An interesting phenomenon - a combination of weather and water conditions results in a fishing bonanza.
Wouldn't it be terrific if you could plan your vacation around something like this?
Thursday jubilee gives bounty of flounder, crab
Larry Dacus spotted the first signs of a jubilee Wednesday evening when he was working at cutting trees behind a house in Point Clear.
"I saw a large number of crabs near the shore, and that was a good indication that a jubilee was coming," Dacus said as he stood by the water's edge in Point Clear on Thursday morning. "This morning we were just looking for a northeast wind, and when we knew we had one, we came for the jubilee."
Dacus, a Point Clear native who moved to Daphne 10 years ago, arrived at the waterfront before dawn at 5 a.m. with friends and co-workers. Three hours later, he had 37 flounder and about a dozen crabs.
Dozens of other people from Point Clear, Fairhope, Daphne and even construction workers from Dauphin Island and Loxley, arrived at the scene with gigs and nets after being alerted by locals.
A jubilee is a Mobile Bay phenomenon that occurs when certain wind and water conditions deprive the bay of oxygen, forcing fish and crustaceans to move toward the shoreline. Dazed and oxygen-deprived, the bay creatures are usually easily captured.
This is at least the third jubilee this summer, with similar events occurring recently in Fairhope and Daphne.