West 10th Street Beach Access, Gulf Shores Fishing

West 10th Street Beach Access sits in the middle of Gulf Shores' West Beach, a residential stretch of beach houses and low condos between Highway 59 and Little Lagoon Pass. It is a practical, no-frills surf spot with good facilities for its size.

• Pompano and Gulf kingfish within an easy cast
• Restrooms, showers and a boardwalk over the dunes
• No lifeguard station on the city's map, so less competition for space
• Little Lagoon Pass Park, with its lagoon pier, is a short drive west

The access is at West 10th Street and West Beach Boulevard (Highway 182) in Gulf Shores, roughly midway between Highway 59 and Little Lagoon Pass. The City of Gulf Shores maintains it.

• Parking: metered spaces along the north side of West Beach Boulevard; Gulf Shores residents with the city's beach parking decal park free
• Cross the boulevard with care; it is busy in summer
• Access: a dune overwalk to the beach
• City lots restrict overnight parking; check the signs

The near trough and the outer bar hold most of the fish.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano arrive with clearing, warming water; Gulf kingfish are steady
• Summer (Jun-Aug): ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel when bait is close, catfish and Gulf kingfish on the bottom
• Fall (Sep-Nov): pompano again and redfish moving along the beach
• Winter (Dec-Feb): slow; try for redfish and Gulf kingfish on mild days after a front

Light surf tackle is enough most days.

• An 8 to 10 foot rod with 12 to 20 lb line covers bottom fishing and lure casting
• Gulf kingfish: small hooks, a 2 to 3 oz sinker and pieces of fresh shrimp
• Pompano: a pompano rig with sand fleas or shrimp, cast to the trough rather than the bar
• Redfish: a fish-finder rig with cut mullet, left in a sand spike
• Surface fish: a small jig or spoon with a quick retrieve

Tides are gentle on this coast: most days one high and one low, a foot or two apart, and now and then a day when the water hardly moves.

• The surf fishes best when there is some current and light wave action
• Clear water and calm seas suit pompano; a dirtier surf suits redfish
• Southerly blows build waves that make it hard to hold bottom
• The first calm days after a winter front can be excellent
• Check the tide for the Gulf Shores area

Even without a lifeguard station, this is a public swimming beach.

• Keep your lines clear of swimmers and anyone in the water
• Rip currents can form here; check the flags and do not wade out to cast
• Stingrays lie in the shallows; shuffle your feet
• Summer afternoon storms bring lightning; leave early
• Accessibility: restrooms and a boardwalk, then soft sand to the water

The city has kept this access well supplied.

• Restrooms and a bathhouse
• An outdoor rinse shower
• A dune overwalk
• Metered street parking on the north side of the boulevard
• No bait or tackle at the access; stock up in town

• Park on the north side of the boulevard and carry your gear across in one trip with a cart
• Fresh shrimp, cut into small pieces, out-fishes larger baits for Gulf kingfish
• In spring, watch for pompano skipping out of the wave tops as a sign they are close
• If the surf is too rough, Little Lagoon Pass Park offers calmer lagoon water a short drive west
• Pack everything up before dark; the city clears gear left on the sand

The City of Gulf Shores manages this access and its public beaches.

• No glass on the beach
• Gear left on the beach from an hour after sunset is removed
• Fishing is not allowed at Gulf Place, the city's main public beach farther east
• An Alabama saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; Alabama residents who are exempt (and anglers fishing only from a pier that holds a pier license) must still complete the free Saltwater Angler Registration
• Check current Marine Resources Division rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything