Redfish and fall baitfish set the tone on Mobile Bay
Water temperature readings of 76.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8735180 and 77.4°F at station 8736897 show the bay and Gulf waters still holding warm into mid-October. That keeps fish active through the day. Salt Strong reports a tough bite turned around by slowing down and switching from plugs to soft plastic jerk lures, which produced an inshore slam that included redfish. Their takeaway is that when a spot loaded with baitfish gives up nothing, changing the presentation and fishing the same water again can be the fix. Salt Strong also notes that water levels are high across much of the Southeast, which spreads fish into flooded shorelines, grass and creeks and makes them harder to find. Their rule for adjusting is to follow the fish into that extra territory instead of expecting them in the usual spots. Saltwater Sportsman describes the fall baitfish migration pouring out of rivers, bays and estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from September into November, and that movement is the engine behind the best fall inshore action.
New to these readings? What water temp, tide, and moon phase mean for fishing →
What's biting
What's next
This is a New Moon, so there is little moonlight to work with. Moonrise and moonset windows matter less this week, and Coastal Angler Magazine points out that dawn and dusk remain the most dependable feeding periods. Plan the best part of your outing around first and last light.
Tides give you clear anchor points. Station 8736897 shows a high tide at about 12:35 a.m. CDT and a low at about 10:24 a.m. CDT. Station 8735180 shows its next low around 11:13 a.m. CDT. Expect moving water to ease into a slack period late morning, so fish the falling tide early and expect the bite to slow as the water bottoms out. When the tide turns and begins to push back in, that is a good time to work the edges again.
If conditions stay warm and settled, expect baitfish to keep stacking up along the shorelines. Following the Salt Strong approach, start with a plug or a soft plastic jerk lure, and if you are marking bait without getting bites, switch profiles and make another pass through the same water before you leave. Dark soft plastics are worth carrying too, since Salt Strong found a black lure drew attention when familiar colors did not.
With water high across the region, check the edges of flooded grass and the mouths of creeks, where fish can ambush bait pushed out on the falling tide.
Context
Mid-October on the Alabama Gulf coast is typically the heart of the fall transition. Water is still warm, but shorter days and the first cool fronts begin to push baitfish out of the marsh and bay systems, and predators follow them. Redfish are generally a dependable inshore target through the fall as they feed up on that bait. Water in the upper 70s is on the warm side for the date but not unusual, and a few strong fronts over the coming weeks would typically cool things and tighten the pattern. Check current state regulations before harvesting any fish.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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