Jeff Friend Trail Fishing

Jeff Friend Trail leads to the most natural shoreline on Little Lagoon, inside Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. There are no houses on this end of the lagoon, just marsh, pines and open water.

• A one-mile loop rebuilt with composite boardwalks and viewing platforms
• Bank fishing on Little Lagoon a short stroll from the parking lot
• A canoe and kayak launch for reaching more of the lagoon
• Speckled trout, redfish and flounder in calm, clear water

The trailhead is on Fort Morgan Road (Highway 180) at the refuge's Jeff Friend Trail parking lot, west of Gulf Shores; the kayak launch address is 13900 Highway 180. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge.

• Entry: free
• Hours: refuge trails are open sunrise to sunset every day
• Parking: the trailhead lot by the road
• The trail is a one-mile loop; paddlers carry boats a short way to the launch
• The refuge's small visitor contact station is open weekday mornings

This end of Little Lagoon is shallow and grassy, with the fish moving along the edges.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and redfish on the shallow flats as the water warms
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout and flounder early and late; pinfish take baits through the middle of the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best months, with flounder, trout and redfish feeding before winter
• Winter (Dec-Feb): a slow pick of trout and redfish in deeper holes on warm afternoons

Walk light: one spinning rod with 8 to 10 lb line and a small box of lures.

• Trout: a soft plastic minnow on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig head, or a live shrimp under a cork
• Redfish: a gold weedless spoon or scented shrimp tail worked along the grass
• Flounder: a bull minnow on a light Carolina rig, crawled over sandy patches
• White trout and croakers: shrimp on the bottom in the slightly deeper water
• Bring bait with you; digging or collecting bait on the refuge is not the way to get it

Little Lagoon fills and drains through one small pass miles to the east, so water movement at this end is gentle, and the tide itself is usually one small high and low a day.

• Any moving water helps; dead calm days are slow
• Summer fish feed at first light and toward sunset
• In cooler weather the bite can last all day
• Clear water rewards light line and a quiet approach
• Check the tide for the Gulf Shores area

This is a gentle, sheltered place to fish.

• Insects can be fierce in warm months; bring repellent
• Watch for snakes on the trail edges and in the marsh
• There is no shade on the open shoreline; carry water
• Leave the trail and the lagoon at the first thunder in summer
• Accessibility: the rebuilt trail uses composite boardwalk and was improved for easier walking along its whole length

The refuge keeps this area natural.

• A parking lot at the trailhead
• A one-mile loop trail with boardwalks and viewing platforms
• A canoe and kayak launch on Little Lagoon
• No restrooms, water or bait that we could confirm at the trail
• The visitor contact station on Fort Morgan Road sells America the Beautiful passes

• Carry a small bucket of live shrimp or minnows from a Gulf Shores bait shop; there is nothing for sale out here
• A kayak opens up the grass flats along this end of the lagoon
• Wear polarized glasses to spot redfish tailing in the shallows
• Leave the dog at home; pets are not allowed on the refuge
• Plan to be off the trail by sunset, when the refuge closes

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Trails and beach accesses open sunrise to sunset; no entry fee
• No pets except service dogs, and no bicycles on the trails
• The refuge requires a valid Alabama saltwater fishing license
• An Alabama saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; Alabama residents who are exempt (and anglers fishing only from a pier that holds a pier license) must still complete the free Saltwater Angler Registration
• Check current Marine Resources Division rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything