Fishing Report from Alabama - Chad Busiere
Great weekend of fishing with Slow Pitch Jigging! Long write-up ahead, so fair warning.
We’d been talking with Ryan Smith about heading up to Alabama to fish with his buddy, Capt. Boe Strange, and chase some large Scamp Grouper, Longtail Bass, and a few other deepwater species. We picked a weekend, and Derek Engle and I hit the road to see what it was all about.
To start off, Boe is one of the most organized guys I’ve ever met. His 37' Freeman was spotless. Everything had a place, and nothing was in the way. It made fishing incredibly smooth. It’s exactly the kind of setup you want when you’re working with Slow Pitch Jigs.
For the fishing we started with American Red Snapper, which were open at the time. We dropped down, got tight instantly, and hit a six-man limit in under 30 minutes. All solid fish. Great way to start the trip.
After that, we moved out deeper looking for those big Scamp Groupers Alabama is known for, but they just didn’t want to bite. We hit several spots, but the Amberjack were all over our jigs. It definitely wasn’t for lack of trying. Boe gave it a solid push, but they just weren’t playing ball. So we made the call to adjust and go deeper.
We ran out to about 800 feet to target Longtail Bass, and not long after we dropped, the action started. Lakyn even got a double. She also picked up a nice Scorpionfish while chasing longtails, which was a cool surprise. Everyone got their fish, so we packed up and made the move.
Next stop was 1100 to 1200 feet to see if the Golden Tilefish were home, and they were. Ryan hit bottom and hooked up immediately. First golden for him. Not long after, Boe connected with a big one, and while he's fighting it, Derek also hooks into a good fish. I was still working my jig when Boe’s fish came unhooked about 100 feet from the surface. That one hurt.
But then Lakyn was bringing up her tilefish and we saw Boe’s fish floating back up, dead, with the 540g STRYKE Jig from JYG Pro Fishing still in its mouth. Unreal. We got Lakyn’s fish in, then swung around and gaffed Boe’s — 23 pounds. Derek landed his golden too,18 pounds. A little later, I put one in the boat, around 7 lbs. Everyone got a golden, so we checked that box.
To finish the day, we moved over to 1000 feet to chase a longtime bucket list fish for me: Barrelfish. The conditions were perfect and the screen looked solid. I hooked up right away but lost it. Derek made a couple pitches and came tight on a solid one. I dropped again, and this time it stuck.
Derek’s came up first, and as soon as we saw it, we all shouted “Barrelfish!” and got it in the boat safely. Lots of “hell yeahs!” and high fives followed. Then mine came up, and sure enough, it was another barrel. We brought it aboard with even more noise, profanity, and laughter. A solid Barrelfish double, and a huge milestone for both Derek and me.
Even with the Grouper being tough, it was an awesome trip. Tons of laughs, lots of firsts, and some great fish hit the deck. Big thanks to Capt. Boe for letting us join him, and to Ryan for lining it all up.
Boe also has a YouTube channel, The Fishing Public, and the video from the trip will be up soon. Make sure to check it out and subscribe.
#Electricsareforthebirdslbs,
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