Alabama Saltwater Gamefish Species in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, Alabama |Gulf Coast Game Fish.com

Spotted Sea Trout: Catching speckled trout is a matter of finding them--when you find one you should find a bunch. Make sure to take live shrimp and also take a cast net to throw onto what ever kind of bait fish you find them feeding on. Speckled trout have soft mouths so make sure you don't horse them to the boat. Keep firm steady pressure and lead his run toward you. Be sure to have a landing net. Many an angler has lost many trout trying to lift the fish over the side with the rod. Big mistake. New rubber mesh nets reduce the amount of net-hook hang-ups.

Red Drum: Redfish like to school a lot on the beaches--mostly bull reds---but inshore you will find redfish roaming solitary over oyster beds, shallow bars, shallow sandy banks, and around outflows: these areas tend to hold easily ambushed bait. Throw a live shrimp (or any imitation-Gulp, DOA) past your target area and let the bait flow naturally with the current to your target area. Redfish will scoop up "stunned" bait and run. Be ready, these guys can be tackle busters so have your drag set to allow some big runs.

Flounder: The flat fella. Loves bull minnows and live shrimp, but will hit artificials. Table fare delight right here. The best fried fillets you can find in these waters. Find drop offs and sandy bottom and just be patient. Be careful, they also have teeth.

Cobia: Also called "ling", these guys migrate up from the waters of south Florida to spawn at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Try to spot these fish foraging along the shallow water just off the beaches looking for anything that floats and moves. Live eels seem to be the favorite bait, but word is they either will hit just about anything or nothing at all.

Sheepshead: These fish can be found hanging around dock pilings and jetties. Fish with live or dead shrimp, but small fiddler crabs and blue crabs seem to be the favorite.

Triple Tail (Blackfish): These weird fish like to hang out under & around anything that provides shade. Similar to cobia, look for triple tail hanging around anything that floats, except these guys aren't as curious as the ling, just waiting in the shade to ambush unsuspecting bait. Live shrimp are the traditional favorite, but bait is just the beginning of this game. Try to land the bait past the fish as he lays on his side, and bring it back past him. Wait for him to inhale the bait and be ready.

Spanish Mackerel: These tasty little fighters are usually found schooling close to shore in the Gulf or in the middle of the bays. Trolling small #0-#1 silver spoons and rigs called mackerel trees are productive. When school is located toss bucktail jigs, live LY's, Gotcha plugs, MirroLures, whatever into the school for some real fun.

Tarpon: The tarpon is considered one of the great saltwater game fishes, not only because of the size it can reach and its accessible haunts, but because of its fighting spirit when hooked; it is very strong, making spectacular leaps into the air. In Alabama, a special permit is required to kill and keep a tarpon, so most tarpon fishing there is catch-and-release. Although a variety of methods are used to fish for tarpon (bait, lure and fly on spinning, conventional or fly rod), the method that has garned the most acclaim is flats fishing with a fly rod. It is a sport akin to hunting, combining the best elements of hunting with fishing. A normal tarpon fly rod outfit uses 10-12 weight rods and reels, spooled with appropriate line and using a class leader tippet of 12-20 pounds (5.4-9.1 kg). Truly light tackle fishing where the fish may weigh 10 times or more than the breaking strength of the leader! The hookset is difficult due to the hard mouth of the fish which has been likened to the hardness of concrete. If the hook stays secure, then the fight is on. Tarpon have tremendous endurance and are one of the most exciting gamefish to fight - frequent spectacular jumps, long runs, and stubborn bulldogging are all part of the game. Another popular method is using lures or bait on heavy spinning or conventional gear. Many anglers prefer this as a more surefire method to catch tarpon. Usually the reels are filled with line from 30 to 80 pounds (14 to 36 kg) test although 50 pounds (23 kg) seems to be the most popular. Although a great deal of fun, the outcome is less often in doubt, unlike fly fishing with light 20 pounds (9.1 kg) test, and getting a tarpon to take a crab, mullet or pinfish is easier than an artificial fly.