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In this week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report, host Nick Williams checks in with Dip McMillan of Dippi Outdoors, Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren, and Megan Fowler with Friends of the Tensaw River for a wide-ranging look at fishing, community events, and conservation issues across the Delta.
The big theme this week is that the Delta is shifting into a productive late-spring pattern, but anglers still need to adjust to stained water, changing moon phases, scattered bream, shallow bass, active crappie, crab movement, and ongoing concerns about development near important river corridors and creeks. Dip opens the show with a tournament-winning crappie report from the upper Delta, Darren follows with bass, bream, catfish, crab, and seasonal observations, and Megan closes with an update from Friends of the Tensaw River.
Conditions Recap
This week’s conditions are a mixed bag across the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Dip McMillan said the water around Hubbard’s Landing and the north end of the system was still stained to muddy in places, but that muddy water did not stop the crappie bite. In fact, he believes the stained water helped keep fish from spooking as easily, especially when paired with a highly visible bait.
Dip noted that the upper Delta has been producing some of the better crappie weights this season, while areas south of Mifflin have not been as consistent for bigger fish. He believes high water earlier in the year helped the north end by letting fish feed in flooded areas, while the lower Delta may have dealt with more saltwater influence and fewer of those beneficial floodwater windows.
Darren Shirah said the bass and bream bite had been tough for several weeks, but the last few days showed a major improvement. Bream are finally beginning to show up around traditional bedding areas, even though the timing feels later than usual. He also noted that cooler spring weather, rain, and water temperatures may be keeping some crappie, bream, and bass shallower than expected for this point in the season.
Upper Delta Crappie Report with Dip McMillan
Dip McMillan comes into this week’s report after picking up his first tournament win, and the details of that win say a lot about how the upper Delta is fishing right now. Dip and his partner launched out of Hubbard’s Landing, stayed around the north end, and found quality crappie in stained to muddy water. Their seven-fish tournament bag weighed 7.86 pounds, with other teams close behind, making for a competitive event with strong weights.
Dip said the bait that made the difference was the Dippi Tensaw Special, a silver-and-black ATX Lures Wicked Shad-style bait with a chartreuse split tail, rigged on a plain silver jig head from J.J. Jigs. He believes the chartreuse tail and visibility in muddy water helped trigger reaction bites. Gear mentioned in this section includes the ATX Lures Wicked Shad, the Dippi Tensaw Special color, plain silver jig heads from J.J. Jigs, side scan, forward-facing sonar, and Lowrance HDS electronics.
Dip said the better crappie were not necessarily stacked in large groups. In fact, he often ignores structure holding 25 to 30 fish because many of those fish may be smaller. This weekend, the key was finding smaller groups of two to eight fish on structure, then turning around and using forward-facing sonar to pick them apart. He said those smaller groups produced the quality fish, including enough 11.5- and 12-inch crappie that they were culling solid keepers after 10 o’clock.
One of Dip’s biggest takeaways is that side scan remains his best tool for locating structure and identifying areas worth fishing. Once he sees the right structure and the right number of fish on the bank, he uses forward-facing sonar to dial in individual fish. Combined with years of notes on areas, water conditions, tides, and seasonal timing, that electronics approach helped him capitalize on a strong upper-Delta crappie bite.
Community Events Around Hubbard’s Landing and Tensaw
Dip also previewed a packed weekend of local fishing and community events. A benefit tournament for Elsie Claire Saul includes both catfish and crappie divisions out of Hubbard’s Landing, with the catfish side beginning Friday evening and the crappie event starting Saturday morning. The event is designed to help support a local family dealing with medical travel and expenses.
He also mentioned the annual local fishing seminar at Boswell Bait and Tackle, featuring Dip, Kyle from ATX Lures, Josh Gunter, J.J. Jigs, and other local anglers. The goal is to share Delta-specific fishing knowledge with the community, especially for anglers trying to learn how fish behave in the Mobile-Tensaw system instead of relying on generic fishing advice.
Bass, Bream, Crappie, Catfish, and Crabs with Darren Shirah
Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren says the past few weeks had been tough, but the bite finally started turning around. He found bass and bream beginning to gather again around traditional bedding areas, even though some of those same places had been empty earlier in April and around the first full moon of May.
Darren said he recently went back to the same bream areas that had not produced earlier and found 20 to 30 good bull bream. He also picked up bass around those bream beds, and he believes many of those bass may be feeding on nest raiders like crawfish, creek chubs, shiners, and other small fish instead of necessarily eating adult bream. Gear mentioned in this section includes Beetle Spins, small bream rods, bass tackle, crickets, and traditional bream setups.
The conversation also touched on shallow crappie, with Darren saying he has been catching some crappie in places where he did not necessarily expect them this late in the year. He and Nick discussed whether cooler spring weather and water temperatures could be keeping some fish shallower. Darren said the recent bass bite improved quickly after a rough stretch, and he has been able to catch limits again after several frustrating trips.
On the catfish side, Darren said he has been running some lines, but cut bait has not produced as well for him as live bait has for other anglers targeting flatheads. He plans to set a few jugs while bream fishing, especially in sloughs where he knows catfish travel. He prefers to keep a smaller number of jugs close enough to watch while he fishes rather than setting a large number of lines that require constant work.
Darren also said crab activity is picking up. He likes to catch croakers or hardheads, use the heads as bait, and fish for crabs with a light rod, worm hook, and small weight. He prefers big, heavy crabs and said places like Chickasaw Bogue, inside points, outside points, shaded bends, and areas around the pipeline can produce good crabbing as the season develops.
Delta Seasonal Notes: Hogs, Horse Flies, and Summer Patterns
Nick and Darren also looked ahead toward summer and early hunting season. Darren said he is seeing and hearing plenty of hogs around areas like Bacons, Briar Lake, and Chickasaw Creek, and he does not believe the hog population has been knocked back by high water this year. The discussion was a reminder that life on the Delta often overlaps between fishing, hunting, crabbing, and watching seasonal changes unfold.
They also talked about the first hints of summer discomfort, including deer flies and horse flies showing up in shaded sloughs and creek runs. Even those pests turned into a fishing note, with Darren joking that if one bites him, he may put it on a hook and try to get something in return from a bream.
Friends of the Tensaw River Update with Megan Fowler
Megan Fowler with Friends of the Tensaw River joins the show to talk about community momentum, fundraising, and ongoing concerns about proposed industrial solar development in North Baldwin County and surrounding areas. She first recapped the group’s poker run fundraiser, which included stops at Stagecoach Cafe, The Tavern in Atmore, Live Oak Landing, The Pier House, and The River Pub. The event raised support for Friends of the Tensaw River and may return again in the fall.
The conversation then turned to proposed solar and energy infrastructure projects near Stockton, Rabun, Tensaw, Lottie, and other surrounding communities. Megan said the issue has grown beyond one site and now includes multiple large properties, possible transmission-line questions, possible data-center connections, and concerns about runoff, creeks, wildlife movement, and cultural resources.
Nick and Megan discussed why these sites matter to hunters, anglers, and local residents. Creeks like Majors Creek, Pine Log Creek, Range Creek, Flats Creek, and the larger Tensaw watershed are tied directly to fishing, hunting, wetlands, wildlife corridors, and the character of North Baldwin County. Nick emphasized that anglers and sportsmen should pay attention because large-scale development near those waterways could leave long-term marks on the Delta.
Megan said people can stay informed through the Stop Solar in Baldwin Facebook group or the Friends of the Tensaw River Facebook page. She also asked people with trail-camera photos or wildlife documentation from the affected areas to email Friends of the Tensaw River and keep original files with metadata. The group is also planning a Spirit of the Tensaw fundraiser on June 27 at the Stockton Civic Club.
What to Expect This Week
Crappie anglers should keep paying close attention to the upper Delta, especially around Hubbard’s Landing and north of Mifflin, where better tournament weights and quality fish have been showing up. Stained water does not have to be a dealbreaker if anglers use visible baits, focus on structure, and lean on electronics or careful observation.
Bream anglers should revisit traditional bedding areas, even places that were empty earlier in the month. Darren’s report suggests fish are finally starting to settle into some of those areas, and the upcoming moon phases may keep that bite moving. Bass anglers should also keep bream beds in mind, especially where nest predators, crawfish, and small baitfish may draw bass into the same areas.
Catfish anglers can continue working live bait, jugs, limb lines, and sloughs, especially where they can monitor gear safely. Crabbers should start watching brackish creeks, points, bends, and pipeline-area structure as bigger crabs become more active. As always, anglers should keep safety, cleanup, and stewardship in mind when running lines, setting jugs, or spending time in narrow creeks and shaded backwaters.
