Morgantown Beach Access, Fort Morgan Fishing

Morgantown Beach Access opens up a stretch of the Fort Morgan peninsula's Gulf beach that is otherwise lined with rental homes and their own walkovers. It is an uncomplicated surf spot with room to spread out a few rods.

• A public walkway through the dunes with a parking lot at its head
• Pompano, Gulf kingfish and redfish within an easy cast
• Much quieter than the beaches in Gulf Shores
• No lifeguards or services, so come ready for the day

The access is at the east end of Beach Boulevard, just west of the Morgantown community, on the Gulf side of Fort Morgan Road (Highway 180). It is listed in Alabama's inventory of public coastal access sites.

• Parking: a paved public lot at the head of the walkway, with more room than most of the peninsula's few public accesses
• The walkovers from the homes on either side are private; use the public walkway
• Fees: none that could be confirmed; read the signs at the lot
• Access: a long walkway from the lot over the dunes to the sand
• Hours: none published; follow any posted rules

Fish hold in the gutter between the beach and the first sandbar, and along the bar itself.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano show up once the Gulf turns clear and green, and Gulf kingfish are dependable
• Summer (Jun-Aug): when bait schools move in, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ladyfish follow, while catfish take bottom baits
• Fall (Sep-Nov): pompano come back through and redfish cruise the beach as the water cools
• Winter (Dec-Feb): quiet, though redfish and kingfish feed on mild, settled days between fronts

Moderate surf gear covers almost everything here.

• A 9 to 11 foot surf rod with 15 to 25 lb line and 2 to 4 oz sinkers
• Kingfish and pompano: a double-dropper rig with small circle hooks and fresh shrimp, aimed at the gutter
• Redfish: cut mullet or crab on a fish-finder rig, the rod set in a sand spike
• Speckled trout and flounder: a soft plastic on a light jig head walked slowly along the bar edge
• Mackerel and bluefish: a silver spoon or small casting jig, cranked quickly through feeding birds

The Gulf here usually rises and falls once a day, by just a foot or two, so the surf and the wind decide a good day.

• A gentle swell and some current along the beach get fish feeding
• Clear, calm water is pompano weather; a stirred-up surf brings redfish closer
• A strong onshore blow makes the shore break too rough to hold bottom
• The first settled days after a winter cold front are often productive
• Look up the Gulf Shores or Dauphin Island area tide forecast

Fort Morgan's beaches have no lifeguards or warning flags, so take care.

• Rip currents form along this beach; keep to the shallows and never wade out to reach a bar
• Bertha's swell led to at least 22 rip-current rescues on Fort Morgan in one day in July 2026
• Stingrays rest in the shallows; shuffle your feet
• Afternoon storms in summer bring lightning; leave early
• Swimmers and families from the homes nearby share the beach; cast away from them
• If you need 911, say you are at the Morgantown public beach access on Beach Boulevard
• Accessibility: a level lot and a walkway, then soft sand down to the water

This is an access, not a park.

• A paved public parking lot
• A walkway over the dunes
• No restrooms, showers, drinking water or shade
• No bait or tackle; buy supplies in Gulf Shores before driving out
• No lifeguards

• Get there early in summer; public parking is scarce on the peninsula, and mornings are usually calmest
• Fresh shrimp cut into thumbnail-sized pieces outfishes bigger baits for kingfish
• Watch for pompano flashing in the wave faces on clear spring mornings
• A wheeled beach cart makes the long walkway much easier with a cooler and sand spikes
• Take every bit of gear and trash home; nothing is collected at the access

The access appears in Alabama's inventory of public coastal access sites; no managing body publishes fishing rules for it, so read any posted signs.

• Keep to the walkway and off the dunes
• Leave the community's private walkovers to its residents and guests
• 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
• Check current Marine Resources Division rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything