AlabamaFishing Atlas
The Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay at Fairhope

Mobile Bay Jubilee Watch

Jubilees almost always happen June through September, so none are expected now — check back next summer. For the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, Nov 14, 0 of 5 jubilee conditions match at Point Clear, Mobile Bay. The more that match, the better the odds. This is a checklist, not a forecast — nobody can predict a jubilee.

Photo: Dofftoubab · CC0
Fairhope and the public reefs within 15 nautical miles
18 state-listed public reefs shown as blue dots. Tap one for its name, depth and GPS.
Reefs: ADCNR Marine Resources Division, Master Alabama Public Reefs list. Towns: OpenStreetMap. Map tiles © OpenFreeMap / OpenStreetMap contributors.

The next two nights

Saturday, Nov 14, 2 AM–6 AM

0 of 5 known conditions match.

  • Summer season (June–September)✗ No — not tonight

    Nov 14

    Our check: Window falls June through September.

  • Easterly wind✗ No — not tonight

    0 of 4 hours from NE–SE (NNE 13 · NNE 13 · NNE 13 · NNE 13 mph)

    Our check: Wind from NE through SE for at least half the window.

  • Light wind, calm bay✗ No — not tonight

    Strongest hour 13 mph

    Our check: Sustained wind 7 mph or less every hour.

  • Rising tide✗ No — not tonight

    Rising 0 of 4 hours (1.9 → 1.1 ft MLLW)

    Our check: Predicted water level rising for at least half the window at Point Clear, Mobile Bay.

  • Cloudy day before✗ No — not tonight

    Prior afternoon averages 1% sky cover

    Our check: Noon–6 PM sky cover averages 63% or more (NWS "mostly cloudy" or cloudier).

Sunday, Nov 15, 2 AM–6 AM

1 of 5 known conditions match.

  • Summer season (June–September)✗ No — not tonight

    Nov 15

    Our check: Window falls June through September.

  • Easterly wind✓ Yes — matches tonight

    4 of 4 hours from NE–SE (NE 10 · NE 10 · ENE 12 · ENE 12 mph)

    Our check: Wind from NE through SE for at least half the window.

  • Light wind, calm bay✗ No — not tonight

    Strongest hour 12 mph

    Our check: Sustained wind 7 mph or less every hour.

  • Rising tide✗ No — not tonight

    Rising 0 of 4 hours (1.8 → 1.3 ft MLLW)

    Our check: Predicted water level rising for at least half the window at Point Clear, Mobile Bay.

  • Cloudy day before✗ No — not tonight

    Prior afternoon averages 1% sky cover

    Our check: Noon–6 PM sky cover averages 63% or more (NWS "mostly cloudy" or cloudier).

What we can’t check: low oxygen in the bottom water is what actually drives fish and crabs to the shore, and there is no free, open live oxygen feed for the eastern shore that this page can read. So even five out of five only means the weather and tide look like jubilee weather — not that one is coming.

What a jubilee is

A jubilee is the night flounder, blue crabs, shrimp and other bottom dwellers crowd into the shallows along Mobile Bay’s eastern shore, sluggish and easy to gather, usually in the last dark hours before sunrise. Alabama Cooperative Extension says it happens most often from Great Point Clear to just north of Daphne, and only in summer.

Extension lists the setup plainly: the day before should be overcast, with a gentle east wind and a calm, slick bay, and the tide must be rising — in its words, “a change to a falling tide will stop the jubilee.” A study of 37 jubilees from 1946 to 1956 found every one between June and September. ADCNR adds that the wind is typically easterly or northeasterly with an incoming tide.

Regulations still apply during a jubilee. Size and bag limits for flounder, crabs and everything else don’t go away because the fish are easy — ADCNR has said so directly. Check ADCNR’s jubilee notice and the current Alabama regulations before you fill a cooler.

Sources & data

Checked Fri, Nov 13, 6:33 PM CST; refreshes every 30 minutes. Also see Gulf conditions.