Ala. reopens coastal waters to fishing

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama (WALA) - Folks along Alabama’s beaches can once again keep what they catch. All Alabama coastal waters are open for fishing. That word came from Alabama Marine Resources Sunday.

As of 6:00 Monday morning, you could once again put the fish you catch in your cooler to take home and eat!

This was welcome news at the Gulf Shores State Park fishing pier.

Gulf Shores resident Rick Hinajosa said the fish are biting.

“Come on down. The fish are biting, just got to be here to catch them,” offered Hinajosa.

Katie Abston from Millry, Alabama was visiting the pier and had a little luck herself.

“I’ve got a Spanish mackerel and two skipjacks and three pinfish,” Abston proudly announced.

Anglers on the pier said they’ve been catching good numbers of fish there for the last few weeks, but had to throw them all back.

Even as rain storms moved through, dedicated pier fishermen waited it out. During a lull in the rain, Phil Loder from Grand Bay flipped a beautiful Spanish mackerel onto the planks of the pier.

“It didn’t matter. Today’s my fifty-first birthday. My son brought me out fishing and we’re catching,” Loder said.

The wait was worth it for the few anglers on the pier who waited out the rain storms. Flounder, sharks, mackerel and redfish are a few of the fish seen on the pier Monday. For those who love to fish the pier and shorelines, this is a great step in emotional recovery from the oil spill disaster.

Tayler Franklin has been fishing in Gulf Shores all of his life and for him, Monday was a day to rejoice.

“It makes me feel a whole lot better waking up each morning, knowing that I can come back out here and do what I love doing,” said Franklin.

The waters that are now open to catch and keep fishing are state waters out to three miles off the beach. These are the last waters in Alabama to be opened back up and as of Monday, the state park pier in Gulf Shores will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.