This week’s Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report features host Butch Thierry with co-host Angelo DePaola of The Coastal Connection, plus reports from Capt. Matt Swiggum of Back Bay Charters, Chris Vecsey of J&M Tackle, Capt. Richard Rutland of Cold Blooded Fishing, and Capt. Shane Toole. The big picture this week is that spring is starting to show itself all across Alabama’s coast. Redfish action has been excellent from the barrier islands to the bays, sheepshead are stacked on nearshore structure, Spanish mackerel are starting to show, and offshore anglers are seeing clean blue water and the first pieces of a more stable late-March pattern. It is not fully “wide open” yet in every category, but this episode sounded a lot like the point in the year when the fishing calendar really starts to turn the corner.
Conditions Recap
The recurring theme in every segment was transition. Water temperatures have climbed enough to get fish moving, but a late cold snap still interrupted the progression just enough to keep things from feeling completely settled. That said, multiple contributors made it clear that the overall direction is positive. Around Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, warmer water has already pushed in enough to bring Spanish mackerel into the passes, while sheepshead remain in a strong spawning-phase pattern around jetties, rigs, and other vertical structure. In Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound, shallow-water redfish and trout patterns are starting to come alive, and on the offshore side, anglers found clean blue water surprisingly close to the beach.
The other major condition worth watching is clarity. Capt. Matt Swiggum described exceptionally clear water around the Chandeleur Islands, where fish could be seen cruising, tailing, and even spooking off waders in skinny water. Capt. Richard Rutland reported similar spring clues closer to home, with bull reds, slot reds, and sheepshead all feeding in very visual situations. That combination of improving water temperature, clearer water, and increasing bait movement is pushing the coast toward a much more classic spring setup.
Barrier Island Report
Capt. Matt Swiggum made the long run to the Chandeleur Islands for the final leg of the BOG tournament and found an incredible redfish bite, even if the speckled trout never fully grouped up the way he expected. Fishing on an incoming tide in one to two feet of water, Matt and his partner worked through grass flats, potholes, and shallow drains where bait was concentrated. The redfish were the headline. He described schools of 40 to 50 fish tailing and feeding aggressively, with anglers able to double up by simply landing baits on opposite sides of a school. Most of the fish were perfect slot reds in the 24- to 26-inch class, and they were feeding hard enough that the redfish category ended up paying for the whole trip.
The trout, however, were much more scattered than expected. Instead of sitting tightly in defined potholes, they seemed to be moving and roaming, possibly because of the huge amount of redfish activity in the same zone. Matt’s read was that the fish either were not fully settled into the exact spring setup yet or were more scattered because of the way the habitat was laid out, with less sharply defined potholes than in previous productive trips. Even with that, they still boxed a trout limit and enough redfish to place second in the redfish category.
Gear mentioned in this section: Matt spent the day throwing a Slick Lure and preferred fishing it weightless while wading because keeping the rod tip low let him keep the bait down in the strike zone. His partner threw a smaller shrimp-profile bait, which may have helped on trout. The productive colors leaned more natural than flashy. Matt also stressed safety gear for long barrier-island wades, especially a Garmin inReach, a properly set anchor, and redundant communication options.
Onshore and Pass Report
Chris Vecsey said the onshore and nearshore scene is getting close to the point where everything starts happening at once. The sheepshead bite has been solid on the pier and around the passes, Spanish mackerel have already moved into the passes, whiting in the surf have been impressive, and pompano are being caught both from the beach and inshore around structure. His overall message was that it is not full-blown peak season just yet, but it is absolutely an “any day now” scenario.
For anglers heading to the beach, Chris recommended a simple but flexible setup geared toward both pompano and whiting. He likes to fish a variety of baits rather than overcomplicate the rigging, and he made a strong case for mixing natural bait with scented alternatives until the fish show a clear preference. He also emphasized that pompano are much more aggressive on jigs than many anglers realize. Instead of slowly dragging a jig, he works it hard and fast through the water column and lets the fish tell him when they want it slowed down. His best advice for locating pompano with jigs was to target washouts, rip-current cuts, bottlenecks in troughs, and any area where current is exposing food and concentrating bait.
Chris also noted that flounder are showing up well around the passes, beaches, and nearby creek mouths. That is an encouraging sign for anglers who want a mixed-bag approach while the full spring pompano and Spanish bite continues to build.
Gear mentioned in this section: Chris recommended peeled shrimp, ghost shrimp, and Fishbites, especially the pink shrimp, orange shrimp, and easy flea versions. He prefers a two-hook rig with one hook baited naturally and the other hook fished with Fishbites alone so anglers can quickly identify what is producing. For artificial presentations, he likes a pompano jig worked aggressively. Around the passes, he suggested keeping shrimp, fiddler crabs, spoons, and Gotcha plugs on hand for a mixed bag of sheepshead, pompano, and Spanish mackerel.
Chris also announced that the Pomp Stomp tournament is now based out of J&M Tackle, with registration open in-store.
Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound Report
Capt. Richard Rutland sounded like a guide who feels spring knocking on the door. He and Capt. Bobby Abruscato salvaged a tough BOG season with a strong second-place finish by fishing two different western shore systems in one day and targeting shallow trout with soft plastics. Richard said one of the biggest surprises was just how shallow those fish were holding for this point in March, with trout feeding in roughly two feet of water and requiring a very quiet approach. He credited the stealth of a skiff-style platform and careful positioning with helping them stay on fish that easily could have been blown out.
Beyond the tournament, Richard said sheepshead are absolutely loaded on nearshore structure. He has spent time helping with University of South Alabama research work using an ROV to look at rigs and artificial structure, and his description was about as strong as it gets. He said the sheepshead density around some of that structure looked more like the way anglers imagine red snapper stacked up. Once he got back to actually fishing those areas, the action confirmed it. He described near-constant bites, with fish being caught on live bait, dead shrimp, and even artificial shrimp presentations.
Richard also reported very good shallow-water redfish action on the beaches and barrier islands, with slot fish cruising shallow bars and feeding in clean water where anglers could sight-cast to them. He said this pattern feels like a return to some of the classic March redfishing he remembered from earlier years, and he also noted that bull reds are doing their thing at the south end of the bay on places like Dixie Bar and nearby bars off Sand Island. On the trout side, he believes the fish are on the verge of making a more decisive move into true spring behavior, especially if the warming trend holds through the next couple of weeks.
Gear mentioned in this section: Richard and Bobby caught tournament trout on Pure Flats Slick Lures, especially colors like Goblin and B-Cat. Richard preferred a weighted hook, while Bobby had success with an unweighted presentation. For sheepshead, Richard recommended fiddler crabs, mud crabs, live shrimp, and dead shrimp, and he mentioned catching fish on a Nomad shrimp and Vudu Shrimp. For shallow redfish sight-casting, he likes larger-profile soft plastics including the Slick Junior and the MirrOlure Lil John XL, plus quality polarized sunglasses such as Bajío lenses in rose or silver mirror.
Offshore Report
Capt. Shane Toole gave an offshore report that was more about useful information than a hero catch, but it still included several strong clues for anyone planning the next good weather window. He spent time targeting triggerfish, swordfish, and deepwater grouper species. The triggerfish bite was active, but many fish were short, which matches what a lot of Alabama anglers have seen over the past several seasons. On the swordfish side, Shane said they got their shots and got one quality fish close before pulling the hook. As frustrating as that is, he made the point that those near-successes still tell you a lot about what the fish are doing and what kind of opportunity exists when the conditions line up.
One of the biggest offshore takeaways was water quality. Shane reported beautiful blue water even relatively close to shore, with that cleaner water extending into areas where anglers would not always expect to see it this early. That is an encouraging sign not only for swordfish and deep-drop trips, but also for everything that tends to get more consistent once spring offshore conditions stabilize. He also said their grouper effort involved a lot of exploring and searching for new bottom, which is often exactly what this time of year requires if you want to stay ahead of pressure and keep building fresh options.
Gear mentioned in this section: For swordfish, Shane said they alternated between strip baits and squid, with strip baits getting the attention this trip. For triggerfish, he kept things simple with two-hook rigs and small pieces of squid, focusing mainly on natural bottom and structure in roughly 90 to 120 feet. For deep dropping, he likes fresh squid. He also talked about the Kobō electric reel platform as a serious tool for swordfishing and deep dropping.
Tournaments, Events, and What to Watch
This episode also packed in several timely announcements. The Wharf Boat & Yacht Show was a major topic, with Butch and Angelo previewing the event and encouraging listeners to stop by. Chris Vecsey also announced updates on the Pomp Stomp through J&M Tackle, and Shane Toole shared details on the Mud Marlin Classic, which is building around the swordfish scene. Angelo also spent time discussing the new Gulf Coast Outboard Challenge and the broader offshore tournament picture.
From a fishing standpoint, the next couple of weeks should be worth watching closely. Sheepshead are still a reliable play right now, but they are nearing the point where that bite traditionally starts to thin as the spawn progresses. Spanish mackerel have shown up early enough to suggest that beach and pass anglers could see the action improve quickly. Redfish patterns already look very strong on both the barrier-island and Mobile Bay side, and if warmer temperatures stay in place, the speckled trout spring move should not be far behind.
