My boys like to fish, but they are pretty young (4, 3, and 1), so the attention spans are short. The Gulf State Pier looks perfect for young kids. Any advice for early April? We would have to rent rods and reels.

I sent you a pm.

We took our first family vacation this fall down to Dauphin Island. Drove up to Mobile and saw the big boat...I had more fun buying shrimp right off the boat at Bayou LaBatre. Its where they filmed part of Forest Gump. I had never seen a shrimp boat or large pile of oyster shells......I know I am uncultured. Buying fresh shrimp directly off the boat was a blast - bring several coolers or be prepared to buy some - I had never seen fresh shrimp so big.....they were and are tasty.....we brought back like 40 lbs. We met a local fisherman guide and he hauled us around the island and we saw dolphins right next to the boat. Snapper season had just ended and so had tourist season - Dauphin Island after mid September was very nice with not hardly any tourists left.

There's a pile of things to do in and around Gulf Shores. The Gulf State Park Pier is nice and will keep your kids entertained although at their early age you'd have to keep a close eye on them and probably not get much fishing done. Unbelievable places to eat, clean beaches to walk on, and small amusement park for the kids. Best of all, you'll be there before the Summer boom.