Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Alabama Fishing FAQ's

Distraction Charters is a full service family fishing charter boat that specializes in 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hour deep sea family fishing trips along the gulf Shores coast of Alabama, serving the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.  Captain Troy Frady brings over 30 years of saltwater sportfishing experience and has been fishing professionally for 6 years.  I know that great customer service is important and your family's happiness is guaranteed.  When I came to Gulf Shores in 1979 as a mere teenager, I fell in love with the quiet family environment and the almost untouched waters just off the beaches of Orange Beach.  There were two condo's then.  GPS was years away and other than the compass, we had the two condo's to guide us to shore.  We caught a lot of king mackerel back then because Red Snapper fishing was not near what is is today.  Now some 30 years later, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are still a family vacation destination and there are many dozens of condo's lining the skyline.    Even though the area looks like Destin, the areas restaurants, parks and community stores and businesses are filled with good local employees that care if you have a good time and give you great service.  We like being a part of the Orange Beach, Alabama and Gufl Shores community and we will continue to work at being the best family fishing destination along the Alabama Gulf Coast.  I guarantee great service!

Be sure to give us a call at 251.975.8111 or contact us.  I promise I will answer your call or emails quickly.  If I am out fishing, I will call you back from offshore as soon as my cell phone gets a signal.  Usually no later than 3 pm on long hot summer days. 

We sometimes see Wild Dolphin like "FRED" on 6 hour or longer trips!

The most common question is "How Many Fish Will We Catch?"

There are many factors present that will directly effect how many fish you will catch:

• Weather- Cold fronts are not usually good.  They cause a lot of rain and wind before they pass and then just after passage the wind shifts and the bite shuts down and fish are hard to catch.  We can catch them sometimes but the bite is better when a cold front is not involved.  It's the same when you fish a freshwater pond, lake or river.
• Tide/current- depending on what type of fish you are targeting, incoming and outgoing tide are better than no tide.  Sometimes we get a lot of rain up North and all that rain moves down the river and into the Gulf.  Well, it produces a West current that pushes muddy cloudy water toward Orange Beach.  That can affect the bite.  If the current is too strong, you have a hard time getting your bait to sink down to where the fish are.  Sometimes we have to put a lot of lead on the line to get the bait down.  The drawback is unless your an experienced angler, you may have a hard time feeling the fish bite the bait.
• High Seas- nobody enjoys fishing in rough water.  You end up holding on with one hand and trying to fish with the other hand.  We do not take people out in rough seas.  We will take you out in High seas as long as they are a ground swell and that is usually up and down motion.  Rough seas are bad white capps, high wind and salt spray hitting us hard on every wave.  Remember the whole purpose of a fishing trip is to have fun and catch fish.
• Anglers-Most people who fish on a charter boat these days don't do it more than one time a year.  The better the angler is to adapting to the way we fish, the better that angler is going to be at producing fish.  We use light tackle to make feeling the bite easier on our customers. 
• The Fish Bite-Depending on what type of fish you are targeting, the bite can be on or off.  4 hour trips are good when we have king mackerel, spanish, redfish and cobia to catch.  These are trolling and sightfishing trips and they are dependent upon the fish being available.  During the cold winter months from October to April, the Redfish are usually available.  During April, the Cobia and Spanish Mackerel are usually available.  May through September the King Mackerel and Spanish are abundant.  The 6, 8, 10 and 12 hour trip are when everyone holds a pole and gets to fish at the same time.  The more bait you have in the water (more people fishing) will effect the bite.  Sometimes the fish are not hungry and they will not bite no matter how much bait you put down.

Bottom Fishing or Reef Fishing Defined:  Bottom or Reef fishing is when the boat goes out to a reef (public or privately built)  Natural reefs are like rocks and ledges.  Artificial reefs are reefs that are man made.  Common artificial reefs are old army tanks, steel chicken coops, sunken ships, barges or boats.  When we go out to a reef, everyone holds a pole and drops down bait toward the bottom.  When a fish hits the bait, you reel it in.  Everyone can fish at the same time.

Trolling Trips Defined:  Trolling is when the boat moves slowly (5mph) along with as many as 5 rods are sitting in their holders and they are dragging bait behind the boat.  The fish like mackerel and bonita swim very fast in schools and they hit one or some or all of the baits.   Then you grab a pole and reel the fish in to the boat.

Will we catch fish?  That depends on the factors above.  We have fished for cobia and redfish and come in with nothing.  It's called fishing sometimes, not catching.  The longer bottom fishing trips usually produce fish.  The only thing is, the fish you catch have to be in season or we will just have fun catching them and then releasing.   Grouper and Amberjack are considered a trophy fish and you don't usually have a chance to catch them unless you fish for 10 or 12 hours.  They live way offshore and it takes a while to get out to where they live.  6 and 8 hour trips usually produce 90% red snapper, a few triggerfish and king mackerel.

Why you should come to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Alabama fishing.

Many of you have no idea how beautiful the state of Alabama is.  We have mountains to our North, farmland, rolling hills, cattle grazing, fruit trees growing and lush tree lines all the way down to the beautiful gulf shores beaches.  We have 32 miles of prestine white beaches with some of the best offshore and nearshore deep sea fishing in the gulf of mexico.  Texas, Louisiana and Mississipi all have shoreline but they do not even compare to Alabama's beaches and quiet family environment.  Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offer a Family environment with some of the best lodging, sights and relaxing things to do.  

Let me give you an example of what people are missing out on.  Most people in Dallas, Texas don't realize that it takes the same time to get to Gulf Shores Fishing as it does to get to Corpus.  The scenery, beaches, water is so beautiful down here we could not imagine why anyone would go anywhere else on vacation.  

Do you want a charter that is fun?  We love to make you smile!

Do you want a charter that will not take you out in rough weather?  We will not take you out in seas that are too rough or unsafe!

Do you want a friendly crew?  We will talk to you and educate you on how to catch these fish!  Your mate is accountable and respectful to you.

Do you want to have fun and catch some fish?  We encourage  you to relax and feel good while onboard the Distraction. 

Do you want the best service available? Do you want a Big, Safe Boat with Air Conditioning? Do you want a boat with a clean potty? Does your family or group deserve the best? If you answered Yes, again, you have chosen the right boat. Well, pick up the phone and call us. You know the answer to your questions. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Capt. Troy

How Long Of A Trip Do I need To Book?.

The first type of trip is for people who don't have a lot of time or on a tight budget. We call these nearshore trips. These trips do not allow us to get more than a few miles offshore. We target fish that are available during different times of the year. Example: Redfish during the fall, winter and early spring. The Cobia which are March and April. Spanish and King Mackerel are best April through October.   These trips are 4 to 6 hours in length.

The second trip is for people who do have a lot of time (whole day) and have planned to invest in a trip that produces more fish and an amazing fishing adventure. These trips are called offshore reef fishing and bluewater trolling trips. They allow you get further offshore to fish for different species. Some of the best Marlin fishing is July through October because of the warm water. Reef fishing is great year-round but we can't keep some species during the winter months.   These trips are usually 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours in length.

Fishing for credibilty and honesty?
We are not going to promise you something that we can’t produce. We will let you know what to expect while offshore and nearshore fishing and the types of fish available for you during your visit to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and help you make an educated decision as to which fishing trip is best for you. Be sure to see our up to date fishing reports to see what's biting.

We want testimonials, comments and thoughts!
Our customers come back to us because we are good to them. They like doing business with us because we are polite, professional and go the extra-mile for them. We are always wanting to improve our service. We would like to hear from you.  The bite of the fish is something we can’t control. Our service is our advantage and we care if you have a good time.

What Do We Need To Bring?
Depending on how long you are planning to fish, there are a few items that you need. The first is rubber soled shoes, Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Hand towel, Hat (if your bald) or if you want to keep the sun directly out of your eyes. Longer trips you should bring plenty of food and drinks. NO GLASS Allowed! (it may break).

You can bring a cooler with your favorite beverages and when we get through cleaning your fish, we can use it to put your fish in.

Bring the family. You all can enjoy a great time!

Are you a sportsman?
We are sportsmen and we practice sportfishing. We want you to keep as many fish as you want. We have a lot of customers who want to keep just enough for supper or a few meals and we have some customers who want to fill their cooler with filets. Whatever you want is what we will do. We encourage sportfishing so you, your children and grandchildren will be able to experience the thrill of fishing in the gulf for many years to come. We encourage voluntary restraint by using CPR: Catch, Photograph and Release. Just because we can fill the cooler does not mean we have to!

Why you should book your Orange Beach fishing trip now?
You should book your deep sea fishing trip on the Distraction as soon as you can to ensure the date you want is available. Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s usually book earlier in the year. Book your trip now so you will not be left sitting at the dock wishing you were with a charter boat that catches fish and provides best fishing charter and customer service on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Fill out the booking inquiry form and we will call you back no later than that evening. This form does not commit you to anything, it is merely a tool we use to identify what you are looking for. I will talk to you personally with a phone call when it is time to book the trip.

How much fishing time is there in a trip?

This depends on how long of a trip you want and mostly where you want to fish.  If you want a nearshore trip for instance, you will get 3 1/4 hours of fishing out of 4 hours.   This is because we stay near the gulf shores beaches at all times.  More fishing time.  There is no bottom / reef fishing on these trips.  We are trolling and or sightcasting the whole time.

If you take a 10 hour offshore trip, there may be 4 hours riding and 6 hours of you holding a pole while reef fishing.  We at Distraction Charters keep you fishing from the moment we enter into the Gulf of Mexico.  We put out high speed trollers trying to catch King Mackerel, Bonita and Wahoo on the way out to the artificial reefs.  With us, you get more deep sea fishing than most boats here in Orange Beach.  Our goal is to keep a hook in the water at all times to increase your catch.