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Fishing Mobile Bay: what the data says
250,170-acre bay near Fairhope. The water tops out around 48 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings (depths referenced to low tide), so the channels, holes and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Red Drum (Redfish) fishing at Mobile Bay
Start shallow in spring: red drum (redfish) sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Feeding flat: a feeding flat around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spotted Seatrout fishing at Mobile Bay
Spring spotted seatrout on Mobile Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Southern Flounder fishing at Mobile Bay
Spring southern flounder on Mobile Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 3 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for southern flounder in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Sheepshead fishing at Mobile Bay
Spring sheepshead on Mobile Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 30 ft. Marina / dock area is the standout, a dock line at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for summer sheepshead. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A small jig + crab piece covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 37 ft
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 35 ft
- Deep hole: deep basin, around 28 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 21 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 12 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 9 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft
- Apalache River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 7 ft
Common questions
How deep is Mobile Bay?
Mobile Bay is about 48 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys (charted soundings referenced to low tide), so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Mobile Bay?
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on Mobile Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Mobile Bay?
Feeding flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Mobile Bay?
For red drum (redfish), 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.
Nearby waters
Wolf Bay · Perdido Bay · Washington County Public Fishing Lake · Escambia County Public Fishing Lake · Monroe County Public Fishing Lake · Dallas County Public Fishing Lake
Browse all Alabama fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.