Best red drum (redfish) lakes in Alabama
5 Alabama waters hold red drum (redfish), 5 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The copper flats brawler of the Atlantic and Gulf — tailing in inches of water over grass and oysters, schooling at the passes in fall.
- Mobile Bay — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, SheepsheadWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 44 public access sites
- Perdido Bay — 17 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, SheepsheadWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Wolf Bay — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, SheepsheadWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Perdido Pass — 56 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, BluefishWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
- Cotton Bayou — 9 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Gray Snapper (Mangrove Snapper)Why #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Alabama waters with public access data
When to fish red drum (redfish) in Alabama
- Spring 1–8 ft — Warming water pulls reds onto grass flats and oyster bars — sight-fish the flood tide, work bar edges on the drop.
- Summer 2–12 ft — Early and late over grass; midday fish slide to channel edges and shaded docks. A gold spoon never stops working.
- Fall 3–20 ft — The season — bull reds stage at inlets and passes on the mullet run, slot fish gorge on the flats.
- Winter 3–15 ft — Clear-water schools pod up in deep holes and dark-bottom flats that soak up sun — slow, small, quiet.
Also in Alabama: best largemouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best spotted bass lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes · best southern flounder lakes
Red Drum (Redfish) elsewhere: Florida · Texas · North Carolina · Maryland