This week’s Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report featured Capt. Tanner Deas of Dauphin Island Fishing Charters and Capt. Patric Garmeson of Ugly Fishing LLC.
The big theme this week was learning how to fish around heavy spring wind instead of waiting for perfect conditions. Both captains reported that anglers who stayed flexible and focused on protected water found strong action for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder. Tanner said the trout bite is building, especially in areas north of the island where fish are still transitioning, while Patric reported that Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, and the Eastern Shore are all producing enough fish that he feels confident nearly anywhere with decent water quality right now.
Conditions Recap
Wind has been the dominant factor across the Alabama coast, limiting how far anglers can run and forcing them to fish protected shorelines, points, dropoffs, and shallow staging areas. The beach has been too stirred up and dirty to be worth much effort in Tanner’s report, and even nearshore sheephead trips have become more difficult and less comfortable in rough conditions. But both captains made the same point: windy days can still be highly productive if anglers slow down, cover water carefully, and fish where bait and clean enough water overlap.
Bait remains a major part of the equation. Tanner has been seeing lots of pogies and mullet, with mullet often correlating better with trout and mixed mullet-and-pogy areas producing more redfish and flounder. Patric said live shrimp and fresh dead shrimp have been especially effective for redfish, particularly around ledges and on incoming tide. Overall, spring is clearly advancing, and the fish are active, but success right now depends on adjusting to wind, bait movement, and tide instead of trying to force a favorite pattern.
Onshore and Wade Fishing Report
Dauphin Island, protected water trout, reds, and flounder with Capt. Tanner Deas
Tanner said the sheepshead bite has slowed down around the inshore structures he had been fishing earlier, and the beach has been too dirty to focus on. Because of that, most of his recent effort has gone into wade fishing and working protected areas where the wind is less of a factor. He said that covering ground has been critical. Some places may have the right setup but no fish, while others finally show the full recipe with bait, fishable water, and active predators.
Down around the island, Tanner has mostly been finding redfish and flounder, with trout not yet showing in the same consistent way. He said there are definitely fish around the island, but the more reliable trout action has been north of the island in areas where fish are still closer to where they overwintered. That has made launching farther north and picking apart protected shorelines and transition zones a better overall play during this stretch of wind.
Flounder numbers are improving. Tanner said they are showing up in enough numbers now that anglers could intentionally target them if the trout or redfish bite slows down. Most of the fish have not been true giants yet, but he is seeing more legal-size fish as the season progresses. He also noted that some flounder have been surprisingly aggressive, even coming up to eat weightless presentations.
One of the most useful parts of Tanner’s report was how he works through retrieves when he knows fish should be present. He starts with a normal cadence, then changes to a straight reel, then speeds it up, then moves to a much more aggressive, high-in-the-water retrieve if needed. He said that when fish are feeding high, a faster cadence can completely change the bite. If the bait is present and multiple anglers have cycled through profiles, colors, and retrieves without a bite, he believes it is usually time to move rather than overthink it.
He also broke down how bait type has been matching up with species. Areas holding mullet have been better for trout. Places with both mullet and pogies have tended to produce more redfish and flounder. Spots with only pogies have generally been slower overall, except for occasional flounder or sight-casting redfish opportunities.
Gear recommendations from Tanner’s report included Coastal Brew Baits in colors like Pothole Pimp, Plum, Vanilla Bean, White Flash, and the Deceiver paddle tail, along with Slick Lures in productive colors like Watermelon, Tux, and Perpsicle. He said a 1/8-ounce jighead has been especially productive on the Coastal Brew baits, and he also mentioned using Z-Man plastics for intentional flounder trips, with Pro-Cure scent helping fish find the bait in tougher conditions.
Inshore Report
Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound, Eastern Shore, and mixed-bag spring fishing with Capt. Patric Garmeson
Patric said spring fishing has been enjoyable across a wide range of water, and one of the best signs right now is just how many places are holding fish. He described days where slowing down in a windy, shallow area led to catches of redfish, flounder, and speckled trout all in the same zone. In one especially productive setup, his crew got out of the boat and waded ahead into a tight area rather than risk blowing it out with the boat, and that decision paid off immediately.
He also echoed Tanner’s point that windy days are often when anglers learn the most. Patric said tough weather forces you to fish methodically, pay attention to details, and really work through an area instead of simply running until you find easy fish. He sees that as one of the best ways to improve as an angler, especially in rivers, on the Eastern Shore, and in smaller systems where good water can still hold active fish.
Redfish have been his strongest bite overall. He reported catching a lot of fish on incoming tide, often using live shrimp or fresh dead shrimp along ledges and deeper edges. He said many of those areas feel very similar to fall redfish patterns, except that this spring they have been better on incoming water rather than outgoing tide. He has also seen the fish shift up in the water column later in the tide, with popping corks producing over deeper water after the fish were initially caught on bottom presentations.
Trout fishing on the Eastern Shore has also been productive, with some days producing a dozen fish in a short trip and other days giving up much larger numbers. He said the fishery feels healthy this spring, with enough active trout, redfish, and flounder around that he does not feel boxed in when planning trips. Flounder have shown up everywhere he has been fishing, often as bycatch while targeting other species, but in enough numbers that dedicated flounder effort looks worthwhile.
Patric also mentioned a fun crossover pattern on the causeway, where bass lures like spinnerbaits and crankbaits produced both bass and redfish around higher water. That bite reinforced how much this season resembles fall in terms of mixed-species opportunities and fish using overlapping water.
Gear recommendations from Patric’s segment included Slick Lures, especially the Slick Junior and Little Slick, with B-Cat standing out as a top color and Lamone also producing. He said lighter jigheads were important in the shallows, especially when fish wanted the bait suspended rather than dredged on bottom. He also noted that chartreuse-and-white profiles outperformed pink in one key trip, and suggested that anglers should not let everyone in the boat throw the same style bait. Having one angler throw a paddle tail or other different profile can reveal a better pattern before you leave a fishy-looking area too soon.
What to Watch Next
Tanner is looking ahead to the next six weeks of speckled trout fishing, especially as water warms further and more wade-fishing areas open up when the wind finally backs off. He is also watching for the croaker bite to develop later and expects more classic beach and front-side opportunities as the season settles in.
Patric said his attention will stay heavily on redfish in the near term, while continuing to transition more toward trout as the season progresses. He also believes flounder deserve more focused effort right now because they are already mixed into so many productive areas. Both reports point to the same conclusion: the Alabama coast is moving into a very strong spring pattern, and anglers who stay adaptable should have a lot of opportunities over the next several weeks.
