Mobile Bay at 72°F: Cobia Migration Window Open, Black Drum Working Structure

What's Biting

What's Next

Both NOAA buoys show light winds — 4 m/s at station 42012, 5 m/s at 42040 — keeping conditions manageable for Mobile Bay runs and near-Gulf trips. No wave height data was available from either station, so check local harbor and inlet reports before committing to an offshore run.

Cobia are the marquee target this week. With water at 72°F and the waning gibbous moon providing pre-dawn low-light windows, we're looking at ideal conditions for the peak May migration push through Mobile Bay. Sight-cast from an elevated position — a tower boat or poling skiff gives the advantage — and watch for cownose rays moving through the bay with cobia shadowing beneath. A live eel, large blue crab, or padded 1-oz jig pitched 10–15 feet ahead of the school is the standard approach. These fish can be aggressive in May; don't over-lead the cast.

Speckled trout should be most active during the first two hours of incoming tide, particularly along deeper grass edges on the eastern bay flats. As Coastal Angler Magazine notes, this time of year marks the transition when midday heat starts pushing bite activity toward a late-afternoon "second shift" — plan your launch for dawn or late afternoon to capitalize on the most productive feeding windows before surface temperatures spike mid-day.

Black drum are showing on pilings and structure per Pensacola Fishing Forum reports from May 4. Sport Fishing Mag confirms that black drum are opportunistic shellfish feeders on spring structure throughout the region — fresh-shucked oysters or cut blue crab, fished on the bottom tight to dock pilings or over oyster reef, is the proven approach. Patience is key; these fish feed deliberately and may ignore a bait before committing.

Redfish are a reliable bet across the bay's grass flats and around dock structure. Salt Strong's recent footage of large redfish schools concentrating near panhandle Florida waters suggests fish are active and grouped throughout the broader Gulf Coast region heading into May.

Offshore anglers eyeing red snapper should verify current Gulf federal season dates before departure — seasons are set annually and vary from year to year. The Florida Panhandle Billfish Series is gearing up per the Pensacola Fishing Forum, with the first major tournament slated for mid-June, signaling that blue-water pelagic conditions are developing offshore of Alabama as well.

Context

Mobile Bay in early May is about as dialed-in as the Alabama Gulf Coast gets. Water temperatures between 70°F and 76°F are the norm for this period, and today's 72°F reading from buoy 42012 puts conditions exactly on schedule — neither early nor late for the species mix anglers expect here. The cobia migration is the anchor event of the month: it typically kicks off as water crosses 68–70°F in late April and peaks through mid-May before trailing off as summer heat sets in. By this reading, we are in the heart of that window.

Speckled trout fishing on Mobile Bay tends to peak in spring before summer heat concentrates fish in deeper, cooler holes. Redfish are a year-round staple, but May's moderate temperatures offer some of the best sight-fishing conditions on the flats before summer turbidity limits visibility on shallow grass beds. Black drum move reliably onto oyster beds and dock pilings throughout Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound each spring — the May 4 Pensacola Fishing Forum sighting of fish on pilings is consistent with what anglers expect at this point in the season.

The angler-intel feeds in today's pull are thin on hyper-local Mobile Bay specifics beyond the forum report. Sport Fishing Mag's coverage of spring black drum behavior on shellfish-rich structure in other coastal regions further confirms the seasonal pattern holds broadly across Gulf and Atlantic systems alike.

Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag carry news about South Atlantic red snapper season expansions via exempted fishing permits in 2026. That development applies to the Atlantic management zone — North Carolina through Florida's Atlantic coast — and not to the Gulf federal management area, which operates under a separate annual rulemaking process. Alabama offshore anglers should check current NMFS and Gulf Council regulations for the 2026 Gulf recreational red snapper season dates before planning a trip.