That's not a bad area to stay in as long as it's one of the decent hotels. It's only a mile or so from my house and I havent been murdered yet. The water is still fresh pretty far into the bay from all the rain we have had this month but the reds were biting the other day at the pier and we caught a bunch of mullet in the cast net too. You could try dauphin island as well, only about an hour from where you will be and it shouldnt be too crowded this time of the year.