Fishing and Fun Heating-Up on Alabama’s Gulf Coast This Spring and Summer
Day 5: Bet on Catching and Eating Fish at Alabama’s Gulf Coast with Captains Gary and Erik Davis
 I make no apology. I like to catch and eat saltwater fish, especially from the Gulf of Mexico out of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, Alabama. I really enjoy inshore fishing for speckled trout, redfish, flounder, white trout and an occasional tripletail. One of the true masters of inshore fishing is Captain Gary Davis of Tidewater Fishing Service in Foley, Ala. Davis has fished the Mobile Bay, the tributaries that feed the Gulf of Mexico and the bayous and the bays from the Florida line to Dauphin Island for more than four decades.  Davis knows where to find the inshore artificial state-fishing reefs, what time the fish should show-up and how to deal with the fishing pressure that often occurs on these reefs, especially during the summer months. Davis looks for out-of-the-way places to find and catch limits of speckled trout, redfish, flounder and sheepshead all year. He’s one of the hardest-working captains around, often up before daylight with his bait net, catching fresh, live bait that he’ll use to fish on that day. When the fish are abundant, Davis will switch from live bait to artificial lures. He knows the sizes and the colors of bait to use, as well as how to rig the baits to produce the most fish in the shortest time.
 In the last few years, Davis’ son Erik has been his business partner. Davis explains, “My son Erik may be a better fisherman than I am, because he started fishing and learning the places to fish from the time he could walk. Many days he and his party will catch as many, if not more, fish than me and my party.” Having fished with Erik, I can attest to the fact that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Erik’s a master angler, and none of the lessons he’s learned from his dad on where and how to catch fish on Alabama’s Gulf Coast have been wasted. If you prefer to fish in the back bays, the tributaries and Mobile Bay for inshore species, you’ll have a fun trip with either Captain Davis and catch a number of fish. You can take your cleaned catch to one of the many local restaurants and have them cook your catch for lunch or dinner.
To learn more about fishing with Captain Gary Davis of Tidewater Fishing Service, call 251-942-6298.  To fish with Captain Erik Davis this month, call him at 251-979-1224, or email him at tidewaterfishing@live.com. To have your catch cooked at a local restaurant, go to www.gulfshores.com/dining-nightlife/restaurants/ and check the box that says, “Will cook your catch.” For more information on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, go to www.gulfshores.com or www.orangebeach.com, call 1-800-745-SAND (7263), or write info@gulfshores.com |
