Show Those Toes

Note: Clearly, this is a blog entry by Ms. Beachin'.

Spring is here and summer is just a few short weeks away which means showing off your toes in cute open toed shoes or flip flops.  Me…I love a great pedicure. So this weekend for Mother’s Day I was off to the spa.

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores offer a great choice of places to be pampered while vacationing.  My favorites are Davis White Salon in Gulf Shores, Studio 3 in Orange Beach and Jewels Beach Salon also in Orange Beach.  Each has their merits but Cindy Clements who does my nails recently set up shop at Jewels Beach Salon across the street from San Roc Cay.  It is very close to Phoenix East and Phoenix East II.

Cindy overflows with southern charm and once you become a regular she’ll be calling you boo and honey all day long.  She’ll help you find the perfect color for your nails steering you away from anything that doesn’t match your skin tone or anything she deems “not appropriate for your profession”.  (no blue nail polish on these toenails!) And if you like a good foot rub, you’re gonna love Cindy!

Jewels Beach Salon is charming and cozy.  The ladies who work there are hard working professionals who throw in their southern charm at no additional cost.  

So while hubby is watching the kids at the pool, escape for an hour of relaxation and enjoy how adorable your feet look in your sandals.

May Fishing Report from Capt. Randy Boggs

Offshore vermillion snapper are being caught in the 120’ to 200’ depths on cut squid and minnows. The Trysler Grounds and rock bottom are your best bets for catching these fish. Trigger fish are making a strong showing on cut bait in the 120’ to 200’ water depths.
Red snapper are easy to catch on any type of structure, but they are catch and release only until June 1st. Red snapper has been set for June 1, 2009 to August 2, 2009.
Grouper and scamp are biting if you can get past the red snapper. Scamp are biting live pinfish on the bottom. Larger live baits are the choice for grouper.
Amberjack have shown up on the deep water wrecks. They are biting live baits. REMEMBER the new size limits – 30” fork length, 1 per person with no bag limit for captain and crew.
Further offshore, black fin tuna are being caught around the rigs at night with diamond jigs. A few yellow fins have been caught trolling with high speed lures.
Inshore trout are being caught on live shrimp around the docks and the grass beds. Red fish are showing up at the Perdido Pass Bridge and rocks. They are biting live shrimp and cut bait.
Trolling with spoons on top and with planers will catch you a Spanish mackerel.
If you would like to book a great day of fishing, please contact our friendly staff at 251-981-7173 or 1-800-806-7889. We can accommodate any fishing needs.

Capt. Randy Boggs
www.reelsurprisecharters.com

Spring On the Coast

It's all beginning to happen here on Pleasure Island. There's Widespread Panic this weekend, and upcoming in April is the Mullet Toss, a Brent Burns concert, the 2009 Alabama High School Track Championship.
In May there's the 311/Hinder/Theory of a Deadman concert, the Pink Rubber Boots Ladies Fishing Rodeo, the Sugarland concert and the EVP Pro Beach Volleyball tournament. All of these and much more, and all before memorial Day Weekend.
It's a great time of year, and it's definitely time to make your beach plans if you haven't already.

See You on the Beach!

Smokey Bones BBQ

Note: A blog by Ms. Beachin'

When I first moved to the south I realize I didn’t know anything about BBQ. In the north, any food thrown onto a Weber grill meant you were having BBQ. I was quickly educated by my new southern friends that was “grilling” not BBQ-ing. Silly me. I lived for 37 years cheated of the mystery of smoked meats and ribs.

I discovered that BBQ involved hours of secret ingredients put into things called rubs, mops ( it sounded like house cleaning to me) and different types of wood. I also quickly learned that everyone had a different opinion as to what was really good BBQ. Dry rub? Mopping? Smoked with Pecan wood, hickory wood or apple wood? Served without sauce or with sauce and if so vinegar base, mustard base or tomato base? So many unanswered questions! After all is said and done, the best BBQ is the whatever your taste buds smile about.

So this weekend my honey and I went on a BBQ safari and found a place we both agreed was fantastic. Try Smokey Bones just off Canal Rd in Orange Beach. It is east of the Wharf and on a side street on the south side off Canal Rd. You can see the place from the street.

Smokey Bones is laid back, clean and family oriented. You place your order at the counter and point to the sides you want. Grab a beer or soda near the register and pick yourself a table.

I could smell the smoke as I walked into the door and walked over to the counter to order my pork plate and hubby ordered the brisket. Both were tender and juicy. Other choices include chicken, ribs or sausage plates, sandwiches or take out by the pound. The phone was ringing off the hook while I was there and take out was really jumping!

Sauce choices were a treat since you can pick from six different bottles on the table. Me, I combined original with spicy, my partner in crime had the spicy combined with HOT.

If you’re looking for atmosphere, you won’t find it here. If you’re looking for great BBQ and a cold beer…this is the place! We’ will be back to try out the ribs and homemade pies for desert.

By the way, our two plates and beers cost us less than $20. Not bad at all.

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!

Thanksgiving on the Beach

Here’s the recipe for an epic Thanksgiving:

Fried Turkey (a Beachin’ Bob special, injected with Cajun butter), macaroni & cheese, cornbread dressing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, baby lima beans, rolls, cream style corn, cranberry sauce, a boat load of sweets highlighted by home made chocolate pie.
All of this followed by a short nap.
Then the Annual Beachin’ Sand Bowl, a hotly contested sand football game played on the beach next to the Pink Pony Pub, right in front of Phoenix All Suites.
From all of us to all of you, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
See You on the Beach!!

November Fishing Report by Capt. Randy Boggs

The weather might be cooler, but the inshore fishing is “hot”. There have been good catches of red fish reported. These fish are showing up just north of the Perdido Pass Bridge on an incoming tide. Cut bait, live bait or trolling with spoons and Stretch 25s, with pink and green being the better colors, are the baits of choice.

Good catches of flounder are also being reported. The best catches are on jigs or bull minnows.

For catch and release, the public wrecks are a “hot” spot for red snapper. Trigger fish have shown up in abundance and are being caught on cut squid.
Remember, effective August 4, 2008, the size limit for gray trigger fish was increased to 14 inches, fork length.

Spanish and King mackerel are being caught on spoons trolling around the pass or just offshore. A smaller size spoon will produce a lot of Spanish mackerel.

There have been no reports of dolphin or wahoo being caught. Some large yellow fins tuna, over 100 pounds, are being caught trolling around the offshore rigs. Quite a few black fin tuna are being caught jigging with diamond jigs.

Capt. Randy Boggs
www.reelsurprisecharters.com

September Fishing Report by Capt. Randy Boggs

Not all bad things come from hurricanes. With Hurricane Gustav it brought in clean water.

The red snapper are abundant on every reef and oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico including near shore. The natural bottom is holding trigger fish and vermillion snapper. We are seeing some grouper being caught in the 200’ depths.

Well offshore, the tuna fishing has been excellent at the oil rigs. There are reports of a lot of yellow fin tuna being caught in the 60 lb to 100 lb range. Several nice wahoo have been caught to the southwest around the oil rigs

Inshore the red fish bite has been better than ever seen. There have been several reports of over 100 fish being caught and released on a 4-hour trip. The speckled trout are being caught at night around the lights.

This is typical of the fishing in September. Everything is starting to feed anticipating the cooler weather when the bait will migrate out of here. The fishing is expected to get even better throughout the month.

Capt. Randy Boggs
www.reelsurprisecharters.com

Shrimp Festival

The National Shrimp Festival is slated for October 9 - 12. It's always a great time and this year should be no exception. From my post at Phoenix All Suites (right next door to the festival) I'll be taking in the sights, sounds, food and drink. This year's entertainment lineup includes: The Tip Tops, Joe Dee Messina, local favorite Brent Burns, rocking blues guitarist Wes Jeans, southern rock legends Molly Hatchet, and many more. Book early, it's usually a sell out. The food is awesome (don't miss the Cajun Pistols), the music is great and running on multiple stages, the vendor booths are interesting and unique. It's a can't miss event.
See you at the Beach!

P.S. This year's poster is a creation from my good friend Marjorie McCullough. If you see her at the festival, make sure you tell her Hi from Beachin' Bob.

Flowrider Competition

Waterville USA in Gulf Shores is the location for a Flowrider competition August 23–24. It’s called the 2008 Alabama Slamma. Admission is free and there will be more than 200 participants. What’s a Flowrider? According to Waterville: “The Flowrider is a simulated surfing/bodyboarding/snowboarding (snowboarding?? In Gulf Shores ???) on an endless wave. 40,000 gallons of water is pumped over a soft, trampoline style mat up a 5 foot incline to make the perfect endless wave.”

If you’ve never seen it, you should. These guys and gals are awesome at what they do.

Look for my Chevelle in the parking lot, and as always –

See You At The Beach!!!

July Fishing Report by Capt. Randy Boggs

Offshore the waters have continued to stay muddy. Despite the muddy conditions, a few tuna are being caught at the rigs. A few rips have pushed up further offshore – 80 to 90 miles – with good catches of dolphin (mahi-mahi) and tuna fish. A few nice wahoo are being caught high speed trolling.There have been reports of two or three blue marlin being caught around the Nipple in the dirty water.

Bottom fishing is as good as it gets with good catches of red snapper and vermillion snapper.There are a lot of fish on the public reefs.Live pin fish or cigar minnows on a lighter leader (30 lb - 40 lb) will entice the fish on the public wrecks to bite.Several cobia have been caught around the oil rigs.

The dirty water has hampered the inshore fishing for trout. Red fish are showing up in fare numbers along the beaches and in the jetties.The Spanish mackerel and King mackerel are every where - the beaches, the pass, to well offshore.

Remember to have your venting tool and de-hooker on board.These items are now required by law.You must also use non-stainless steel circle hooks when fishing natural baits for reef fish.

On Monday, June 20, 3008, the Mobile Press Register reported that Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley officially extended red snapper season through October 31, 2008 in Alabama's 3-mile jurisdictional waters.

HOT TIPS!

It is better to use heavy monofilament (80 - 100 test line) for leaders when trolling for King mackerel rather than wire. Use a longer shank. You will loose a few fish to bite offs, but you will get way more strikes.

Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
www.reelsurprisecharters.com

Hot Air Balloon Ride

I have always been fascinated with flying machines, from crop dusters to the Blue Angels. When I hear the drone of an airplane engine, I have to stop and look up. Hot air balloons intrigue me even more. Watching them float silently above the earth brings a smile to my face.

Brett/Robinson has been a sponsor for each of the four years of the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival in Foley. The event has grown each year and attracts balloonist from all areas of the country. The 2008 festival had 50 participants. As a sponsor, someone with the company has the opportunity to ride in a balloon. This year, I was the lucky one.

When I was asked if I would like to fly, my immediate answer was yes. Then, I was filled with conflicting emotions of excitement and dread. My flight was scheduled for Saturday evening. Before taking to the air, the pilots and sponsors were invited to a meet and greet Friday afternoon. I met the Brett/Robinson sponsored pilot, Gary Jones from Diamondhead, Miss. We talked briefly and agreed on a meeting time at the festival the next day.

Thunderstorms were scattered around the area mid-day Saturday, but the sky above Foley was clear by late afternoon and I met the pilot and his family at the festival. I was a little nervous as we waited on the pilot briefing. More rain had developed over Mobile Bay and it looked as if it was headed our way. After much discussion and weather watching, we postponed the flight until Sunday morning. I was to be at the festival grounds by 5:30 a.m. That gave me a little more time to anticipate the flight.

My alarm buzzed at 4:15 a.m. Sunday. I had just enough time to glance at the newspaper and drive from Orange Beach to Foley for my adventure. After breakfast and the pilot briefing, the decision was made to launch. To determine the wind direction, a helium-filled balloon was released. We watched as it floated through the different layers of wind currents. It looked like we were really going to fly. We took the truck and trailer with the balloon to a field southwest of the target landing area. It didn’t take long to get the basket (with a Brett/Robinson banner on the side) attached and the balloon inflated.

My pilot, Gary; his 8-year-old son Jeff; and I climbed in the basket and we started our ascent. The truck, trailer and crew were getting smaller by the second. The view was spectacular. I could see Mobile Bay to the west and the condominiums defining the start of the Gulf of Mexico to the south. I could easily identify Phoenix West and Phoenix West II, as well as condos as far east as Perdido Key. There was no sense of movement, only the ground moving below us. We were traveling with the wind, so there was no breeze in my face. The only sound was the release of propane to fire the burners that heat the air and the chatter of a slightly nervous 8-year-old.

The sky was filled with bright-colored balloons at various levels of flight and we all had the same goal, to land somewhere on or near the festival grounds. The winds shifted slightly to the south, so only a handful of balloons actually landed in the target area. Our balloon drifted near the target, but not near enough. Gary started looking for an open area without power lines to set the balloon down. By this time, balloons were landing all around the area southeast of the festival. We spotted an open lot in a neighborhood and as we came nearer to the tree tops, I could see people, some still in their pajamas, standing in their yards watching the invasion and waving. Our landing was a little rough. We hit the ground and bounced twice. Our crew arrived a few minutes after our landing. Other balloons landed in the same area and everyone helped to get all of the balloons packed and into their trailers. My adventure was over and I was back in my car and driving south before 8:30 a.m.

It was an experience I will never forget. Hopefully, some day I will get to float above the trees in a beautiful balloon again. Until then, I will keep looking up at the sound of an airplane engine and scanning the horizon for a balloon riding with the wind.

* The above story was provided by Lady Luanne, my co-worker.*

As Always, See You At The Beach!

Broadway at the Beach

Every year, the University of Alabama’s summer time theater group takes up residence in Gulf Shores. This year the SummerTide Theatre group will perform the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”.
The stage will be filled with your favorite Snoopy characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder and of course Snoopy. Show times are Tuesdays through Sundays at 8:00 PM, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00. The Missus and I have seen several of their productions and they are always well worth the time and modest admission fee.
As always, we’re staying with our friends at a great Brett Robinson Vacation Rentals property. This time it’s the fabulous Phoenix on the Bay II. If you book some you may be able to get the POB II special, which is a premium unit with amazing amenities for a select price. In any case, they guarantee you the best price on the beach or the bay.
As always, see you at the Beach.

June 2008 Fishing Report

Inshore, King mackerel and Spanish mackerel are being caught trolling along the beach. These fish are being caught on planers and spoons or a Mylar duster with a cigar minnow. For some reason, these fish seem to be holding two to three miles off the beach. Speckled trout are being caught around lighted piers at night with live shrimp.

The current offshore has been strong out of the west bringing green to brown water, and this has slowed the fishing some. Red snapper are being caught in all depths on cut bait or live pin fish. Vermillion snapper are being caught in 100’ to 120’ depths on cut squid. Quite a few grouper and scamp have been caught in the 200’ to 300’ depths. Trigger fish have been being caught on some of the pyramids placed by the World Champion Red Snapper Tournament high in the water on cut squid, not fishing on the bottom.

Offshore trolling has been slow due to the dirty water. A few black fin tuna are being caught on the offshore rigs jigging with diamond jigs. A few small yellow fin tuna are being caught by chunking around the offshore rigs. An offshore rip was reported earlier this week with a good catch of dolphin coming off of it.

Water temperature both near shore and offshore being reported at 81.5° to 82°.

Capt. Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
http://www.reelsurprisecharters.com/

Summer Begins At "The Top"

Summer kicks off on Pleasure Island this weekend with the Memorial Day weekend (as much as summer kicks off here, it’s basically summer all year). Friday night I’ll be attending the ZZ Top concert at the Wharf Amphitheater. I’ve seen the “Little Ole Band from Texas” several times in different venues and they always put on a good show. I’m sure this time will be no different. The opening act will be .38 Special, one of my all time Southern Rock favorites. Since we’ll be staying at Phoenix All Suites, we’ll certainly take the short walk to the new Hangout. On Memorial Day, we’ll head down to Fort Morgan to honor our fighting men and women and watch the staff fire their Civil War era cannon. It’s an incredible sight. Enjoy Memorial Day, and come visit us soon.

As always, see you at the Beach.

Family Reunion

Beachin’ Bob is bringing in the whole extended family for the Fourth of July weekend this year. Aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, in-laws, the whole gang. We’ll be at Phoenix on the Bay II. It’s got a lazy river (which is perfect for someone like me who’s…well..let’s say uninspired to undertake rigorous activity while vacationing), wireless access throughout the building for blogging and web surfing, and a great view of Terry Cove and the Perdido Pass bridge. We’ll of course be renting a boat slip for the Beachin’ cruiser for our family boat rides. We’ll cruise to the Wharf to take in the fireworks and the Lee Greenwood concert on the Fourth. And follow it upwith the Montgomery Gentry concert on the 5^th. We’ll even work in some beach time too, as we always do.

See you at the Beach!!

The Hangout Returns

Anyone who spent time in the summer in Gulf Shores in the 50’s and 60’s remembers the Hangout. Chiefly because the Hangout was the only place to be. The new Hangout is at the corner of Highway 59 and Beach Boulevard, just like the old Hangout. That area is affectionately known as “the T” to the locals. The new Hangout will be an open air restaurant and bar, with a big projection screen that will be showing beach and surfing style movies. The grand opening is May 2nd, the memories and good times will be flowing just like the good old days. I’ll be staying at Phoenix All Suites, a short walk from “the T”.

See you at the Beach!

It’s A Great Spring on the Coast

Spring is here and it’s the best to visit gulf Shores & Orange Beach. The weather is mild and the summer crowds haven’t arrived yet. So for me, it’s a perfect time for golf.

Saturday Brett and I played a round of golf at Rock Creek in Fairhope last Saturday as part of our Golf Package we got through Brett Robinson. We got a great deal on a round of golf and a condo on the beach. It was a short drive from condo to tee, less than an hour.

Sunday we played Cypress Bend at Craft Farms, an Arnold Palmer design. It’s a great layout, very player friendly. For lunch we headed out to Indigo Joe’s, the new sports bar at the Pinnacle. The food was awesome, and the big screens are perfect for keeping up with your favorite sporting events.

All in all, a great weekend.

Of course, we’ll be back soon for the fish flinging fun of the Mullet Toss.



See you at the Beach!!

March 2008 Fishing Report from Capt. Randy Boggs

Slowly but surely the water is heating up along with the fishing.

Inshore, the sheepshead are biting around the inlets, jetties and docks. The best baits are live shrimp or fiddler crabs. A few speckled trout are starting to show up. The surf fishing has been slow. This is sure to change when we get an east winds and an east tide.

Offshore, the vermillion snapper trigger fish and amberjacks are biting well in water in depths of over 100’.

We have not had any reports of the offshore fishing for tuna, dolphin or wahoo. We did see a boat coming in last week with tuna flags flying.

The first King mackerel have shown up in the last week.

Cobia season is just around the corner. The fist fish is generally caught around the 20th of March. The peak of the cobia migration will be here in late April to early May. Site fishing along the beach with live bait is the most popular way to catch these fish.

Capt. Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
http://www.reelsurprisecharters.com/

Editors Note:
Don’t forget these events too:

Spring Saltwater Series
Price: Anglers: $10.00 daily; No boat entry fee. Spring tournament fishing will be in full swing with the inaugural Spring Saltwater Series. Their will be a $150,000 in cash and prizes to the winners. The 11-fish tournament will include king mackerel, tuna, wahoo, grouper, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, cobia, speckled trout, red fish and sheepshead. More fish to catch means more anglers winning prizes. The $10 daily ticket qualifies anglers to compete in all 11 categories.
Weigh Station is Zeke's Landing MarinaOrange Beach, AL
251-981-4044
www.orangebeachsnapper.com/

42nd Annual Labor Day Tournament
August 29, 2008 - September 1, 2008
Price: $175.00 per angler. Minimum of 4 anglers per boat for boats over 32 feet and 3 anglers per boat for boats 32 feet and under. Entry forms received by August 26th, $150.00 per angler. There is a $1 million prize to anyone who sets a new Alabama state record for Blue Marlin in this tournament. See website for complete details.
Waters of the Gulf of MexicoOrange Beach, AL
www.mbgfc.org/

The Wharf Packs Them In

The Wharf has announced several top of the line acts for this spring. On Saturday March 1st, they’ll host country superstar Alan Jackson. I’m sure you’ll hear some songs from his soon to be released album “Havin A Good Time”. The next night, March 2nd, the Amphitheater will be rocking with Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin & Seether. I’ll be taking in that show accompanied by my son Brett. We’ll be staying at Phoenix on the Bay II, a short drive down Canal road from the Wharf. In April Widespread Panic will return to the Gulf Coast. After a very successful 2 show stand last year the band returns for 3 shows this year, April 18th – 20th.
It’s time book your Spring Break vacations, and a weekend (or week) at the beach or bay highlighted by a concert is a great way to kick off Spring.