Saltwater Intrusion, Live Shrimp, and Kayak Fishing the Delta
1h 8m | Jul 10, 2026This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report looks at what happens when summer heat, falling river levels, and saltwater intrusion start changing the fishing across the Delta. Josh Gunter of Steele Creek Bait & Tackle and Mt. Vernon Bait & Tackle joins the show to break down why saltwater pushing into the lower Delta is not always a bad thing. Josh explains how salinity can bring in redfish, speckled trout, flounder, white trout, blue crabs, gafftops, and other coastal species, while also changing where freshwater anglers should look for bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. He covers how to read hydrographs, use online salinity maps, watch river levels, understand tidal influence, and adjust your approach once the lower Delta turns brackish. Josh also talks about popping corks, live shrimp, freelining, bait care, keeping bait alive in extreme heat, and why anglers should not overlook the late-summer and early-fall fishing that opens up when freshwater and saltwater patterns overlap.
Then Justin Dunnam of the Eight Mile Drifter YouTube Channel joins the show for a detailed kayak-fishing conversation. Justin walks through how he got started in kayak fishing, why he eventually settled on the Jackson Kilroy, and why a lightweight, paddle-friendly sit-inside kayak makes sense for creeks, swamps, rivers, and protected backwaters. He and Nick discuss sit-inside versus sit-on-top kayaks, pedal drives, motors, paddles, anchoring systems, anchor trolleys, brush grabbers, kayak carts, fishing in wind, and how to use a kayak to reach everything from swamp bass and bluegill to catfish, flounder, and redfish. It’s a practical summer episode for anglers trying to adapt to hot weather, changing salinity, and the unique mix of freshwater and saltwater opportunities that make the Mobile-Tensaw Delta such a special fishery.
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