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Dauphin Island Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Alabama's barrier anchor: the rigs' inshore edge, flounder gigging lights and a fishing rodeo island guarding Mobile Bay's mouth.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 5:15 AM
Air / High
83 / 84 F
Wind
E 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8735181, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Dauphin Island locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 84. Tides: high 4:03 AM, low 4:26 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 85 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8735181 (Dauphin Island). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH4:03 AM1.8 ft
LOW4:26 PM-0.1 ft
Sat
HIGH5:15 AM1.9 ft
LOW5:42 PM-0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low84 / 80 F
WindE 5-7 mph
Pressure1013.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain99% cloud, 51%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:11
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 84/80 F, wind 18 mph, rain 51%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Dauphin Island: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Dauphin Island calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Dauphin Island today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Alabama requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alabama saltwater license. Trout/reds standard AL limits: check ADCNR marine. Rodeo week: plan far ahead.

Access

Billy Goat Hole ramp, island marina, fishing pier; Fort Gaines beach and Dixey Bar by boat.

About this water

Mobile Bay's barrier island, Mobile County, AL. Home of the world's largest fishing rodeo.

Fishing Dauphin Island: the full guide

The island station

Dauphin Island guards Mobile Bay's mouth: Alabama's barrier outpost, host of the country's largest fishing rodeo (July's ADSFR: a 3,000-angler institution), and the launch point for a fishery spanning bay, surf and the near-Gulf's rig forest. The island's fleet reads the water in every direction and rarely comes home clean.

Bay-mouth and the rigs

The bay's mouth churns with structure: Sand Island's shoals, the gas rigs' steel within sight of the beach (specks, reds, sheepshead, and the summer's king-and-cobia traffic), and Dixey Bar: the legendary bull-red bar off the island's east tip where fall schools stack in the current: the state's best big-red address.

Surf, sound and the back side

The Gulf-side surf runs pompano and whiting spring and fall (Fort Gaines' beaches), the Mississippi Sound's grass behind the island holds trout and flounder: gigging lights dot the summer nights: and the pier-and-bridge culture (Cedar Point, the island fishing pier) keeps the boatless in fish year-round.

Island practicalities

The public ramps (Billy Goat Hole, the marina) serve the fleet: the ferry to Fort Morgan crosses the mouth (an angling commute with a view): and hurricane rhythms reshape the west end continually: check access current. Rodeo week in July triples the island: the rest of the calendar, the fish outnumber everything.

Common questions

What is Dixey Bar?

The shoal off Dauphin Island's east end where fall bull redfish stack in the current: cut bait in October runs 30-40-pound fish boat-side in numbers. Alabama's premier big-red water.

When is the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo?

Mid-July: 3,000-plus anglers, every species on the board, the island transformed. Fish it once for the spectacle: fish the other months for the water.

Is fishing good at Dauphin Island right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Mobile Bay18 miGulf Shores24 miBiloxi47 miPensacola55 miEscambia River59 miPascagoula River61 mi
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