With main rivers falling and water temperatures rising, fishing across the central Gulf Coast finally looks to be on a consistent upswing.
Even with rain forecasts running as high as 50 percent through the weekend and into the middle of next week, it does not appear to be enough to cause significant rises on the Alabama or Tombigbee rivers.
The Mobile River at Barry Steam Plant was forecast to fall below 7 feet on Friday. Predictions call for it to be nearing 5 feet by Tuesday. That height and below is my benchmark, indicating the return of fishable water clarity across the Delta.
It also means that saltwater will be pushing up the river channel with each of the strong, 2-foot-or-more incoming tides forecast for the next week. That wedge of salty water provides the highway by which speckled trout, redfish and flounder travel toward the Mobile Bay Causeway and above.
The middle and upper Mobile-Tensaw Delta is still being impacted by the most recent rises on the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, but the water has fallen out of the woods and conditions in many of the lakes and creeks from McReynolds Lake to the north are improving daily, said Mobile bass-fishing guide Wayne Miller.
Miller said fishing in lower Delta lakes and creeks such as Chickasabogue, Bayou Sara, Three Mile and Bay Minette Creek continues to be very good, though it could slow for a few days behind Thursday's full moon.
In a sign that wild swings in weather and water conditions have not only confused fishermen, Miller said he is now catching fish exhibiting signs of having spawned from the same stretch of bank where he's boating others that are still fat with eggs.
Spinnerbaits and crankbaits are working best from the mid-Delta north while plastic lizards and Snagless Sallies continue to be most attractive to bass in the lower bays and creeks.
Delta crappie guru Charles Stewart said weather and water conditions have made it almost impossible to target his favorite freshwater fish.
"It's been the worst spring I can remember. Every time I get ready to, the weather changes," he said. "I have not caught a crappie off a tree this year. I've caught a few in the deep water, but every time it looks like things are getting right and they'll move up, it starts raining and water comes up."
Inshore guide Richard Rutland said speckled trout have shown up at the Shoals near the Dauphin Island Bridge.
He's been wade-fishing the shallows at the oyster-shell islands while throwing topwater plugs and hard baits such as MirrOlures to catch his fish, which are averaging 20 inches with some bigger fish mixed in.
Up in the day and depending on how hard the wind is blowing, Rutland has also found that trout are schooled up on the shell reefs near Coffee Island and across Portersville Bay and Grand Bay out of Bayou La Batre.
Live shrimp or DOAs under popping corks are the best baits on the reefs.
"Anywhere there are shells, there are fish," Rutland said.
He has also received several reliable reports that trout are biting on both sides of the Katrina Cut Rocks.
Fishing may slow for a couple of days after Thursday's full moon, but Rutland said by the first of the week, the bite ought to be on fire again.
Andrew Carter and I caught a couple of specks on live shrimp and plastic grubs under popping corks on Battles Wharf Reef on Monday. We fished Zundel's and Gray Kane reefs without a bite before heading into Dog River where Carter landed one fish from between the marinas on a grub.
Several fishermen we talked to on the water said the specks bit well early. They said the key was to drift with the current while dragging the grub as slowly as possible on the bottom.
The fluke-style Fin-S grubs were working best. Baby bass was the hot color, though the Arkansas shiner Fin-S is always a good choice in Dog River.
The water didn't look good anywhere during our 15 mile or so trek across the bay and back to our launch site at Scott's Landing.
Chris Vescey at Sam's in Orange Beach said cobia fishermen are experiencing the best migration off the Alabama coast in at least the past four years.
The biggest issue has been finding days calm enough to actually see the fish. Vescey knows of two smaller boats of between 20 and 22 feet in length and equipped with towers specifically for cobia fishing that have capsized in the rough surf.
"You put a tower on a small boat like that and it becomes top heavy anyway. You put two or three big guys up there, and then get sideways to a 4-foot surf, and there's only one thing that can happen," he said.
Vescey said pompano along with a few whiting have been tearing it up in the surf from east of Perdido Pass to Gulf Shores.
King mackerel and Spanish mackerel are also cruising within a mile of the beaches.
Vescey also caught some big Spanish mackerel in the back bays at Orange Beach, along with some nice speckled trout. He said, however, that the trout bite is inconsistent.
Fishermen at the Gulf State Park Pier were landing lots of pompano, Spanish mackerel and speckled trout Thursday. The morning bite was very good.
Lots of baitfish such as alewives and Atlantic bumper (crazyfish) are now swimming around the pier's pilings.