This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers late-summer creek fishing, old-school Causeway memories, punching grass mats, and the arrival of more inshore tackle and live shrimp farther up the Delta.

Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren kicks things off with a mixed report from the creeks, rivers, and lower Delta. Darren talks about catching bass early before the heat shuts things down, switching over to crickets and slip corks for bream later in the morning, and seeing redfish and shrimp pushing farther north than usual around Baya Canot. He and Nick also dig into old Causeway wade-fishing stories, how the lower Delta has changed as bays and cuts have filled in, nutria, hogs, early-season hunting, limb lines, jug fishing, and why fall and winter remain Darren’s favorite times to fish and hunt.

Then Dave Middleton of basscatlildave joins the show for a detailed look at punching heavy grass and weed mats for Delta bass. Dave explains how to use big tungsten weights, short creature baits, 50-pound braid, snelled hooks, heavy rods, rattles, and a slow, methodical approach to reach fish hiding under hyacinths, eelgrass, lily pads, and other matted vegetation. He breaks down how those mats create shade and ambush cover, why fish may bite on the fall or right under the canopy, and how the same technique can produce bass, goggle-eye, redfish, and other Delta surprises.

To close it out, Josh Gunter of Steele Creek Bait & Tackle gives an update from the shop and explains why he and April have expanded into more inshore tackle and live shrimp. Josh talks through customer demand for popping corks, DOA shrimp, Vudu Shrimp, Fishbites Dirty Boxers, Southern Salt Grunts, H&H redfish spinner blades, Matrix Shad, Cocahoe Minnows, crab gear, and locally requested tackle. He also explains how salinity, shrimp availability, customer reports, and river conditions shape what they stock, and why the next several weeks should keep getting better for speckled trout, white trout, redfish, crabs, and other brackish-water opportunities in the Delta.

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Boutwell Bait and Tackle

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

Millennium Marine

This special episode of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report takes a closer look at fish consumption advisories, mercury, PFAS, and what anglers should know before eating fish from local waterways. Nick Williams is joined by Cassie Bates and Morgan Bishop of Mobile Baykeeper to talk through how Alabama’s fish consumption advisories are created, who collects and publishes the data, and why those advisories matter for anglers who regularly eat bass, catfish, crappie, redfish, speckled trout, and other local fish.

Morgan and Cassie explain how mercury and PFAS can build up in fish over time, especially in larger, older predator species, and why long-term exposure is the main health concern. They also discuss why many waterways in Coastal Alabama carry “do not eat” or limited-consumption advisories, how sample sizes and testing gaps can leave anglers with unanswered questions, and why a lack of an advisory does not necessarily mean a waterway has been tested and cleared. The conversation also covers practical ways to reduce risk, including eating smaller fish, skinning fillets, trimming fat, choosing cooking methods that let fat drain away, and paying attention to which species and waterways are listed in state advisories.

The episode closes with a broader discussion of where mercury and PFAS come from in the first place. Cassie and Morgan also share how Mobile Baykeeper is working to push for more fish tissue testing, better public data, stronger pollution reduction efforts, and more help from local anglers who want to support healthier waterways and safer fish for Coastal Alabama communities.

Link to 2026 Fish Consumption Advisories: https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/tox/assets/2026_fishadvisory.pdf

Link to ADEM Report with Granular Fish Tissue Data: https://adem.alabama.gov/water/water-quality/water-quality-reports

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Boutwell Bait and Tackle

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

Millennium Marine

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers a clearing-water summer pattern, topwater bass at Big Creek Lake, and a strong youth crappie bite on the upper Tensaw.

Matt Frazier kicks things off with a Big Creek Lake report, where bass are schooling hard on shad, crappie are still biting, and catfish are showing up in a big way. Matt explains how the schooling bass are blowing up on top during calm, brutally hot conditions, making long-casting topwater baits like Zara Spooks, banana-style baits, and Skitter Walks good choices when anglers can get within range. He also talks about crappie holding in 10 to 20 feet of water, the lake’s reopening, kayak access, the challenges of fishing big open water in summer heat and wind, and why the day before a storm can be a good time to go.

Then Dip McMillan of Dippi Outdoors joins the show with a strong upper Tensaw crappie report. Dip breaks down how he’s been putting kids on fish with slip corks and minnows around submerged logs and structure in 7 to 10 feet of water. He explains how the fish are holding tight to big logs near creek mouths and submerged cover, then coming up to eat minnows set a couple feet above them. Dip also gives an update on the upcoming benefit crappie and catfish tournament for the Dippi Outdoors Kids Tournament, the main youth tournament on August 22, lifetime fishing license giveaways, and the fall hunting events he’s already preparing for, including dove hunts and youth outdoor opportunities.

SPONSORS

Boutwell Bait and Tackle

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

Millennium Marine

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers improving water conditions, the return of redfish around the Causeway, summertime bass tactics, and old-school creek fishing. Nick Williams opens the show by noting that the water is finally starting to clear up after weeks of heat, rain, and high water, making the bite feel a little more promising across the Delta.

Brenton Grace of Southern Cypress Bait & Tackle kicks things off with a Causeway report, explaining how the flounder bite slowed after the rain but should improve as the water settles. He also reports that redfish are starting to show back up around the Blakely and Apalachee sides, especially on flats, points, and areas near deeper water. Brenton breaks down how he’s catching slot-sized reds on simple Carolina rigs with dead shrimp, why kahle hooks have become his go-to, and how bait, edges, shallow flats, crabs, and improving water clarity all factor into the current pattern. He also gives an update from the shop, including shrimp, bull minnows, frozen bait, tackle, and the expectation that late summer and fall fishing will only get better as trout, redfish, and other species move farther into the rivers.

Then Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren joins the show with a mixed freshwater and brackish-water report. Darren talks about taking his grandkids to Chickasaw Creek, where dead shrimp on Carolina rigs produced slot redfish, big bull croakers, hardheads, and plenty of action for young anglers. He also breaks down his recent bass fishing, including a strong Ribbit frog bite, swim jigs, and his confidence in a simple Texas-rigged purple worm around creeks, wood, and Delta cover. Darren and Nick also talk about beetle spins, jigger pole fishing, pork eel and pork leech-style baits, bass feeding on small blue crabs, eating croakers, grilled fish, fish consumption questions, and why old-school tactics still deserve a place in the modern Delta angler’s toolbox.

SPONSORS

Boutwell Bait and Tackle

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

Millennium Marine

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report looks at what happens when summer heat, falling river levels, and saltwater intrusion start changing the fishing across the Delta. Josh Gunter of Steele Creek Bait & Tackle and Mt. Vernon Bait & Tackle joins the show to break down why saltwater pushing into the lower Delta is not always a bad thing. Josh explains how salinity can bring in redfish, speckled trout, flounder, white trout, blue crabs, gafftops, and other coastal species, while also changing where freshwater anglers should look for bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. He covers how to read hydrographs, use online salinity maps, watch river levels, understand tidal influence, and adjust your approach once the lower Delta turns brackish. Josh also talks about popping corks, live shrimp, freelining, bait care, keeping bait alive in extreme heat, and why anglers should not overlook the late-summer and early-fall fishing that opens up when freshwater and saltwater patterns overlap.

Then Justin Dunnam of the Eight Mile Drifter YouTube Channel joins the show for a detailed kayak-fishing conversation. Justin walks through how he got started in kayak fishing, why he eventually settled on the Jackson Kilroy, and why a lightweight, paddle-friendly sit-inside kayak makes sense for creeks, swamps, rivers, and protected backwaters. He and Nick discuss sit-inside versus sit-on-top kayaks, pedal drives, motors, paddles, anchoring systems, anchor trolleys, brush grabbers, kayak carts, fishing in wind, and how to use a kayak to reach everything from swamp bass and bluegill to catfish, flounder, and redfish. It’s a practical summer episode for anglers trying to adapt to hot weather, changing salinity, and the unique mix of freshwater and saltwater opportunities that make the Mobile-Tensaw Delta such a special fishery.

SPONSORS

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report starts with a short but useful Fourth of July fishing report from Dip McMillan, then shifts into a special re-aired conversation on one of the most fascinating native fish in the Mobile Basin: the Gulf sturgeon. Dip breaks down how he’s finding crappie in hot, high-summer conditions, including why side scan is key, how fish are holding around grass mats, logs, and structure in 4 to 8 feet of water, and why anglers should check their line, safety gear, registration, water, electrolytes, and shade before heading out during the holiday heat. Then Nick Williams and Rowell Guevara revisit a conversation with author and biologist R. Scott Duncan, who explains the biology, history, decline, and possible future of Gulf sturgeon in Alabama waters. Duncan covers how sturgeon once supported Native American and commercial fisheries, how the caviar trade wiped out many populations, why dams on the Alabama River cut fish off from historic spawning grounds, and how fish passage, dam removal, habitat protection, and better river management could help restore sturgeon and other migratory fish to the Mobile River Basin.

SPONSORS

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report takes a break from the usual bite-by-bite report to dig into one of the best ways to reach overlooked water in South Alabama: canoe fishing. Host Nick Williams and Peter Jordan talk through summer topwater bass, skinny-water access, night fishing, and why canoes deserve another look from anglers who want to get away from crowded boat ramps and heavy kayak setups. Peter breaks down the advantages of modern canoes, including lighter weight, better carrying capacity, easier car-topping, shallow draft, tandem and solo options, and the ability to fish, hunt, camp, or explore places that larger boats and many kayaks simply can’t reach. They also compare canoe materials, paddle styles, stability, family use, duck hunting, redfish access, creek floats, and how newer boats from brands like Esquif have changed what many anglers expect from a canoe. The episode also previews the upcoming canoe demo day at Community Fly Supply in Gulf Shores, where listeners can try boats and paddles, learn basic canoe strokes, and see how canoe fishing can open up new water across the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the Causeway, local creeks, and beyond.

SPONSORS

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers summertime bass tactics, topwater frog fishing, and the natural side of the Delta as June settles in. Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren kicks things off with a report on high water, stained conditions, and how the bream and bass have been adjusting. Darren explains why bream have been tighter to the bank, how he’s been catching quality Delta bass on Ribbit frogs and swim jigs, and why shade, low-hanging limbs, palmettos, off-bank trees, and repeated passes through productive water can all matter once the summer heat sets in. He also gets into frog color, rod setup, braid size, hook choice, and why bass may bite better later in the morning than many anglers expect. Then John-Michael Chappelle of Chappelle Excursions joins the show to talk about the Delta’s summer wildlife, from blooming American lotus, pickerelweed, water lilies, spatterdock, buttonbush, and spider lilies to whistling ducks, alligators, lizards, and the bird life around Gailliard Island.

SPONSORS

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers high-water crappie tactics on the Mobile River side of the Delta and a deep dive into one of the Delta’s most underrated sport fish: the bowfin, or grinnel. Josh Gunter checks in live from the water while pre-fishing for the Delta Crappie Trail tournament out of Mount Vernon, explaining how high water changes the game, why current is the biggest thing to avoid, and how white crappie can still be caught in stained water if anglers find slack areas with bait, depth, and structure. Then Dave Middleton, also known through his YouTube channel basscatlildave, joins the show to talk about a lifetime of fishing the Delta and why he’s become a fan of targeting grinnel on purpose. Dave breaks down where he finds them, why hot, still summer days can be prime time, how he fishes worms and big spinnerbaits, why bright colors and bottom disturbance matter in muddy water, and how to target grinnel around laydowns, first drops, grass lines, and backwater areas. It’s a fun mix of tournament crappie talk, muddy-water strategy, local Delta experience, and a reminder that sometimes the so-called “trash fish” are some of the hardest-fighting fish in the system. 

SPONSORS

Dixie Building Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report covers two very different but timely patterns: hot-weather panfish in the Delta and deep-water crappie on Big Creek Lake. Shannon Wood kicks things off with a report on the bluegill and goggle-eye bite as the Delta settles out from heavy rain and high water. He talks through how water level, bank height, Mayfly hatches, and full-moon timing may affect the bream bite, plus why he’s been finding goggle-eye tight to the bank on black Beetle Spins. Shannon also previews the upcoming panfish tournament out of Cliff’s Landing and explains why local bait shops like Boutwell’s Bait & Tackle and Steel Creek Bait & Tackle matter so much to the fishing community. Then Matt Frazier joins the show with a Big Creek Lake report, breaking down how he’s been catching crappie and spotted bass from a kayak since the lake partially reopened. Matt explains how he fishes deep structure in 30 to 40 feet of clear water, how he pours his own soft plastics, why Big Creek is still a strong option when the rivers are muddy, and what anglers need to know about the current access situation, rental boats, kayak use, bank fishing, and the ongoing push to reopen more of the lake.

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Dixie Building Supply

Eastern Metal Supply

Black Buffalo

SlipSki