Mobile Bay, AL Fishing Report & Live Conditions

Mobile Bay, AL fishing report

Mobile Bay and the surrounding delta system hold a diverse mix of species that shift dramatically with the seasons. Speckled trout and redfish get most of the local attention, but anglers willing to target different species will find striped bass staging near the causeway bridges and delta mouth in late fall through early spring when water temps drop into the mid-50s. Bluefish move through during spring and fall migrations, often erupting on surface bait in the main bay. Flounder — locally called fluke by transplants from up north — are present spring through fall and stack up around structured areas before moving offshore as temperatures fall below 65 degrees. Weakfish and kingfish appear inshore during warmer months, while black sea bass and tautog tend to hold on the deeper rock and shell bottom toward the bay mouth and nearshore structure.

Tides are everything in this system. An outgoing tide pulling dark, tannin-stained delta water into the bay concentrates baitfish along current seams, and that is exactly where stripers and bluefish will be feeding. Fish the downcurrent edges of the causeway pilings on the outgoing, using swimbaits, bucktails, or live pogies. Flounder hold tight to shell bottom and riprap — work a quarter-ounce jig head with a white or chartreuse paddle tail slowly along the bottom. When westerly winds push water out and clarity drops, predators often move shallow into grass edges. In summer, fish early before surface temps climb past 85 degrees, when fish go deep or sulk until evening.