SHOW / EPISODE

Fall Crappie, Causeway Reds, and Swamp Deer

58m | Oct 16, 2026

This week’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report looks at how the Delta is shaping up after Hurricane Isaias, with surprisingly good water conditions, cooler temperatures, improving crappie and bream fishing, and the first signs of the fall inshore bite. Nick Williams opens the show with a look at how the storm spared much of the Mobile Bay area, leaving relatively clean, salty water and plenty of bait just as the fall fishing season begins.

Brenton Grace of Southern Cypress Bait & Tackle kicks things off with a Causeway report, where redfish and flounder have been showing up around the Blakely and Apalachee rivers. Brenton explains why the speckled trout bite has been slower to develop than usual, how falling water temperatures should help push more fish north, and why anglers should focus on shallow points, flats, and areas where bait is moving through. He also shares updates on shrimp availability, crabbing activity, bass fishing, and the expectation that the next cool fronts will bring some of the best mixed-bag opportunities of the year.

Then Darren Shirah of Reel Time Outdoors with Darren joins the show with an upper Delta report covering a strong pre-storm bite for crappie, bluegill, and goggle-eye. Darren explains how he has been catching crappie around submerged logs and laydowns in six to eight feet of water with Beetle Spins, while bream have been holding much shallower on the same structure. He also breaks down how he plans to switch to minnows and vertical fishing with cane poles as the crappie begin stacking up for fall.

The conversation takes a turn toward hunting as Alabama's archery deer season opens. Nick and Darren swap stories about hunting the remote swamps of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, including close encounters with bucks, deer swimming through flooded timber, finding hidden ridges and oak flats, and what makes true river-swamp deer so difficult to hunt. They also reflect on the value of simply spending time outdoors, whether that means bringing home a mess of fish, chasing a buck through the swamp, or just enjoying a quiet afternoon exploring the Delta.