From Fishing to Catching: Spring Sheepshead Fishing in Mobile Bay

Captain Patric Garmeson — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:38:05 +0000

Nearly seven years to the day

That’s how long it’s been since I first guided Kevin Hall. Back then I was fresh into the full-time guiding scene, grinding and figuring things out as I built Ugly Fishing into what it is today.

Kevin was visiting the Mobile Bay and Fairhope, Alabama area trying to decide if this might become a place he’d eventually invest in a home.

We fished two days on that first trip.

One day we worked docks and shoreline structure around Fairhope and caught redfish nearly all day long. The other day we ran into Mississippi Sound and caught speckled trout until we lost count.

Kevin is an outdoorsman through and through. He hunts and fishes all over the country. Sometimes he brings family along, but most of the time he flies solo when he books a trip with me.

Over the years we’ve built a great guide-to-client relationship. Kevin appreciates my style of guiding and he’s always respectful of the fishery, which means a lot to me.

Not long after that first trip, Kevin ended up buying a house on Fish River.

So when I saw his name pop up on my online booking platform Fishing Chaos, I knew this was going to be a fun trip.

A couple days before the trip I checked the forecast.

Light easterly winds around 5–8 knots.

Perfect.

If those conditions held, we weren’t just going fishing.

We were going catching.

Because when the wind, tide, and water clarity line up just right during spring fishing in Mobile Bay, a trip can turn into what I like to call a spring catching trip.

The main targets would be sheepshead and redfish, but on days like that you never really know what might show up. Spadefish, snapper, triggerfish, pompano, bluefish, spanish mackerel — it can turn into a real mixed bag when the bite is right.

Anniversary Morning at Weeks Bay

Kevin met me at Weeks Bay boat ramp at 6:15 that morning.

Light east wind. Clean water. The kind of calm morning that makes you feel like something good is about to happen.

Kevin greeted me the way he always does — big smile and a firm handshake.

Then he said something that caught me off guard.

“Today’s our anniversary.”

I looked at him confused.

“Seven years since you guided me the first time.”

That was pretty cool to hear.

Kevin told me those first trips helped finalize his decision to buy a place here in the Mobile Bay area. I joked that maybe I should get a little real estate commission.

But honestly, hearing that meant a lot.

We shoved off the dock around 6:20 and pointed the boat toward the Gulf.

Getting the Skunk Off the Boat

Our first stop didn’t take long to produce.

Double up.

Kevin landed a sheepshead while I brought in a pompano. Both legal fish and both headed to the box.

Just like that the skunk was off the boat within minutes.

Now it felt like catching.

We made a couple more moves without much happening and I started wondering if maybe I had spoken too soon calling it a catching trip.

Then we made our third stop.

I dropped the Power-Pole Move trolling motor and was still adjusting the boat position when Kevin pitched a shrimp into the perfect zone.

His drag started peeling immediately.

At first I thought red snapper. But the fight didn’t quite look right for a snapper.

The fish made several strong runs toward the bottom, digging down 15–20 feet at a time. The water was clear with about 6–8 feet of visibility, and eventually we saw a silver flash below the boat.

Sheepshead!

And a good one.

The Lew’s reel was singing while braid hummed through the guides as Kevin worked the fish toward the boat. When it surfaced I slipped the Bubba net underneath it.

A really nice sheepshead.

Kevin looked at it and said the words every guide loves to hear.

“That’s my PB.”

Personal best.

We snapped a few pictures and got back to fishing. That fish ended up being the only sheepshead from that particular spot, with most of the other bites coming from red snapper.

Still fun — but I knew we could find something better.

When the Catching Turned On

We made another move.

I told Kevin, “If we can set up exactly the way I want here, this should be our best option yet.”

When we slid into position everything lined up perfectly — wind, current, and boat angle.

Kevin dropped his bait.

I dropped mine.

Immediate bite.

I landed a sheepshead and thought to myself, “Alright… they’re here.”

Then things slowed for a minute.

Then Kevin hooked up.

Then I hooked one.

Back and forth.

Sheepshead.
Red snapper.
Sheepshead again.

The bite started building.

Before long Kevin had a really nice box of Mobile Bay sheepshead ready to take home. Plenty of meals and a brand-new personal best to go with it.

Kevin was fired up.

So I asked him, “You want to go look for some redfish?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“HELL yeah dude! Let’s do it. This has already been an amazing trip.”

Sight Casting Redfish in Mobile Bay

We picked up and moved toward an area I like to check for Mobile Bay redfish this time of year.

Now the game changed from catching to hunting.

We slowly scanned the water while watching both the surface and the Raymarine Axiom Pro fish finder.

I marked a couple fish but nothing that looked like the school I wanted.

Then I saw it.

A copper colored shadow sliding through the water and even some tails and fins above the water surface.

My Bajio sunglasses cut the glare perfectly, and once I saw that color shift I knew exactly what we were looking at.

Redfish.

I handed Kevin a setup built for the job — a 5000 Quantum Benchmark reel paired with a 7’6” Bubba rod rigged with a ½ oz Eye Strike Diezel Eye jig head and a 5” Sexy Penny Z-Man paddler.

As we eased toward the school I gave Kevin a quick tip.

“Don’t throw right in the middle of them. Cast across the edge.”

I spotted the fish almost 300 yards away, and creeping within casting distance without spooking them feels like watching paint dry.

Finally we got close enough.

I double tapped the remote and dropped the twin Power Poles to stop the boat.

Kevin cast.

Nothing.

Another cast.

Still nothing.

So I switched him over to another Quantum and Bubba combo rigged with a cracked pepper OG Slick Lure on an unweighted Owner Beast hook.

Something more subtle. I think the 1/2 oz jighead was too much for this particular area and with these particular set of conditions.

That did the trick.

Kevin started picking fish off the school one by one.

Four sight-cast Mobile Bay redfish later we were both just enjoying the moment as the school cruised the flat in front of us.

The Last Cast

I told Kevin, “Alright, one more. Toss it out there around the 10 o’clock direction.”

There was a light left-to-right breeze, and Kevin’s 10 o’clock ended up landing a little closer to 12 o’clock — right out in front of the boat.

I laughed.

“Man… that might not work.”

But sometimes the fish have other plans.

One redfish suddenly broke away from the school and charged Kevin’s slick lure. You could see the fish tracking it as it pushed a wake toward the boat.

Kevin started his retrieve and that redfish absolutely crushed it.

He leaned back and buried the Owner Beast hook into the mouth of the most aggressive fish in the group.

After a short fight we landed our fifth sight-cast redfish of the morning.

Kevin and I both started laughing.

Perfect ending.

We fist bumped, admired the fish for a moment, and let it swim back to the school.

Then I lifted the Power Poles and we eased away slowly with the Power-Pole Move, sliding quietly off the flat so we didn’t blow the school out of the area.

We came, we saw, we conquered — and left them right where they wanted to be.

https://uglyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/mobile-bay-sight-cast-redfish-hookup.mp4

Spring Fishing in Mobile Bay

Spring is one of the best times of year for fishing in Mobile Bay, Alabama.

Sheepshead stack up around structure and jetties, while redfish begin cruising the shallows where anglers can sight-cast to them in clear water. On the right weather window it’s possible to catch multiple species on the same trip including sheepshead, pompano, redfish, snapper, spadefish, and more.

For anglers visiting the Fairhope and Mobile Bay area, spring offers some of the most exciting inshore fishing of the year.

Seven Years Later

By the end of the trip Kevin had:

• A personal best sheepshead
• A box of great eating fish
• Five sight-cast redfish to finish the morning

Not a bad way to celebrate a seven-year fishing anniversary.

Seven years ago I was just getting started guiding full time.

Kevin was exploring the Mobile Bay area trying to decide if this might become home.

Now he owns a place on Fish River, and every once in a while we meet back up on the water to make another memory.

And when the wind, water, and fish all line up just right…

It stops feeling like fishing.

And starts feeling a lot like catching.

Fish Mobile Bay With Ugly Fishing

If you'd like to experience a trip like this, check out my Mobile Bay fishing charters and come spend a day on the water.

Whether you're targeting sheepshead, redfish, speckled trout, or seasonal species, there’s always something biting in Mobile Bay. (Click HERE View my personalized species calendar)

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