Perdido Bay Depth Map & Fishing Spots (AL)

Seasonal forage outlook

Gulf menhaden estuary nursery movementActive window

Typical here: Dec 1 – Sep 30 · young Gulf menhaden enter northwestern Florida estuaries in winter and remain through the warm-season nursery period before fall emigration; local schools still depend on tide, salinity and weather

juveniledawn and moving-water periods are practical times to find schooling forage at bayous, grass edges, points and pass approaches — use visible bait, birds or surface pushes as confirmation; the nursery window does not promise a school at every location

Juvenile menhaden schools can focus predators along the outside edge of the school and wherever moving water presses forage against a point, channel edge or pass approach.

Use a compact paddletail, suspending minnow or small topwater around visible schools, working the down-current edge and the first nearby depth break.

The event happens over bayou mouths, seagrass edges, shallow points, channel edges and pass approaches holding visible schooling bait

Bay anchovy warm-season forageActive window

Typical here: Mar 1 – Oct 31 · the conservative overlap of published north-central Gulf spawning and Panhandle occurrence windows; abundance at one shoreline still changes with salinity, tide and weather

spawnearly evening and low light are documented spawning and schooling periods, especially in warmer estuarine water — match the very small profile and search higher-salinity bay edges and moving-water lanes rather than assuming uniform bay-wide activity

Highly abundant anchovies are a small-profile forage source; when a school gathers on a current seam or channel edge, predators may key on a much smaller presentation than a mullet imitation.

Downsize to a 2–3 inch paddletail, small suspending minnow or casting spoon and work the outer edge of surface flickers at low light.

The event happens over higher-salinity bay shallows, creek and bayou mouths, current seams and channel edges where tiny schooling bait is visible

Next forage movement

Fall and winter mullet movement · baitfishOct 1 – Feb 28 · in ~5 weeks

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Perdido Bay

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Perdido Bay on the board.

Fishing Perdido Bay: what the data says

18,270-acre bay near Lillian. The water tops out around 17 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:

The drawn water covers 18,216 acres wrapped in 40.8 miles of bank. An index of 2.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. End to end it runs roughly 13.2 mi, about 4.2 mi across. It sits in Escambia County. If the bite dies, Wolf Bay is 11 mi to the southwest.

Red Drum (Redfish) fishing at Perdido Bay

Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead
Summer	2 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait
Fall	3 to 17 ft	dawn & midday	Creek inflow (2 ft)	1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail
Winter	3 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Old creek channel (9 ft)	Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail

Spotted Seatrout fishing at Perdido Bay

The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 4 to 17 ft for winter. 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait
Summer	4 to 15 ft	dawn	Break off the point (7 ft)	Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge)
Fall	3 to 12 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait
Winter	4 to 17 ft	midday & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom

Southern Flounder fishing at Perdido Bay

Come spring, look for southern flounder tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 3 to 17 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 9 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (9 ft)	1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp
Summer	3 to 17 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (9 ft)	Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp
Fall	3 to 17 ft	midday	Creek inflow (2 ft)	3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (16 ft)	Slow jig + scented grub in the holes

Sheepshead fishing at Perdido Bay

When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 3 to 17 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 5 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Marina / dock area: a dock line around 2 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a small jig + crab piece rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 17 ft	midday & dawn	Marina / dock area (2 ft)	1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece
Summer	3 to 15 ft	dawn	Marina / dock area (2 ft)	Small jig + crab piece
Fall	4 to 17 ft	midday	Marina / dock area (2 ft)	Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (16 ft)	Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 15 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 16 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 9 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 7 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Marina / dock area: dock line, around 2 ft
Soldier Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Perdido Bay fishing regulations

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 Perdido Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Alabama fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Perdido Bay?

Perdido Bay is about 17 ft (5 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.

What fish are in Perdido Bay?

Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on Perdido Bay.

Where is the best fishing spot on Perdido Bay?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Perdido 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Perdido Bay?

Fishing on Perdido Bay 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.

Nearby waters

Wolf Bay 11 mi · Pensacola Bay Mouth 11 mi, FL · Perdido Pass 12 mi · Middle Pensacola Bay 13 mi, FL · Pensacola Bay 14 mi, FL · North Pensacola Bay 18 mi, FL · South Escambia Bay 18 mi, FL · Escambia Bay 19 mi, FL · North Escambia Bay 20 mi, FL · East Bay 27 mi, FL · Mobile Bay 31 mi · Santa Rosa Sound 32 mi, FL

Browse all Alabama fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). 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.