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Bob Ward

Mobile Delta "Tensaw River Report" Email Bob Ward

Date Fished: 7/25/2008
Water Temperature: 87
Water Clarity: 6 inches

Launched on the Causeway (lower Delta) at 7 AM with my neighbor with a falling tide and a moderate northwest wind. Water high with visibility at 1 foot in the rivers and less than 6 inches in the bays. A couple of small fish on a 1/8 oz buzzbait and DOA early but nothing after 8:30 AM. Fished the Spanish River some but with no success quit at 10 AM because of the heat. Drove over the Causeway at 2 PM for lunch and the water was very low. Say many spec and redfishmen south of the Battleship. Suspect most were fishing with live shrimp. Saw many, many shrimp today. Maybe that's why the bass are not hitting artificials. The Dixie Classic bass tournament will launch out of Lower Bryant's Landing in the morning. Suspect most will be heading north to fish the moving waters of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers. The middle and lower Delta will be tough.

Date Fished: 7/14/2008
Water Temperature: 88
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Another unproductive fishing day in the lower Mobile/Tensaw Delta. I launched on the Causeway just after high tide at 10AM with broken overcast and a light north wind. The water level was very high, otherwise a near perfect day for fishing, I thought. Most of the grass in the bays has "slimmed" but the ribbon or eel grass appears in good shape but apparently not holding any quality bass. I fished a portion of Chocalotta Bay, most of Conway Creek and Little Batteau, and several miles of lower Tensaw River before giving it up at 2PM. I fished primarily the DOA, a small buzzbait and a green pumpkin trick worm. The only fish I caught were on a lightly weighted pumpkin colored Zoom U-tail worm and they were small and few. Even with daily rains the water is very clear.

Date Fished: 7/11/2008
Water Temperature: 87
Water Clarity: 1 foot

My neighbor and I dodged thunderstorms yesterday morning for about 4 hours, with very high water, a moderate west wind, a falling tide, occasional overcast, and hot air temp (low 90s). We first searched for grass south of the Causeway without success. We then fished the grass-lined river banks and caught nothing but gars. I even fished deep with a C-rig in hopes of at least catching a few flounder, specs or redfish.
Again, no luck. By 11 AM we old timers had enough and headed home.
The standard summer patterns (fish early and late) remain in effect and even though we get rain most every day, we are still one inch below normal in rainfall. Tournament contestants continue to have better success north around wood structure in the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers.

Date Fished: 6/27/2008
Water Temperature: 85
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Now I remember why I don't like to fish Dog River; boat traffic. My neighbor and I put in at Luscher Park about 3 PM yesterday with a good falling tide, moderate wind, no cloud cover and very hot. Water visibility was at least a foot everywhere we went and about 2 feet back in Alligator Bayou and Rabbit Creek. Everybody that owned a water vehicle had to on the water yesterday; pontoon boats, jet skies, and we even has two 25 footers run by us on plane while beyond the train trestle in Halls Mill Creek. And the fishing wasn't that great. My neighbor caught two decent bass and a 5 pound redfish on a single-spin, jig head, grub combination (he also missed several small bass on the same rig) but all I caught was a 3 pound flounder on the traditional bass lures (white spinnerbait, buzzbait, Salley, and crankbaits). We returned to the landing just after 7 PM to avoid the Friday Evening Tournament weigh-in traffic. I hope the tournament contestants had a better day than we did.

Date Fished: 6/20/2008
Water Temperature: 86
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Launched on the Causeway just after 7 AM. Incoming tide all day. Water fairly high. Light north wind. Rain almost every day but the water visibility was normal for the lower Delta (Causeway). I have not been on the water lately but heard that some grass was beginning to return and that the grass was particularly heavy on the west side of Chocalotta Bay. It is and there are plenty of bass there but they are small. I moved out to the river (Tensaw)about 9 AM and checked several of my favorite banks for grass. I found some grass there as well but again the bass were very small. I caught several fish on a yellow trick worm and the small Okeechobee spinnerbait (clear) but had the most success with a lightly weighted,
Texas-rigged junebug lizard. Nothing on top water. Largest bass caught was less than 1.5 pounds and most were non-keepers.
The wind shifted to the south at 1030 AM and with the air temp at 92 I decided to call it quits. Plenty of people out fishing but most were after speckled trout and redfish which are beginning to show up in the lower Delta.

Date Fished: 5/23/2008
Water Temperature: 80
Water Clarity: 0

I have fished the Mobile/Tensaw Delta for many years and I have never seen the lower Delta as high, and muddy, as it is right now. I don't know how high the water is in the middle and upper Delta but the lower Delta is unfishable. The water at the launch on the Causeway was over the piers when I came in just after high tide this afternoon and I had to wade to my truck in the parking lot. Water visibility was less than 4 inches everywhere I went. I fished three of the bays and several of the creeks and needless to say I didn't get a bite. Good luck to the Dixie tournament contestants tomorrow. They are going to need it.

Date Fished: 5/19/2008
Water Temperature: 80
Water Clarity: 6 inches

I fished the Causeway (lower Delta) from 1 PM till 4 PM. I should have stayed home. The water was in the parking lot and very muddy. But the biggest deterrent was the strong south wind. I had planned to fish the evening falling tide but the wind held the tide and made running very difficult and not very safe. I gave it up at 4 PM and headed back to the launch. The water level had fallen only about 6 inches and the rivers had two foot swells. Only two non-keepers to show for the 6 gallons of gas I burned.

Date Fished: 5/7/2008
Water Temperature: 77
Water Clarity: 6 inches

Bass fishing in the Mobile Delta, the lower Delta in particular, continues to be very tough. Major problems are muddy water and lack of cover (grass). Since Live Oak Landing closed most tournaments are being held out of Dead Lake, Cliff's Landing and Bryant's Landings.
All of these landings are in the middle Delta which permits contestants to fish the middle Delta, run north or run south. Not many people are running south lately. There are still a few fish spawning in the Upper Delta but for the most part the spawn is over and fishing success is limited to targeting wood structure. I spent four hours crisscrossing the lower Delta yesterday and, even though the tide was falling hard, had one of my worst fishing days in recent years. An interesting article appeared in the Outdoor section of our local newspaper detailing some of the bass problems in the Mobile/Tensaw Delta, namely the scarcity of fish over 4 pounds and the disappearance of grass. No one in the State of Alabama has an answer to the problem. I was going to write another "letter to the editor" or address the problem directly to the Alabama Department of Conservation but decided not to "beat a dead horse." But at least now they do admit there is a problem, one I have been crying about since the drought of 1999.
Slot limits and size limits are "counter productive," according to our wizards in the Department of Conservation and past stocking attempts of
non-native bass have been unsuccessful. Again, I invite all interested parties to view www.deltaawareness.com to see how the Delta has changed.
The Delta is sinking, the bays and creeks are filling in and there is more and more salt water intrusion. Much of this is attributed directly to Alabama Power's 22 plus locks and dams on the rivers feeding the Delta.

Date Fished: 4/21/2008
Water Temperature: 70
Water Clarity: 6 inches

Fished the first day off the neap tide for four hours today with my neighbor. Water in the lower Delta continues to be very high and muddy, and very little grass. We fished the east side concentrating on shallow bays. We managed 6 fish the biggest about 3 pounds and another better than 2 pounds. The other four were typical Causeway keepers and all fell to a spinnerbait. Not a great day but the wind was moderate out of the southwest so we had an enjoyable day.

Date Fished: 4/13/2008
Water Temperature: 72
Water Clarity: 6 inches

A friend and I fished the lower Delta for four hours yesterday and found the smaller fish in the clearer water in the back of creeks. We wasted the first hour or so checking the bays on the west side (Chocolatta, Delvan, Grand Bay and Chuckfee) finding very muddy water, no grass and no fish. We expected to see Fish 'N Fever contestants everywhere but they must have stayed north as we say only two and they were fishing structure in the rivers. Out of desperation we headed for the creeks, wood structure and clearer water. We caught (and released) at least 20 bass pitching junebug lizards. I found it unusual that the fish would not hit any color but junebug, and it had to be pegged to a 1/4 ounce weight. At first I stayed with a spinnerbait, crankbait, buzzbait or lightly weighted worm but after my friend put the sixth fish in the boat I switched to a more heavily weighted junebug lizard and began to catch fish also. I'm hardheaded but I'm not stupid. All fish were fairly small with only three in the 2 pound class
(best five about 9 pounds) but it was fun.
I wonder how the Fish 'N Fever contestants did?

Date Fished: 3/31/2008
Water Temperature: 68
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The water is clearing a little but the bays are still very muddy due to the lack of grass. From the results of last weekend's Fish'N Fever tournament it appears that the majority of the fish are being caught north of Gravine Island. Today was overcast all day with a moderate east wind. I launched on the Causeway (Meaher Park) at 10 AM and headed for the clearer water in the back of Bay Minnette Basin. Plenty of grass there but the water was not high enough to move around or throw anything but top water. I caught one good keeper on a small buzzbait but with the water less than 2 feet deep and the abundance of milfoil I was not able to move around much. I moved to the Blakely River and found shelter in a pocket on the east side. The water visibility here as at least a foot, but no grass. I fan cast around the boat with a spinnerbait for half an hour with an occasional hit but no hook ups. I switched to a junebug lizard and caught a half dozen buck bass before a large fish stripped line and took the lizard away from me. The line (20 Stren braid) held but the wire hook did not. Since I seldom come in contact with large fish I almost always use 3/0 Lazor 295JBJ wire hooks. They are cheap and require very little hook set. They are great for everyday fishing in the Lower Delta but I don't recommend them for tournament fishing. My back started hurting at 2 PM so I gave it up and headed home, two hours before high tide and the fish still biting.

Date Fished: 3/28/2008
Water Temperature: 66
Water Clarity: 6 inches

Fished the lower Delta with my neighbor 9 AM to 1 PM. Incoming tide. Moderate south wind. Water very muddy in bays but not so muddy in rivers. Very little grass. Caught a couple of medium keepers on a spinnerbait. Very disappointing morning. Saw quite a few boats, probably prefishing for Fish 'N Fever tournament tomorrow. The lower Delta remains in bad shape with few fish, little grass, and plenty of muddy water.

Date Fished: 3/5/2008
Water Temperature: 66
Water Clarity: 6 inches

I went looking more than fishing in the lower Mobile Delta between 2 and 4:30 PM. High, muddy water everywhere. With no grass the bays were especially muddy. I found clearer water in the back of Oak Bayou and Oak Leaf Bayou (a little better than 6 inches) but the water was pretty much in the woods. Water temp was very good, varying from 62 at the launch to 69 in the back of Oak Leaf. I tried spinnerbaits and crankbaits with no luck. I caught two good keepers on a small black worm with a white tail. Nothing on a red shad or June bug worm. The weatherman said the wind would be out of the east at 8 mph but I found it to be out of the southwest at 10 to 15. The water level rose all afternoon.
A chance of more rain tomorrow followed by hopefully the last of the cold fronts.
Saturday should be a miserable day for bass fishing with neap tides thrown in for good measure.

Date Fished: 2/23/2008
Water Temperature: 60'S
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The first of the Dixie Bass series out of Saraland last Saturday good off to a good start with several stringers (5 fish) over 12 pounds and the first day of the two-day Fish 'N Fever tournament yesterday was also pretty impressive with several limits over 13 pounds. Most fish were caught deep around structure in creeks in the lower Delta. However, there was only one fish caught over 4 pounds in the Dixie tournament and only a couple in the Fish 'N Fever. I went out for a couple of hours yesterday in the rain and checked a few of the bays and the fish aren't there yet, but if this warming trend continues they will be. Water temp is in the mid 60s. Not much grass though so the fish will a bit harder to locate.

Date Fished: 2/5/2008
Water Temperature: 66
Water Clarity: 6 inches

I wasted six gallons of gas today. The fog didn't lift until 10:30 AM and by then the wind had picked up to 20+ kts. My boat hasn't been in the water for almost a month so I called my neighbor and asked him to go with me for a boat ride and the check out conditions in the lower Delta. We took our fishing rods along just in case we found conditions to our liking or any place to get out of the wind. The water was just off low tide but fairly high and rising fast due to the strong southeast wind when we launched on the Causeway at noon. The water temp was higher than I expected (66 at the launch but 70 in the back of Oak Bayou). Water visibility was much less than I expected, the best we found was ten inches. It was too windy to check the bays or fish the rivers so we ran from creek to creek. I have never had much luck in the creeks with the water high and today was no exception. We had several bites but only one keeper (a 2.75 female). It was too windy for plastics so we stuck with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. We saw plenty of bait fish in the creeks but the only thing chasing them was pelicans. We quit at 3 PM, tired of fighting the wind. Not many folks out today. Most were enjoying Mardi Gras downtown or staying home because of the threatening weather.

Date Fished: 1/7/2008
Water Temperature: 58
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I launched on the Causeway this morning just after the fog lifted, about 8:30 AM. A two day warming trend has the water temp rising and the fish active. The two days of rain last week, before the severe cold front, put a little color back in the water and reduced the salinity a bit. I spent no time looking for grass because I know there isn't any to speak of. The 10-15 mph southeast wind made fishing small plastics difficult but it didn't take me long to figure out that was what they wanted. I tried crankbaits and 7 to 8 inch worms and got no takers. On my third cast with a small ganged hook worm (Plow Jockey) I caught a keeper. I stayed with this technique until the tide turned at 11 AM and caught a dozen or so decent fish and three or four non-keepers. I also caught two large fresh water drum and several small speckled trout. I ran into another old-timer about 10:30 AM and he hadn't had a bite so I gave him a Plow Jockey. On my way out of the creek we were fishing I checked with him again and he agreed the Plow Jockey was the ticket today. Actually, any small worm worked very slowly with a very small weight, in current, will work well. The key is to have the bait "tumble" in the current. Of course, it always helps to be in the right place. Today it was creeks off the bays in the lower Delta, preferably nearer the bay. All fish were caught very shallow, in less than three feet of water.

Date Fished: 12/21/2007
Water Temperature: 60
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I thought today would be one of those day when the bass would just jump in the boat. It was not. The warming trend continues with the air temp in the 70s and the almost 3 inches of rain yesterday did not muddy the water at all, so all in all it was a nice day to be out in the Delta. I fished with my neighbor again, this time out of his boat, and we caught fish everywhere we went, but there was no real pattern and we caught fish on everything we threw. I even caught one fish (the biggest of the day) on the Scrounger which I have yet to develop any confidence in. With no grass available we fished visible structure in the rivers and creeks. We caught specs, red fish and one good sized flounder in addition to a dozen or so small bass.
We started just after low tide at 9 AM (the water was very low) and came in at 1:30 PM. Not many bass fishermen out today but we saw plenty of fishermen after the last of the specs and red fish, most using live bait I am sure. We covered a lot of water and the only place that was really disappointing was Jim's Creek. We caught a couple of really small fish there but it appeared completely void of activity. The most productive place we fished was probably Sand Bayou. Our two biggest fish came from this area (one on a spinnerbait and one on the Scrounger) as well as the flounder. Most of the spec activity seemed to be around the north end of Gravine Island and nearby Raft River. I will be out of town for Christmas but will try to get back fishing before the new year. Merry Christmas everybody!!

Date Fished: 12/11/2007
Water Temperature: 72
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The warming trend continues so my neighbor and I headed for the Causeway at 10:30 AM this morning. The angler who launched just ahead of me backed his trailer in too far and the wheels dropped off the end of the concrete launch ramp. It took 5 of us almost an hour to unhook the trailer from the truck and pull the trailer back up on the ramp by hand. It was dead low tide when we got back in the creeks and with no water movement we got no bites. By 2 PM the tide had turned, the water level came up quickly with the strong south wind and the bass got active. Surprisingly, the fish were well off the banks, almost in the middle of the creek, and slammed the Okeechobee spinnerbait and the red shad worm. My neighbor caught at least 6 and I know I caught at least a dozen. Most were keepers but none over 1.5 pounds. Best 5 about 7 pounds. FYI: my new Scroungers arrived yesterday and I took the opportunity to compare them with the spinnerbait and worms in areas where I found the fish active. I tried several trailers but got not one bite on the Scrounger. It looks good in the water with plenty of action but I'm afraid it won't compete with the spinnerbait, or worm, at least not in the creeks in the lower Delta.

Date Fished: 12/7/2007
Water Temperature: 63
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Nothing much as changed in the lower Delta. With the warming trend the water temp is back up to 63 degrees but the better fish must be deep because I caught no good fish today. I heard that the bass were eating a DOA in the creeks so I grabbed a box of DOAs, a couple of rods and headed for the creeks in the lower Delta. I launched on the Causeway about 11 AM and speckled trout/red fish anglers were everywhere. I fished hard in lower Crab and Conway Creeks for two hours and only had two takers, both about 1.5 pounds. As the tide came up (low tide was about 8:30 AM)
I switched to a buzzbait, a spinnerbait and a worm. I got a lot more action but still could not find a quality bite.
I quit at 4 PM. Best 5 today no more than 6 pounds.

Date Fished: 11/30/2007
Water Temperature: 63
Water Clarity: 1 foot

It was a beautiful day out there today. Air temp 70, water temp 63.3, moderate northeast wind, water level low and still falling. I would have bet the ranch that the bass would be very active. My neighbor and I fished some of the same water I had fished earlier in the week with disappointing results. We caught about a dozen fish but only three were keepers (and they were small), from 1 until 4 PM. We tried all types of baits but only got bites on (you guessed it) the red shad worm. Neap tide Sunday and another cold front Monday.

Date Fished: 11/27/2007
Water Temperature: 59
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Blue bird skies today, a strong north wind and the water level as low as I have seen it all year. I hadn't planned to go fishing today but Mike had the day off work and wanted to get his string pulled. The air temp was near 60 but felt more like 40. I knew the fish were in the creeks but I hate fighting the wind and some of the creeks in the lower Delta are hard to get to on very low water. The good news is we made it to the creeks without running aground. The bad news is the fish would only take a worm today and it's very difficult to fish a worm effectively on a windy day. But we were able to withstand the wind and managed to catch at least 20 Causeway keepers, all on a Texas-rigged worm, red shad or grape. We launched just past noon and stayed on the water till past 4 PM hoping the tide would turn as predicted and the water level would come up enough to safely get the boat back on the trailer. The north wind kept the tide out. It was six inches lower when we came in than it was when we launched. It was a struggle to get the boat back on the trailer with less than 18 inches of water at the ramp. More cold, north wind tonight but a warming trend should arrive by weekend. Hopefully the water temp will get back up into the 60s and the spinnerbait bite will be back on.

Date Fished: 11/22/2007
Water Temperature: 68
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

With a cold front entering the area tonight, and the wind predicted to get up to 20 mph out of the north today, I decided to launch on the Causeway this morning early. My early, I mean before 8 AM. The wind was out of the west/northwest at 5 mph and the water level fairly low. A few fishermen were out today after the last of the specs and flounder but I didn't see many bass fishermen. I hit the creeks hoping to get a good buzzbait bite before the wind got up. No such luck. It was white-capping in Conway and almost as bad in Crab creek so I headed for the backwaters of Oak Bayou.
I caught two bare keepers on the 1/8 ounce buzzbait where I could find slack water. I switched to a 1/4 ounce buzzbait and got no takers. Ditto with the worm. I switched to a 3/16 Bush Hog spinnerbait with chartreuse blades and got many strikes but only one hook-up. I switched to the small Okeechobee spinnerbait with a shrimp colored skirt and trailer and caught 6 or 7 good fish within the next hour, two almost 3 pounds. As usual the key was small patches of grass. With the water lever fairly low I found many small patches of milfoil and sometimes eel grass. The fish wouldn't take the buzzbait worked over the grass today but would take the small spinnerbait coming out of the grass. The water level dropped enough by 1030 AM (about 10 inches) that the grass was exposed and the bite was gone. I was back home by 1115 AM. Best five today a little over 10 pounds. I will try to get back out again Tuesday after this cold front has passed.

Date Fished: 11/18/2007
Water Temperature: 64
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

I normally don't fish on weekends anymore but I launched on the Causeway at Noon today with my neighbor hoping to catch a few specs or flounder, with overcast skies, low water and falling tide. For some reason the specs and flounder wouldn't cooperate so at 2 PM we headed for one of the community creeks in the lower Delta. To our surprise there were no other fishermen in sight. We fished hard with worms, crankbaits and spinnerbaits and got no takers. Just after 3 PM I tied on a 1/8 ounce buzzbait and began catching fish after fish. My neighbor tied on a 1/4 buzzbait and began catching fish also. Color didn't seem to make a difference as I was using a watermelon colored worm as a trailer and he used a chartreuse skirt and chartreuse trailer. The reaction strikes came just after the bait left the grass in 2 feet of water. We didn't keep count but we boated at least a dozen, none under a pound and none over two pounds. We left them biting at 4 PM, about the time the tide stopped falling. Air temp was a very comfortable 70 degrees and the water temp was 64 in the creek and 66 in the river.

Date Fished: 11/17/2007
Water Temperature: 66
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The cold front Thurs/Fri and associated very low water level pretty much shut the bass bite down in the lower Delta. I went spec fishing and did pretty well until I lost my anchor. However, I went back yesterday and found it with the help of a weighted treble hook. The only bass bites I could draw were from plastics pitched to visible wood structure in 2 to 3 feet of water and they were few. I did much better in the creeks. Thanks to Ken Sheets and Doug Vahrenberg for the kind words about their experiences during the recent FLW Stren championship in the Mobile/Tensaw Delta.
I still don't think the city of Mobile did enough to make them feel at home but if they are happy I am tickled pink. Yes, our bass are small but the numbers right now aren't what they should be. Blame it on the weather, blame it on Alabama Power but hopefully something positive will be done by the Alabama Department of Conservation to get the Mobile/Tensaw Delta back to the great fishery it once was before the pros visit us again. I am content with spending an enjoyable three or four hours once or twice a week catching four or five small bass but if I had to drive hundreds of miles and spend thousands of dollars I would have to think twice about making the trip. Another warming trend through Thursday should have the water level and temp up and the fish biting, except for the neap tide Mon/Tue.

Date Fished: 11/10/2007
Water Temperature: 64
Water Clarity: 1 foot

From the first day's action it looked as if 10 pounds each day would be required to make the cut because a warming trend is underway and fishing should get better. But yesterday's second day weigh-in showed that the fishing actually got tougher with only one angler on the professional side averaging better than 10 pounds with a winning top weight for two days of 23-2 pounds. Second place was 18-13 and tenth was 15-11. Accordingly four of yesterday's top ten finishers fell out of the top ten and four new ones moved up. The same held true for the co-angler side with five top ten finishers dropping out and five new ones moving up. Top weight for the co-anglers was an impressive 14-3 and the tenth spot was 10-1. The 11th through 50th finishers in both categories drew a check and headed home while the top tens will compete today. The co-anglers will finish up today and the professionals will compete again tomorrow. Weigh-in both days will be at the Mobile Convention Center. I feel certain that all ten boats will head back to the upper Alabama River where the spotted bass are still biting small plastics and crankbaits. The local newspaper reports that these anglers are making a 100+ mile run which will permit only 4 hours or so of fishing time. So much for the Mobile/Tensaw Delta.

Date Fished: 11/9/2007
Water Temperature: 64
Water Clarity: 1 foot

The first day results of the FLW Stren Series tournament were about as expected: average weight on the professional side for five fish was less than 6 pounds; average weight on the co-angler side was less than 4. On the professional side the top weight was 12.1 pounds. Two had 11+ pounds, two had 10+ pounds and five had 9+ pounds. About ten had stringers above 8 pounds but the other 180 (professionals) had between zero and 7 pounds. On the co-angler side the top weight was 7.8 pounds (two anglers tied at this weight), six had 6+ pounds and two had 5+ pounds). There were many co-anglers who did not come to the scales. On the plus side the north wind was not very strong, thus there was more than 2 feet of water in the basin at the launch; only 15 boaters or so ran aground and had to call for assistance; and only one boater ran out of gas. As expected most of the heavy stringers were spotted bass, obviously from the upper Alabama River. This is one tournament when owning a high-tech engine (with gas mileage over 5 miles per gallon) pays off. There was some talk about some anglers helping other anglers with gas and I don't know how that worked, but I do know that the better fish came from the northern part of the Delta and it was a challenge just to get there. There were only two fish over 4 pounds weighted in and not many 3s. Reportedly someone flew over the Delta about 10 AM to check on the anglers and found only about 30 boats on the lower end. On the negative side yesterday was the longest weigh-in I have ever witnessed. The weigh-in started just after 3 PM and didn't finish until after 6:30 PM. Some anglers had to wait in the parking lot with their fish for more than two hours before coming to the scales. I watched the blast-off yesterday morning and I was impressed. Twelve of the boats went east cross Chocalotta. The other 188 went west to the Tensaw River. A few brown rooster-tails but no mishaps. I did not witness the blast-off this morning but I will be there for the weigh-in, although I think the results will about the same, there won't be much shifting of the top ten in either category. The top ten professional and co-angler weigh-in at the Convention Center Saturday will be more interesting, as will the top ten professional weigh-in Sunday at the same place.

Date Fished: 11/7/2007
Water Temperature: 66
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Four hundred (400) FLW Stren anglers will challenge the Mobile Delta starting tomorrow. I have talked to a few of the contestants, and have been on the water with a couple, and it is an understatement to say that fishing will be tough. Some will head for the upper Alabama river but the biggest problem will be fuel. There is currently no place to get fuel on the water in the Delta so contestants will be limited in range to the fuel onboard, which means most will not be able to go further up the Alabama River than the cut off. The other problem is this area has been "hammered" lately and quality fish will be hard to come by, mainly because the spotted bass (which are not as affected by weather changes as largemouth) are not usually that far south in the Alabama in any great numbers. I predict that for every 20 anglers who go to the Alabama only
1 will have a limit, and that will be small. The middle Delta will be even tougher because of the salinity and the scarcity of fresh water entering the Delta. Think small plastics fished slow and deep. That leaves the lower Delta. There are plenty of fish here but the fish are small and because of the lack of grass these fish will be hard to pattern. To make matters worse there is a cold front coming through tonight which will not only drop the water temp but the hard north wind will no doubt drop the water level considerably. FYI: the phone number for the Daphne Rescue is
251-621-9100. I will try to make the first blast-off tomorrow morning. I want to see 200 boats try to launch in Chocalotta Bay with the water blown out. I will also try to make the 3 PM weigh-in at Battleship Park.
I would also like to take this opportunity to chastise the city of Mobile for not making the contestants more welcome.
I wish all of the contestants the best of luck. It promises to be an interesting tournament. Be safe out there.
FYI: to see what the Delta looked like in the "good old days", go to www.deltaawareness.com

Date Fished: 11/2/2007
Water Temperature: 71
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Sorry, another negative report. I launched on the Causeway at 9 AM and checked all of the bays for grass and/or fish. Negative results. The water is very salty and relatively clear. I have no idea where all of the fish went but for sure they are not in the bays. Surely someone will find fish during the City Championship tomorrow but I will be willing to bet the winning stringers come from north of I-65. Hopefully someone will file a report.

Date Fished: 10/30/2007
Water Temperature: 70
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Fished the lower Delta from 11 AM till 4 PM. Nothing has changed. Even with a good falling tide and moderate north wind caught only a few small keepers. Very discouraging. Even the small fish were hard to come by. On a positive note, the air temp was comfortable 72 degrees and the water temp varied from 66 when I launched to 71 when I quit. Saw several FLW contestants prefishing.

Date Fished: 10/24/2007
Water Temperature: 75
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I met one of the FLW Stren tournament contestants at the Chocalotta launch this afternoon to show him around. We ran, looked and fished a little to give him an idea of what fishing in the lower Delta was like. Neap tide today so there wasn't much water movement, but when the water was moving the fish were biting. All kinds of fish, speckled trout, flounder and bass. He tried several of the techniques and lures which have been effective in other places but the old standards (red shad worm and small buzzbait) were the ticket today.
Though we couldn't find much grass, the water temp was good, the water color was very good and reaction strikes were common.
While the fish weren't biting everywhere, by our estimate he had 11+ pounds (5 fish) in one hour in one productive area.
Lesson learned today: keep moving and try many different lures until you find one that works.

Date Fished: 9/28/2007
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

Launched on the Causeway at 8 AM with a friend who hadn't been in the Delta in many years. Mainly took him on a tour of the Spanish River area, Appalachie River, Blakely River and the lower Tensaw River. North wind and a falling tide. We made a few casts and found that: 1) the water is too clear for most artificial baits, 2) baitfish and shrimp are everywhere, 3) the high salinity (we have had rain forecast for most every day but none arrived) has killed most of the milfoil. The good grassbeds I found in Delvan, Chocalotta and the rivers are gone, and 4) the good fishing spots are being pounded. There were boats everywhere today. We managed to catch 7 fish by noon but they were very small and all came as reaction strikes on a buzzbait. Not one strike on a spinnerbait, Sally, rattletrap or worm. Today would have been a good live shrimp day. Most fishermen were after speckled, flounder and redfish and they too were everywhere in the rivers. Best 5 today would not have weighed 6 pounds. If I had a tournament tomorrow I would get as far off the rivers as I could get and throw a buzzbait all day.

Date Fished: 9/15/2007
Water Temperature: 85
Water Clarity: 1 foot

What a difference a day makes. Normally I wouldn't even consider going fishing in the lower Delta with a very strong north wind and the water very, very low, but I promised my nephew I would take him so we launched on the Causeway at 9 AM. Boats everywhere. There were at least bass tournaments going on and it looked like everybody was fishing the lower Delta. The water level was too low to fish any of the flats or bays, and with the north wind and falling tide it was next to impossible to fish the rivers, so after running around for better than an hour we settled for one of the creeks in the lower Delta. At least 8 tournament boats had the same idea. But my nephew managed to catch three small fish on a chatter-bait and I caught one decent fish on a spinnerbait before we called it quits just past noon. There are plenty of fish in the creeks but most are small and want a slow, plastic bait, mainly red shad worms (I had neglected to bring any plastics with us assuming incorrectly that the spinnerbait and buzzbait bite would still be on). More north wind and low water predicted for the next few days.

Date Fished: 9/14/2007
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Launched on the Causeway at 8 AM with my neighbor. High tide at 2 AM, moderate southwest wind, rain clouds all around but sunny in the lower Delta. Found a grassbed on the west side with plenty of small hungry bass. With a good ripple on the water a shrimp colored willowleaf spinnerbait was deadly but when out of the wind a small buzzbait was most effective. I was mainly interested in getting my neighbor to catch a few fish as he is still recovering from cancer surgery and hadn't been on the water in quite a while. He caught 3 or 4 fish in the 1 to 2 pound class while I caught more than a dozen, mainly because I was making much longer casts. No big fish today but I did catch 2 in the 2 1/2 pound class. Long casts in the clear, shallow water made the difference today. Twice we were almost driven in by heavy wind and rain but the storms passed quickly so we stuck with it till noon when the wind turned the tide and the fish quite biting. Our best 5 today between 10 and 11 pounds by my estimate. Not a bad morning but we were both ready for rest and dry clothes. I don't usually fish on weekends anymore but by nephew is visiting before he makes his third trip to the Iraq. He's not much of a bass fisherman but he still remembers our last trip into the Delta almost ten years ago when we loaded the boat with small bass on a small buzzbait and he wants to try it one more time. How can I refuse?

Date Fished: 9/3/2007
Water Temperature: 86
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I forgot that today was Labor Day and everybody that owned a boat would be on the water, or I probably wouldn't have gone fishing. But we had a good falling tide and the wind was light out of the east/northeast, so I called my son to check out the lower Delta again. There was hardly a vacant parking spot at the Chocalotta launch ramp when we arrived at 7 AM. We made a comfortable run up to Chuckfee Bay and fished our way back to Delavn. Once again speckled trout were everywhere and the bass were finicky. Most of the bass we caught were in the heavy grass and it was impossible to get a spinnerbait down to them. But they would come up and suck down a 1/8 ounce buzzbait. My son caught 5 on the spinnerbait on the edges of the grass while I caught at least 15 on top. No big fish today. The best five about 8 pounds but we had a great time and left them biting at 11 AM with the tide still falling hard. Good tides for the next week or so and I think the very high water in the lower Delta is about gone. The water is very clear (for the Causeway) and shrimp and baitfish are everywhere so make long casts and keep moving until you find actively feeding fish. The same old story; look for moving water and the thickest grassbeds you can find.

Date Fished: 8/31/2007
Water Temperature: 83
Water Clarity: 1 foot

It was neap tides both yesterday and today but today it was neaping low (which means although it was a neap tide there were two low tides today and no high) and the north wind promised to have the water lower than normal. The water level was as low in the lower Delta this morning as I have seen it in quite a while. I launched on the Causeway at 6:15AM with my son (he's 36) and headed for the grass where Conway Creeks dumps into Chocalotta (this has been a real hot spot lately). There was plenty of water movement but we found no active fish (we tried frogs, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and plastics). We tried the mouth of Little Batteau and had the same results. We headed for the river. Fish were everywhere. Mainly small speckled trout (weakfish) and redfish. We kept switching baits because I knew the bass had to be feeding somewhere with the perfect overcast conditions and falling tide. My son got on the right combination first about 9 AM catching 7 quality fish before I made the switch: a large Okeechobee spinnerbait with a golden shiner shirt and a Strike King split-tail trailer. I had tried the small Okeechobee in the fishscale pattern which has been so productive for me the past couple of years, but no luck. We weren't catching fish on every cast, but by 10 AM we caught (and released) more than 20, the best five about 12 pounds. Even though I had the front of the boat my son caught the majority of the quality fish, probably because he was able to concentrate more on the retrieve while I controlled the boat. That's the story I'm telling his mama and I'm sticking to it. The best day I've had on the Causeway in quite a while and a sure sign fishing conditions in the lower Delta are getting better. I was surprised, though, that we could not catch a fish on top water today.

Date Fished: 8/20/2007
Water Temperature: 89
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I launched on the Causeway at 6:30 AM just after high tide. The water level in the lower Delta is very high although the upper Delta Rivers (Tombigbee and Alabama) are very low. And even with a little rain almost daily we remain in a drought and about 15 inches below normal in rainfall. I reread the report I filed on 25 August of last year and conditions were the same. And fishing results were the same; a few small fish early in the rivers. The wind was out of the east when I started this morning so I headed for the east side of the lower Delta and fished the grass flats south of the Causeway, Bay Minnette (upper and lower) and grassbeds in the Blakely and lower Tensaw Rivers. No action on top water and only a few strikes on plastics (mostly flounder). The few small keepers I did catch were reaction bites on a small spinnerbait (the clear Okeechobee) worked very fast. I was praying for wind by 9 o'clock with a heat index of over 100. My prayers were not answered so I headed home at 10 AM. Good falling tides every day this week but the heat index will remain over 100.

Date Fished: 8/10/2007
Water Temperature: 88
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Brutal. Never mind that the fish are not biting much in the lower Delta, it's tough on the body staying out there TRYING to get the fish to bite.
I launched on the Causeway at 6 AM because I hadn't run my boat in over a month, not really expecting to do much fishing or to catch anything if I did. I made a hard run up to Chuckafee Bay (the boat ran fine) and fished my way back to the launch. I heard that an occasional quality fish could be caught with a frog fished over the grass so I hit several good grassbeds in the Raft and Spanish Rivers without as much as a blow-up.
I found all kinds of fish activity in the grass on the Delvan Bar but they wouldn't hit the frog, the DOA, 1/8 ounce buzzbait or trick worm.
I managed to catch a couple of short fish on a small spinnerbait before giving it up at 0930. I was already soaking wet and it hadn't even gotten hot yet. There was no wind but the water in the lower Delta was very high with an incoming tide until about noon. Tomorrow's Fish N' Fever contestants are in for another tough day. The heat index is predicted to be 111. I'm not likely to go out again until this heat wave passes.

Date Fished: 6/25/2007
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Bass fishing conditions in the lower Mobile Delta remain about the same, tough. Rain the past week has helped the salinity problem a little, and the water is not as clear as it was, but locals are having a difficult time find a quality bite. Salt water fish, mainly small speckled trout and mullet, are everywhere. My neighbor wanted to run his boat which has been in storage for more than a month so I fished the lower Delta with him for four hours this evening and the only bass bites we were able to find were way back off the rivers in the creeks and small bays. Small baitfish and shrimp are everywhere as well which probably explains why the bass are so reluctant to bite artificials. We couldn't get any action on the Sally, plastics or the larger willowleaf spinnerbait. We managed four decent fish on small buzzbaits and small willowleaf spinners in very shallow water. It was surprising how shallow these fish were. In fact we got stuck in one small bay and had to push-pole out. More rain is predicted every day this week but I doubt if fresh water fishing will improve that much. I suppose now is the time to switch to salt water fishing in the lower Delta. I suggest bass fishermen venture north to find less salty water. Black tipped sharks have been spotted as far north as Gravine Island. I haven't noticed many crabs though and can't explain why not. Normally they will destroy any type of plastic when the water is this salty.

Date Fished: 5/31/2007
Water Temperature: 82
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Fishing conditions in the lower Delta this week are the same as they were last week: tough. My friend Mike hadn't caught a fish in three trips so I took him for a ride last evening 4 to 7 PM with a good falling tide and very high water. Mike caught 4 and I caught 4 but they were all small, best 5 no better than 6.5 pounds. The first hour or so we spent without success fishing the flooded grass on the flats in the Spanish River. We gave up looking for quality fish and went for the small fish feeding at the mouths of creeks and bays, namely Bay Grass. The fish are there but very hard to catch. They wouldn't touch a small buzzbait or swimming worm/lizard. I even tried one of the swim baits the pros are all bragging about. The old standard bruiser Sally and small willowleaf spinnerbait were the only effective baits we found. Nothing much to brag about (glad we weren't in a tournament) but we had a great time and caught a few fish. Lesson learned: the fish were on feeding in very fast moving water.

Date Fished: 5/25/2007
Water Temperature: 78
Water Clarity: 1 foot

For the first time in a long time I fished more than two hours this morning and never got a bite. Conditions looked pretty good with a moderate east wind, high water and with no rain lately water visibility was a foot or better in the rivers, and more than two feet behind the grass in the bays.
I fished various top water baits for the first hours or so, and then a spinnerbait and lizard until I gave it up just after 9 AM. I met two other old timers who were taking out at the same time and they didn't have a bite all morning using live shrimp. They were fishing the lower Tensaw River.
I fished on the west side of the lower Delta.

Date Fished: 5/11/2007
Water Temperature: 77
Water Clarity: 1 foot

What a difference a week makes. Last Friday morning I caught and released over 20 fish; today I caught 2 from 7AM til 10AM. All of the excuses you can think of: no wind, low water, clear skies, no water movement, etc. We need rain badly. Tomorrow should be just as bad with the beginning of a neap tide and very low water all day. The good news is there is a 30% chance of rain.
If I had to fish a tournament tomorrow I would be flipping the middle and upper Delta

Date Fished: 5/4/2007
Water Temperature: 77
Water Clarity: 1 foot

I almost didn't go fishing today. The weatherman predicted heavy rain and wind by noon so I got up at 5:30 AM to get in a couple of hours fishing before the front. When I hooked up the boat at 5:45 AM it was starting to drizzle so I almost went back to bed. It was still threatening to rain when I launched on the Causeway at 6:30 AM and the wind was moderate out of the northeast. The water was very high. I had planned to fish the grass in Chuckfee Bay but because of the impending rain decided to stay near the launch. The wind shifted to the east and then to the southeast. Although it was overcast and the threat of rain was ever-present I never put on a rain jacket. And the bass were actively feeding everywhere I went.
I never got a strike on top-water but I caught fish on every type of spinnerbait I tried and a couple of 2 pound plus fish on a swimming watermelon lizard. I normally catch most of my fish near the bank, behind the grassbeds this time of year when the water is high but today the fish were well off the bank in all of the areas I fished. The water was too high to see the heavy grass but the water was clear enough to see it when you got into it.
I never got a bite in the heavy grass. The bites came in the broken grass between the grassbeds and the bank. I don't know how many fish I caught before I quit at 10 AM, but well over 20. I had one over 4, two in the 3 pound class and several over 2, and I only lost one bait to a bad knot and burned less than 4 gallons of gas. One of my better days in the Mobile/Tensaw Delta. Maybe it's only a local problem, but when I tried to gas-up my boat and truck the station would only let me use my credit card "once per day.
I went inside to talk to the manager and they said it was their new rule.
I don't like going out into the Delta with less than a half tank of gas but did today.
I will avoid Exxon/Mobile in the future.

Date Fished: 4/27/2007
Water Temperature: 76
Water Clarity: 6 inches

I didn't expect to find the fish very active today with a neap tide, but with a north wind all night I figured the water to be low and I ventured out into the lower Delta with a neighbor hopefully to find some of the remaining grassbeds in the bays and behind the bars in the rivers. I found the water very high, no movement and a west wind. The water was also very muddy except in the head of bays and some of the creeks. I found a couple of spawning areas with the small buck bass still present but they were hard to stick. The big problem with the shallows in the lower Delta right now is the green slime. It looks like moss but the biologists say it is a type of algae. Whatever it is, you can't move a bait through it and you can't run a trolling motor through it. The water is these areas is very clear and you can see the bottom clearly in 2.5 feet of water. I tried fishing a couple of the creeks in the lower Delta but I've never had much luck in the creeks this time of year with the water very high. Today was no exception. I heard the Thursday evening pot tournament out of Chickasawbogue last week was won with three fish at 9+ pounds and the "working man's" Thursday evening tournament out of Cliff's Landing last night was won with 5 fish at 9+ pounds. I will have to assume that most of these fish are being caught in the middle Delta as the tournaments are only 3 hours long. Neap tides again tomorrow and Sunday, and although the rivers up north are very low right now they will be bringing us more muddy water from all the rain Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
If you don't have to fish this weekend, don't. But if you do, look for the clearer water in the lakes and bayous in the middle Delta.
Fish top water early and as long as you have some overcast.

Date Fished: 4/13/2007
Water Temperature: 68
Water Clarity: 1 foot

My son and I fished the lower Delta this morning with little success (I caught 3 small keepers and he caught none). We had bluebird skies, the water was very low and the wind was very strong out of the east. We were unable to fish the bays where I like to fish because of the low water and the strong east wind made it uncomfortable to fish anywhere, so we quit at 0930 and went home. Tomorrow's Fish N' Fever contestants are in for a big change with a 60% chance of rain, strong sound wind and very high water. I attended the Mobile Bass Association meeting Tuesday night where biologists from the State Fisheries Department gave us some of the results of the ongoing 4 year study of the Mobil/Tensaw Delta to determine what is happening with our bass population and what can be done to improve it. Some interesting facts I noted are: 1) Mobile/Tensaw bass are genetically different from all other black bass. 2) Attempts to cross-breed other bass (namely Florida bass) with our bass have been unsuccessful. 3) We have plenty of small bass but very few large bass. 4) Our bass have a very high mortality rate. Further studies are underway to determine if our fish just die young, or are harvested. 5) Our bass do not migrate as much as once thought. Heavy intrusions of salt water does not force them to move north. Fish born and raised in an area usually stay there or close by. 6) Two weeks after a major tournament none of the released fish will be found still in the area. This is especially true of Live Oak where the fish are released in the river. 7) While the three major hurricanes (Ivan, Dennis and Katrina) had a devastating effect on the Delta, they had little effect on the bass population. 8) As suspected the primary diet of lower Delta bass consists of crabs and bluegills. 9) And most interesting of all, the Mobile/Tensaw Delta continues to rank last in the list of productive bass fisheries in the state of Alabama.

Date Fished: 3/20/2007
Water Temperature: 70
Water Clarity: 1 foot

Today was just not the day to fish the lower Delta. It's the first day of spring and the dogwoods are in bloom so the spawn is on, BUT the strong south wind made it almost impossible to fish any of the spawn areas in the bays. I met my friend Mike at the launch ramp on the Causeway at 2PM and we went for a ride. We caught 5 or 6 small buck bass but it was just not very enjoyable so we gave it up at 4PM and called it a day.
The tide was high just after 2PM but the south wind didn't let it fall an inch. Water visibility was very good for this time of year but it was
white-capping everywhere we went. I will try it again later in the week when the winds die down a bit.