Last week, Alabama Department of Consrvation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Commissioner Chris Blankenship signed off on several regulations proposed by the Marine Resources Division and approved by the ADCNR Commission at their last meeting.
The species of greatest concern to fly anglers were redfish, sheepshead, and snook. All three will benefit from conservation-directed changes in creel and bag limits. These changes were proposed by MRD with support from several conservation groups including the FFI Gulf Coast Council.
Redfish. Anglers will no longer be allowed to possess red drum over the slot limit of 16-26 inches total length. The bag limit will remain three (3) per person. In excluding mature fish from harvest, Alabama joins several states, including Louisiana and Florida, that protect the vital spawning population.
Sheepshead. The recreational bag limit has been reduced from 10 fish to eight (8) fish. This in response to increased popularity and increased fishing pressure since previous regulations were set. (To be exact, the number of saltwater anglers went from 140,000 in 2019 to 214,000 in 2023).
Common snook. This species has been historically very rare in Alabama waters, but has seen a dramatic rise in numbers in recent years. There were no regulations until now. The new limit is one (1) fish per day with a minimum size limit of 28 inches.
MRD Director Scott Bannon, one of our presenters at the Gulf Coast Classic in May, stated, “These changes were made to balance the need to conserve our saltwater resources with our commitment to provide anglers with abundant access to fishing opportunities in Alabama’s coastal waters.”.
FFI-GCC Conservation Director Glen “Catch” Cormier stated that this was a major win for conservation. “Once again, we’re grateful to our members, the fly fishing community in general, and our conservation partners in Alabama for their emails and phone calls to commission members. Their response was fantastic!”.
It is with deep sadness that we share that Flip Siragusa passed away this Monday, June 9th, after a courageous bout with leukemia and several associated complications. Flip was president of Acadiana Fly Rodders of Lafayette, LA, and a prolific fly tier who had demonstrated at various events, as well as taught tying workshops through Pack & Paddle and at FFI events. He also served as Fly Tying Director for the FFI Gulf Coast Council up to last year when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Since 2007, the Gulf Coast Council has annually recognized individuals and clubs for their accomplishments in education, conservation, service and other areas that promote the goals and ideals of Fly Fishers International. Nominations for 2025 honors are now being accepted. Deadline is June 30th.
Each year, wildlife agencies in each state designate “Free Fishing Days” for the public to fish recreationally in public waters without a fishing license. These events are part of National Fishing and Boating Week, which this year runs June 1st to June 8th.
Launched in 2020, the Tripletail Classic is a fly fishing only tournament in the Mobile Bay area and surrounding waters targeting the Atlantic Tripletail only. In a few short years, it has exploded in popularity, such that the 35 team registration limit is now reached many months before the tournament is held.
Two developments last week in the ongoing efforts to mitigate the proposed Mobile Bay dredging project. FYI, this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to deepen and widen the ship channel in the bay for larger ships to use the Port of Mobile calls pumping sediment directly into the bay. The amount of sediment involved – estimated to be 90 million cubic yards over 20 years – threatens to smother seagrasses, oysters, and reduce dissolved oxygen negatively impacting all aquatic species.
Caddo Fly Fishing Expo
A reminder that our 3rd annual Gulf Coast Classic fly fishing festival is next weekend, May 2nd and 3rd, at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. If you’ve procrastinated about going, or your weekend (or Saturday) is suddenly free, it’s not too late to register. Or sign up for workshops, the Fly Fishing Film Tour on Saturday evening, or register for the Mixed Bag Contest.
