Where to find the catfish on the Alabama River around Montgomery???

[chillywater]

I am new to the area and will be heading out the the alabama river from the ramp on the norhtern bypass.
any ideas on the best areas to reel in a few cats?

thanks

[Mickey]

Donald Welcome to the BOC. Were a big family. Glad you decided to be a part of it. :0a25::0a25::0a18:

[chillywater]

thanks for the welcome, looks like a great place to be.:cool2:

[willyray07]

i used to live in montgomery one of the better places i fished there was cooters pond in prattville right after u pass over the river bridge on 31 after u launch head down river to the big rock wall there's plenty of cover and plenty of cats too

[chillywater]

thanks for the input, i will give it a shot and see what happens.
i was thinking of putting inand just working my way down river looking for good spots. hope to find a nice sandy bank with a good eddie to tight line and make camp for the evening.

will let you know how it goes.

[backedde]

welcome to boc you will like it

[fisheater]

If you put in @ Montgomery and head down river to Tallawasee creek the fishing is pretty good there. Also hit swift creek on the way through. Alot of jugging going on in Catoma creek but my luck has been slim there.

[chillywater]

thank for the help.

[BamaRiverRat]

I used to go up river from Montgomery Marina. In the first big curve in the river, I've had some luck there. Also, on up river from there where the old bridge used to be, I've had a couple hammer a hook that I never turned around. I always used to use live shad, but they are very difficult to keep alive in this heat. You can catch them at the water treatment discharge behind UPS. I'd use small bream in this heat.

[dcaruthers]

Forget Cooter's pond. The Bass masters have messe dthe joint up. The water is most often too low and the bass fishermen won't let you fish from around the marina.

If you landlocked head for Lay dam (about 30 minutes north on 65). It's definately worth the drive. There is only two peers to fish from...disregard them both and fish from the bank directly accross from the boat launch. I have had my best luck from cut bream fishing under slipfloats as far as you can cast from shore.

If you have a boat, put out anywhere you can in montgomery and head for the waters right outside Maxwell AFB. The overhanging branches should have many marks from my limb lines. Find where the current has undercut the bank and limbs have washed up. Throw cast nets for bait and fish it live about 20" off bottom right angainst the bank...hang on for some really nice flatheads.

goods luck

[Rtpcat]

dcuruthers, I am 2 dams below you on the Al River, just curious how deep is the water you been fishing for the flatheads?

[Mike81]

I'm still learning myself....I'll be out there tomorrow. I caught my PB 40lb flat close to catoma creek. Gonna B@*$ fish earlyfor a couple hours, then catch some bream and set out some cat lines in some good spots the rest of the day. I am going to do some searching for some good holes. Think I'll launch at Cooters, I have one spot up river I want to try and then I think I'll run down past catoma creek and see what I can find down there. I have a couple spots in mind that may be good, but I can't recommend them until I see what they produce. I'll let ya'll know tomorrow night if I do any good.

Good Fishin
mike

[Mike81]

No luck. Got a few good bites but they didn't get hooked up. Couldn't fish the best spot I wanted due to the bass tournement going on... one of those guys was right on top of it...so I tried some other spots. I need to get out and fish a full night soon. The days are just too hot.

Good Fishin
mike

[gatecitycattin]

I like fishing up around the bridge with some cut shad. Good luck!

[Mike81]

I like fishing up around the bridge with some cut shad. Good luck!

Yeh I keep telling myself to spend some time concentrating on the bridges. I mostly use bream, gotta find me a place to catch some shad though, any suggestions?

Good Fishin
Mike

[BamaRiverRat]

Go upriver nearly to the toll road bridge. There's a water treatment discharge right there, you can see a 36" pipe coming out of the river bank. Use a cast net right there, but only allow it to sink about 5 ft. It'll get hung on whatever is down there.

On the way back, stop at the bridge pilings (middle one) and tie off to the metal ladder. I've hung into a couple there that I never turned around. I don't know what they were, but they were darn big.

[Mike81]

Good info thanks, is that the discharge someone said was behind UPS? I haven't been up that far yet, last time I went down river past catoma and tried some deep holes but no luck. Hopefully this weather will be cooling of some now and it will be bearable to stay out ther all day. I need to do some nights also and put out some limb lines for the night and get some rods out.

mike

[BamaRiverRat]

Yep, that's the place. I'm actually catching my fish on a hump on Jordan. Most of the water around it is 35-60 ft. I found a nice shoal in the middle of the lake that averages around 22ft. I have a 70 hook line out and (please don't flame me) but I've caught as many a 11 fish on bare hooks. I don't know how or why, but an old timer told me that they will strike at the glint of the hook.

Try to find a shelf or hump near a hole and see how that pans out for you.

[Mike81]

Lee,
Thanks for the info brother, if you ever want to meet up out on the river or jordan sometime, let me know. i usually fish alone unless one of the kids wants to go.
mike

[chillywater]

went riding and looking esterdaqy and saw where swift creek comes into the river south about 9 miles south of gunter campground.
man that place looks fishy, 5-10 feet deep with stupms everywhere. anyone had any luck here, if not i will update after wee give it a shot.:smile2:

[Mike81]

went riding and looking esterdaqy and saw where swift creek comes into the river south about 9 miles south of gunter campground.
man that place looks fishy, 5-10 feet deep with stupms everywhere. anyone had any luck here, if not i will update after wee give it a shot.:smile2:


I have not been down that far yet, but hope to explore further down that way soon.. Good Luck! :smile2:

mike

[chillywater]

thanks, look for us outsometimes. we are in a white carolina skiff j-16 with the wife usually sitting in a red folding chair.

[Mike81]

I'll be keeping an eye out for you. You do the same, i'm in a green wooldridge center console, see my public profile for a pic of it...only one around.

See ya out there sometime :big_smile:

mike

[baitchunker]

are you guys still catching cats up there?

down here the salt water has moved so far up the rivers that i cant find any decent whiskers. the GW told me last weekend that they are catchin blue crabs as far up as jackson. but, i guess thats a long way from yall.

[Mike81]

are you guys still catching cats up there?

down here the salt water has moved so far up the rivers that i cant find any decent whiskers. the GW told me last weekend that they are catchin blue crabs as far up as jackson. but, i guess thats a long way from yall.

We are far enough up river that the salt water has no affect on our catfish(someone correct me if I am wrong) it's all fresh water up here.

Where do you mostly fish? What kind of fishing is there in the Mobile-Tensaw delta area? I just wonder whenever I drive it through it going south.

Good Fishin
mike

[chillywater]

mike i will keep an eye open for you on the river. it will be about three weeks before i cna get back out, leave some fish in the water for the rest of us.

[baitchunker]

well mike,

when we are not in a drought you can catch some really nice cats. of course we have some pretty good bass fishin, bream, crappie, etc. when the salt water is being pushed back into the bay. this year however, we have not had enough rain to keep the salt water out. it isnt all bad though, it makes for some great speckled trout, flounder, and redfish action. as well as nice big blue crabs, and big 15-20 count shrimp.

[Mike81]

mike i will keep an eye open for you on the river. it will be about three weeks before i cna get back out, leave some fish in the water for the rest of us.

I see ya out ther i'm sure, don't worry bout me catchin em all, I'm still trying to learn where they are...:confused2:

well mike,

when we are not in a drought you can catch some really nice cats. of course we have some pretty good bass fishin, bream, crappie, etc. when the salt water is being pushed back into the bay. this year however, we have not had enough rain to keep the salt water out. it isnt all bad though, it makes for some great speckled trout, flounder, and redfish action. as well as nice big blue crabs, and big 15-20 count shrimp.

Well, sounds like you can't lose either way huh? :big_smile:


mike

[baitchunker]

pretty much the only time i dont find a bite somewhere is when im huntin':cool2:

it might not be a good bite, but hey fishin is fishin.

[Mike81]

pretty much the only time i dont find a bite somewhere is when im huntin':cool2:

it might not be a good bite, but hey fishin is fishin.

How's the huntin down that way? I do pretty good on deer up here but we don't have much for hogs. Is there many hogs in that delta area?? If so...we need to go!! :wink:

[baitchunker]

well the huntin' is pretty good. the deer are typically smaller here than they are up toward the black belt and the ten. valley, but we have good numbers in the herds.

as far as hawgs go we have them coming out of our ears. most, if not all the delta and river land is being overrun with pigs. part of my job is entertaining customers at the co. camp during hunting season. we have a bunch of river bottom land. one of our rules is to shoot as many hogs as you can every time you see them, because they do so much damage to the deer habitat.

[Mike81]

Cool, maybe we can get together sometime and go put s few in the deep freeze...:wink:

[Mike81]

Went on the river out of Cooters Pond this morning for a few hours. Got a few small channels by the railroad bridge on liver. No big bites. May try and go again a couple days this week.

Good Fishin
mike

[baitchunker]

we will have to give it a go sometime when work slows down.

me and the wife went up on the al. river out of boatyard lake this weekend.
cought a few channels, a couple of small blues, and she cought a flattie about 8#'s or so. but, the thriller of the weekend was 2 huge misses. she got her hit at about 2:a.m. it just picked it up and ran off. i could tell by the look on her face she was scared to death. lol! anyway the fish was ripping drag off, but the reel just couldnt keep up and he broke her line.

my miss wasnt so much a miss as a loss. i had a gill head on and i thought crabs or something were messing with it. i went to pick it up and move it away from them and it was on! i got to fight him for about 5 min. b4 he hung me up in a log jam. i was not happy, and very tempted to try and swim down to un hang him. luckily amy reminded me that if i drown she would sink my boat.

[chillywater]

looks like the wife and i will be down around bill d creek saturday tyring to catch some bream with the full moon week.

we will be keeping the heads for bait the weekend after that.

hope to see you guys out.

[Mike81]

Been havin any luck Donald?? I am gonna try to get out there monday if I can. Depends how much work I get done tomorrow.

mike

[chillywater]

we caught a mess of bream, the wife loves fishing for them. one cat, good size but nothing else.

how about you guys?

[young fisher]

ALL U HAVE TO DO IS JUG ON THE CREEKS!

[Hootowlc3]

well the huntin' is pretty good. the deer are typically smaller here than they are up toward the black belt and the ten. valley, but we have good numbers in the herds.

as far as hawgs go we have them coming out of our ears. most, if not all the delta and river land is being overrun with pigs. part of my job is entertaining customers at the co. camp during hunting season. we have a bunch of river bottom land. one of our rules is to shoot as many hogs as you can every time you see them, because they do so much damage to the deer habitat.
Do you ever harvest any of the fallow deer down around Camden?

[Mike81]

Spent a lazy day on the river Monday. Caught some bream and small shad for bait and fished a few hours on the railroad bridge. Tied off to the old bridge set out a few poles and set in the shade and watched em. Alot of small bites but no bigguns. But it sure beats the alternative....work...:big_smile:. Think I'll go night fishin this weekend. The cool weather should keep the bugs at bay.

Here's a couple pics I snapped...

mike

[baitchunker]

you got that right about the work part! man, that sure is a kool boat setup youve got. did you have that custom made?

[chillywater]

your right about that shad beating work. sounds like you have pretty good luck at the railroad bridge.

[Mike81]

you got that right about the work part! man, that sure is a kool boat setup youve got. did you have that custom made?
Thanks, I wanted to have one custom built but they were out of my price range. This one was a demo boat they had that was 3 years old, basically a new boat for half the price. PSI boats in Irvinton builds them. Maybe you know of them, they built all new boats for the game wardens, basically my boat with a forward console and a 150 4 stroke prop. I wanted the jet. My ideal boat would have been the exact boat but with a forward console and windshield instead of a center console..but I still really like it.

your right about that shad beating work. sounds like you have pretty good luck at the railroad bridge.

I have tried the bridge several times, always get lots of bites but have never caught any big ones there, just small channels. I need to try it at night, I know there gotta be some big boys close by :wink:.

[baitchunker]

come to think of it, i think i have seen some of those boats around here. gw's riding high lol.