Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeSalt water depth chart
Today's read
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
54-acre Cotton Bayou fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.88% measured, 99.63% assessed), source-traceable measured fishing structure, exact NOAA Alabama ESI fish occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 9 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Cotton Bayou maps at 54 acres behind 1.7 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. A middling shoreline index (1.6) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. The basin spans about 0.4 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. Perdido Pass sits 1 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.
In spring, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) run shallow here, mostly 1 to 9 ft. Summer keeps them at 1 to 9 ft, and they winter in 2 to 9 ft. Winter gray snapper (mangrove snapper) concentrate at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a prime-rated channel edge around 9 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small bucktail or a paddletail most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 1 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 1 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 9 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Early season red drum (redfish) use the shallows, holding in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 9 ft, then a winter hold in 2 to 9 ft. Put NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder first on the milk run — a gravel shoal near 5 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 1 to 9 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spring southern flounder on Cotton Bayou hold shallow, usually 1 to 9 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 9 ft in summer, 3 to 9 ft once it turns cold. Put NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth first on the milk run — a channel edge near 9 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 9 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 2 to 9 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 3 to 9 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
In spring, spotted seatrout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 9 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 9 ft, and they winter in 2 to 9 ft. Winter spotted seatrout concentrate at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a prime-rated channel edge around 9 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 9 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 2 to 9 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 2 to 9 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 9 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, sits near 9 ft.
Access data: FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 2607; RampID ZZ10005AL). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alabama waters are set by the Alabama DCNR Marine Resources (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Cotton Bayou specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →
Cotton Bayou is about 9 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target gray snapper (mangrove snapper), red drum (redfish), southern flounder, spotted seatrout on Cotton Bayou.
NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder is the top-rated area: a gravel shoal in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For gray snapper (mangrove snapper), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Cotton Bayou is regulated by the Alabama DCNR Marine Resources (saltwater). Check the official Alabama regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Perdido Pass 1 mi · Wolf Bay 4 mi · Perdido Bay 11 mi, AL/FL · Big Lagoon 11 mi, FL · Sherman Inlet 15 mi, FL · Pensacola Bay Mouth 19 mi, FL · Middle Pensacola Bay 21 mi, FL · Old Navy Cove 22 mi, FL · Pensacola Bay 23 mi, FL · Mobile Bay 26 mi · North Pensacola Bay 27 mi, FL · South Escambia Bay 28 mi, FL
See how Cotton Bayou stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Alabama · best spotted seatrout lakes in Alabama · best southern flounder lakes in Alabama
Browse all Alabama fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% measured, 1% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.