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Mobile Bay Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Alabama’s big estuary: Mobile Bay grows speckled trout, redfish and the only jubilee in the world.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Next tide
High 5:08 AM
Air / High
82 / 84 F
Wind
W 2 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8735180, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. The wind owns today.25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Mobile Bay locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings cloud cover, wind W around 2 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 84. Tides: high 3:58 AM, low 4:17 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 85 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8735180 (Dauphin Island). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:58 AM1.8 ft
LOW4:17 PM0.0 ft
Sat
HIGH5:08 AM1.9 ft
LOW5:21 PM-0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp82 F
High / Low84 / 79 F
WindW 2-4 mph
Pressure1012.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 47%
Sunrise / Sunset06:30 / 19:11
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Storms, 84/79 F, wind 25 mph, rain 47%

Slow. Wind at 25 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

The species that matter on Mobile Bay: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Mobile Bay calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Mobile Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 21 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Alabama requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alabama license including saltwater stamp where required. Trout, redfish and flounder limits per current ADCNR marine regulations.

Access

Ramps at Dauphin Island, Fairhope, Daphne, Mobile and along the causeway; delta access from the north end.

About this water

A 413-square-mile estuary at the mouth of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile and Baldwin counties, Alabama.

Fishing Mobile Bay: the full guide

A bay fed by a delta

Mobile Bay covers 413 square miles at the mouth of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, one of the largest estuary systems in the country. Fresh water pours in from the delta at the north end while gulf water enters through the mouth at Fort Morgan, creating a salinity gradient that supports enormous variety: speckled trout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead, drum and, up the delta, largemouth bass in the same trip.

Trout and reds

Speckled trout work the grass edges, oyster bars and the deeper drop-offs along both shores, with the eastern shore and Fish River area traditionally productive. Redfish push the marsh edges and the delta mouths, taking spoons, plastics and cut bait. The causeway and bridges across the north end hold fish year-round and offer legitimate shore access.

The delta and the jubilee

Up the delta, the water turns fresh and largemouth bass, bream and catfish take over in a maze of bayous and cutoffs: a completely different fishery an hour from the gulf. Mobile Bay is also the site of the jubilee, a rare phenomenon in which low-oxygen water drives fish and crabs to the eastern shore shallows in summer, where locals gather them by hand: it happens nowhere else in this form.

Access around the bay

Ramps ring the bay at Dauphin Island, Fairhope, Daphne, Mobile and along the causeway, with an extensive guide fleet. Wind is the main variable: the bay is broad and shallow, building steep chop quickly. Summer heat pushes fishing to dawn and dusk. Mobile and the eastern shore towns provide full services.

Common questions

What is a jubilee?

A rare event where low-oxygen water drives fish and crabs into the eastern shore shallows, letting people gather them by hand: essentially unique to Mobile Bay.

Can I fish fresh and salt in one day?

Yes: the delta at the north end is freshwater bass country while the lower bay is salt. The gradient is the bay’s defining feature.

How rough does it get?

Broad and shallow means wind builds steep chop fast: check the forecast and fish the lee shore.

Is fishing good at Mobile Bay right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Dauphin Island18 miGulf Shores25 miPensacola47 miEscambia River47 miBiloxi53 miPascagoula River53 mi
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