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Mobile Bay, an inlet off the Gulf of Mexico, rewards a wide range of interests, from nautical to natural to historical. Just west of the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the Bay’s laid-back atmosphere is a stark contrast to the busy sands of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The eastern shore of the Bay is home to the picturesque Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, located on over 550 acres of scenic property. Perennially ranked among the top luxury hotels in the southeast, the Grand is ideal for overnight trips.
Travelling north along the eastern shore, boaters will arrive in Fairhope, where fine dining and eclectic shops helped the city earn the title of “Best Small Town in the South” from Southern Living magazine in 2016. Dock and dine at either the Fairhope Yacht Club or Flycreek Marina. If you’re going inland to downtown Fairhope, try Thyme On Section or Camellia Café. For a quick drink, pop into the Fairhope Brewing Company for some local brews.
A visit to Mobile Bay provides something for everybody. You can go at your own pace, and enjoy the people, food and attractions that will make it a regular detour on your travels.
Mobile Bay, an inlet off the Gulf of Mexico, rewards a wide range of interests, from nautical to natural to historical. Just west of the Fort Morgan Peninsula, the Bay's laid-back atmosphere is a stark contrast to the busy sands of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The eastern shore of the Bay is home to the picturesque Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, located on over 550 acres of scenic property. Perennially ranked among the top luxury hotels in the southeast, the Grand is ideal for overnight trips.
Travelling north along the eastern shore, boaters will arrive in Fairhope, where fine dining and eclectic shops helped the city earn the title of Best Small Town in the South from Southern Living magazine in 2016. Dock and dine at either the Fairhope Yacht Club or Flycreek Marina. If you're going inland to downtown Fairhope, try Thyme On Section or Camellia Café. For a quick drink, pop into the Fairhope Brewing Company for some local brews.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta comprises the north end of the Bay. Dubbed America's Amazon, it is home to over 120 species of fish, 68 species of reptiles, and at least 300 different birds. Exploring this intricate system of rivers and streams requires smaller craft and an adequate GPS. A better way to see this natural wonder is through a guided tour try 17 Turtles Outfitters or WildNative Delta Safaris.
The city of Mobile rests on the western shore of the Bay. Those with an interest in history should visit the Battleship Memorial Park and board the USS Alabama. In downtown Mobile, you can get a unique view of the city by land and sea on a duck boat tour. There are some great dining options downtown try The Noble South, Dumbwaiter, or NoJa. For dinner with a view, head to Dauphin's, which offers a panoramic look at the city and bay from the 34th floor of the RSA BankTrust Building. Also discover the true birthplace of Mardi Gras at the Carnival Museum in Mobile.
A visit to Mobile Bay provides something for everybody. You can go at your own pace, and enjoy the people, food and attractions that will make it a regular detour on your travels.
North of the ICW, this full-service marina and boatyard features a Ship's Store, courtesy car, 24-hour guard service and shore power. Dog River Marina can also accommodate vessels up to 150 feet and offers painting, yacht sales, electronics repairs, engine and generator repair, custom outfitting, prop repair, and fiberglass.
Part of cruising is the ability to be flexible. We relearned this boating rule of thumb yet again on a trip last year, casting off from Detroit with plans to head east and then south on the Erie Canal. But the onset of Hurricane Irene soon nixed that plan! At the last minute we decided to head west to Chicago instead and run the rivers south to Mobile, Ala.
The route south from Chicago to Mobile meanders from the Chicago River, or Cal-Sag (Calumet-Saganashkee) Canal, southwest to the Illinois River. From there it's farther southwest on the Illinois to the Mississippi River, and then south to the Ohio River. On the Ohio you head upstream about 50 miles to the Tennessee River, which then leads you to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a canal that connects to the Black Warrior River. The Black Warrior empties into the Mobile River, which then carries you to Mobile Bay. The full trip adds up to about 1,300 miles.
We cruise on a 42-foot sailboat with a 5-foot 6-inch draft. The first task for this trip down the rivers was to pull the mast, since low bridges in Chicago limit boats to a 19-foot air draft. This required more choices: truck the mast or carry it on deck? In the end we decided to truck it. We're keel-stepped so the mast is 64 feet long, and the general consensus among experienced sailors is not to have a pulled mast over- hang the fore and aft by more than about 5 feet- it's not something easy to deal with if maneuvering gets dicey. We were fortunate to find a group of sailboats via the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association to share the load. The total trucking rate was about $3,000, but splitting that with seven boats made it an easy decision. Crowley's Yacht Yard on the Cal-Sag Canal in Chicago is well set up to handle un-stepping and prep for shipping, or you can do the prep work yourself, as we did.
So that made us a powerboat just like everyone else, although we drew more than most. The more you draw, the more issues you will face. Having said that, we cruised for a few days with a 65-foot schooner that drew 8 feet, and he made it to Mobile just fine. The rivers themselves are maintained to a minimum depth of 9 feet for commercial traffic. It's the anchorages and marinas that can sometimes be an issue for deep-draft vessels.
Speaking of commercial traffic, there's lots of it for most of the trip. We found it fascinating, entertaining and occasionally intimidating, though in reality that last part was only in my mind. The river pilots really don't want to run you overtoo much paperwork! The Cal-Sag Canal gets some ocean-going traffic but the 19-foot air draft limits them. Mostly we encountered tows and barges. Tow is a bit misleading, as they don't typically tow but rather push the barges. Many of them push huge sets of barges, up to three wide and six long. I highly recommend learning the lingo of tow captains. They'll speak of a one-whistle pass or a two- whistle pass to indicate whether they want to pass on port or starboard. Nobody uses real whistles any more but instead calls the instructions on the VHF. All in all, communication with the tow captains was easy, pleasant, informative and often very amusing.
It took us 25 travel days to reach Mobile from Chicago. We typically motor at around 6.5 knots in flat water, but since most of this trip was downstream our speeds ran as high as 12 knots on the Mississippi and never below 7 any- where else, except for that brief run upstream on the Ohio, when we slowed to around 5 knots. This was in October, so we had about 12 hours of daylight for each cruise. We never ran at night but did depart at first light a few times. Miles per day varied widely depending on the distances between our stopping points and whether or not the locks slowed us down. Pleasure boats are at the bottom of the hierarchy at all locks, so you may have to wait to get through. Most of our lockings were quick, but a few times we had multiple-hour delays.
For going through the locks, we traveled with four large fenders covered with cutoff sweat-pants legs that we tossed at the end of the trip. Most times two fenders on one side were all we needed, but if it got windy or the waters started to swirl it was good to have extras. VHF communication is imperative with the locks, and we found that having two radios helped. We left one on the channel for the tows and the other on the channel for the locks. We had a lot of trepidation over locking, but it was really quite easy. Just take your time entering, tying and departing the lock.
We found a wide variety of facilities along the way. There are plenty of marinas, and a few towns offer free docks. Most of the marinas have courtesy cars, which makes provisioning easy. The Alton Marina on the Mississippi had first-rate floating docks, a pool, hot tubs and the nicest marina bathrooms I've ever seen. At Midway Marina, we were invited to the Halloween party, and it was great to see the kids, big and small, getting dressed up. Hoppie's Marina on the Mississippi south of St. Louis is just six barges tied to the riverbank, but it's the last fuel stop for 250 miles, so it's a must for most boats. It is close to the pretty little town of Kimmswick, and chatting with the owners, Fern and Hoppie, is a special treat.While staying at Green Turtle Cove, we visited the revitalized warehouse district in Paducah, Ky., and were impressed by all the restaurants, art galleries and shops. There's also a terrific quilting museum. Our final destination of the trip was Turner Marine, where our mast awaited us. Turner did a great job of helping us become a sailboat again, and they hosted a fantastic Thanksgiving pot-luck luncheon.
For trawlers, sailboats, and anyone moving less than 10 knots, there will be a few stretches of the trip where no marinas are available, so be prepared to anchor overnight. The tows run all night, so the first requirement is getting out of the main channel. Another issue is finding good depth out of the channel. We managed to find places to anchor, even with our 5-foot, 6-inch draft, but it wasn't always easy. Do your research in advance via guidebooks and online resources, and communicate with other travelers ahead of you.
Regarding communications with the rest of the world, we found cell signals almost all the way down. The 3G network for internet was less common, perhaps about half the way. All the marinas we visited had free Wi-Fi available, except Hoppies. Some of the longer days got a bit tedious at the helm, finding good anchorages took some doing, and the first few locks we went through were stressful. But in exchange we saw many miles of beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife, met some very nice people and enjoyed much that the local culture had to offer. All in all, we found the trip extremely pleasant and plan on doing it again someday.
Auhor Ed Kukla and his wife Chris departed Detroit last fall on an open ended cruise aboard their sailboat, S/V Freedom. Ed has been using his 25 years experience as a cinematographer to produce short music videos on their cruise; here is one of the river journey: View their video: Cruising Chicago to Mobile
It was four in the morning when the man running down the dock started shouting, "Jubilee! Jubilee!"
It was a sweltering August night along the shoreline of Mobile Bay, Alabama, so we had our portholes open and could hear him perfectly.
"What's that?" Patrick rolled over and crushed a pillow to his head, but I had heard rumors of such a rare phenomenon and wanted to check it out.
I threw on my clothes and hurried down the dock after the man toward the beach. Lights danced along the shoreline, illuminating the figures that had responded to the man's call.
One man, dressed in a white tank top and camouflage shorts, with the word "BAMA" stretched across the back of his ballcap, held a bucket in one hand and a flashlight on a long stick in the other. He bent down and scooped the bucket through the shallow water, using the light pole as an underwater lamp.
"What's he doing?" I asked Tom, whom I'd met the day before, as he stood in the still-warm sand watching the show.
"It's a jubilee. He's catching shrimp." Tom nodded toward the water. Standing ten feet from the shrimper, a man in the ubiquitous crimson and white colors of the region was bent at the waist picking blue crab from the shallows and tossing them into a steel wash basin. "There's a load of crabs to be had, too."
We wandered closer to the water. The shallows boiled with sea life flopping around, seemingly trying to beach themselves. In a quick scan of the area I counted a dozen flounder.
"Happens each year here on the eastern shore," Tom said, passing me his lantern and wading into the warm water. "Just before sunrise, once or twice a summer, the fish are driven to shore by a pocket of unoxygenated water. A dead zone, if you will."
"Do they die?" I asked, unsure if this was the same thing as a red tide.
Tom shook his head. "Only the ones that are caught."
He held out a four-foot stick with tines like a pitchfork on its end. "Shine the light over here, would you?" He pointed to the left where three flat, bottom-hugging flounder slithered on top of each other.
"They become real slow and sloppy because of the lack of oxygen and are easy to catch." He thrust the gig into one of the flounder and stabbed him right behind the eyes. "There's been jubilees where guys claim to have caught a hundred flounder in just an hour." He strung the flounder on a long length of wire and looped it through his belt, the fish hanging from his side like a set of keys. He speared and strung four more fish as he spoke. "Thing is, it only lasts an hour or so. As soon as the wind blows or the tide changes, mixing oxygenated water back in, the fish can breathe again and scatter back to the depths."
I looked down at the warm water lapping at my bare feet. The wild scramble of flounder, shrimp, crabs and even an eel or two was the densest concentration of sea life I'd ever seen. They were slow and staggering, almost drunk-like, through the shallows. They put up little fight at being caught.
A bell rang farther down the beach. Slowly, as the call of "Jubilee!" went out, the beach filled with people. Some arrived with casting nets, some with flounder gigs like Tom's, some with buckets. "I seen one woman out here with a laundry basket one year," Tom told me. His loop was now stretched tight, and the feathery tails of the flounder trailed though the water.
He unbuckled the wire from his belt and handed it to me. "Here, this is for you."
"Are you sure?" I asked, reminded of how much I loved the Southern spirit of generosity and hospitality.
"Sure thing, sweetie." Tom winked at me in the predawn light. "I'll get more than me and the missus can eat before the tide changes."
And sure enough, he did. Within twenty minutes, Tom's second line was full.
A slight breeze blew wisps of my hair across my face.Tom looked up and studied the sky. "That'll be the end of it."
I looked down at the water at his feet. What once was alive with squirming, squiggling fish was now noticeably stiller and less crowded.
Tom swung the forked end of his stick into the air and held it like Poseidon's trident. He patted the again-heavy string of flounder on his hip. "Good thing we got here early."
We turned and walked back up the dock as the last of the flounder retreated to deeper water.
I held up the string he had given me. "I'm glad someone called out. Thank you."
"My pleasure." The lines beside his eyes crinkled deeper. "Won't be another until next year now. Just make sure you listen for the cry of 'Jubilee!'"
This dish is great with steamed green beans, asparagus, sautéed spinach, or kale.
For the satsuma salsa:
For the flounder:
For the cheesy grits:
1. Place all ingredients for the salsa in a medium-sized bowl and stir. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
2. Season the buttermilk with salt and pepper and set in a bowl. Place the ground pecans in a bowl beside the buttermilk. Dip the top side of each flounder fillet in the buttermilk, then press that side into the pecans to coat the top of the fish. Set fillets aside.
3. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil for the grits, the garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.
4. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add grits and stir constantly until chicken stock is evaporated. Add cream and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
6. Heat large pan over medium heat. Add the flounder fillets, pecan-crusted sides down. Season the exposed sides of the fish with salt and pepper and cook for about two minutes until nuts start to roast.
7. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes until the fish is opaque.
8. Place a dollop of the cheesy grits in the center of each plate and lay the flounder on top, pecan-side up. Spoon salsa and its juices over the fish.
We've put together a list of 10 spots worth a look whether you simply want a change of venue or are looking to cross a species off your bucket list. Keep in mind some of these same locales have dedicated seasons, size and bag limits for the species noted and some also require a fishing license. The best point of reference no matter where you travel is a local tackle shop which can provide guidance on tackle and bait selections as well as other tips and tricks and perhaps even insight to their favorite honey hole.
The waters around Nantucket boast a variety of game fish whether fishing from the beach, pier, jetty or boat. The best action takes place beginning in April as schools of hungry striped bass arrive with a vengeance. It continues through mid-July then again from September through mid-October. A variety of techniques work including plugs, live bait and trolling. Early May sees the arrival of massive schools of bluefish and surface plugs provide excitement as choppers crash lures often within close range of the angler! Offshore trips can range outward to 100 miles for action with bluefin, yellowfin and big eye tuna, blue marlin and white marlin, swordfish, mahi mahi as well as mako and blue sharks especially during the months of June through September. Sight casting along the sandbars for large stripers, bonito and false albacore is also popular.
Where to Dock: Nantucket Boat Basin (508-325-1350, nantucketboatbasin.com)
Montauk sits at the far end of Long Island some 100 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. From the waters of Long Island Sound to its famed surf to the offshore waters there's a species to be caught from spring through late fall. May finds striped bass and bluefish arriving in a hungry mood and near shore anglers find sea bass and fluke which are present through October (with specific regulated seasons). Offshore action kicks into gear in June with mako sharks the prime target followed by bluefin, yellowfin and big eye tuna, which are available June through mid-October. White and blue marlin, dolphin and wahoo are also available during the same timeframe. For surfcasters, schools of striped bass and bluefish crashing through schools of bait as birds overhead pick an easy meal from the remains is the ultimate venue. Casting plugs into this frenzy with the Montauk Lighthouse as the backdrop is their paradise during the months of late September through November.
Where to Dock: Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina (631-668-7702, montaukyachtclub.com
This tiny Victorian town is the nation's oldest seaside resort and lies at the southernmost point of the Garden State and is popular year-round. For anglers looking to tangle with feisty white marlin, it is hard to beat the canyons off the South Jersey coast from August through mid-October. This is prime season to tangle with these popular billfish, which range in size from 40 to 70 pounds. This is light tackle fishing at its finest and 20 or 30-pound outfits are all you need. Catch-and-release fishing and a growth in the use of circle hooks with ballyhoo have helped white marlin stocks rebound and good days see a dozen or more of tailwalking white marlin released. Look for an occasional blue marlin to make your trip interesting and sailfish bites make a grand slam rare but possible. Dolphin, yellowfin and big eye tuna are also found during the same time of year.
Where to Dock: Canyon Club Resort Marina (609-884-0199, canyonclubmarina.com), South Jersey Marina (609-884-2400, southjerseymarina.com)
Florida's famed Gold Coast is a playground for the rich and famous from its elegantly groomed and ultra-exclusive golf and polo clubs to the glitz and glamour of Worth Ave. Here the Gulf Stream brushes the shoreline often within two miles of the coast and the best fishing occurs during the winter months as pods of sailfish invade the area from November through February. Leave your shorts at home if you want to score with spindlebeaks as seasonal cold fronts from the north kick up the sea and get the sails in a feeding mood. Live bait from kites will draw the most strikes though many prefer the traditional approach of trolling ballyhoo. In between sailfish bites look for dolphin, wahoo, kingfish and blackfin tuna to fill out the day. When the bite is on double-digit releases of sails are possible.
Where to Dock: Old Port Cove Marina (561-626-1760, opch.com)
The Florida Keys stretch from Key Largo to Key West along nearly 120 miles of US Highway 1, also known as the Overseas Highway. From the backcountry of Florida Bay to the flats which brush the coastline on both sides of the chain of islands to the crystal blue offshore waters there's a species to be caught year round. Winter months find sailfish snapping from the edge of the reef to offshore during cold fronts. Dolphin, wahoo, kingfish, blackfin tuna, bonito and Spanish mackerel are also available. The Keys are also a prime spot to add the elusive swordfish to your résumé. Bonefish, tarpon and permit patrol the flats as spring arrives while Florida Bay and Flamingo offer a shot at a backcountry slam with redfish, snook and trout. Look for wrecks and reefs to yield an abundance of tasty snapper and grouper. Other less desirable species which put up a good fight include jacks, barracuda and numerous species of sharks.
Where to Dock: Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina (305-852-2381, pyh.com), Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina (305-664-2321, holidayisle.com)
Orange Beach and nearby Gulf Shores, Alabama combined are home to one of the largest charter boat fleets on the Gulf Coast. These experienced captains and crews, together with the area's popular shore and pier fishing combine to offer an extensive menu of fishing opportunities. Gulf State Pier, the second largest pier in the Gulf, measures 1540 feet and is an excellent spot for land-based anglers to catch pompano, redfish, bluefish, jacks, ladyfish and flounder. Casting lures and baits from the beaches of the back bays, lagoons and gulf shore yields most of the same species as you wade the warm waters of summer. Near-shore Little Lagoon, Mobile Bay, Wolf Bay and Perdido Bay are where you'll find specked trout, redfish, sheepshead, black drum Spanish and king mackerel. On the offshore grounds look for blue and white marlin, king mackerel, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, and wahoo when trolling, while bottom dwellers such as a variety of snappers will keep rods bent on your trip.
Where to Dock: Orange Beach Marina (251-981-4207, orangebeachmarina.com), Saunders Yachtworks Orange Beach (251-981-3700, saundersyacht.com)
The Bahamas has a huge variety of species. From its sandy flats to cobalt-blue offshore waters, this popular island cluster has something for every angler. The flats of nearly every island offer excellent opportunities to cast flies or shrimp at tailing bonefish and permit year round the best action is during the spring and summer months when winds are light and fish are easy to spot. Bottom fishing for grouper and snapper species can be accomplished all year around wrecks and reefs near shore. Offshore look for the best shots at big blue marlin to occur from late March through June in the Abaco and Eleuthera islands. White marlin and sailfish are also abundant along with big mahi-mahi. San Salvador, Rum Cay and Long Island each offer great wahoo fishing during the late fall and early winter months.
Where to Dock: Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour Marina (242-367-2158,abacobeachresort.com), Treasure Cay Beach Marina (242-365-8250, treasurecay.com), Hope Town Inn (242-366-0003, hopetownmarina.com)
Popular with cruise ship vacationers and honeymooners alike, St. Thomas is well known for its beautiful beaches, luxurious all-inclusive resorts and popular shopping district. If blue marlin are on your bucket list, than this island is the place to be in late summer through early fall. The backside of the full moon is when the bite for blue ones typically goes off on the North Drop and while the fish are rarely huge, most are in the 150- to 400-pound class. Trade winds can make conditions a bit sporty at times so those with a tendency to come down with a case of mal de mare should prepare accordingly. White marlin, sailfish, wahoo and big yellowfin tuna are also possibilities, though most of the billfish pros will shy away from tactics for those species because the blue marlin bite is that good.
Where to Dock: IGY's American Yacht Harbor (340-775-6454, igy-americanyachtharbor.com)
The Dominican Republic offers excellent winter and early spring billfish action with most action taking place two to 50 miles offshore. Blue marlin and white marlin are the predominant billfish species, though an occasional spearfish will also be caught. Sailfish are scarce, though yellowfin tuna, wahoo and mahi-mahi are a regular by-catch by billfish anglers. The south side of the island off La Romana tends to have a pretty good bite of blue marlin though whites are not as prevalent. From December through February blue marlin become prevalent on the FAD's (Fish Attracting Devices) though seas get sporty due to a constant breeze. The resorts off Punta Cana and La Romana get their shot at white marlin from March through May. Look for the best action to occur with white marlin on the back side of the full moon while the blues tend to bite leading up to the full moon.
Where to Dock: Marina Casa de Campo in La Romana (809-523-2111, marinacasadecampo.com.do)
Isla Mujeres, Mexico is a mecca for winter and spring sailfish action. The weather is warm, though trade winds can create rough seas but when the sailfish gang up to gorge themselves on massive schools of sardines you can rack up some serious numbers here. January through July offers the best chance at sailfish while April through July sees the arrival of white marlin. Blue marlin are found during summer months of June through August. Trolling ballyhoo is the preferred attack strategy and the location of prime fishing areas varies based on where the billfish are feeding but runs of 10-50 miles are the norm. Wahoo, dolphin and blackfin tuna make each day even more enjoyable. Nearshore you can tangle with snapper and grouper during these same months.
Where to Dock: Puerto Isla Mujeres Resort and Yacht Club (011-52-998-287-3356, puertoislamujeres.com)