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This week, host Nick Williams checks in with Steve “Graz” Graziano, and Justin Dunham, for on-the-water updates from Lake Eufaula and the Mobile–Tensaw Delta.
Conditions Recap
Late-summer heat is hanging on across much of Alabama. Expect surface temps around the mid-80s on reservoirs like Eufaula, stained-to-golden water during turnover, and sporadic afternoon current from hydropower generation. In the Delta, water is low, clarity has that brownish-green tint, and bait is beginning to flick in creeks—early signals of the fall transition.
Lake Eufaula – Steve “Graz” Graziano (Graz’s Guide Service)
Steve “Graz” Graziano of Graz’s Guide Service reports that Eufaula is in or entering fall turnover, pushing threadfin into smaller suspended bait balls and making bass tricky. With most fish off the river ledges and suspending, Graz is leaning on a drop shot and Carolina rig to pick off bottom-oriented bites, then covering the mid-column with a tail spinner—specifically a 3/4-oz style he yo-yos to mimic a dying shad. When he marks fish pinned to bottom, he mixes in a jig. Afternoon generation has mostly been 2–6/7 p.m., which often misses morning guide hours; when the turbines run, expect a short window that improves positioning and bite quality. He notes tournament weights slid from ~18 lbs a few weeks back to ~14 lbs last weekend—classic September grind.
Graz’s quick plays: keep a 3/4-oz tail spinner handy (a modern take is the Jackall Deracoup), and don’t forget the original inspiration, Tom Mann’s Little George. As temps finally dip into the 70s, be ready to add a lipless crankbait for an aggressive shad-run bite. To book or learn more about Graz’s approach on Eufaula, visit his site or call the number listed there.
Mobile–Tensaw Delta – Justin Dunham (Eight Mile Drifter)
Justin Dunham of Eight Mile Drifter is taking advantage of the drought-low water and clean edges up top. The topwater bite has been steady well into midday—perfect for shad-colored walkers, poppers, and wake baits. Justin’s been sliding way back into leafy “grindle water,” where treble-hook plugs struggle, and walking weedless frogs from Snag Proof—both the Zoo Pop and the Zoo Pup—over the junk for violent strikes. Bass are out-competing bowfin in these spots right now, so keep casting.
For crappie (white perch), he’s targeting the backs of oxbows with ~8 ft of water—deep enough to be “paddle-past-the-blade” depth—and starting on visible wood before shifting focus to the middle where schools suspend. His go-to is a 1/32-oz jighead with a buoyant micro swimbait like the Z-Man Shad FryZ, counting it down for a slow fall and letting the fish tell him the depth. Expect the shad trickle to grow in the next couple of weeks as days shorten; when that happens, topwater early and small swimmers later can carry the day.
