3/30/2009

Girls Weekend at the Gulf

Note: A blog entry by Ms. Beachin' about her annual Girls weekend at the Gulf. It's a pretty good time for the guys too, as we're left all on our own for a weekend!

Great values are available for a beach front condominium and Timing is everything

For example I can save more than $1200 renting a 3 bedroom condominium for a week at Phoenix V simply by vacationing in August instead of July. Personally I enjoy the more laid back quiet on the coast in the month of August. The waters are warm enough for swimming, the shops offer great discounts, and it is easier for me to get into my favorite restaurants.

This is the time when my girlfriends and I say “ hasta la vista baby “ to our hubbies and children and really enjoy down time with the girls.

I just love looking at my new manicure done in the latest color as I wrap my hands around that oh, so ever great, peach margarita sitting on the deck of my favorite beach bar, watching the sun go down.

Come on girls, get to the beach!

3/25/2009

Relay for Life Charity Golf Tournament


It's time for the 2nd Annual Relay for Life Golf Tournament sponsored by Brett Robinson. It's a great tourney for a great cause. This year's tournament will be held at the Cypress Bend course of Craft Farms in Gulf Shores. Please come out and join us. It's $450 a team or $125 for a single player. As always, Beachin' Bob will be there taking huge divots and missing short putts, but having a great time. We hope to see you there. if not..
See you on the Beach!!

3/18/2009

Wolf Bay Lodge Reopens at Zeke's Landing

A Ms. Beachin' blog entry:

A few years back I vacationed in Maine and fell in love with lobster. At the risk of sounding like Forrest Gump I lived on lobster bisque, lobster rolls, lobster pies, broiled lobster, lobster tails etc etc for a week.

What does Maine have to do with Alabama? Not a lot, both offer a coast line with endless scenery but the weather is certainly different. Recently on a lazy Sunday afternoon I found lobster bisque right here in Orange Beach AL that rivals the bisque I feel in love with in Kennebunkport ME.

Wolf Bay Lodge burned down a few months back and the owners managed to find a great space at Zeke’s Landing in Orange Beach until the old place is rebuilt. I am ashamed to say that as a local I’ve not been to Wolf Bay Lodge and now realize what great food I’ve been missing.

As I placed my order for the rib-eye sandwich the waitress apologetically announce that there was no gumbo for the afternoon but they did have lobster bisque. I immediately ordered a cup and wished I order the biggest bowl they had in the restaurant! First of all you could actually see the lobster. That delicious crustacean was blended with a creamy base kicked up southern style that will have me eating oatmeal for the next two weeks.

The bisque combined with views, live music and a nice glass of wine made a memorable Sunday afternoon. I turned to my hubby and announced it was just another great day in paradise.

Zeke’s Landing is located across the road from Phoenix 6, 7 and 8, turn into the center and drive back towards the marina. After a great meal walk around the marina looking at the fishing boats, shops and with luck watch fisherman come back in from a day of fishing and watch the fresh catch of the day off loaded from the boat.

3/12/2009

Spring Golf Tour

Spring has spring on the Gulf Coast and that inevitably leads to the Beachin' Spring Golf Tour. The Tour began at Craft Farms, playing the 2 Arnold Palmer designed courses, Cypress Bend and Cotton Creek. The next stop for me and Beachin' Brett was the links at the Gulf State Park. The Park has a nice course, and you can walk the course (and rent a pull cart) or ride the course in a cart. It's an economical place to play, and very enjoyable. I'll report later as we hack our way around some of the other courses in our area like Soldiers Creek at the Preserve in Elberta, the Golf Club of the Wharf, Glen Lakes Golf Club and several others.
See you at the Beach!!

3/06/2009

March Fishing Report from Capt. Randy Boggs

Inshore a few sheepsheads are being caught around Perdido Pass Bridge and the rocks with live shrimp being the best bait. Trout are being caught in the deeper holes in the rivers and bays. Flounder fishing has been slow. A few red fish are being caught trolling with planers and spoons just outside of Perdido Pass.

Red snapper season remains closed until June 1, 2009. A lot of fun catch and release fishing on most of the oil rigs and public wrecks out of Orange Beach can be had using cigar minnows. Vermillion snapper are being caught in the 110’ to 125’ depths using cut squid. We have had some great catches of fish in the last few days made up of vermillion snapper, trigger fish, white snappers and porgys.

Reel Surprise Charters is offering a special for the month of March – 6-hour trip for $70. If you would like to make a reservation, please call us at 251-981-7173 or 1-800-806-7889.

There are reports of King Mackerel in the Trysler grounds. They are being caught on cigar minnows or live bait drifting behind the boat.

Grouper season for both red grouper and gag grouper remains closed until the end of March. If you can get some smaller live baits, such as pin fish, there are quite a few scamp to be caught if you can stay away from the red snapper.

Further offshore, there are black fin tuna at most of the offshore rigs being caught at night on diamond jigs. Quite a few yellow fin tuna have been caught trolling with small ballyhoo. The best bite is an hour or so before daylight to about an hour after sunrise to about an hour before sundown and an hour or so after dark. All of the reports we have received say the sharks are very thick and it is hard to chunk for the tunas.

We have had no reports of other pelagic fish have been received other than the Sea Spray catching a Mako shark off the coast of Louisiana that weighed in at 1,149.5 pounds making it the third largest fish ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Congratulations to Bill Staff and crew!

Capt. Randy Boggs
www.reelsurprisecharters.com