Post–Labor Day on the Alabama coast means fewer boats and better fishing. The reef zone is producing snapper, triggerfish, and grouper, the first bull reds of the fall have arrived at Perdido Pass, and the kings are on the bait outside the pass. Inside, Mobile Bay and the back bays are giving up trout and slot reds at first light, and the flounder are starting to move.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week: bottom fishing on the Alabama artificial reef zone for vermilion snapper, triggerfish, and scamp, with red snapper and gag grouper available if the seasons are open — check before you go. Bull redfish are showing at Perdido Pass on the outgoing tides, along the beach, and around the Gulf State Park pier. King mackerel are on the nearshore bait and the shallower wrecks in 40 to 80 feet, and Spanish are around the pass and the pier. In the bays, speckled trout and slot reds are on the grass and the pilings early, and flounder are around the pass and the Intracoastal edges.
Where to Find Them
Bottom fish on the public reefs and the pyramids in the Alabama reef zone in 60 to 130 feet south of Orange Beach. Bull reds at the Perdido Pass jetties, the beach on either side, and the Gulf State Park pier. Kings on the bait outside the pass and on the nearshore wrecks. Trout and reds on the grass flats in Wolf Bay, Bon Secour Bay, and around the Fort Morgan pilings. Flounder around the Perdido Pass rocks and the Intracoastal docks.
Tides & Conditions
Gulf temps are in the mid-80s. Outgoing tides at the pass are best for the bull reds and the kings on the bait. Light seas most mornings have allowed easy runs to the reef zone, with storms building by early afternoon. September is peak hurricane season in the Gulf — check the tropical outlook every morning before a long run.
Tackle & Tactics
Bottom fish take a cut bait, a live cigar minnow, or a jig on 60-pound leader. Bull reds want a chunk of cut mullet or a live menhaden on a fish-finder rig with a 5/0 circle hook. Kings take a slow-trolled live bait on a stinger rig with light wire. Spanish take a Gotcha plug or a small spoon. Trout and reds take a soft plastic on a jig head or a live shrimp under a cork; flounder take a bull minnow on a jig head.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Orange Beach Boat Ramp at Cotton Bayou, the Gulf Shores Mo’s Landing ramp, the Fort Morgan Marina ramp, and the Alabama Point East ramp at Perdido Pass. Fish are concentrating on the reef zone offshore and at the pass on the outgoing tide. Alabama has its own red snapper season and reporting requirements, and a slot and bag on red drum — check current Alabama Marine Resources regulations and the federal seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Bull reds at Perdido Pass hold in the deeper water off the jetty tips on the outgoing. Drop a cut bait to the bottom on a heavy fish-finder rig and let the current carry the scent — the fish will find it. Lighter weights that drift are more effective than anchoring the bait in one spot.
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