Suppose somebody asks about rig fishing along Alabama's Beaches. In that case, you’ll have to ask them to get considerably more specific because the fishing opportunities around oil and gas platforms are plentiful and varied. From redfish and trout to red snapper, there are various desirable species to catch near the oil rigs off the shores of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
Where to Rig Fish
Deep sea rig fishing opportunities start in lower Mobile Bay and extend more than 100 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Best Time of Year to Rig Fish
The inshore rigs hold abundant fish at different times of the year. In the early spring, the fishing for sheepshead around the inshore rigs is red hot. From a bay boat, you can choose to anchor so the wind and current keep you within casting distance of the legs of the rigs, where the sheepshead munch on a variety of crustaceans. Drop a piece of shrimp or fiddler crab down by the rig and get ready. If you feel a bump, don’t hesitate. Set the hook and put enough pressure on the fish to keep it out of the rig, where razor-sharp barnacles will cut your line. The daily bag limit is 10 sheepshead with a minimum size of 12 inches fork length (from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail).
Later in the spring, the speckled trout and redfish will start to visit the inshore rigs regularly, and you can use live shrimp or baitfish imitation lures to hook numerous fish.
Heading a little offshore, those rigs you can see in the distance from the beach will also hold sheepshead, as well as Spanish and king mackerel when the weather warms a bit, and the mackerel begin their migration run along the Alabama coast. Most of the kings at the close rigs will be on the smaller side, but that’s okay because those are the best ones to prepare for dinner. Trolling around the rigs with ribbon fish or cigar minnows is usually best for the mackerel. The bag limit for king mackerel is three per person with a 24-inch minimum fork length. The bag limit for Spanish mackerel is 15 per person, with no size limit.
Rig Fishing for Red Snapper
If you keep heading out, you’ll find oil rigs in the Gulf Coast in deeper water, where the big king mackerel hang out, not to mention Alabama’s signature reef fish species, the vibrant and tasty red snapper. Remember that red snapper have a specific private recreational season that usually opens on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and runs until the annual catch limit (quota) is reached. If your group hires a charter boat to go rig fishing, the red snapper season is usually open from June 1 into August, and charter boats can snapper fish every day during that time frame. Private recreational boats are limited to four-day weekends (Friday-Monday).
Planning a Rig Fishing Trip
For those who want the ultimate Gulf of Mexico fishing experience, it’s time to book an overnight rig fishing trip on one of the many multi-passenger charter boats available on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The trip will include heading far into the Gulf to the deep-water rigs, where the big-game species hang out. The charter captains usually have a favorite rig or two and will head to those rigs to fish for yellowfin and blackfin tuna. Trolling around those rigs can also produce blue marlin, wahoo, and dolphin fish (mahi mahi).
If you want to try rig fishing, pick a fish species and determine which rigs will produce a quality fishing experience. If that involves booking a charter boat, it’s best to start planning the trip quickly because those schedules fill up quickly.
Head down to Alabama’s fish-rich waters and experience a day or two of fishing around the rigs as soon as possible!
