Fishing Bayou La Batre

Saturday afternoon, I got the urge to wet a line and I heard from one of our new employees that fishing Bayou La Batre would be a good choice for some laid back bank fishing.

I originally planned to drive down the Dauphin Island and fish on the jetties for redfish, but I decided that a scouting trip to Bayou La Batre was in order.

The air temperature was in the low 90s and there was no rain in the forecast.

I didn't expect to catch anything with the heat index as high as it was but I brought along a heavy spinning rod with my topwater outfit, just in case.

I was told that Bayou La Batre is supposed to be one of the best places in Alabama for fish, so I followed directions and made the trek.

When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the shipbuilding facilities.  There were vessels in various stages of construction all along the inland waterways.

There appeared to be a serious commercial fishery in the area as well.   I couldn't help but notice a mountain of oyster shells in one area and various businesses dealing with fin and shellfish.

I drove down several roads and stopped to fish a couple of interesting areas from the bank with no outstanding results.  

Shell Belt Road runs along the Gulf and provides some of the best areas to fish from the bank but I continued driving around looking for some better locations to wet a line for redfish.

I stopped along several areas to take some pics and toss a couple of baits, but I quickly realized that some local help was needed to find some good fishing spots.

The amount of shoreline in this area makes catching a red or big black drum a matter of pure luck if you don't know the area.

Anyway, after scouting the area, I decided to run down to Dauphin Island and see what was happening in that area.

As I crossed the long bridge to the Island, I realized something big was going on.  There were tons of people, vehicles, and boats everywhere.

 I quickly found out that a fishing rodeo was in progress and the anglers who participated were weighing in their catch.

I took several pics of the action and these folks in particular with a nice catch of Red Snapper.

I knew that the road to the jetties would be crowded, but I made the journey despite my gut feelings.

There was a long line of vehicles for the ferry, and the boats coming  in for the fishing rodeo weigh in were lined up at the ramps.  

I took some pics, drove past the jetties, and quickly headed off of the island.  

Since I had no bait with me, I decided to pack in the fishing for today and give it a try tomorrow if weather permitted.

I created the following video from the days pics that may be of interest.  Enjoy..

Till next time,

Tight Lines