The Emerald Spirit was getting some improvements and out of the water for 52 days painting the bottom and re-doing the decks. We also put new railing all around the boat with rod holders and a place for your weights. It looks awesome and we’ll have some photos up shortly. As soon as we got in the water we did a small test run out for some Cobia for a couple of hours and saw 2 Cobia, both with other things on there mind. Then we got to go out the other day on a one-day tournament to benefit Capt. Mo Schavers who owns Mo Fishin Bait and Tackle Shop in Orange Beach, Alabama, There was a one-day tournament with half of the money generated going towards some hospital bills he had incurred so we gladly entered.

We left the dock around 6:00 a.m. and returned around 6:00 p.m. We left out of Terry Cove, through the Orange Beach Pass and fished all the way to the other side of Pensacola Beach, Florida’s fishing pier. (Yep, we’re licensed in both Alabama and Florida so we can go that way!) On the way down there we saw 2 fish that were real nervous and wouldn’t bite. Then a couple of hours later we saw another fish who was a little more interested than the first two but still not hungry. Finally we saw a good fish around 45 or 50 pounds and he was more interested in our baits than all of the other but still wouldn’t eat any thing we threw at him. We did see another fish later, but he was like the rest, not interested.

The weather was great, the sun was popping in and out of the clouds most of the day but we had a great time. I hear there are a bunch more Cobia headed this way and we will get to see soon. First we have a little getting ready for our annual United States Coast Guard (USCG) Inspection. After that you’ll be hearing from us again, hopefully with a better report about how many we put in the box.

We’re offering $5 off our charter fishing trips if you mention you saw Mullet Toss online!

By Cheryl Lange

April 6, 2011 – Orange Beach, AL (OBA) – Perdido Key, FL (PKF) – Something fishy at the Flora~Bama is expected to have thousands of tourists, spectators and contestants alike to what has become one of the busiest weekends of the year for the Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Perdido Key resort area.

This spring’s celebration will feature local celebrities tossing out the first few fish at Noon, Friday, April 29th. The event consists of individuals on the beach throwing a mullet, one of the more popular and plentiful fish indigenous to the area, from a 10-foot circle in Alabama across the state line into Florida. The mullet, the only fish with a gizzard, is said to possess mystical properties, which, along with the pristine white sands, has attracted fun-loving folks to the area for decades.

A contribution for each fish flung will go to the Alabama Sheriff’s Boys Ranch a charitable, non-profit corporation providing a home-like environment for abused, neglected and misdirected youths and the Boys and Girls Club of Escambia, which serves the needs of children living in disadvantaged circumstances. The local club is part of a nationwide affiliation of autonomous organizations working to help youth of all backgrounds develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders.

The cover charge, starting Thursday evening, will be $10 for those 21 years of age or older and $15 for those under 21 years of age starting on Thursday evening. There will be limited entrance to those under the age of 21 after 6 pm. Membership Cards will be valid for the event and are available for $30 at the Flora-Bama on online at www.florabama.com. These allow FREE admission all year long (except for certain events) for those 21 and older. Get your Membership Card early, since card sales will be limited Mullet Toss Weekend.

There will be a $10.00 charge for parking to be shared with local charities. We will also have shuttles running on both sides of the line. The cost to ride the shuttle is $3.00 per person each way. In Alabama the Shuttle pick up is at the Bruno’s parking lot in Orange Beach. You can also call Yellow Cab at 251-948 TAXI or A-1 Taxi at 251-981-9300. In Florida the shuttle picks up is at the Publix parking lot and the Visitor’s Center on Perdido Key. The shuttle will start at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and run until closing time.

The Flora-Bama Lounge & Package is located on the Gulf of Mexico at the Florida/ Alabama line. For further information call: 850-492-0611 or 251-980-5118.

Via: 27th Annual Mullet Toss Kicks off April 29th.

Remember, $5 off our fishing charter trips if you mention you saw Mullet Toss online until Sunday April 31st!

We are very pleased to announce we have moved both of our boats to the beautiful Sportsman Marina at 27844 Canal Road in Orange Beach, Alabama 36561. We are less than 10 minutes from the Gulf. Sportsman Marina is cleaner, parking closer to the boats, nice dock store with sandwiches, drinks and supplies available for your fishing trip, award winning restaurant, Shipp’s Harbour Grill, to cook your fresh catch, and with a friendlier, more professional atmosphere.

The Gulf of Mexico is clean, clear and ready to fish. Since we didn’t fish last year, the fish are there in record numbers just waiting to be caught this coming year. Our captains and crew are professionals at every level.

Grouper season is closed from February 1 through March 31 and opens April 1. Red Snapper season opens as usual on June 1 and runs until the National Marine Fisheries closes it, an anticipated 50 days or so. The Gulf Council and National Marine Fisheries are discussing a two month closure of Amberjack in June and July but there is no final ruling on this as yet. With the abundance of fish in the Gulf of Mexico, we still anticipate a great season regardless of the decisions made by the Council or National Marine Fisheries.

As you may have noticed, we have not increased our prices in the last two years, however, as you may have seen at the fuel stations, fuel is on the rise and we have no control over those prices. They will, however, directly affect our pricing this year since fuel is our greatest expense.

Remember to call before April 1st for early season discounts on booking your trip.

We are looking forward to a great season. Look at our websites at www.FishOrangeBeach.Net and www.FishEmeraldSpirit.Com for more detailed information or give us a call at 888-558-3889 to schedule your trip today.

Saturday we started off catching some White Snappers, Triggers, Mingo’s and some Real Nice Amberjacks.  Some were in the 60-70 pound range.  We did troll out and back but the water is still so cold that we didn’t get a bite.  After catching some AJ’s we went on out to the deep water rigs starting with the Petronius. We arrived about an hour before dark and put the Ballyhoo out on the slow trollers and pulled around the rig. Right off jump street, we got a double hook up. Two Black Fin Tuna.  I told my deck hand Eric to pull the lines in and let us try some jigging if they were going to bite this good. He already had the poles out and rigged up so we pulled up to the rig and started jigging. We caught a few kind of hit and miss and decided to go on out to the next rig offshore, (the Marlin) and try it for some Yellow Fin Tuna before it got too late. After high Speed trolling out there it was dark when we arrived so we tried jigging even though I didn’t see any fish on the fathometer. No luck, they just weren’t there. So, we hauled butt down to the next rig (Ram Powell) to see if they were there. The report I got from another captain just the week before was that this was the only place they did any good. So with high hopes we pulled up to the rig and made a pass around it to see what we could see on the fathometer. Nothing! Not a single dot on the meter. No bait on top or fish below. At this point I made an executive decision and decided to go all the way back up to the first rig we left, the Petronius, where they were biting.  We used this time to enjoy the Extra Large Filet Mignon that our customers from Birmingham, AL brought with them along with all the fixin’s from there restaurant. It didn’t last long, as a matter of fact if one of my deck hands hadn’t brought me a few small pieces I wouldn’t have gotten any, it went so fast. After we returned back up to the first rig, we jigged some more and caught several more Black Fin Tuna. However, everyone was spent by then, especially after that good meal. So we pulled out from the rig, dropped a squid over for a sword fish and caught forty winks.  We woke up around 5:00 a.m. and returned back to the rig after having some coffee where we resumed jigging and ended up catching several more fish.  By now the weather was absolutely beautiful. We fished our way back to the dock that evening and celebrated what a great trip we had.

Now the Cobia are running and we are tying on our ling lures. We have Cost Guard Inspection on Monday and right after that, I’M GONE! Check with me next week to get the whole story on the Cobia Run!

Yesterday we had a small group of people, almost not enough to go out. Thankfully we did and it was wonderful. The weather was perfect, the seas were calm and the fish are biting like crazy. Yesterday, we had a 6 hour trip with 14 people on a “Walk On” trip on our big boat the 65 foot Bonner, Emerald Spirit. The temperature outside was around 68 in the morning and moved up to around 72 during the day it seemed. We generally ride for about 1 ½ hours out and fish for a little over two hours and then return to the dock after a full 6 hours. Even though it’s still early in the season we did catch a couple of King Mackerels on our last trip down deep on a regular two hook rig for bottom fish. That means they are here but just not up in the water column around the surface yet because of the water temperature is still so cold. Even still we did put out our trolling lines on the way out and on the way in. No bites yet; any day now! As usual the bottom fish were biting great and we caught lots of Vermillion Snapper(Mingo’s), White Snapper, Trigger Fish, Lane Snapper and even though they are still closed Red Snapper that we properly vent and release back. There are more Red Snapper out there than ever before and continue to get bigger and multiply tremendously. We expect a season like never before with huge Red Snappers on every trip in season.

We are going out on a two day trip this weekend and I’ll have a first hand report to give you when I get back. Check back Monday to see what all we caught!

Just in the middle of working on this we got a phone call to run a trip with 45 people from the Navy ROTC for a 4 hour trip. Needless to say, we were glad to go out for our first trip of the season even though it was a bit cool. The temperature was in the mid 50’s in the morning but warmed right up to a 67 or 68 during the day. With the wind blowing out of the northwest around 15 to 20 knots the clear sky’s and warm sunshine was a welcome sight. We left the dock around 11:30 and returned around 3:45, your average 4 hour trip. We traveled for around 45 minutes before we came to our first fishing spot. We used our basic two hook rig with a #4 circle hook. These are small wire hooks with a real sharp point that virtually do all of the work for you. They will catch anything from a pin fish, Mingo snapper, White Snapper, Triggerfish to a Red fish or a Bonito. Some of the inshore guides use them for Sheephead, Flounder, Pompano and Trout.

On our trip we caught White Snapper, Trigger fish, Mingo (Vermillion) Snapper, Red Fish, Red Snapper (we had to throw them back, closed season till June 1). We had a great trip and the people really had a great time. Lots of these guys had never been deep sea fishing ever before. That’s what the beauty of the 4 hour trip is, a chance for those who have never done this to get out and experience what it’s like to be out in the Gulf of Mexico and let the deck hands teach them how to use the equipment and catch fish. It’s all about enjoying your time fishing together with friends and making good memories you can tell your kids about for years to come.

Fishing Orange Beach - Cold-Front Catch

We don’t like it when it gets cold, but the fish don’t seem to mind most times. As a matter of fact, they seem to notice the change in barometric pressure and go on a feeding frenzy. As the high pressure center approaches it draws in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico with low pressure. As the pressure drops the fish sense it and knowing of the impending change begin to feed. This gives us a chance for some great opportunities to catch the big one. We also remember to consider the tidal flow when planning your trip. In our area some of the best spots for bait are, under the bridge at the sea wall, out at the end of the rock jetties, on the point in the grass beads, generally somewhere there is a change in structure to give the bait somewhere to duck in and hide while being washed down stream. Remember, live bait is always preferred for offshore fishing for the big ones. If you have any questions that I can help with please call me @ 1-888-558-3889 or e-mail me CatCharters@FishOrangeBeach.Net.

-Captain George Pfieffer

The CAT is fit for deep or blue water fishing up to 100 miles offshore, fishing along the Gulf Coast or within its hundreds of miles of inlets. Using the best bait, top-of-the-line rods and reels, and the combined experience of Captain George and his Mate, Action Charter Service will make sure that your trip is exciting and memorable. With Action Charter Service you will get on the fish and get those fish on the boat.

No matter what your pleasure, Action Charter Service can accommodate. From offshore trolling for Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Tuna, and Dolphin, to bottom fishing for the hard fighting Grouper, Amberjack, and the delicious Red Snapper, we will put you there. The CAT is also available for fishing tournaments, providing ample room for you and your guests to have multiple lines in the water.

For sightseers, Action Charter Service is available for events such as Blue Angels expositions, concerts at The Wharf, fireworks shows, even bird-watching tours. Captain George has lived on the Gulf Coast his entire life and is familiar with all of its natural wonders.

Captain George Pfeiffer and Action Charter Service are your best choice for your fishing or sightseeing trip along the Florida and Alabama coast. Service is available throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall fishing seasons.

Call Captain George Pfieffer @ 888.558.3889 to book your Fishing Trip!

Welcome to Action Charter Service! On our web site you will find information to help you book your fishing trip with us as well as information about us. On the Captain and Vessel pages you will find profiles of our captain, George Pfeiffer, a Florida Gulf Coast native, and his ship, The CAT. In our Photos section, you will find pictures from our many successful trips in and around the Gulf Coast. Under the Fishing Seasons section of the site, you will find Captain George’s monthly reports on local fishing game and photos of that month’s most exciting catch!

Before you check out the pricing and booking you should take a look at our fishing blog in the Fishing Reports section. There you will find posts about previous trips we’ve taken out into the Gulf, and, within the blog, you can get a feel for what a day with Captain George on The CAT is like. When you’re finally ready to get going on your trip, you can park it at our Pricing and Booking section filled with detailed information pertaining to the type of trip that you want.

Action Charter Service makes every effort to ensure that your trip is safe and fun so that you and your group can have a great time and catch heaps of delicious fish!