Alabama closes flounder for the whole of November and reopens them on December 1 at five a day. Everything else inshore stays open, red drum, speckled trout and sheepshead included, and red snapper may be kept every day to December 31 unless the quota fills first. Inland the reservoirs sit at their winter level, and the Sipsey Fork below Lewis Smith Dam is stocked with trout on November 19 and December 17. Licenses run to August 31, so nothing turns over at New Year, and a visitor from Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi or Tennessee may pay a different fee from one who lives further away.
What to fish for in early November
A short coast and a long state. Mobile Bay and the Delta turn quiet and cold behind each front and the fishing moves up the rivers and onto the bridges, with redfish and speckled trout coming out of the same delta creeks. Inland the Tennessee River lakes and the Coosa chain sit at their winter pool and their fish follow the old channels, and below Lewis Smith Dam the Sipsey Fork stays cold enough for trout.
Spotted Seatrout
Spends the cold months up the rivers of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta rather than out in the open bay, coming back down on the mild spells.
Where. Deep river bends in the lower Delta, the Blakeley and the Apalachee, and the dredged channels around the head of Mobile Bay.
The spotted seatrout waters we forecast Water Forecast Mobile Bay Best Sun, Nov 8, A+Today's forecast Redfish (Red Drum)
Feeds in the delta's brackish creeks and the bay's shallows through the cold, and comes up onto the flats on the warming afternoons.
Where. The creeks and river mouths of the lower Delta, the Causeway, Dog River and Fowl River, and the Dauphin Island shore.
Sheepshead
Gathers on hard structure through the cold and comes together to spawn as the winter ends.
Where. The Dauphin Island bridge, the Causeway, the jetties at Perdido Pass and the nearshore reefs.
The sheepshead waters we forecast Water Forecast Perdido Pass Best Sun, Nov 8, A+Today's forecast Spotted Bass
Keeps feeding through the winter in the Coosa River lakes and the Alabama River, where current keeps it moving.
Where. Rock, riprap and channel swings near moving water on Neely Henry, Logan Martin, Lay and Lake Martin, deeper as the river cools.
The spotted bass waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Martin about 67F Best Sun, Nov 8, A+Today's forecast Alabama River not modeled Today's forecast Crappie
Schools tight on deep cover and sits high in deep water over the channel ledges, moving toward the banks in the late-winter warm spells.
Where. Brush and stumps on the ledges of Guntersville, Wheeler and Pickwick, and the timbered creek channels of Weiss and Eufaula.
The crappie waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Eufaula about 68F Best Mon, Nov 9, A+Today's forecast Rainbow Trout
Trout water all year below Lewis Smith Dam, kept cold by the release from the bottom of the lake and stocked again late in the fall and before Christmas.
Where. The miles of the Sipsey Fork below the dam, fished on foot when the turbines are off.
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
The next six weeks of this report's calendar for Alabama.
- Thu November 19The Sipsey Fork below Smith Dam is stocked with rainbow trout, and again on Thursday, December 17.
- Tue December 1Flounder reopen in Louisiana, ten a day at any size, and in Alabama and Florida, five a day of at least 14 inches.
In the last two weeks
- Sun November 1Flounder close in Texas until December 14, and in Alabama for the whole of November.
Every date for Alabama from November to February (6)
- Sun November 1Flounder close in Texas until December 14, and in Alabama for the whole of November.
- Thu November 19The Sipsey Fork below Smith Dam is stocked with rainbow trout, and again on Thursday, December 17.
- Tue December 1Flounder reopen in Louisiana, ten a day at any size, and in Alabama and Florida, five a day of at least 14 inches.
- Thu December 31Last day of Alabama's red snapper season, open seven days a week unless the quota is met before then.
- Fri January 1In Gulf federal water, scamp, black, yellowfin and yellowmouth grouper close until July 1, and gray triggerfish until March 1.
- Sun February 28Last day of the gray triggerfish closure in Gulf federal water.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
Alabama has one weekly publisher on the coast and almost nobody inland. Great Days Outdoors' Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report covered Mobile Bay and Dauphin Island every week of last winter and its delta show does the same for the Mobile-Tensaw, but Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have no shop, pier or fleet publishing anything dated. Inland, Capt. Mike Gerry covers Guntersville and Georgia Outdoor News reports Lake Eufaula and Lake Harding monthly; Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick, the Coosa lakes, Lake Martin, Smith Lake, the Sipsey Fork and the Alabama River have nobody, and ADCNR publishes no conditions report.
- Great Days Outdoors, Alabama Saltwater Fishing ReportButch Thierry
- Great Days Outdoors, Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing ReportNick Williams
- Fish Lake Guntersville Guide ServiceCapt. Mike Gerry
- Georgia Outdoor News, Lake Eufaula reportCapt. Sam Williams
- Georgia Outdoor News, Lake Harding report
- Outdoor Alabama weekly columnDavid Rainer
Where to fish in Alabama, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
The Gulf beaches, Fort Morgan to Perdido Pass
Gulf Shores · Orange Beach · Perdido Pass · Fort Morgan · Gulf State Park Pier
White-sand beaches facing the open Gulf from Fort Morgan east to Perdido Pass, backed by Little Lagoon and the bays behind Orange Beach. The surf, the long state park pier and the rock jetties at the pass are where fish are caught from shore, and the passes are where the Gulf and the back bays trade water.
Who reports here. No shop, pier or charter fleet in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach publishes anything dated, and the beaches got a segment on Great Days Outdoors' weekly saltwater report only about every other week last winter. Gulf State Park, its pier included, closed for Hurricane Isaias on October 8 and had posted no reopening on October 11.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A+11 good hours76F measured Nov 3 at Orange Beachbest run 11h
Mobile Bay and Dauphin Island
Mobile Bay · Dauphin Island · the Causeway · Fowl River · Dog River
A broad, shallow bay fed by the Mobile-Tensaw rivers, salty at its mouth between Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan and nearly fresh at its head by the Causeway. Its fishing follows the salt line, which moves down the bay after heavy rain upriver and back up it in a dry spell.
Who reports here. Great Days Outdoors' Alabama Saltwater Fishing Report covered the bay and Dauphin Island every week last winter except Christmas, with water temperatures in the cold weeks. No pier or bait shop here publishes its own.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A+12 good hours72F measured Nov 3 at Coast Guard Sector Mobile tide stationbest run 6h
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta
Mobile-Tensaw Delta · Tensaw River · Mobile River · Apalachee River · Blakeley River
A river delta of bayous, creeks and cypress swamp at the head of Mobile Bay, where several rivers braid together on their way to the sea. It is fresh and brackish at once, so largemouth bass, redfish and speckled trout can come out of the same creek, depending on the tide and how much water is coming down.
Who reports here. Great Days Outdoors' delta report runs every week with water temperatures. It was the statewide freshwater show until January 22, 2026, which is why Alabama goes into this winter with no freshwater weekly at all.
The Tennessee River lakes
Lake Guntersville · Wheeler Lake · Wilson Lake · Pickwick Lake
A chain of TVA reservoirs across the north of the state, each held by a dam with its own tailwater below. Guntersville is broad, shallow and grassy; Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick run more like a river, with current the dams switch on and off, and the tailraces below them hold fish through the cold months.
Who reports here. Capt. Mike Gerry posts about Guntersville nearly every Saturday, and nobody reports the three lakes below it or the water under the dams. TVA's release schedules, the one forward-looking source, sit behind a bot check.
Engine outlook
- Best: Thu, Nov 5, A+9 good hours63F modeled from weather, no gaugebest run 4h
Lewis Smith Lake and the Sipsey Fork
Lewis Smith Lake · Sipsey Fork
A deep, clear, steep-sided reservoir in the hills northwest of Birmingham, unlike the shallow lakes around it, with spotted and striped bass in deep water. Below the dam a cold release from the bottom of the lake keeps the Sipsey Fork cold enough for trout all year, and its flow is whatever the dam is generating.
Who reports here. ADCNR's own calendar stocks the river on November 19 and December 17, 2026, and Alabama Power's three-day schedule for the dam says when it can be waded. Nobody publishes a dated report for the lake or the tailwater, which is left out of the outlook below because its nearest thermometer is on the Mulberry Fork.
The Coosa River lakes
Weiss Lake · Neely Henry · Logan Martin · Lay Lake · Mitchell Lake
A staircase of power reservoirs down the Coosa from the Georgia line, from broad, shallow Weiss, known for its crappie, to river-run lakes such as Neely Henry and Logan Martin. Each is held lower in winter than in summer, which pulls fish off the flats and banks onto the old river channel.
Who reports here. Nobody reports these lakes in winter, and Weiss lost its last monthly report in 2023. Alabama Power posts every lake's level and flow each day.
Lake Martin and the Tallapoosa
Lake Martin · Lake Harris (Wedowee) · Yates Lake · Thurlow Lake
Clear, deep, rocky reservoirs on the Tallapoosa, Lake Martin the biggest of them, with long timbered creek arms and miles of steep bank. Spotted bass and striped bass are the main fish, and the lake is let down for the winter and refilled in spring.
Who reports here. Nobody publishes a dated report for these lakes, so last winter's record is tournament results.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A+12 good hours69F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 12h
Lake Eufaula and the Chattahoochee
Lake Eufaula · Lake Harding · the Chattahoochee River
Reservoirs on the Chattahoochee where it forms the Georgia line: Lake Eufaula, long, wide and shallow, with flooded timber along its creek channels, and Lake Harding upstream. Both are shared with Georgia, and the river between them runs swift below each dam.
Who reports here. Georgia Outdoor News publishes a monthly report for both lakes, each with a water temperature and a level. Search for a Lake Eufaula report and Oklahoma's lake of the same name comes first. Eufaula is left out of the outlook below because its nearest thermometer sits in the release below Walter F. George Dam.
Engine outlook
- Best: Mon, Nov 9, A+13 good hours69F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 13h
The Alabama River and its lakes
Alabama River · Jones Bluff · Millers Ferry · Claiborne
A big, slow river running from Montgomery toward the delta, held into a series of long pools by the locks and dams at Jones Bluff, Millers Ferry and Claiborne. Its backwaters, creek mouths and the tailraces below the dams are where fish gather when the water cools.
Who reports here. The Alabama River is the second most searched Alabama place for a fishing report and has no reporter at all; the Corps of Engineers' daily pool and flow tables are the only dated record.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Tombigbee and the Black Warrior
Tombigbee River · Black Warrior River · Demopolis Lake · Coffeeville Lake
Navigation rivers in the west of the state, the Black Warrior running down from Birmingham to join the Tombigbee at Demopolis, both held into pools by locks and dams. Barge traffic, steep mud banks and long backwater sloughs define them, and in winter the fish settle in the sloughs and below the dams.
Who reports here. Nobody reports either river; the Corps of Engineers posts their pools and flows daily.
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- Red snapper, for private boats and state charters: open seven days a week until December 31 or until Alabama's quota is met, whichever comes first, two a day of at least 16 inches, reported through Snapper Check. It was still open on October 11.
- The Sipsey Fork is stocked on November 19 and December 17, 2026, by ADCNR's own calendar for the river. Walker County Public Fishing Lake, which usually has a winter trout season, is closed for construction and may reopen in spring.
- Gulf State Park, its pier included, closed for Hurricane Isaias on October 8 and had posted no reopening on October 11; Meaher State Park's pier and ramp on the Blakeley River likewise.
Read on October 11, 2026, from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' license and creel-limit pages, its Marine Resources Division's red snapper and season notices, its Sipsey Fork and public fishing lake pages, its Isaias closures and the Alabama Administrative Code.
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- Anyone 16 or older needs an Alabama license, a saltwater license in salt water and a freshwater license inland; residents 65 and over are exempt, but visitors of any age are not. A visitor can buy a seven-day trip license for either, and a three-day family trip license in fresh water covers up to four members of the family. Every Alabama license expires on August 31.
- A resident fishing from a licensed public pier on the inside waters needs no license, and a resident exempt from the license must still sign up to the free Saltwater Angler Registry. Landing reef fish such as red snapper, grouper or amberjack takes the Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement as well, and red snapper, gray triggerfish and greater amberjack are reported through Snapper Check. The saltwater license also covers cast netting, flounder gigging and recreational crab traps.
- Alabama and Georgia licenses are both good on the Chattahoochee River where it forms the state line and on its impoundments, Lake Eufaula and Lake Harding among them, though not on West Point Lake above the Georgia 109 bridge or up the tributaries. Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee recognize each other's licenses in border areas the department publishes only as a map.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- Live snakeheads, black carp, piranha, walking catfish, rudd and the other listed exotics may not be possessed, sold, brought into Alabama or released.
- Trotlines and snag or snare lines must carry a tag naming the owner, and an angler without a commercial license may fish no more than 100 hooks on them together. On the Sipsey Fork below Lewis Smith Dam, the winter trout tailwater, an angler may fish no more than two rods and may not cull trout.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- Black bass are ten a day, no more than five of them smallmouth. Crappie are 30 a day of at least 9 inches in most public waters, though lakes under 500 acres, the Chattahoochee impoundments and Weiss are exempt from the minimum. White bass are 15 a day, and striped and hybrid bass 15 with no more than five over 22 inches. Several reservoirs run their own bass limits, Guntersville's 15-inch minimum among them.
- Rainbow trout are five a day. A catfish 34 inches or longer is one a day outside the Perdido, Conecuh, Blackwater, Yellow, Choctawhatchee, Chipola and Chattahoochee basins, and none that size may leave the state alive.
Salt water
- Flounder are closed for the whole of November, then five a day of at least 14 inches. Red drum are three a day between 16 and 26 inches, spotted seatrout six between 15 and 22 inches with one allowed over 22, and sheepshead eight of at least 12 inches.
- Grouper and the other federally managed reef fish open and close in state waters with the federal seasons; gag and red grouper are two a day each within four grouper. Only two striped bass a day may be kept in Alabama salt water.
Read on these agency pages: ADCNR: Freshwater Fishing Recreational Licenses, Non-Resident, ADCNR: Saltwater Recreational Licenses, ADCNR Marine Resources: Saltwater Recreational Size & Creel Limits, ADCNR Marine Resources: Red Snapper Information, Ala. Admin. Code 220-2-.122: Georgia Reciprocal Fishing Agreement, ADCNR: Ala-Miss-Tenn Reciprocal Fishing License Areas, Ala. Admin. Code 220-2-.26: Restrictions on possession, sale, importation and release, ADCNR: Freshwater Fishing Creel and Size Limits.
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Eufaula | 69F | 60F | 53F | 52F | 58F |
| Lake Martin | 68F | 58F | 51F | 49F | 54F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Mon, Nov 9 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gulf beaches, Fort Morgan to Perdido Passat Perdido Pass | 10h 11m, Dec 21 | 4:51pm, around Dec 3 | 6:49am, around Jan 9 |
| Mobile Bay and Dauphin Islandat Mobile Bay | 10h 10m, Dec 21 | 4:52pm, around Dec 3 | 6:51am, around Jan 9 |
| The Mobile-Tensaw Deltaat Stockton, in the Delta | 10h 8m, Dec 21 | 4:51pm, around Dec 3 | 6:52am, around Jan 9 |
| The Tennessee River lakesat Lake Guntersville | 9h 51m, Dec 21 | 4:36pm, around Dec 5 | 6:53am, around Jan 7 |
| Lewis Smith Lake and the Sipsey Forkat Sipsey Fork | 9h 53m, Dec 21 | 4:41pm, around Dec 5 | 6:56am, around Jan 7 |
| The Coosa River lakesat Pell City, on Logan Martin Lake | 9h 55m, Dec 21 | 4:38pm, around Dec 5 | 6:51am, around Jan 7 |
| Lake Martin and the Tallapoosaat Lake Martin | 10h 0m, Dec 21 | 4:39pm, around Dec 4 | 6:48am, around Jan 8 |
| Lake Eufaula and the Chattahoocheeat Lake Eufaula | 10h 4m, Dec 21 | 4:38pm, around Dec 4 | 6:43am, around Jan 8 |
| The Alabama River and its lakesat Alabama River | 10h 5m, Dec 21 | 4:48pm, around Dec 3 | 6:52am, around Jan 9 |
| The Tombigbee and the Black Warriorat Demopolis | 10h 1m, Dec 21 | 4:47pm, around Dec 4 | 6:55am, around Jan 8 |
The lowest tides from November to February
| Station | Lowest, Nov | Lowest, Dec | Lowest, Jan | Lowest, Feb | Biggest range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Point | -0.4 ftWed, Nov 25, 7:11am | -0.5 ftWed, Dec 23, 6:23am | -0.4 ftWed, Jan 20, 5:45am | -0.4 ftWed, Feb 17, 5:07am | 1.9 ftDec 23 |
| Dog River Bridge | -0.7 ftFri, Nov 27, 12:22pm | -1.1 ftThu, Dec 24, 10:18am | -1.1 ftThu, Jan 21, 9:15am | -0.9 ftWed, Feb 17, 7:27am | 3.1 ftDec 24 |
NOAA's predictions, in feet above the average of each day's lower low tide, so a minus tide falls below it. Wind and air pressure move the water off the prediction.