What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama for the first time?

My wife and I have been on many fishing charters and this one with Captain George and his crew was the very best! We will definitely be going on this charter again ... definitely a 5 star experience!

absolutely great area down here and so much to learn about different species and how and what to fish for them. Folks are really friendly here too I have multiple great fishing trips and great family memories here

Beautiful area...great port dock...friendly staff and crew...not just on the boat we were on...overall everyone we met was welcoming and friendly. Everyone invited us back! Our luck was just not as good landing LARGE snapper...but we did manage to get ONE out of our 18????

Don't hesitate on booking a charter. Beach fishing is fun if kids are involved, but any serious fisherman will be disappointed by the lack of bigger fish off the shoreline. You have to get off the beach and onto a boat.

Make sure if you take fish to restaurant check with them in advance!! Took fish to Flora-Bama Ole River Grill and the offered $15 hook and Fish!! The Grill was okay, Blackened needed more spice, but the fried still had the half shell on it with the scales!!! Manger apologized, but the cook said they cooked it the way you bring it!! I told the manager you can’t tell me that you chef isn’t smatter enough to filer the scales offf!! Manager took it off the bill. I would fired Cook he obviously had attitude with our waitress and Manager!!! Definitely would not recommend taking fish to this restaurant!!

Be flexible and patient. We originally booked an offshore charter but Mother Nature always has a vote and our captain changed it to inshore (bay) the night before. We didn’t get to go after red snapper but it was just as enjoyable of an experience.

Bring gear for any weather. Bring water and snacks! Keep an eye on the surf and take motion sickness medicine if you are unsure about getting seasick. Better to be prepared than get sick and ruin the trip.

I have done inland and offshore several times. If you have little ones the inland is more enjoyable since you catch fish but it’s much more relaxing and one on one. Water is calmer and what I would do.

Bring sunscreen and any motion sickness medicine you might need. The Gulf of Mexico can be unpredictable. But Orange Beach has access to tons of structure for bottom fishing. If you desire trolling trips, you have to plan on all day or overnight.

Captain Craig with Emerald "C" will make sure that no matter your previous angling experience, that you are pleased and have an enjoyable trip. Whether you are a seasoned angler or a first-time fisherman. Captain Craig gets the job done. Catching fish and making sure that you have an awesome and fun experience is his priority. He provides a welcoming, fun, safe, and productive atmosphere.

Watch you tube videos if you want try some on your own fishing, there are many with good info. Many fish can be caught with walleye or bass gear, especially in the surf or around jetties or piers. Several tackle shops around plus wal mart has lots of gear. I caught many small catfish and a couple small whiting from the beach. Maybe it's just me but I didn't find Alabama's fishing info website very helpful.

We had stayed within an inlet of the gulf and were looking for a simple family friendly fishing trip and that is exactly what we got :) I imagine someone who would describe themselves as an "angler" would know what they are looking for, so I, NOT an "angler" and a first time visitor of Orange Beach, would have a difficult time providing any recommendation other than 'book captain Pat!'

If it's your first time there is no other person than that of Captian George of Action Charters. It was by far more exciting and professional than anything I could have imagined. We will be going for a longer trip soon er rather than later

Excellent experience. Very experienced and personable Captain Joe. He made the entire experience very memorable. Highly recommend him and will definitely request him if we get the chance to do this adventure again in the future.

In early April be patient if the sheepshead are no longer biting aggressively. They should be around, you just gotta work ‘em. Hopefully by the time they slow down, the Spanish mackerel are in and biting.

I would recommend that you don't have your heart set on catching any certain type of fish. Just have fun, and enjoy catching whatever is biting that day! Also, if you have trouble with motion sickness, you might want to take some Dramamine beforehand. I was glad I did! The pier store had it in stock, and I was so relieved!

Pick a guide that will rebook if weather is going to be bad. Captain Charlie was great because he kept in contact with me when the weather was a little sketchy and left it up to me if we wanted to go.

Wear shoes and socks The worst of my sunburn was on the tops of my feet and my face I got over the sunburn on my face in about 2 days but putting on sandals was almost unbearable wear tennis shoes Also get a rash guard and face covering

Check with the fishing charter to see what fish you can expect to catch with the length of fishing tour you can afford. I was hoping to catch Red Snapper but was told that it wasn't realistic for a short 4 hour tour.

The entire boat had numerous opportunities to catch fish. In fact, if your bait was in the water for over 4 minutes, then you missed an opportunity to hook a fish. The fish were aggressively feeding.

I would recommend getting ample info about how much fishing time the charter offers and what the limit is for catching fish. (ie, If a 6 hour trip, how much of that time is spent fishing? Do they return after catching a certain number of fish?) How many species will the crew allow fishing for?

I thought we were going out to get what he had on his pictures but that is only out farther. No one explained this to me and the web site never said anything about it. Went off the pictures and was I mistaking. The boat and captain were awesome live them. Just was a lot of money for 2 cat fish

Make sure your guide wants to target fish you are interested in....we had to catch catfish didnt catch a saltwater fish....my kids were bored and only enjoyed when a couple dolphins showed up...wasted alot of money

Throw some cheap ponchos in your dry bag just in case. This time of year there are many pop-up showers that are hard to avoid. It makes it easier to fish through the showers if you have a little protection on.

Capt. Doug was very aggressive on his locations. We tried at least 5 and caught fish at all 5 including a 7' Bull Shark. Let the Capt. and Mate do their jobs and enjoy. Get a big enough boat! Very impressed by their overall knowledge of what fish can be kept and/or released. Also the limits and sizes.

I'd wait a little later - we had a fantastic trip and caught 6 fish we could keep - but if we came latter some of the fish we caught (Red Snapper) We could have caught - check with your captain on which fish are in season when you book your trip if you are not familar with it

Go to deeper water where the weather is warm. Most big game fish maybe out of season but you'll get a good deal on a boat and a relaxed atmosphere. You also won't be competing with a lot of other boats.

No big fish, but still plenty of action with smaller sized keepers. Little rough waters the day we went out.

The Alabama Gulf Coast is a Good Fisherman's Paradise. Whether you like backwater or gulf fishing the variety is there.

Definitely go with a good charter captain like Charlie with Southern Sun Charters. Charlie grew up in the area fishing with his Dad and knows where the fish are.