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Gulf Shores Fishing Report

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

Alabama's 32 miles of Gulf: surf pompano, big jack crevalle, and the Perdido and Mobile bay systems on either side.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 5:08 AM
Air / High
85 / 85 F
Wind
ESE 5 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8735180, 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.

Gulf Shores serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings cloud cover, wind ESE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 85. Tides: high 3:58 AM, low 4:17 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 with a rain chance. 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 8735180 (Dauphin Island). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH3:58 AM1.8 ft
LOW4:17 PM0.0 ft
Sat
HIGH5:08 AM1.9 ft
LOW5:21 PM-0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp85 F
High / Low85 / 77 F
WindESE 5-6 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 59%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:10
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, 85/77 F, wind 9 mph, rain 59%

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 Gulf Shores: 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 Gulf Shores 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 Gulf Shores 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 90 F, wind to 17 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 90 F, wind to 8 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 90 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 + pier fees where applicable. Redfish: 16-26 inch slot, 3 per day. Confirm with ADCNR.

Access

Gulf State Park Pier, Perdido Pass jetties, public beach accesses along 182, and Little Lagoon launches.

About this water

Gulf Shores / Orange Beach, Baldwin County, AL. Between Mobile Bay and Perdido Bay on the northern Gulf.

Fishing Gulf Shores: the full guide

Small coast, full menu

Alabama's short coastline packs everything in: white-sand surf that produces pompano and whiting all spring, Perdido Pass's jetty traffic (reds, sheepshead, mackerel), and the back-bay grass of Little Lagoon and Wolf Bay for trout and reds. The Gulf State Park pier is one of the Gulf's great fishing piers when kings run.

A year on the beach

Spring: pompano in the surf on sand fleas and Fishbites, sheepshead spawning on the jetties. Summer: dawn trout in the lagoons, kings and spanish off the pier, tarpon rolling past in August. Fall: bull red blitzes at the pass and mullet-run mayhem. Winter: sheepshead, black drum and deep-hole reds in the bays.

Beyond the beach: the back side

Gulf Shores' second fishery hides behind the island: Little Lagoon and Bay La Launch serve wade and kayak anglers speckled trout over grass at dawn, redfish along the marsh drains, and flounder staging at the passes every fall. When summer crowds own the surf, the back-bay dawn patrol fishes in peace: live shrimp under popping corks or soft plastics worked over sand potholes.

Common questions

When is pompano season in Gulf Shores?

March through May is prime as water hits the low 70s: two-hook pompano rigs with sand fleas or shrimp, cast beyond the first bar at first light.

Where can I fish away from swimmers in Gulf Shores?

Little Lagoon's west end, the Fort Morgan surf (October-April especially), and the state park pier's early hours: all produce while the main beaches fill with umbrellas. Dawn is the universal answer in summer.

Is fishing good at Gulf Shores 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

Dauphin Island24 miMobile Bay25 miPensacola31 miEscambia River39 miNavarre51 miBiloxi71 mi
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