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Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report for August 22 – 28, 2025

August 23, 2025

The Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report, presented by Great Days Outdoors, brings you on-the-water intel from across the Mobile–Tombigbee Delta and beyond. This week, host Nick Williams welcomes guest Josh Gunter (Mount Vernon Outdoors / Steel Creek Bait & Tackle) to break down crappie, bream, bass, and trophy catfish patterns—plus a community update on protecting the Delta.

Conditions Recap

Water levels & clarity: After prolonged high water (Feb–July), stability has returned. The northern Delta shows ~6–12″ of visibility—better than recent years. The Tombigbee side remains more stained than the Alabama River but is improving.
Temperature & oxygen: Summer heat has pushed most fish to deeper, more oxygenated water; expect suspending fish over ledges, treetops, and channel edges.
Access: Limited public ramps north of Satsuma make local tackle shops critical for both conditions and patterns.

Guest Spotlight: Josh Gunter (Mount Vernon Outdoors)

Delta native Josh Gunter grew up on Gunnison Creek and now runs Mount Vernon Outdoors in North Mobile County—stocked with the lures and tackle locals rely on. Josh emphasizes supporting local shops for both gear and current intel; he regularly compares notes with neighboring stores (e.g., Boutwell’s Bait & Tackle on the Tensaw side).

Crappie & Bream Bite

Crappie: On the Tombigbee side, fish are setting up in 12–16 ft over treetops and offshore breaks. Natural hues are producing—think silvers, blues, and shad-like tones.

Bream: Fresh off the beds, bream are feeding on bottom across spawning flats. A simple split-shot with wigglers or red worms is putting heavy stringers in the boat (last season, a local derby took ~9 lbs for 20 fish).

Gear & Tactics (Crappie & Bream)

Plastics: ATX Lures (natural shad/silver/blue). Swap to brighter oranges when water dirties.
Combos: Zebco ultralight setups excel for precision with small jigs or split-shot rigs.
Rigging: For bream, a bottom split‑shot rig; for crappie, single-jig vertical on wood or slow‑roll over ledges.

Bass Patterns

Pressure is lighter across the northern Delta midweek, and the bite has favored moving baits in stained water and surface work in the grass.

Gear & Tactics (Bass)

Spinnerbaits: War Eagle Spinnerbaits are a staple in the stain—slow-roll around laydowns and current seams.
Topwater: Frogs over mats and shallow edges during low light.
Crankbaits: Mid‑divers to tick wood on secondary drops when the sun gets high.
Classics that still catch: Snagless Sally and Humdinger style spinnerbaits remain cult favorites in the Delta’s backwaters.

Trophy Catfish: The Planer‑Board Drag

A rapidly growing technique in our rivers is trolling with planer boards and flexible drag weights to cover long edges and log‑strewn contours without constant hang‑ups. Recent outings produced blues to 50 lbs, and local anglers have reported fish to 100 lbs on this system.

Gear & Tactics (Catfish)

Reels: Heavy-duty options like the KastKing Kapstan Elite (large capacity, strong drag) or comparable round reels.
Weights: Long, semi‑flexible “drag weights” (think Chinese‑handcuff‑style or encapsulated egg‑sinker stacks) to glide over timber.
Spread: Planer boards to push baits out of the prop wash; use an i‑Pilot style trolling motor to hold a steady track and speed.

Community & Conservation

Josh has been working with Mobile Baykeeper to spotlight sedimentation and high‑water management challenges that affect the Mobile–Tombigbee system. With a watershed that drains roughly two‑thirds of Alabama plus parts of Mississippi and Georgia, upstream practices directly influence our Delta clarity, access, and habitat. Angler participation in town‑hall discussions is growing—add your voice to protect this fishery.

Hunting & Seasonal Outlook

Mount Vernon Outdoors is transitioning into fall inventory while keeping key fishing tackle stocked—prime autumn action often outperforms spring here.