Chocalotta Ramp, Mobile Bay Causeway Fishing

Chocalotta Ramp is a state launch on the north side of the Mobile Bay Causeway, on the shore of Chacaloochee Bay, a shallow arm of the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta. The state has long named this access area as a place for anglers without a boat, and the Causeway around it is one of the most popular bank-fishing stretches at the head of the bay.

• Brackish delta water that turns salty enough in dry spells and in fall for redfish, speckled trout and flounder
• Largemouth bass and bream when rain upstate freshens the delta
• A big lot, four ramp lanes and a short, level walk to the bank
• You will see the name spelled several ways: Chocalotta, Chocolatta or Chacaloochee Bay

The launch is at 3101 Battleship Parkway in Spanish Fort, on the Causeway (US 90/98) just west of where I-10 crosses over it; driving west from Spanish Fort, it is on the right. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lists it among its coastal boating access sites.

• Parking: a lot of about 50 spaces, shared with boat trailers
• Ramps: four lanes, three at the east end and one where the two halves of the lot meet, so fish the edge of the western half, well away from them
• Lights: none, so pack a headlamp if you stay until dark
• Fees: the state lists none for this launch; read the signs at the lot
• An unpaved overlook on the south side of the Causeway, about half a mile farther west, looks out over the mudflats at low tide

Chacaloochee Bay changes with every rain, and the catch changes with it.

• Spring (Mar-May): bass and bream in the fresher water; redfish start nosing along the grass edges once the bay clears and salts up
• Summer (Jun-Aug): bream crowd cover in the shallow bays beside the Causeway in late spring and early summer; croaker and hardhead catfish take bottom baits in salty years
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the main event, when runs of redfish, speckled trout and flounder move up from Mobile Bay and plenty of bank anglers go home with full stringers
• Winter (Dec-Feb): trout and reds drop into the deeper river channels after cold fronts, and bass keep biting right through the cold months

A 7-foot medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader handles nearly everything that swims here.

• Redfish: live shrimp on a Carolina rig is the local favorite; plastic grubs and larger crankbaits also draw strikes along the points
• Speckled trout: jigs and soft plastic grubs, or live or dead shrimp under a cork
• Flounder: a bull minnow on a bottom rig, crawled slowly along any drop-off, or a grub hopped across the bottom
• Bass and bream (freshwater fish, but common here after rain): crankbaits, plastic worms, or crickets fished tight to cover
• Buy live shrimp at a Causeway bait shop on the way, and bring a long-handled net for landing fish off the bank

Wind and river flow move this water more than the tide does. The head of the bay has one high and one low on most days, a range of only a foot or two, and a few days each fortnight when it barely turns, so check the Mobile Bay area tide and the river levels together.

• Fish the rising tide, when redfish slide onto shallow points and grass edges
• Hard north winds behind winter fronts can drain this shallow bay down to bare mud
• Strong south winds stack water up, and in tropical weather the Causeway road itself can flood
• After heavy rain upstate the delta runs fresh and muddy; wait for it to clear and salt up again
• Dry, cooling fall weather is the prime time

The water's edge around the parking lot is a few steps from your car, but this is a working launch on a busy highway.

• Boats: stay out of the ramp lanes and give launching boats room to work
• Traffic: park only in the lot, and take care walking near the Causeway road, especially after dark
• Mud: do not wade; the bottom is deep, soft mud that can trap a leg
• Alligators live in the delta, so keep children and pets back from the edge
• Lightning: summer storms build quickly over the delta; leave at the first rumble
• Insects: mosquitoes and no-see-ums are fierce from spring to fall
• With no lights on site, a headlamp is essential at dusk

This is a plain launch site, so bring what you need.

• Four ramp lanes and a lot for about 50 vehicles and trailers
• No lights at the ramp
• No restrooms, water or bait shop confirmed on site
• Bait shops and seafood restaurants are spread along the Causeway in both directions
• Meaher State Park, a short drive east, has a fishing pier (for a fee) and a campground

• Fall is the season; watch for a dry spell, when salt water creeps up the delta and the reds, specks and flounder follow it
• The state names the points off the lower Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers as the delta's fall hot spots; from the bank, cast to any point or current seam you can reach
• Pick up live shrimp on the Causeway before you set up, since almost everything here eats it
• Weekend mornings bring a stream of boat trailers; come on a weekday or set up well away from the lanes
• At low tide, stop at the unpaved overlook half a mile west to see where the mudflats and channels lie
• After a strong north wind the bay can drain to mud; save the trip for a calmer day

The launch is a state boating access site of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

• Follow the posted signs and keep the ramp lanes clear
• Alabama's line between its saltwater and freshwater license areas follows US 90 along the Causeway, so check ADCNR's license boundary map at outdooralabama.com before you fish here
• Where the saltwater license applies: an Alabama saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; Alabama residents who are exempt (and anglers fishing only from a pier that holds a pier license) must still complete the free Saltwater Angler Registration
• Anglers under 16 are exempt
• Follow Alabama's freshwater rules for bass and bream, and check current Marine Resources Division rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything