Lillian Boat Launch Fishing

Lillian Boat Launch gives Alabama anglers an easy public foothold on the upper Perdido Bay, just south of the Lillian bridge. It is a quiet bay spot with a mix of trout, reds and structure fish.

• Brackish Perdido Bay water near the US 98 bridge
• Speckled trout and redfish, plus sheepshead and black drum near the docks
• Restrooms, picnic tables and lighted parking
• A free county launch on the state's list of public fishing access points

The launch is at 12408 7th Street in Lillian, on the Alabama shore of Perdido Bay just south of the US 98 bridge, and Baldwin County runs it.

• Parking: a lighted lot for cars and boat trailers
• There is no charge to launch, and boats may launch at any hour
• The park's other amenities are open dawn to dusk only
• Two boat ramps with docks beside them; boaters come first at the ramps
• Fish from the shore away from the ramp lanes

Perdido Bay at Lillian is brackish, saltier in dry spells and fresher after rain, and the catch shifts with it.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead around the docks early, then speckled trout and redfish on the shoreline
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker and white trout on small baits, trout at first light, and catfish on bottom baits
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best season, with trout, redfish and flounder feeding along the shore
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum near the dock pilings, and trout in the deeper water on mild days

A light to medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb line covers most of the fishing here.

• Speckled trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head along the shore
• Redfish: cut mullet or shrimp on a Carolina rig cast toward the drop-off
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a 1/0 hook as close to hard structure as you can reach
• Flounder: a bull minnow fished slowly along the bottom in fall
• Croaker and white trout: a two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of shrimp

The upper Perdido Bay sees a small tide, usually one high and one low a day and often barely a foot between them. River flow and wind decide most days.

• Fish the hours when the tide is moving; slack days are slow
• Heavy rain up the Perdido River freshens and muddies the bay and moves trout and reds down toward saltier water
• A dry spell lets salt water push up the bay, and the fishing at Lillian improves
• North winds behind winter fronts lower the water and push fish into deeper water off the launch
• Calm mornings and evenings fish best in summer
• Use tide tables for the Perdido Bay area

This is a sheltered bay spot, but it is still a working boat ramp beside a highway bridge.

• Keep clear of boats and trailers using the ramps
• Boats run in and out of the launch; keep casts clear of them
• Never fish from the highway bridge itself; it carries heavy traffic
• The bank can be slippery at the water's edge
• Hardhead and gafftopsail catfish spines are sharp and venomous
• Leave at the first thunder of a summer storm
• Access: a short, level walk from the parking lot

The county has set the launch up well for a bay launch.

• Restroom facilities
• Picnic table seating
• Lighted boat and car parking
• Two boat ramps with docks
• No bait shop at the launch that we could confirm; buy bait before you come
• Amenities other than the ramps are open dawn to dusk

• Sheepshead fishing around the dock pilings peaks in late winter and early spring
• After a long dry spell, the saltier water brings trout and reds farther up the bay, so that is the time to come
• Fall mornings after a cool front are a good time for redfish and flounder along the shore
• Weekday mornings are quieter at the ramps than weekends
• If you head up the Perdido River, check ADCNR's license boundary map to see which license applies

Baldwin County runs the launch, and Marine Resources lists it among its public saltwater fishing access points.

• The park's amenities are open dawn to dusk; the ramps are open for launching at any hour
• Fish away from the ramps and follow any posted signs about fishing near them
• 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
• Anglers under 16 are exempt from the license
• Check current Marine Resources Division rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything