Episode #451
Tuna, Triple Tail, Cobia Tags, and Pier Reds
This week's Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report covers the early-October transition along the Alabama Gulf Coast, with offshore tuna and swordfish, close-in cobia, big triple tail, Spanish mackerel, slot redfish, surf fishing, and changing fall conditions. Butch Thierry is joined by Angelo DePaola, who opens the show with a look at the shifting weather, the challenge of making fishing plans around rough fall forecasts, and why anglers still have to take their windows when they get them. Capt. Cody Broughton checks in from Dauphin Island with an offshore report focused on yellowfin tuna, swordfish, and bottom fishing. Cody explains why late September and October are some of his favorite times to fish, how he's been live-bait chumming for tuna, and why greenbacks, natural presentations, nose-hooked baits, and Seaguar Gold fluorocarbon have helped him get bites. He also breaks down a recent daytime swordfish bite on a buoy rod, how the fish behaved during the fight, and why swordfish can be so unpredictable once they are hooked. Capt. Richard Rutland of Cold Blooded Fishing follows with a detailed cobia and triple tail report built around the tagging work he's been doing with the University of South Alabama. Richard explains how the team is acoustic-tagging cobia and triple tail, collecting fin clips and diet samples, deploying satellite tags, and offering reward tags for recaptured fish. He also shares what he's learned from spending so much time targeting these fish, including why live bait has been critical for cobia, how bait preference can change week to week, and why anglers need to watch both the bottom machine and the surface when fishing ships, buoys, rigs, and other vertical structure. Richard also digs deep into triple tail tactics, including how to cover water, find productive regions, read tide lines, blind-fish poles and buoys, and decide when to slow down. He explains why shrimp worked well earlier, why small pogies have become a better option as spadefish, mangroves, and pinfish crowd the structure, and how to fish slip corks, short leaders, circle hooks, heavier braid, and locked-down drags around big blackfish. He also shares how tide lines with logs, buckets, bait, and other floating debris can produce some of the best and most forgiving triple tail opportunities of the season. To close the episode, David Thornton, The Pier Pounder, reports from Gulf State Park Pier and the surf. David explains that water temperatures have stayed warmer than normal, bait has been inconsistent, and the typical late-September mackerel pattern has been slower than expected. Still, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, slot redfish, speckled trout, flounder, mangrove snapper, whiting, and pompano are all in play when anglers can find bait, clean water, and the right window. The episode wraps with a reminder that fall fishing is close, but the next real push may depend on cooler water, better bait concentrations, and the weather settling down after the coming rain and wind. SPONSORS The Coastal Connection / Angelo DiPaola Sea Tow Foster Contracting / Fortified Roofing Pros Black Buffalo Eastern Metal Supply Fiber Plastics Inc Hilton's Offshore Charts / Realtime-Navigator Coastal Brew Bait Company Dixie Supply / Baker Metal Works Make Wake Marine Midway Lumber Admiral Shellfish Company Pure Flats Pike Consulting Group Community Fly Supply Deep South Crane Rentals SlipSki Solutions CCA Alabama Camper City Mobile Moffett Road Dentistry / Ricciardone Family Dentistry McCoy Outdoor Company The Orthopaedic Group / Dr. Michael Blackmer Alfa Insurance / Bryan Klein Ultra Wash
