Recreation


Among the many amenities the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta provides, outdoor recreation opportunities abound. Hunting, wildlife photography and viewing, fishing, canoeing and boating to name just a few.
 
Hunting and Fishing
Sportsmen have long realized the uniqueness of the Delta, its abundant fish and wildlife resources, and the peaceful solitude of hunting and fishing this area. The lower Delta is subject to tidal influence and salt water intrusion. Generally, during late summer and early fall the volume of fresh water declines and salinity is elevated. Marine fish, such as spotted seatrout, red drum, and flounder, enter the rivers providing fisherman an added bonus to the more common resident freshwater fish.
 
This region provides some of the best fresh water fishing to be had anywhere. Bass, bream, crappie, and catfish being the most sought after species. Unique fish, such as the alligator gar, Alabama’s largest fresh water fish, inhabit this region and fishing for them is gaining popularity due to the fish’s size and fighting ability.
 
Ducks and duck hunting in the Delta has a long and rich tradition. This land of rivers, sloughs, shallow bays, and marsh is the wintering and stopover point for many species of waterfowl. Resident wood ducks find the hollow cypress trees of the delta excellent places to nest. In recent years, hundreds of wood duck nest boxes have been constructed and erected to increase nesting habitat where natural cavity trees are limited. The abundant invertebrates in the shallow waters and aquatic plants provide an excellent food source for young ducks. Another resident duck, the mottled duck, nests in grass and canes of the tidal marsh. This is the only place in the state where mottled ducks occur in significant numbers.
 
Beginning in late summer, the Delta begins to receive the first of the winter migrants. Blue-winged and Green-winged teal are harbingers of the variety of migrant waterfowl to follow. The Delta has a reputation of providing excellent waterfowl hunting, beginning with teal season in September which allows waterfowl hunters the opportunity to try their skill with some of the fastest wing-shooting around.
 
As the temperature drops, waterfowl from Canada and the northern states begin to arrive in the Delta. The sloughs, creeks, and lakes of the upper Delta are choice areas for wood ducks, mallards, and ring-necked ducks. The lower Delta attracts a wide array of divers and puddle ducks. By the end of the fall migration the Delta will be the winter home to twenty different species of waterfowl, a greater variety than anywhere else in Alabama.
 
The upper Delta, near the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, has a higher elevation than the lower Delta lands and is forested with good mast producing hardwood species, such as oak and hickory. This area will provide hunting opportunities for game such as deer, squirrel, raccoon, wild hogs, and turkey.
 
During periods of heavy rain, usually late winter and early spring, flood waters may cover a large part of the area. Some game species such as squirrels, raccoons, and turkey will wait out the flood in the trees. Game species such as deer and wild hogs move to higher ground and will return as the flood water recede.
 
Boating, Photography, Wildlife Viewing
Water, that power of nature that created and maintains the delta, also limits access. That character in itself creates another recreational opportunity, canoeing and boating. From the north end of the Delta lands, over 40 miles of waterway meander through the Delta on their way to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Float trips by canoe, johnboat, and the like can provide the opportunity to slowly seep in the wonders of the Delta – cypress trees, marsh, birds, alligators, just to name a few – fishing along the way, taking photographs, or simply basking in the beauty and serenity that abounds in every direction.
 
Regardless of the form of recreation one chooses to enjoy in the Delta, its impact is exceptional and can have a lasting effect. This effect is difficult to put into words but is expressed well in the reflections of a life-long Delta sportsmen.
 
“The delta has been an important part of my life. It has, with its character and offerings, facilitated the development of some of my most sincere relationships. The closeness of my family, the bonds strengthened with my children, and the camaraderie formed and solidified with friends, has indeed been shaped by our time together hunting, fishing, and simply enjoying its beauty and serenity. All of which provide the therapy necessary to cope with life outside the Delta.”

    -- Russell Ladd, III

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