Pro tip · Pompano rig
Double-drop rig with #1 or 1/0 hooks, orange or chartreuse floats on the dropper, 2–4 oz pyramid sinker. Bait with a live sand flea dug from the swash zone. 10–12 ft surf rod, 15–20 lb line.
Fort Morgan Fishing: Surf, Pass and Bull Redfish Guide
Fort Morgan peninsula, west of Gulf Shores, Alabama
Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Fort Morgan fishing is surf and pass fishing at the tip of the peninsula where Mobile Bay meets the Gulf — bull redfish in fall, pompano in spring, Spanish mackerel all summer, and the shortest boat run from Gulf Shores to the western reefs.
The Fort Morgan peninsula
Fort Morgan Road runs west from Gulf Shores along a narrow peninsula to the historic fort at its tip, facing Dauphin Island across the mouth of Mobile Bay. The Gulf-side beach is quieter than Gulf Shores proper, and much of the peninsula borders Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, so there are long stretches of beach with little development behind them.
The point is the draw. Every tide moves the whole of Mobile Bay through the gap between the fort and Dauphin Island, and that current is what brings bull redfish, tarpon and big jacks within casting distance of the shore.
Pier, shore and surf fishing
You do not need a boat to catch fish at Fort Morgan. The first trough — the slot of deeper water between the beach and the first sandbar — is where pompano, whiting and redfish feed, usually within one long cast. Read it at low tide: darker green water is the trough, the white break line is the bar. Fish the moving tide, and fish the two hours either side of a tide change hardest.
Most anglers 16 and older need an Alabama saltwater license to fish from the beach; piers and charters have their own rules. See the Atlas license page and confirm with ADCNR before you go.
Pro tip · Spanish mackerel
A 1/2–1 oz silver spoon or Gotcha plug ripped fast just under the surface. Add 12–18 inches of #3 or #4 wire, or 40 lb fluorocarbon, ahead of the lure — Spanish teeth cut mono.
Pro tip · Redfish
Fresh cut mullet or a quarter crab on a 5/0–7/0 circle hook, fish-finder rig, 3–5 oz sinker to hold in the pass current. Leave the rod in a sand spike and let the circle hook set itself.
Pro tip · Flounder
Carolina rig with a 1/2 oz egg sinker, 18 inch 20 lb fluorocarbon leader and a live finger mullet or bull minnow. Drag it slowly along the sand edge where it drops into a hole or along a jetty base.
Pro tip · Sheepshead
Fiddler crab or a piece of shrimp on a short 20 lb leader with a small, strong #1 hook, dropped straight down against pilings. Feel for the light tap and set hard — they steal bait fast.
Pro tip · Timing
Surf water under 60°F slows everything; above 70°F the pompano and Spanish fire. A falling barometer ahead of a front and the first light after a calm night are the best windows of the week.
Bull redfish at the mouth of Mobile Bay
From September into November, spawning-size redfish over 27 inches stack at the mouth of the bay. Shore anglers fish from the beach near the point; boat anglers anchor up-current of the rips. These are oversized breeding fish and most anglers release them — check ADCNR for the current red drum size and bag rules before keeping any redfish.
Pro tip · Tackle
8–10 ft heavy surf rod, 4000–6000 size reel, 30–50 lb braid, 60 lb fluorocarbon leader, 7/0–8/0 circle hook. A 4–6 oz pyramid or spider weight holds in the current.
Pro tip · Bait
Half a blue crab with the legs removed, or a fresh cut mullet head. Fresh beats frozen by a wide margin on bull reds.
Pro tip · Release
Keep a big red in the water if you can, use a lip grip and support the belly for photos, and revive it facing into the current until it kicks away.
Boat launch and the run offshore
The Fort Morgan public boat launch is the shortest run from the Gulf Shores side to Main Pass and the reef zones south of Mobile Bay. From there, boats fish the bay mouth for trout and reds or run out to the artificial reefs for snapper, triggerfish and kings in season.
Check ADCNR for current launch conditions before trailering down.
What is in season on the Alabama coast
These are the general patterns along the Alabama beaches, passes and piers, Fort Morgan included. They shift a few weeks with water temperature every year. Open seasons, size limits and bag limits for federally managed fish change annually — confirm them with ADCNR Marine Resources and NOAA Fisheries before you keep anything.
| Months | Water temp (approx.) | What bites from the beach, pier and pass |
|---|---|---|
| Dec – Feb | 52–60°F | Sheepshead on pilings and jetty rocks, redfish and black drum in the passes, whiting in the first trough on calm days. |
| Mar – Apr | 60–72°F | Pompano run the beach on sand fleas, cobia migrate east to west along the sandbars, sheepshead finish their spawn, Spanish mackerel show late April. |
| May – Jun | 72–82°F | Spanish mackerel and bluefish on spoons, king mackerel move in range of the piers, speckled trout on the surf bars at first light. |
| Jul – Sep | 82–88°F | Kings and Spanish off pier ends at dawn, ladyfish and jacks, tarpon cruising the passes, trout early and late only. |
| Oct – Nov | 68–78°F | Bull redfish at the passes, flounder run toward the Gulf with the mullet, a second pompano run, kings until the first hard front. |
Questions from the ramp
Sources
- — ADCNR Marine Resources — Alabama saltwater fishing
- — NOAA Fisheries — Gulf of Mexico recreational fishing
- — NOAA Tides & Currents — Dauphin Island station 8735180
- — U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Data last reviewed: 2026-11-05