Fly Fishing Alabama

Two regions and three guides define the offering. Alabama bass and redeye bass trips run in central Alabama on the Cahaba River and the Locust Fork, while smallmouth bass trips run in north Alabama at a different day rate. Stephen Rockarts owns the business and guides it, taking both fly and conventional tackle trips and adding longnose gar to the usual target list of Alabama bass, redeye bass and sunfish. Peter John Cole guides for Alabama and redeye bass with years spent on the Cahaba. Richie Randolph fishes both fly and conventional tackle for native bass species. The trip formats are canoe and raft floats and wading trips, and rods, flies and casting lessons are provided for anglers who do not own gear or have never cast a fly line. Full day floats include a meal cooked on the bank, and Rockarts names a burger as the standing menu item. Rods used on the float trips come from a small regional maker that names its models after the tributaries it supports. Conservation is folded into the pricing rather than mentioned in passing: a portion of every trip is donated to the Cahaba Riverkeeper, and the site points customers to two other businesses that do the same. There is also background material on regional fly patterns, including an Alabama creek fly credited to a north Alabama tier, and on redeye bass conservation in the state. Trips are booked by phone, text, or through the site's contact form.