Well, Halloween is behind us and the first cold fronts of the season are pushing through and the fishing is getting hot! The water temps are finally dropping, and it feels like fall. Fishing wise, October was similar to September, fish were all over the lower bay area.
The fish are now finally making their migration north into the marsh and tidal rivers around Mobile Bay, Portersville Bay, and Heron Bay including Fowl River, Bayou La Batre and Grand Bay where they will winter. The fish will stay in the deeper parts of these rivers early and as the day warms up, they will move out to the flats and school up around the oyster beds. Fish with live shrimp, as long as you can find them, under a popping cork. Move around, look for fish slicks (the glassy areas on top of the water) and look for birds working and diving; The birds are the dead giveaway. There will be fish under them eating the shrimp and rain or glass minnows just like the birds. Ease up as you approach the birds and the school, turn the big motor off get on your trolling motor or simply drift around the school. Don’t go charging into the flock, you will spook the fish. Be stealthy and quiet. Remain calm, fish on! When you find these birds, you can throw shrimp imitations like Vudu shrimp, fin fish imitations like Matrix shad and Beetle spins or even the old faithful live shrimp. Hard baits like the Yozuri 3DS Minnow will work well too. Redfish will be mixed in here as well and will eat up a live shrimp tossed to them over and around the oyster beds. Check the points where the smaller tidal rivers dump into the larger rivers for nice flounder mixed in with the trout and reds as well. The white trout will remain around structure in the Bay and Sound too. They will hit dead shrimp and live shrimp and all the shrimp imitations. Have fun and stay warm! We are still booking trips through these cooler months, so call us and let’s go catching, not just casting! Check us out on the website or contact me.
Gray Gulf Charters, we know these waters!
Capt. Charlie Gray
Gray Gulf Charters
Dauphin Island / Mobile Bay / Ft Morgan Alabama
251.379.5067
Charlie@Graygulfcharters.com
www.Graygulfcharters.com