Hidden Treasure - Baldwin County Heritage Museum

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a hidden treasure - pun intended - this week with Ms. Beachin' and the boys. It's the Baldwin County Heritage Museum. It's a terrific little museum that's probably not as well known as it should be. It's right off of Hwy. 98, just outside Elberta. A short drive from anywhere on Pleasure Island. They currently feature an outstanding display from the sunken ship S.S. Republic, a Civil War era steamer. The display is amazing and the artifacts are unbelievable. It's a very enjoyable trip and I highly recommend it. Check them out online here.

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!!!

Boiling Water

It's time again to book your stay for Thunder on the Gulf. Thunder on the Gulf is the high speed boat race event by the Off Shore Super Series hosted yearly in Orange Beach/ Gulf Shores. Race weekend is August 14-17, with the boats approaching 150 MPH! Grab a spot on the beach, admission is free!
The Beachin' clan can be spotted at Phoenix V, right in the middle of the action.
See you at the Beach!
P.S. The folks at Brett Robinson has some great Thunder specials, check them out here.