spend $200.00 to $300.00 for a rod and reel from Penn®. Below aresome guides to help you select three basic outfits. You can supply the dollaramount and go shopping.

Three Basic Outfits:

1.) A LIGHT SPINNING RIG 8 lb line on a 6 1/2' to 8' rod. With this rig you can usually reach any of theschooling species of Jacks, Bluefish, Mackerel and Sea Trout using a variety of lures like white or yellow 1/2 ounce leadhead jig with a hair tail, or one ofthe plastic minnow imitations in a silvery color

2.)BOTTOM FISHING RIGA 7 to 8 foot rod with 8 lb to 12 lb line. A half ounce to one ounce egg weight is enough when the surf is calm, but will likely need a pyramid sinker of atleast two ounces if there is much surf running. Use 1/2 of a fresh deadshrimp or a slice of fresh dead fish on the bottom with a medium sized 4/0 circle hook. You will likely catch Catfish (be careful) but also Whiting, GroundMullet, and even an occasional Pompano.

3.) THE “BIG RIG”An 8' to whatever sized surf fishing rod capable of casting a piece of dead orsmall live fish out about 100 yards. 40 lb braided Spiderwire® line with 50 lb to100 lb steel braided leaders and a 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook with all the lead yourrod will handle with bait. Use fish heads, cut or whole fish to bait. Keep yourdrag set light, and don’t jerk the hook when you get a bite, just reel and letthe hook set itself.

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Fishing Line

There is a wide range of fishing line available. In general, 8 lb to 10 lbmonofilament line with a 40 lb monofilament leader can be used for the smaller fish. For larger “toothy” fish like Mackerel or Shark,use the heaviest braided line your rod will handle, Spiderwire® is recommended, with a 50 lb to 100 lb steel leader.

Knot Tying

Regardless of the price or quality of your equipment, at the end of the day ifyou can’t keep a hook on, you have no fish. Each fisherman has a favorite knot and a favorite way to tie that knot so be sure to explore knot tying. For starters though, the Palomar is the easiest and strongest to hold terminal tackle and it is a great knot to introduce kids to knot tying.

1. Pass the line through the eye of the hook then back out of the eye of the hook forming a 4 inch loop. Let the hook hang loose.

2. Tie an overhand knot in the doubled line. Don’t twist or tighten the line.3. Pull the loop far enough to pass it completely over the hook.4. Wet the line.5. Hold the hook carefully, and pull the loose end with the standing

line slowly to tighten the loose end.

Natural and Live Baits

Always use the freshest bait you can get.

Live shrimpLive shrimp is always a good bet. Use under a float for a variety of fishincluding Speckled Trout, Spanish Mackerel and Bonitas.

Dead shrimpUse large whole shrimp for big fish. Use a toothpick and straighten outwhole dead shrimp, it makes them look alive and the fish hit them better.Smaller shrimp pieces work fine for small fish.

Frozen shrimpBuy frozen or fresh shrimp, shrimp for human consumption is better. Peel, cleanand cut the shrimp into two or three pieces. Spread out the pieces andliberally sprinkle with salt. This toughens the shrimp. Put the shrimp in aZiploc® bag and put it in the freezer until you're ready to use it. By the time you reach the beach it will be thawed. Frozen shrimp catches lots off fish,especially Croakers, Blue Runners, Pompano, Pinfish, Sheepshead,Spadefish, Speckled Trout, White Trout and Whiting

SquidYou can buy squid at most of the local bait stores and grocery stores. The whole white squid is recommended. Squid comes in 1 and 3 pound boxes of whole squid. You can either put the entire squid on the hook or cut it into cross-sections. All fish like squid so you are liable to catch anything from Shark to Bluefish to Catfish.

Live Fish and MinnowsLive Pin Fish and Croakers are good during the summer for Speckled Trout.Bull minnows can be very effective for Flounder. Finger Mullet can be caught if you are good with a cast net or they can be purchased locally atmost bait shops. Ladyfish are caught for bait right out of the surf usinga 2” chrome spoon.

Cut FishIf you have some big gear for big fish like Bull Reds and Sharks, use fishheads, cut or whole bait with a 8/0 or 9/0 circle hook and all the lead yourrod will handle with the bait. Keep your drag set light, and don’t jerk thehook when you get a bite, just reel and let the hook set itself. Fish either inthe surf or try the jetties by Ft Gains. For cut bait use, Bluefish, Ladyfish,Whiting, and Pinfish, in that order.

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Lures

You can use soft plastics, jigs, hard lures and spoons effectively in the surfbut usually the surf needs to be really calm and the water fairly clear. It’soften best to wade out into the water when fishing from the beach. The trickwith using lures is to cast as far out as possible, let it sink to the bottom andgive it a slow yet erratic retrieve that keeps the lure near the bottom, unlessyou see fish striking the surface. Below are lures that have been used andrecommended with positive fishing result on Dauphin Island.

Plastic shad on jig head. Sliver or White

Leadhead jig with a hair tail - White or Yellow 1/2 ounce If you’re looking for a bit of variety, and a good fight, you can use mediumrange tackle to fish lures for Jacks (Ladyfish) at night and Blue Runners duringthe day. All you need is some 1/4 to 1/2 ounce leadhead jigs on a single ortwin 'speck rig' 1/8 oz leadhead jigs with a monofilament leader. Jig headswork well under the lights at the pier for Ladyfish. They also work pretty wellduring the day and catch a variety of gamefish including Seatrout, Red Fishand Flounder. Work them slower and deeper during the day.

Mirrolures - http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...5-_-mirrolures

Skitterwalk – http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...=SearchResults

Gotchas - http://www.seastriker.com/gotcha/

SpoonsGold or Silver 3/4 ounce.

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HooksCircle hooks prevent the fish from throwing the hooks. Use 1/0 to 4/0 circlehooks for smaller fish. Use 9/0 circle hooks for Bull Reds or Shark.

FloatRecommend small, medium or large painted styrofoam floats rather thanround bobbers because fish don't feel as much resistance pulling themunder. You may have to adjust the depth depending on where you are fishing.Use a float to suspend the bait for species like Pinfish and Spadefish, smallbut fun, about like saltwater ‘bream’. Also, floats are a good way to keep livebait like shrimp away from Croakers and crabs so gamefish can find them.

LeadersFor smaller fish a 45 lb monofilament line with a snap swivel works fine. Large“toothy” fish like Sharks require 50 lb to 100 lb steel braid leaders so that yourline is not cut.

Weights/SinkersA 2 oz pyramid weight is commonly used, but depending on the roughnessof the surf you can change the size. If the surf is breaking rough use a 3 oz or 4 oz weight. The pyramid design causes the weight to dig into the sandfloor and not be affected by the waves.

There are a couple of ways to attach the weight. The first is to attach the lineto the leader by running the line through the loop at the top of the weightand then tying it directly to the loop at the end of the leader. By doing this itallows the weight to slide on the line. This allows the baited hook to move inthe surf and when a fish hits the bait it doesn't feel the weight. The secondway, you must build your own leaders. Run the leader line through the weight before you create the loops on either end and attach the leadersleeves. Again, this allows the weight to slide on the leader and has a better chance of not rubbing the line.

PYRAMID SINKER

Pyramid sinkers are ideally suitedfor beach surf fishing. The topcorners of the weight help it holdposition in the sand.

EGG SINKER

Rounded Egg Sinkers are ideallysuited for use inshore or near thepier or jetties. The rounded endsare less likely to get hung up onrocks and snags than a pyramid.

OFFSHORE ANGLER® SURF SINKERS

Great for beach surf. Copper“legs” dig into the sand but easilyrelease when you are reeling in.

WIRE RIG SURF SINKERS FROMBREAKAWAY TACKLE®. Very strong, good even forSharks, great for distance.http://www.breakawayusa.com/

Game Fish

Your basic set up and baits work great for catching quantities of fish likeCroakers in the bay and White Trout and Ground Mullet from the Gulf Pier.

Gafftopsail Catfish and Hardhead CatfishIn dirty water you’ll get Catfish, in clean water you’ll get Catfish, in any waterunfortunately, you get Catfish. Beware of the barbs! The barbs of theHardhead Catfish are reportedly venomous and can pack a painful sting ifyou get barbed. It is also reported that if you are barbed by a HardheadCatfish, the slimy under belly is a natural anti-venom that can be rubbed intothe wound.

BluefishBait: Artificial lures (small spoons, feather lures, metal spoons and squids,surface plugs) and cut bait.Where and how to Catch: Trolling or casting to schools of fish with artificiallures; surfcasting and bottom fishing with cut bait; surfcasting with artificiallures in Gulf waters, surf, and around passes.Season: March - November

Cobia/ LingBait: Live bait (Pinfish, Mullet, Silver Eels); artificial lures (large spoons, whitebucktails, plastic eels, swimming plugs); cut bait (Menhaden or Cigar Minnows).Where and how to Catch: Cast, drift or slow troll live baits around buoys,floating and underwater obstructions and schools of fish swimming on thesurface; anchor, chum and fish live baits, fresh dead baits and cut bait in

chum slick; cast and troll lures around buoys, floating obstructions and toschools, pods or individual cobia swimming on surface. Offshore reefs andcaught along Gulf beaches in the surf zone when migrating, usually mid-March.Many fish are caught by sighting the fish on the surface and casting to them.Season: March - October, Peak: mid May – mid September

Atlantic CrokerCroakers are primarily bottom feeders.Bait: Cut bait, squid, dead shrimpWhere and how to Catch: Bottom fishing with dead or cut bait, anchored ordrifting from boats. Also caught from piers, docks, shore in Mobile Bay, tributary rivers, coastal bays, coastal Gulf waters, inlets.Season: April - October

Red FishRedfish run the gulf side on a calm day, but they are few and very far between.Locals have been seen pulling in huge Redfish in from the pier and alongthe jetties on the east end of Dauphin Island near Ft. Gaines late eveninginto early night time using cut bait like a piece of croaker. Bait: Cut bait fresh Mullet, Croaker, Menhaden, crabs, artificial lures -spoons, large plugs, jigs.Where and how to Catch: Bottom fishing, trolling and casting spoons, plugsand jigs. Surfcasting with bait on barrier island beaches and bait fishingalong interior seaside marshes; bait fishing in Mobile Bay along EasternShore and oyster reefs and shoal areas at the mouth of the Bay; trolling andcasting artificial lures for large “bull” reds.Season: All Year

FlounderBait: Live bait (bull minnows and small croakers), artificial lures (bucktails);big strip baits and live Croaker or small Mullet or Croakers often used for bigfish in lower Mobile Bay.Where and how to Catch: Drift fishing with live or dead natural baits fishedon the bottom; slow trolling natural baits on bottom; jigging with live baitalong jetties, casting from beaches and piers; trolling small bucktails dressedwith strip baits (especially for big fish in lower Mobile Bay); and jigging along all coastal shorelines on dark moon in calm waters. Coastal bays and inlets;Mobile Bay area; lower Mobile Bay;Season: April - October; peak May-July on Eastern Shore, Peak June -October in Mobile Bay

Kingfish/Whiting/Ground MulletRange from 9-12", fight hard and taste good. Medium to medium light spincastor spinning tackle, 8-10 lb. line. Rig Carolina style with a 1/4 to 1/2 oz. eggor bullet sinker above a 15-18" leader of 8-10 lb. line, not wire! Tie a 4/0 goldAberdeen hook. Make sure your drag will give a little. Use frozen shrimp forbait working it pretty slow and steady across the bottom, they're bottomfeeders. If they're there, they'll bite. Whiting bite best early and late in theday and in clear water but Ground mullet don’t mind when the water is swiftor dingy. Stand at the edge of the water and toss the bait out; you don’t have to cast far. Reel back slowly. Put the fish you catch in a bucket of water.Don’t leave them in too long before you clean them.Bait: Dead shrimp, small pieces of cut bait, squid fished on bottom.Where and how to Catch: Whiting (Gulf Kingfish) are caught in the surf andoff piers and lower portions of the bays, including lower bay piers. Ground Mullet (Southern Kingfish) are caught on the inshore artificial reefsand around oyster reefs and tidal river mouths. Night fishing is productive.Season: May – September

LadyfishBait: Cut strips, small live fish or live shrimp. Ready strikers on artificial luresof appropriate size; jigs and small top water plugs rate high as do poppingbugs and small white streamer flies.Where and how to Catch: At night schools of ladyfish are attracted to thebaitfish swimming under the pier lights and are an easy target. Even thoughthey are not good eating, they are great gamefish (averaging about 1 1/2 to2 pounds) and will make multiple runs and leaps attributing to their nickname“poor man’s tarpon”. They make a fun ‘distraction’ while fishing for Ground Mullet and White Trout. Ladyfish are also make an excellent cut fish bait.Season: Year round

King MackerelBait: Cigar minnows; artificial lures; spoons, feather lures, nylon jigs. Slowtrolling, drifting or anchoring with live bait; Mullet, Pinfish, Menhaden, trollingwith artificial lures, trip bait and balaoWhere and how to Catch: Coastal and offshore Gulf waters, particularlyaround wrecks, rigs, obstructions, ledges, lumps and other “structure”; and off Gulf inlets. drifting live or cut bait, sometimes around shrimp boats or gasplatforms or by trolling. Both natural and artificial baits can be used for trolling.Season: May - October; peak August - middle September

Spanish MackerelBait: Small artificial lures; spoons, metal lures, feather and nylon lures, smalllive baits; scaled sardines, mullet.Where and how to Catch: Trolling; casting to schools of fish. Coastal Gulfwaters, particularly off inlets, along tide lines, fish under feeding birds. Lures for Spanish mackerel work best with a high speed retrieve. Best color luresare silver, white, and gold. Spanish readily take live shrimp or bait fish. Short wire leaders will prevent these toothy fish from cutting your line. Blackswivels should be used or the Mackerel will strike at the swivel and cut your line.Season: May - September, Peak: July - August

PinfishBait: Cut shrimp, fish or bits of bacon. Small jigs on ultra-light spinning rod.Where and how to Catch: Pinfish swarm over grass flats, rocks and bars.Season: All Year.

PompaonBait: Mole Crabs “sand fleas”, small bucktails, plastic tail jigs.

Where and how to Catch: Pompano frequent the surf zone right where thewaves break in “suds” on the beach. feeding on the sand fleas that live inthis high energy area. Live sand fleas fished on bottom in surf zone with a1/0 or 2/0 hook weighted with a very small split shot along Gulf beaches.Flip the baited hook in this area and allow it to be carried with the current.Season: May - October; Peak: July - August.

Seatrout – Sand and Silver (White trout)Bait: Small pieces of cut bait, dead shrimp or squid fished on bottom.Where and how to Catch: White trout are caught on piers, around oysterreefs. Often, night fishing is most productive.Season: May - November - Peak: June and July.

Seatrout – SpeckledBait: Artificial lures; mirror-sided plugs, bucktails, plastic tail jigs, live baitfish; Croakers, Mullet, Menhaden; live shrimp.Where and how to Catch: Along Gulf beaches in March. Spring method: liveshrimp or Croakers fished near shore of marshy or grassy areas and aroundoyster reefs, inshore artificial reefs, rock jetties and shoal areas on floodingtides; Late Fall/Winter method in rivers and above Mobile Bay Causeway(deep holes, drop-offs, channels): casting artificial lures and also live baitfishing, trolling and jigging. Spring: estuaries; submerged grass flats andinshore artificial reefs.Season: All Year.

SharksBait: Squid. Whole dead fish and cut fish. Live bait; fishWhere and how to Catch: Anchor, chum and fish dead and live fish baits in chum slick and on bottom. Seaside coastal waters and around passesand inlets.Season: March - November

SAND SHARKSHARPNOSE SHARK

BLACK TIP SHARK

SheepsheadBait: Live shrimp, hermit crabs or fiddler crabs, fished on the bottom or witha float.Where and how to Catch: Fish around oyster reefs, bridge pilings, inshoreartificial reefs, rock jetties and oyster reef areas on flooding tides. A 1/0 hookis just about right. Move from place to place along jetties to find.Season: All Year

SpadefishBait: Pieces of peeled fresh shrimp and squid; or try small pieces of jellyfishwith small 5/0 or 6/0 double strength hooks.Where and how to Catch: Fish visible schools of fish around obstructions jetties and piers.Season: All year

Where to Fish

Just be prepared to be mobile and have fun. The most productive areasgenerally take a little work. With shore bound families try the fishing piers with small hooks. The big DI Public Pier on the gulf side, the small free piernear Little Billy Goat hole and the Cedar Point Pier at the north end of the bridge are all good. For those willing to work a little harder, the jetties andsurf fishing the beaches can be very rewarding.

During the summer Speckled Trout, Redfish and Flounder can be just aboutanywhere around the Island, early and late in the day. Some fish will goshallow around the shoals just west of the DI Bridge and along the beachesand jetties on the south side including Pelican Island and the west end ofDauphin Island if the water is fairly calm.

Dauphin Island Public PierSand from Pelican Island lying just south of Dauphin Island, was push northby the pounding wave action of the 2005 hurricane season. The movement of sand reached the end of the fishing pier causing less fishing area at thepier and am more compressed current in the cut separating Pelican Island and Dauphin Island. Beware of rip currents in this area. Fishing is reportedto be great! Ladyfish, Trout, Mullet, Spadefish, Pompano, Spanish Mackerel. Recommended baits include: live shrimp, rubber shad and 1/2 oz jig with skirts.March - November open 24 hours a day. December open 7am to 11pm,January and February 7am to 5pm. The fishing pier is located east of theWater Tower with plenty of parking. The pier is 850' long with railing allaround. Concessions, snacks, cold drinks, and tackle available on the pier.The pier is wheelchair accessible. Non Alcoholic beverages allowed on thepier. The pier has bottom lights for Specked Trout fishing as well as overheadlighting for night fishing.

Fish being caught: Late March thru April; Sheephead, April and May thruOctober/early November; Speckled trout, Red Fish, Flounder, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Ling, Shark-black tip, sand shark & hammerhead.November thru February: Red Fish, Black Drum, Flounder, Sheephead.

CAMPGROUND

DAUPHIN ISLAND SEALAB

ESTUARIUM

FT GAINES

PYRAMIDS

FERRYDOCK

BILLY GOATHOLE

LITTLEBILLY GOAT

HOLE

“L” JETTY

NE JETTY

ENE JETTY

E JETTY

LONG JETTY

LAST JETTY

WADING JETTIES

DI FREEPIER

PUBLICPARKING

Dauphin Island East End

AUDUBON PARKBIRD SANCTUARY

Free Pier at Little Billy Goat HoleLocated North of the Jetties on the east end. The best times to fish the pierare the last few hours of a tide and the first after it changes. The rest of thetime the current is likely too strong, those may be good times to check outthe jetties. The best fishing times at the pier during the summer are early inthe morning and in the evening until just after dark. Drop by the pier and askif anything is biting, and if not go on to the jetties. The Free Pier is noted forBull Redfish, large Flounder, Ground Mullet and White Trout.

PyramidsConcrete Pyramids are located just west of the ferry landing. You can wade outand fish from the pyramids for Flounder, Redfish and small Speckled Trout.

Jetties East EndThe jetties are good places to fish when the water is calm. To avoid twistedankles and busted gear it is recommended to fish between the jetties, not out on the end of the rocks, near Ft. Gaines. Bull Redfish, Flounder,Sheepshead, Speckled Trout and Ground Mullet can be caught. Redfish seem to like the jetties on the east end, early morning, and at night.

Cedar Point PierLongest privately owned fishing pier on the gulf coast! Located at the northend of the Dauphin Island bridge. Food, bait, beer, tackle, ice and boatlaunch are all available. Tackle for sale or rent. Clean restrooms. Plenty ofparking. Near hotels and RV sites. No fishing license required for Alabama residents. Get expert fishing advice from the Cedar Point staff plus lots oftall tales from the local “experts”. Call 1-251-873-4476 for the latest fishing report and travel information. Call ahead for times during off season.

BeachSurf fishing on the beach during the summer can be productive on DI, but youhave to work for it. Once you learn to read the surf you will realize that mostcasts for reds etc. don’t need to go that far on DI, you are already off-shore.Trout, Catfish, Sand andAtlantic Sharpnose Sharks, and Rays are prettycommon along the beach. In some areas Bull Redfish are catchable. SpeckledTrout from the golf course eastward, Pompano, Whiting, Croakers,Catfish, Flounder, Redfish, Black Drum and Ladyfish.

Reading The BeachBeaches look the same if you don’t surf fish a lot. Breaking waves and churningtides can be confusing. Each section of beach has a combination of obviousand subtle characteristics that determine the presence of fish. The key toreading the beach is locating sections of beach that attract fish.

Sandbars are key to telling where the fish will be. Between the beach andthe sandbar a trough develops that runs parallel to the beach. Small fish,crabs and shellfish get trapped in this trough and attract larger fish for feeding.Normally there are two sandbars. This may vary in some areas but normallythere is a sand bar about 50 yards off the beach and then another one about50 the 100 yards past that one. The width of the trough is critical in determining the types of fish you might catch. Larger fish such as Redfishlike a deep wide area to move. If the inner trough is shallow or narrow you mayneed to try and cast past the first bars into the second trough. Whiting, Pompano,Ladyfish, Flounder and smaller baitfish normally stay inside the first bar.

Next look for the way the fish get into these troughs from the open ocean.Look for a break in the outer bar. If there is a break in the bar, a wave willpass over the bar, but will not crest. If this occurres consistently, that indicatesa cut in the bar. Fast moving, rippling, or discolored water may also be seen at these breaks or outflows when the tide is falling. Not only will wanderingfish come into the trough through these breaks, the fast moving wateraround these breaks will often form rip currents that send food swirling pastthe predator fish.

Currents and winds scallop out the beach and form points where fish like tocollect. Frequently, the water is deep on one side of a point. A perfect locationfor fish to gather. A well defined point on an open beach may attract fish.Concentrate your efforts in a location that is just a bit different from the rest of the surrounding area.

Hard structures like jetties, piers, bridges, or inlets are locations that encouragefish to stop and gather. These don’t change, while the beaches around themchanges regularly. Inlets can be very productive locations to fish the surf.On a falling tide, the small baitfish and other sources of food are swept out of the inlet, providing a natural chum line that attracts fish from miles away.

Fishing the TidesThe trick is to learn the tidal currents and keep moving until you locate feedingfish. Fish on a moving out going high tide, not the low or high tide.

Observe tide chart below. The strength of the tides will increase slightly eachday July 18th thru 24th (the New moon). After the 24th the strength of thetidal current will decrease a bit each day until the NEAP tides on July 30 &31 when there will be little or no tidal movement most of the day.

Look for times with the favorable tidal movement: like early morning andevening for Speckled Trout on the 19th thru the 22nd and look for SpanishMackerel midmorning at the pier from the 23rd thru the 29th.

The wind and sky conditions further complicate the variables, and too ofteneven when conditions seem ideal, the fish don't know it and nobody’s home.

ARTICLE FROM THE DAUPHIN ISLAND TIMES, SUMMER OF 2004.

A man reportedly fell off a boat near the Dauphin Island fishing pier about3:30 p.m., prompting an hours-long search Saturday evening by the U.S.Coast Guard, Mobile County Sheriff's Flotilla and Alabama State Marine Police.

Coast Guard Petty Officer John Parker said the man was ejected from a 20-foot wooden boat, in which two other men were also passengers. Themissing man's identity was being withheld pending more information and thenotification of his family.

Parker said a 23-foot boat and a 41-foot boat from the Coast Guard's DauphinIsland station, as well as a helicopter, participated in the search Saturdaynight. Parker said a Coast Guard Falcon jet participated earlier in the day.

"We're going to continue searching until something comes up," Parker saidlate Saturday night.

At the time of the accident, a weather station on the east end of Dauphin Islandwas reporting relatively stiff winds between 10 and 20 miles per hour.

Though the beach near the pier is owned by the Dauphin Island Park andBeach Board, no lifeguards are present. The board says it doesn't haveenough money to hire one. The board also doesn't post surf warning flags.

The tide was going out at the time the man went overboard. That, combined,with the large amount of rain recently in areas north of Dauphin Island cancombine to increase the normal east-to-west current that flows just offshore.

Scientists at Dauphin Island Sea Lab have warned in the past that such ascenario of an outgoing tide and a large flow of freshwater from the mouth of Mobile Bay can make for heavy tides and strong rip currents. Suchsituations can prove hazardous, even to strong swimmers.

One drowning was reported at Dauphin Island in 2003 and none so far this year.

There have been 20 non-boating drownings on Dauphin Island since 1989,according to the Marine Police. The vast majority have taken place from thepier eastward.

Since 1979, there have been 21 rip current deaths at the island's beaches,said Gary Beeler, warning coordination meteorologist for the National WeatherService in Mobile

Rip CurrentsWhat is a Rip Current? A rip current, commonly called rip tides and incorrectlycalled undertows, is like a shallow river or channel of water on the surface of the ocean. Rip currents are strong, and can pull you out away from theshore even if you are a good swimmer.

SIGNS THAT A RIP CURRENT MAY BE PRESENT• A break in the incoming wave pattern.• A channel of churning, choppy water.• A line of foam or debris moving out to sea.• A difference in water color.

BREAK THE GRIP OF THE RIPKnowing what to do if caught in a rip current’s grip can save your life or the lifeof a friend. Trying to swim straight to the beach against a rip current is just too difficult. Even a good swimmer will become tired and might even drown.

IF CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT STAY CALM• Don’t fight the current.• Swim in a direction following the shoreline (parallel).• Float or tread water if you’re unable to escape by swimming. When the

current weakens, swim at an angle (away from the current) toward shore.• If you cannot reach shore, draw attention to yourself. Face the shore, call

or wave for help.

HELPING SOMEONE ELSEMany people have died while trying to rescue others caught in rip currents.Don’t become a victim yourself. If a lifeguard is not present, shout directions on how to escape the current. If possible, throw something that floats to therip current victim. Call 911.

Resources

Bait Shops

FISH BONES Across the street from the Circle K.

JEMISON’S Just north of the first short bridge to the north of the Causeway going to DI.They are stocked with tackle like hooks, weight, jig heads, etc. Jemison'salso carries fishing licenses.

SHIP-N-SHOREOn the island. They are stocked with tackle like hooks, weight, jig heads andfrozen shrim and squid baits.

Fishing License

JEMISON’S Just north of the first short bridge to the north of the Causeway going to DI.

DI Marine Resources office on the island (M-F 8-4)

Outdoor AlabamaOnline fishing license are available if you want to purchase before your trip.http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishin...water/license/

Online Resources

Arkansas Fats' Dauphin Island BBS http://www.di-bbs.com/

Wells Daily fishing forecast - http://gulffishing.com/fcstframe.html

Outdoor Alabama - http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/

Outdoor Alabama Saltwater Fishing Tips - http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/fishing/saltwater/tips.cfm

Current Outdoor Alabama Tide Chart –http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/fishing/...s05.cfm#August