How to Fish Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo Weekend

This week's Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report looks ahead to Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo weekend with a mix of inshore, nearshore, and offshore tactics from Capt. Patric Garmeson of Ugly Fishing and Capt. King Marchand of Capt. Mike's Fishing. Butch Thierry opens the show with a reminder to be careful during one of the busiest boating weekends of the summer, especially with pop-up storms, offshore runs, night traffic, and tournament pressure all in play. Capt. Patric Garmeson kicks things off with a detailed inshore and nearshore report from the Dauphin Island area. He covers summertime trout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead, black drum, puppy drum, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, red snapper, sharks, and jack crevalle, while stressing the importance of changing tactics instead of getting locked into one species or one presentation. Patric explains how he's using croakers, shrimp, baitfish, popping corks, free-lined baits, Z-Man paddletails, Slick Juniors, and heavier jig heads around deeper structure. He also breaks down how thermoclines can show up on electronics and why fish may hold above that low-oxygen bottom layer, making it important to adjust bait depth and presentation. Nearshore, Patric shares how chunking pogies has produced snapper, cobia, kings, Spanish, and other bonus fish, and why small circle hooks, hidden hooks, steady chum lines, live croakers, bite tippets, and drift lines can all help anglers get more bites. Capt. King Marchand closes the show from the Lady Ann with a big-game-focused rodeo report. He explains how tournament fishing changes the mindset from filling the box to targeting winning fish, and why he and the Capt. Mike's Fishing crew are planning to focus on tuna, dolphin, marlin, and wahoo rather than trying to cover every rodeo category. King talks through tackle upgrades, live-baiting blackfin tuna for blue marlin, trolling big lures, chunking and live-baiting for tuna, looking for grass lines, watching Hilton's Realtime Navigator, and deciding when to stay on fish versus when to leave a rig. He also covers offshore safety, storm strategy, cobia around buoys and structure, a tougher snapper bite around heavy bait, and the blue-and-white Islander behind a bird as one of his confidence baits for blue marlin. SPONSORS The Coastal Connection / Angelo DiPaola Sea Tow Foster Contracting / Fortified Roofing Pros Black Buffalo Eastern Metal Supply Fiber Plastics Inc Hilton's Offshore Charts / Realtime-Navigator Coastal Brew Bait Company Dixie Supply / Baker Metal Works Make Wake Marine Midway Lumber Admiral Shellfish Company Pure Flats Pike Consulting Group Community Fly Supply Deep South Crane Rentals SlipSki Solutions CCA Alabama Camper City Mobile Moffett Road Dentistry / Ricciardone Family Dentistry McCoy Outdoor Company The Orthopaedic Group / Dr. Michael Blackmer Alfa Insurance / Bryan Klein