Best southern flounder lakes in Alabama
5 Alabama waters hold southern flounder, 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 Gulf and south-Atlantic flatfish — creek mouths and drop-offs all summer, then a hard fall run to the passes.
- 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 southern flounder in Alabama
- Spring 2–15 ft — Post-winter fish set up at marsh drains and creek mouths — work a jig-and-minnow along the bottom seams.
- Summer 3–18 ft — Ambushers hold on channel edges, pilings and bar drops — a mud minnow or paddletail dragged slow.
- Fall 5–25 ft — The fall run — every flounder in the estuary funnels to the passes and jetties before spawning offshore.
- Winter 15–40 ft — Most spawn offshore; stragglers hold in deep channels — slow winter fishing, but the fish that eat are quality.
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 red drum (redfish) lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes
Southern Flounder elsewhere: Florida · Texas · North Carolina