MOBILE, Alabama -- The Alabama and Tombigbee rivers are forecast to continue pumping cold, dingy freshwater into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta over the next couple of days. While that influx is not expected to cause a major rise on the Mobile River, it could be enough to keep speckled trout from moving back up the rivers.
Since the water came up last week, the best speck bite has been on the lower Tensaw River, from just above Kramer's Ditch to the just north of I-10.
Most fishermen are using the "do-nothing drift" with grubs to peck out nice limits. Local guide Andrew Carter had a good day around the mouth of Kramer's Ditch earlier in the week, with most of his specks up to 3 pounds coming on a ½-ounce Rat-L-Trap trolled behind the boat as it drifted with the current.
Carter went back Tuesday, however, and the fish wanted a grub fished dead on the bottom instead of the "Trap." As always, the key to success while drifting in the winter is to use a jighead heavy enough to keep the grub in contact with the bottom.
The fish are holding tight to the mud because that's where the warmest, saltiest water layer is.
With cold weather settling in for the long haul, I would expect specks, along with redfish, to be ganging up in Pinto Pass, too. Not many folks have fished the past few days, so there aren't a lot of reports to be had, but it would be worth 15 or 20 minutes to make a couple of drifts down the Tensaw River channel at the pass to see if they've shown up.
I learned a long time ago from my buddy Mike Thompson that the root beer H&H Sparkle Beetle is a killer do-nothing-drift bait during the winter.
Larry Scott of Scott's Landing on the Causeway said a couple of guys had a decent day catching specks and redfish from North Pass on Tuesday before the cold front passed through the area. I found it interesting that Scott also said there are a bunch of white shrimp in the Blakeley and Tensaw rivers right now.
I also heard reports that specks and redfish were caught in Fish River over the weekend. Fowl River above Bellingrath Gardens, Dog River and the Theodore Industrial Canal are other places that traditionally load up with both species during winter.
Chris Vescey at Sam's Stop-N-Shop in Orange Beach said the redfish bite has been awesome off the beaches in the typical areas in 15 to 25 feet of water. Trolling deep-diving plugs has been the most productive method. He said the fun starts after locating a school and then casting smaller lures on lighter gear, including fly tackle.
Steve Jones, right, with a 4-pounder and Greg Jones with a 5.72-pound largemouth hold the fish that they used to anchor their 16.44-pound, five-fish limit that won the second event on Fish'n Fever's Fall/Winter Bass Trail. (Special to the Press-Register/Wayne Miller)
Vescey said pompano are still around in good numbers and should continue to linger as long as the water temperature stays in the mid-60s off the beach. Small pieces of shrimp, sand fleas and ghost shrimp are the best baits. Expect bluefish, sheepshead, redfish and whiting to mix in with the pompano in the surf.
The offshore conditions have been rough, he said, but the few fishermen who have picked the right weather windows in the past two weeks have cashed in on some great tuna fishing. Vescey said to watch for weather windows between fronts and be ready to go.
Wayne Miller said bass fishing is still good, with most fishermen now targeting them with plastics fished slowly on wood structure or deep grass edges in smaller creeks and bayous.
Conway, Mudhole, Three Mile off the Tensaw River and Bay Minette creeks are bass havens during the winter on the lower Delta.
The creeks and bayous off McReynolds and Mifflin lakes also can provide good cold-weather bass fishing.
Around Pascagoula, the best speckled trout and redfish bites continue to be in the deep water around the Navy homeport and at the creek mouths above I-10.
BIG LIMIT WINS FISH'N FEVER: Steve Jones and Gary Jones stayed close to the Steele Creek launch site to claim the second event on the Fish'n Fever Fall/Winter Bass Trail Saturday.
The team fished Gunnison Creek and Bayou Sara to put together an impressive five-fish limit at 16.44 pounds to beat 18 other teams entered. A 5.72-pound lunker largemouth and another bass weighing 4 pounds anchored their stringer.
Carl Jones and Rusty Byrd (12.32) were second, followed by Lee Carpenter and Tommy Parker (10.05) and Ricky Enzor and JJ Boren (9.88).
The next tournament will be held Dec. 17 out of Steele Creek Landing in Satsuma. For more information, contact Wayne Miller at 251-455-7404 or e-mail millewa12000@yahoo.com.
≈~≈The Daily Catch Team≈~≈
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