So we are headed to the west side of the gulf shores area the first weekend of August staying in a condo on the beach. I am a freshwater fisherman and looking for pointers on surf fishing. Planning on buying 2 rods. Will be my first time surf fishing

Will actually be closer to fort morgan

Chris,
I have a condo on west beach blvd in Gulf Shores. I'm on the 18th floor and able to observe the fishing activity.
Have never seen much surf action but limited action on trout and reds in the Little Lagoon while wade fishing.
My vrbo listing # is 211548 so you can see the location and view from my place.
Would be happy to furnish any other info you may need...even my wife's likes and dislikes on GS.
Dennis

I have fished Fort Morgan several times. Tons of sharks, fun to play with.. If you go to the Gulf Shores pier you can catch bait (cigar minnows or LY) on a sabiki rig and then free line them off the end of pier using 7 strand 60 lb wire and a treble hook for kings/spanish. Early morning or late evening bite should be good in the surf throwing topwater and soft plastics... Look on PensacolaFishingForum.com and check out the reports for the area.

My wife and I are headed to Gulf Shores / Orange Beach on September 1. We'll be there for almost 2 weeks in our travel trailer. Plan to do some fishing in the surf, on the Gulf State Pier and wherever else sounds like it could be promising in the area that time of year. Never been to the "Redneck Riviera" before, looking forward to some pretty beaches and water (i.e. a change from the Upper Gulf Coast in Texas).

Consult the Solunar Tables for Gulf Shores for the time you are going to be there (linked below) and try to fish during the "major feeding" and "minor feeding" time periods for that particular day. I checked both of the sites linked and they have different data for that first weekend in August. I just recently started using this approach to try and improve my odds of catching vs just fishing so I am not sure which site would be considered most "accurate". Of course the Solunar Tables don't account for wind conditions and other weather issues (storms and such which changing barometer) that affect the bite. The moon is full or approaching full that weekend, a new moon seems to yield better results by comparison. Dawn and dusk seem to be generally better than mid-day and lots of times the bite is better in the late hours of the night / wee hours in the morning.

EZFishing solunar tables - Gulf Shores in August

Tides4Fishing solunar tables - Gulf Shores in August

Love that area. Get a 10-12 ft. Surf rod and braided line 50-60 lb class and use shock leaders for shark. If you want to also fish for pompano with the sand fleas. You can pick up sand flea rakes at fishing stores along the coast and pick up some pompano rigs. Look up online on how to notice the v's they make burrowing on the outgoing surf. 10-15 lb mono on a medium spinning outfit 6-7 ft. rod. Some of the best tasting fish in the gulf. Some of the most expensive at the fish market as well.

Thanks a ton guys. I'm looking forward to the getaway and escape of the daily life

The Dixie Bar just off of Fort Morgan is a famous spot for catching bull reds, sharks, and big jacks, best on a falling out low tide, not at the low tide but as it is falling out and draining bait out of the bay. Admittedly it is regarded as a boat fishing spot and depending on what week in August you are there, you might see us out there is a yellow Sea Hunt. But I found an article online once about people surf fishing it, using big 6000, 8000, or bigger spinning rods to get out as deep as possible. You might be able to find that article or some resources there googling.

If you can, some charter boats do trolling trips near shore and catch a bunch of Spanish Mackerel, which is a very fun trip.

Best of luck to you and have a great trip!