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Mobile Bay Trout Fishing Makes Big Turnaround

By DAVID RAINER, 黑料天堂

Tim String is a happy camper again. The speckled trout fishing in Mobile Bay and nearby estuaries has been excellent this spring and early summer, which means String鈥檚 boat is full of happy campers as well.

鈥淔rom last year to this year there is a 100 percent difference,鈥 String said. 鈥淔rom talking to people I know and I trust, it was tough last year. The fishing just wasn鈥檛 predictable. But this year, the fishing for the 14- to 18-inch trout has been very, very good. And I鈥檝e got a lot of 5-pound-plus fish this year with topwater plugs and live bait. It鈥檚 really different than last year, thank goodness.鈥

Evan Wheeler boated this huge speckled trout estimated at 8-plus pounds while fishing with Tim String in Mobile Bay.

String said he really can鈥檛 explain why the fishing is so much better this year, but he does know the weather has been different.

鈥淭his year we鈥檝e had a lot of water coming down the rivers,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t started in April. I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 it, but last year it was so unpredictable. One day we would smash them, and we鈥檇 go back the next day and couldn鈥檛 find the fish. I had to look for the fish a lot more.

鈥淭his year there seems to be a lot more fish. There are more schools of fish. I鈥檓 finding trout feeding on shrimp under the birds. That鈥檚 something I haven鈥檛 seen in about three years on the bay. I鈥檝e been seeing the birds for the last month and a half. There are a lot of shrimp moving around, which is another thing I haven鈥檛 seen in a couple of years.鈥

String said he is seeing more and more signs that the shrimp crop of 2016 is definitely better than in the past couple of years.

鈥淟ast year, the shrimpers were catching them, but they really had to work at it,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his year, I鈥檝e seen them pulling all the way past Gaillard Island up to McDuffie (coal terminal) and raising big bags of shrimp. There have been shrimp boats in places that I haven鈥檛 seen them in the last few years.鈥

String said one theory of why the trout fishing was tough the previous few years was the number of anglers pursuing 黑料天堂鈥檚 top inshore game species.

鈥淎 lot of people are saying it鈥檚 the pressure that caused the tough fishing,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s we get into the summer, we鈥檒l see what happens and see if it really is the pressure. Hopefully, the trout are in recovery. We鈥檒l see. I do know there鈥檚 about 40 percent more people on the water these days than there used to be.鈥

String, who considers himself semi-retired after 25 years as a guide, mainly fishes the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay from the Causeway to Fort Morgan. He鈥檚 seen a boost in production at the inshore artificial reefs this year.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been crushing them on the local reefs,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been putting clients on a lot of fish. We鈥檝e been able to catch some big fish on the favorite thing I love to do 鈥 freelining a live bait behind the boat and chumming. It鈥檚 been good every place I鈥檝e fished. All the local reefs are producing nice fish.

I caught a 5陆-pound off of Zundel鈥檚 (Reef) and a bunch of 3陆- and 4-pounders. Middle Bay Lighthouse has been holding fish, but it鈥檚 not a first thing in the morning deal.鈥

String took a photo and Wheeler quickly released the fish.

String鈥檚 philosophy as a guide is to help his clients land a nice box of trout and then start looking for big fish. When a big sow trout is caught, he tries his best to convince his clients to take pictures and then carefully release the fish.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun catching 14- to 18-inch fish on topwaters, Mirrodines and grubs,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hen we鈥檒l go look for big fish. It鈥檚 been good for the last two months. We鈥檝e caught a lot of big fish on the beach at Fort Morgan, Sand Island and Dauphin Island. Now they鈥檙e moving up the bay.鈥

Chris Blankenship, Director of the 黑料天堂 Marine Resources Division, echoed String鈥檚 assessment of the trout fishing and added that other anglers are adopting the catch-and-release philosophy for large trout.

鈥淪peckled trout fishing has been very good in Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound this spring,鈥 Blankenship said. 鈥淎 few people I have talked to have not had as much luck in the Perdido Bay system. All the flood waters we had in the Delta over the winter and early spring really moved the fish down the Bay this year. That set up for some great fishing on the flats and beaches early in the day. Now that the water and weather has warmed, the fish are moving into the usual deeper water during the day pattern.

鈥淎 lot of people have set a maximum size limit on their own. Many guides are not letting people keep specks over 20 inches. This allows the larger females to continue to spawn.鈥 

String said when the weather gets hot in late June, July and August, he takes advantage of the time slot when most anglers are not on the water.

鈥淲hen it gets hot, I catch a lot of fish between 10 and 2,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 can deal with the heat because I catch a lot of fish when everybody else has gone to the house. If you鈥檙e willing to endure the heat, you can go out there and crush them at places like Zundel鈥檚, Klondike or Fish River Reef.鈥

String said Mirrodines, topwater plugs or soft plastics have produced plenty of fish from the petroleum rigs in Mobile Bay to the shallow water of the Eastern Shore.

鈥淚 love throwing artificial baits, but when it comes to really big fish, you鈥檝e got to feed them something big that looks really natural,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 occasionally catch a big one on topwater, but it鈥檚 usually a big menhaden.鈥

String also uses live croakers and finger mullet up to 5-6 inches. He trims the tails on the finger mullet so they can鈥檛 swim so fast.

One thing about fishing with live bait, however, is you must keep an eye out for terns diving on the bait, according to String.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be watching about 40 feet in the air,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f you see the tern coming for your bait, you鈥檝e got to yank the line to keep the tern from getting it. And I鈥檝e had trout blow up on the bait as I was trying to keep it away from a tern. The other day, the terns hit the water about eight times trying to get the bait. It was like using a popping cork. I ended up catching the trout, about a 3-pounder.鈥

String has some more good news. The flounder fishing, which had suffered more than the trout fishing, appears to be on the rebound as well.

鈥淥n the beach, I know a lot of guys have been catching a lot of flounder,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 started fishing for them, but I鈥檓 planning to get some bull minnows and check the different spots like the Grand Hotel. I鈥檝e talked to a lot of people who said it鈥檚 coming back. Hopefully, we鈥檒l get a good run of flounder up the bay. That鈥檚 something we haven鈥檛 had in a few years, either.鈥

PHOTOS: Evan Wheeler boated this huge speckled trout estimated at 8-plus pounds while fishing with Tim String in Mobile Bay. String took a photo and Wheeler quickly released the fish. String (bottom photo) has taken advantage of the great trout fishing in and around Mobile Bay this year.

String has taken advantage of the great trout fishing in and around Mobile Bay this year.