The water right now
Heron Bay sits at the mouth of Fowl River, on Portersville Bay, a short run from Petit Bois Pass. These numbers come live from NOAA's own gauges — the East Fowl River Bridge station on our river, and the Dauphin Island station at the mouth of Mobile Bay — every time this page opens.
(Fowl River gauge)
(Heron Bay)
(Heron Bay)
Loading the latest gauge readings…
Today's tides
Fowl River — East Fowl River Bridge
Bayou La Batre — Bayou La Batre Bridge
Mobile Bay — Dauphin Island (bay entrance)
Tide predictions are NOAA's, referenced to MLLW, local time. Predictions are for planning — never for navigation. If the live numbers don't load, the gauges themselves are one tap away:
NOAA — East Fowl River Bridge NOAA — Bayou La Batre Bridge NOAA — Dauphin Island Dauphin Island live buoy (NDBC)
🎣 The fishing index — by the phases of the moon
The old hands have always fished by the moon. Fish feed hardest around the major periods (when the moon is straight overhead and straight underfoot) and the minor periods (moonrise and moonset) — and the days around the new moon and full moon run strongest. Here's the week ahead, figured for Heron Bay:
| Day | Moon | Fishing | Major feeding times (approx.) | Minor times (approx.) |
|---|
Moon times on this page are figured by calculation and run approximate — for planning your day, not for navigation. For the full solunar chart for our river: Tides4Fishing — East Fowl River Bridge.
🦪 Oyster season — OPEN now, and Heron Bay is one of the grids
Alabama's oyster season opened Monday, November 2, 2026 (Alabama Marine Resources Division). Harvest is limited to three grids — Cedar Point East, Cedar Point West, and Heron Bay — Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The closing date isn't fixed: MRD sets it from daily harvest reports, and grids can close as the season runs — populations on the public reefs are still low, so the Division is watching landings close.
Before you go: check exactly which areas inside the grids are open on MRD's grid map, and report in at the Oyster Management Station (16871 Dauphin Island Parkway, Coden) as the rules require. The Division's word is the one that counts.
MRD Oyster Harvest — grid map & rules → All seasons & events →
Season status checked November 3, 2026 against MRD's announcement. Water temperature matters this time of year — it tells you how the bay is turning and how the oysters are fattening.
🎣 Your story belongs on this water too
Fishermen of Heron Bay — your days on this water are part of this story. Tell it in your own words, adjust a storyline you’ve already sent in, or tell it in your own voice — something your children will be proud of.
Let us pray.