When many people think of trout fishing in America, freshwater trout such as rainbow and brook trout often come to mind. However, when you’re down along the Gulf Coast in Alabama, the speckled trout fishing is an often overlooked gold mine for saltwater anglers.
Simply stated, the speckled trout fishing is excellent in Alabama, with plenty of bayous, estuaries, bays, and rivers dotting the state’s coastline.
This article covers the best speckled trout fishing spots in Alabama and helpful tips to make your next sea trout angling trip a good one.
What is a Speckled Trout?
Also referred to as spotted sea trout and often known among anglers as specks or trout, these aerodynamic saltwater predators usually travel in schools.
Anglers can distinguish these game fish by the speckled black dots along their torsos, hence the name.
Their diet consists primarily of shrimp and minnows, though specks will consume pinfish and crabs if the opportunity presents itself.
How to Catch Speckled Trout
Anglers can easily catch sea trout on standard saltwater tackle with soft plastics, shrimp, or minnows under a popping cork. However, it’s not uncommon to also catch them on bottom rigs, crankbaits, and on rare occasions, topwater lures.
For more on how to catch speckled trout, see our how to catch speckled trout article linked below.
Where to Catch Speckled Trout
Speckled trout are salt and brackish water species usually caught in coastal estuaries, bays, lagoons, and marshes.
We’ve picked more than a dozen of the very best places in Alabama to find and catch sea trout, so we’ll provide details on where and how to fish each spot.
Weeks Bay
This brackish water bay is a shallow haven on the east side of Mobile Bay for speckled trout when the weather turns sour on the big bay.
Fed by both the Fish and Magnolia rivers, Weeks Bay contains miles of swampy shoreline, and a handful of docks towards the mouth, making it a prime location for specks.
With large schools of minnows roaming its waters, anglers won’t have to look too hard to find the trout in hot pursuit.
The bay is also home to large redfish, flounder, and, surprisingly, a large number of largemouth bass.
The mouths of the two feeder rivers are usually lower in salinity than the rest of the lake, so anglers should stick to locations such as Mullet Point, which features a public access fishing dock with an excellent track record for trout and flounder.
Another hotspot anglers can try is Weeks Branch, a small cut that runs deep into the western shoreline. Instead of heading into this narrow creek, anglers should hang out around the mouth and fish the surrounding shoreline.
The sand beach at the mouth of Weeks Bay is another solid location for anglers to try, and those fishing from shore can fish both Weeks Bay and Mobile Bay by simply crossing a parking lot on Pelican Point.
Boater should also fish around the many sandbars (located by fishfinder or by eye) around Weeks Bay. Stick to areas closest to the passage into Mobile Bay.
For a broad-stroke rig, stick with your popping cork. Not only will this setup allow you to fish in various locations, but if you bait it with shrimp, you can catch just about every species that swims in the waters of Weeks Bay.
Mobile Bay
For a bigger bay experience, Mobile Bay is home to various saltwater species, including big redfish, speckled trout, and flounder.
The Gaillard Island area produces sizable trout and big redfish out of the Theodore shipping channel to the west. Anglers can anchor their boats here and fish into the bay and ship channel along with the sand bars surrounding the island.
The Mobile Ship Channel, toward the bay’s center, can yield a solid crop of transient speckled trout that will shift to Weeks Bay or up into the Yancey Branch during inclement weather.
Other locations throughout the bay that regularly produce speckled trout include Point Clear Creek and Gum Swamp.
The Garrows and Arlington shipping channels around Mobile provide deep water near structure, a favorite of trout. The moving water keeps bait flowing through this area year-round.
These channel locations are both easily accessible from the Tensaw River Boat Ramp and other nearby launches.
To the bay’s north, Tensaw River forms a swamp-like estuary mouth that is popular when the Gulf’s tides push a high volume of saltwater inland or when the shrimp transition into the swamps.
In this estuary, anglers should target sandbars and grassy points with popping corks and shrimp to see the best results.
Little Lagoon
The name Little Lagoon is somewhat ironic for this miles-long waterway just a few hundred yards from the beach.
To the west of Gulf Shores, between Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, a small cut through the beach feeds saltwater into Little Lagoon, forming brackish conditions full of various saltwater species.
A favorite of sea trout when the surf is at its worst, it features sandy points, residential docks, and some brackish marsh thrown in for good measure.
The high concentration of bait fish in this lake makes it a favorite of species such as speckled trout, redfish, and flounder.
On one end, the lagoon dead ends into Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. A channel on the other end connects to Shelby Lake.
To the east of Children’s Point, anglers will find a variety of docks that make for good fishing, particularly when anglers throw double rigs beneath the pilings.
However, sea trout anglers favor popping corks baited with artificial or live shrimp here, as they imitate a staple in a speck’s diet.
Chartreuse or white minnows on double rigs have also seen positive results as of late, but shrimp is tried and true.
Eugene Point and Sheepshead Point both feature a robust series of sand bars that you should target for speckled trout.
Anglers should pay attention to the schools of bait fish, because a school of hungry speckled trout usually follows.
Unlike the redfish, which prefer the western end of the lake, trout can be found throughout the Little Lagoon. Still, you’ll likely find the best trout numbers near the sand bars and points along the middle of the lagoon.
Stanton Creek is also popular for speckled trout fishermen, particularly when the wind is up and the lagoon’s surface is choppy.
Here anglers can find a series of cuts and small creeks. Redfish often inhabit these areas, but speckled trout will join them on windy days.
Perdido Bay
This bay at the mouth of the Perdido River along the Florida border has plenty of shorelines and deep water for whatever mood the speckled trout are in.
Anglers can target locations such as Tarklin Bayou, Dupont Point, and Bayou Marcus, all on the Florida shoreline, when the trout push into the marshes in search of shrimp.
Double Point and the mouth of Bayou Garçon are other east-bay locations where anglers can chase trout in the open water.
Search for schools of baitfish, shrimp, or jumping mullet to pinpoint the trout’s exact location.
With that said, the Alabama shoreline has its own hotspots. Suarez Point, Chagrin Point, and Red Bluff are all viable locations for anglers to target speckled trout in Perdido Bay.
Anglers will find trout around Bayou Saint John, but redfish and flounder favor the deeper portions of the bayou.
When angling in these locations by boat, stick to double rigs and try to cover as much water as possible until you lock onto the trout, which you will often find in schools for some quick action.
The deeper cuts into the bayou usually shelter trout when the Gulf current pushes a high volume of water inland, or whenever the shrimp are headed up into the marsh.
Popping corks baited with shrimp are a favorite in these locations.
The bridge connecting Florida and Alabama near the top of the bay is another prime angling location, particularly when there is a stiff current. Trout can be caught around the pilings using double rigs or popping corks if the surf isn’t too bad.
Imitation-scented shrimp is a favorite on the double rigs. The color, though, should be decided by the water clarity. Bring a few options in different shades.
Gulf State Park Pier
Editor’s note: At last check, renovations were planned for the Gulf State Park Pier. Check for the current status before planning your trip here.
I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly mention the most popular surf fishing location in Alabama, the Gulf State Park Pier in Gulf Shores.
Although a variety of sites are excellent for fishing from shore along the Gulf Coast, this pier boasts species such as flounder, drum, redfish, and speckled trout.
A massive structure that sticks into the Gulf at least 1,000 feet, like a long thumb, the pilings and submerged structure provide shelter for bait fish and predators.
Anglers should plan to pack a lunch, as this location is easy to limit out on all species throughout the day.
The speckled trout often fall for a popping cork baited with shrimp along the pilings or a few meters from the pier itself.
Many anglers bring two rods, one for redfish and drum and the other for speckled trout. Anglers have also found success working double rigs and, if the surf is right, top water minnows along the pilings to bring up large specks.
A quick note about this location is that it is infested with saltwater catfish, so anglers should avoid using dead shrimp or minnows, as these attract gafftops like a magnet.
Also, make sure to bring pliers and gloves if you encounter one of these rats of the coast.
At the last check, portions of the pier may be closed to angling due to damage as authorities determine how to fund repairs. Use the pier link above to check current conditions.
Dauphin Island
Just south of Mobile Bay, and connected to the mainland by a bridge, this island with a massive sandbar extending west nearly to the Mississippi border makes for some excellent speckled trout fishing.
The variety of sand bars, an extended coastline, and shallow waters shelter the various baitfish upon which sea trout prey. The island also allows the specks to get out of the current when the Gulf is at its roughest.
Pelican Bay is a solid location for anglers to fish, but being out front this area is reliant on the Gulf cooperating.
Locations such as Dauphin Island Bay, however, are less likely to succumb to the mood of the Gulf and will yield excellent speckled trout fishing for most of the year.
Situated between the main island, Cedar Island, and Little Dauphin Island, the bay is a hotbed of specks, reds, and flounder with both shore fishing opportunities and plenty of boat-accessible hotspots.
Pass Chateague, the main entrance into the bay, funnels the fish under a single bridge providing both structure and an ambush zone for trout to hammer incoming or outgoing bait.
If the surf is rough through the pass, stick with double rigs. However, if conditions allow you to fish a popping cork, the trout love the combination of shrimp and movement.
The Aloe Bay Channel sits just outside this bay and is notorious for its roaming schools of speckled trout.
The channel and Bayou Second are excellent choices if you want to stay out of the bay. Double rigs of either shrimp or minnows will get you everything you need here.
If limiting out on trout is not your priority, maybe focusing on trophy specks is. In that case, Petit Boi Pass is your go-to.
Not for the faint of heart, either among fish or fishermen, this location is full of bull reds, big drum, mackerel, and some monster-speckled trout.
If you’re looking to avoid the big reds and sharks, stick to the inland side of the point, working the drop-offs of sandbars and targeting schools of bait fish. If you can locate feeding birds, there’s a good chance the trout aren’t far behind.
Gulf Highlands
The best pure surf fishing in all of Alabama is on the Gulf Highlands.
Anglers can sink their feet into the soft white sands of one of the best beaches in the Southeast while hooking into flounder, redfish, big drum, and, of course, speckled trout.
A secluded portion of the long beach that stretches across the front of much of Mobile Bay, fishing at the Highlands removes the hassle of other beachgoers looking to take a dip in the Gulf near the resort areas.
You’ll have enough room to set up several surf fishing rods in one location, away from most non-angling tourists.
Anglers should target just past the surf zone with bottom rigs, set with the hook or hooks halfway up the water column.
This setup is important as the trout can be incredibly picky about their feeding depth. Therefore, the higher the hook, the better chance you have to catch a trout and not a drum, redfish, or the oft-dreaded gafftopsail catfish.
The drop-off is only several hundred yards offshore, past the sandbars, so anglers should be careful about their rig placement.
The further out you go, the higher likelihood of catching a drum or big red. Between the drop-off and the sandbars is the prime location for speckled trout.
With that said, both early morning and late evening or prime times for speckled trout to feed in the shallows. During this time, schools of baitfish are usually close to shore, and the trout aren’t far behind.
In my experience, with the right water conditions, you can even sight fish these schools of speckled trout from the beach.
A double rig isn’t bad, but my best work was always with a popping cork when the surf was at its calmest.
The trout were far from shy with taking a bite at the shrimp-baited setup. Minnows are a viable option here, too, but if anglers can get their hands on live shrimp, it’s catnip to hungry specks.
Anglers can also fish this location by boat, and unlike redfish, where it’s best to stick to the beach and cast out beyond the drop-off, trout fishing is just as good either way you cut it.
The benefits of angling the Gulf Highlands by boat are that often, the trout stay on the move. Boat anglers can more easily follow schools down the coastline, in and out of the shallows, and capitalize on the effectiveness of faux shrimp double rigs.
Sandy Bay
This western saltwater fishing bay beneath the Grand Savanna Bay Nature Preserve is a blend of structure and offshoot bayous where anglers can catch sizable speckled trout.
Lying west of Aisle Aux Dames, Sandy Bay is shielded from the Gulf by Point Aux Pins.
The bay itself is filled with submerged structures for oyster harvesting, a favorite of a large drum, redfish, and sheepshead.
The bay’s sandy shoreline features a blend of dune-like coast and marsh cuts. The bay’s northern end caps off with Grand Bayou and its estuary mouth, with its southern end in a lip-like point that makes Sandy Bay a fish bowl.
Anglers used to fishing for the many redfish and drum in this location shouldn’t hammer the oyster harvesting structure when they want to catch speckled trout. Instead, target the feeding birds and schools of baitfish and pay attention to the current.
The current has a much heavier influence on trout than those larger gamefish, so the northern shoreline and its marshes are their go-to when the Gulf gets choppy.
Otherwise, the sandbar system just offshore is your best starting place. You can slowly troll along this location, casting against points or angling over drop-offs, but stay away from the oyster platforms unless you are looking for a massive drum.
Popular lures here include:
- Plastic shrimp or minnows on double rigs.
- Crankbaits in the marshes.
- A popping cork with shrimp.
Crab is a favorite of reds and drum, so I would avoid putting this on your hook while trout fishing unless you’re looking for a fight.
Bull Bay Bayou
To the east of Bayou La Fourche, a smaller series of cuts sit on the edge of Bayou Bubie. This small bay has an excellent reputation amongst speckled trout anglers.
Above Grand Bay, this inlet is home to speckled trout, redfish, drum, sheepshead, and flounder and even has a few snapper catches recorded.
Anglers shold break this location into two distinct spots with specific times and ways to fish each.
Bayou Bubie is your falling-tide location. Fish the shoreline on a falling tide and watch the baitfish be pushed to the trout waiting behind the sandbars and drop-offs spread throughout the bay.
Anglers should stick to double rigs along the outer shorelines and channels. Anchor some distance from shore, cast your rig toward the bank, and then retrieve it back to the boat. This tactic simulates the bait escaping the tide and brings your bait to the waiting speckled trout.
The Bull Bay Bayou and its cut system are your rising-tide location. The influx of water pushes the fish deeper into the marshes and into tighter funnels. It also floods shallow points and fills small duck ponds where anglers can try their luck.
In these marshy areas, stick with the tried and true popping cork baited with shrimp fished off points or along grassy shorelines.
The wild card option here is a topwater minnow. If you can lob one of these lures into shallow offshoots, duck ponds, and creeks, the chances of you hooking into a trout or redfish are high.
Bayou la Batre
A short boat ride from Master Marine Inc., the mouth of Bayou La Batre is an excellent speckled trout angling spot and yields access to several other top-notch fishing locations.
Dubbed by some as the “Seafood Capitol of Alabama,” in part to its excellent shrimping, you know the speckled trout are sure feel at home around Bayou la Batre.
The bayou features a deep channel surrounded by a series of shallow sandbars. Anglers can fish from shore here off the public boat launch into the bayou and the bayou mouth.
By boat, anglers can fish the bayou, Little Bay to the west, and the sandy swamp to the east.
By boat, anglers have many options, but the conditions can quickly help them pick their fishing holes.
On a falling tide, the shoreline to the east of the bayou is a shallow water favorite of speckled trout. Schooling around the sandbars and points, anglers can hit the specks with double-rig faux shrimp or minnows.
On days when the Gulf is choppy, Little Bay boasts a peninsula that shelters marshy cuts from the basin. Anglers will find speckled trout congregated here on days with inclement weather. Target the creek mouths or shore-facing peninsula bank with popping corks.
If the chop makes its way into the bay, switch to double or bottom rigs to stay on the trout.
Bayou Heron
The mouth of this Mississippi bayou strays across the Alabama border, making it a two-state hotspot for speckled trout fishing.
The bayou snakes north into the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, with the speckled trout fishing worsening the further inland you go.
The mouth of the bayou along the state line and the surrounding creek system is full of sheepshead, redfish, black drum, and speckled trout.
The angling here isn’t always hot and heavy, but it’s not unheard of for anglers to limit out in the morning at Bayou Heron.
A stiff Gulf current will push the trout deep into the bayou, so at those times anglers should head inland and work the first half of the bayou’s western shoreline.
With cuts and channels, anglers will find success working marshy points with shrimp-baited popping corks.
On a falling tide, anglers should target the bayou’s mouth and surrounding points. The small islands and coves in here have trout lurking at the edges, waiting for the tide to bring the bait to them.
Anchoring some distance from shore and working double rigs away from the bank is the best way to fish the falling tide.
The nearest boat launch is the Bayou Heron Boat Launch on the Mississippi side of the state line. Anglers can motor down to the Gulf, fish both sides of the border, or head to the following location on our list.
Bayou La Fourche
To the east of Bayou Heron, toward Bull Bay Bayou mentioned further above, a swampy system of islands, channels, and coves in cut-offs comprise an excellent shallow-water fishing location for speckled trout anglers.
Located just east of the Mississippi border, this estuary-like system is virtually untouched by development and sits just south of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Speckled trout anglers will find a handful of unique features that make Bayou La Fourche a great fishing spot. These include a bay capped off by two islands with a small entrance.
Islands break up the Gulf current before hitting the estuary system, and a deep, jagged series of channels extends inland nearly to inland farmlands.
Mostly, the water is shallow, comprised of a series of sand bars, channels, and drop-offs that are favorites of speckled trout.
This bayou is an excellent location for trout to take shelter during an inland push from the Gulf, and it also holds a high volume of baitfish.
Your best times to angle Bayou La Fourche are morning and evening when both the tide is moving and the baitfish are transitioning.
Hit the points with shrimp-baited popping corks or work the drop-offs with double rigs to fill up an ice chest with speckled trout at Bayou La Fourche.
Heron Bay
Located south of the Alabama Port, the Heron Bay Cutoff sits in front of the Heron Bay Bayou and Heron Bay itself.
A winding series of cuts permeate a swamp-like estuary system that provides some top-tier saltwater fishing. North of Dauphin Island, the bay and surrounding locations sit at the mouth of Mobile Bay.
The speckled trout fishing here is excellent, and the flounder and redfish angling is not far behind.
A particular favorite spot for reds and specks during cooler weather, the estuary and bay is home to a handful of key locations where anglers can rip lips with trophy saltwater fish.
The bay yields some decent fishing, but things start to kick off when anglers head into the marsh wedged along Route 193. This southward-facing triangle of cuts and creeks is a haven for specks when the Gulf is rough.
Barry Point is a sandy point that yields a regular crop of decent-sized specks.
The combination of the Gulf current and the entrance of Heron Bayou emptying into the bay makes for a speckled trout feeding ground filled with baitfish and seasonal shrimp.
Finally, the bay north of the cut-off tends to be a popular location for speckled trout anglers.
Anglers can launch into the channel right across Route 193 from Jemison’s Bait & Tackle Shop and motor to the cut-off entrance.
Popular rigs include the usual popping cork baited with shrimp, especially deep in the marshes. A double rig fish at the mouth of the bayou is another top option.
If the water is too choppy, anglers may want to switch to a fishfinder setup, which will place the bait mid-way up the water column. Live shrimp is a must if anglers wish to avoid saltwater catfish that can be thick here and will gobble up whole or cut fish baits.
Honorable Mentions
The mouth of Fowl River is a hot spot for trout anglers just west of Heron Bayou.
Sandbars, marsh, and steady current make it a high-yield location Alabama saltwater anglers should try.
Shelby Lakes in Gulf Shores sits just a few hundred meters from the coastline, connected to Little Lagoon, and yields myriad saltwater species, such as reds, specks, flounder, and drum, alongside largemouth bass and bluegill in freshwater water areas.
Old River straddles the Alabama-Florida line and is channeled between two heavily populated islands between Perdido Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Feeding into the Gulf through Perdido Pass, anglers will catch the whole gamut of saltwater fish from the waters of Old River from both shore and boat.
Summary
Speckled trout are an incredibly popular species amongst saltwater anglers in Alabama.
From west to east, the coastline of Alabama has a variety of saltwater hotbeds of speckled trout that anglers can fish by boat or land.
Remember to pay close attention to the Gulf and its currents and winds, as these conditions play a big role in where you will find and catch the most sea trout in coastal Alabama.
Read about your top choices above for more detail on how to pick specific hot spots for a day of fishing.
Before heading out on your next speckled trout adventure, purchase a fishing license and check with all local and state regulations. As always, good luck, and stay safe out on the water.
Speckled Trout Fishing Techniques and Tips
Also, we recommend that you read our simple yet complete guide to speckled trout fishing techniques and tips.