Little Lagoon Pass Park Fishing

Little Lagoon Pass Park is the best shore access to Little Lagoon, a long, shallow saltwater lagoon behind West Beach. The pass is the lagoon's only opening to the Gulf, so fish and bait funnel through it.

• A 300-foot pier into the lagoon, reached by a path from the parking lot
• Wade fishing on a sandy bottom in and around the pass
• Surf fishing where the pass meets the Gulf
• Speckled trout, redfish, flounder, white trout and big croakers

The park is at 1660 West Beach Boulevard (Highway 182) in Gulf Shores, about three miles west of Highway 59. The City of Gulf Shores runs it.

• Hours: dawn to dusk
• Parking: a paid city lot on the north side of the boulevard; residents with the city's decal park free
• The Gulf beach is across the road from the lot
• A paved path leads from the lot along the lagoon shore to the pier
• Paddlers use the park as one of the launches for the Little Lagoon water trail

The lagoon's salinity rises and falls with the tide through the pass, and the fish follow it.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and redfish feed along the edges; croakers start to bite
• Summer (Jun-Aug): early-morning and dusk trout, flounder on the drop-off, pompano in the surf at the mouth
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best season, with flounder running toward the pass, trout and redfish active all day
• Winter (Dec-Feb): trout and redfish in the deeper water off the pier on mild days

Light spinning gear with 10 lb line suits the lagoon's clear water.

• Live bait: bull minnows, small menhaden or live shrimp under a cork or on a light Carolina rig
• Flounder: a bull minnow dragged slowly along the drop-off beside the pier
• Trout and redfish: minnow-style soft plastics on jig heads, Gulp shrimp, suspending twitchbaits and a walking topwater at first light
• Croakers and white trout: small pieces of shrimp on the bottom
• In summer, pinfish steal shrimp, so switch to minnows or plastics

The tide here is small, usually one high and one low a day, and on some days it hardly moves, which matters a great deal in a lagoon fed by one pass.

• Tide movement in the lagoon is gentle, so fish seldom school; cover water
• Any moving tide is better than none; the pass runs hardest on the stronger tides of the fortnight
• Summer bites best early in the morning and in the hour before dusk
• In the cooler months fish stay active all day if the water is moving
• Check the tide for the Gulf Shores area

The pass looks gentle but has real current.

• Wade with care; the current through the pass strengthens on a moving tide and the bottom drops away
• Keep clear of swimmers and paddlers, who share the pass and the lagoon
• Seasonal lifeguards work this stretch; fish well away from swimmers and any guarded swimming area
• Dredging equipment sometimes works the pass, so fish around it
• Stingrays rest on the sand; shuffle your feet
• Accessibility: a paved path runs to the pier

The park is well set up for a mixed beach and fishing day.

• Public restrooms and outdoor showers on the north side
• A water faucet
• A paid parking lot
• A 300-foot lagoon pier
• The Gulf beach across the road
• No bait shop; buy live bait in Gulf Shores

• Live bull minnows are the top flounder bait here; keep them lively in an aerated bucket
• Fish the pier's drop-off, where the lagoon floor falls away
• In fall, work the pass on a falling tide when flounder head for the Gulf
• On summer mornings, a walking topwater along the grass can draw a big speckled trout
• If the pier is crowded, wade the sandy edges of the pass instead

The City of Gulf Shores manages Little Lagoon Pass Park and its beach.

• The park is open dawn to dusk
• City beach rules apply on the Gulf side: no glass, and gear left out after dark is removed
• Little Lagoon counts as salt water for licensing
• 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