Orange Beach / Gulf Shores fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. The Alabama coast is in its fall groove this week. The amberjack have been steady on the wrecks for the boats running offshore, Perdido Pass is full of bull reds, and the kings are on the bait within a few miles of the beach. The piers have been busy with Spanish and the first fall flounder.
What’s Hitting
What’s hot this week is amberjack. Fish from 30 to 60 pounds are on the wrecks, the reefs, and the rigs in 100 to 200 feet, with the bigger fish suspended over the high-relief structure. Bull redfish are stacked at Perdido Pass and along the jetties on the moving tide, and they are working the bait along the Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan beaches. King mackerel are on the bait schools in 40 to 80 feet within a few miles of the beach and around the nearshore reefs. Spanish mackerel are blitzing along the beaches and around the Gulf State Park pier, and the first fall flounder are showing at the pass and along the pier. Inside Perdido and Mobile bays, trout and slot reds are on the grass and around the lights at night, and red snapper remain on the nearshore reefs for the state-waters season.
Where to Find Them
Amberjack are on the deeper wrecks and the Alabama artificial reef zones in 100 to 200 feet south of Perdido Pass. Bull reds are on the channel edges of Perdido Pass and along the jetty rocks on the falling tide, and in the surf guts along the beach. Kings are on the bait schools off Orange Beach and the nearshore reefs; look for birds and slicks. Spanish and flounder are around the Gulf State Park pier and along the beach. Trout and reds are on the Perdido Bay grass flats and around the Perdido Pass bridge lights.
Tides & Conditions
Moderate tides this week between the moons, with a single main daily swing and the morning falling tide the best pass window. Gulf water is in the low to mid-80s and clear, seas have been 1 to 2 feet most mornings with a light north or east wind, and the offshore runs have been comfortable. Bay water is clearing after the summer rains.
Tackle & Tactics
For amberjack, a live hardtail or a large cigar minnow on a heavy circle hook dropped to the structure, or a heavy vertical jig, on a stout conventional outfit with 80-pound braid. Bull reds want a live or cut menhaden, mullet, or crab on a 7/0 circle hook with a fish-finder rig. Kings want slow-trolled live cigar minnows or hardtails on a wire stinger rig. For Spanish on the pier, a Gotcha plug or a small spoon. Flounder want a live bull minnow or a Gulp on a jig head worked slowly along the bottom. Trout want a live shrimp under a popping cork.
Local Intel This Week
The Orange Beach Waterfront Park ramp and the Cotton Bayou ramp are the closest launches to Perdido Pass, with the Boggy Point ramp, the Fort Morgan ramp, and the Gulf State Park lagoon ramps as alternatives. Shore anglers are catching Spanish, kings, flounder, and reds from the Gulf State Park pier and reds from the Perdido Pass jetties. Fish are concentrating on the wrecks offshore, in the pass on the falling tide, and on the nearshore bait schools. Bull reds over the slot must be released and amberjack have a seasonal closure; check current Alabama Marine Resources and federal regulations before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
When you hook an amberjack over a wreck, the first 20 seconds decide the fight. Lock the drag down before you drop, keep the rod low, and gain line immediately. An amberjack that gets its head down and reaches the structure is a lost fish, no matter how heavy your leader is.
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