The Pines Boat Launch, Fort Morgan Fishing

The Pines Boat Launch is one of the few places on the Fort Morgan peninsula where you can pull off the road beside Bon Secour Bay and fish its open shoreline. It is quiet and basic, with a long view north across the bay.

• A state-run ramp and courtesy dock, with shore fishing allowed away from the ramp
• Speckled trout, redfish and flounder over a shallow, sandy bay bottom
• The widest open view of Bon Secour Bay along Fort Morgan Road
• In winter, rafts of ducks and grebes gather on the bay in front of you

The launch is on the north side of Fort Morgan Road (Highway 180), roughly 12 miles west of Highway 59 in Gulf Shores and a few miles west of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge's Mobile Street entrance. The state gives its address as 7950 Fort Morgan Road.

• Operator: the state; the Marine Resources Division lists it among its coastal boat ramps and its saltwater fishing access sites
• Parking: only a few roadside spaces, shared with boaters, and no designated accessible space
• Fees: none listed for the launch
• The ramp closed after storm damage in 2020 and has since been repaired and reopened
• Walk east or west along the shore until you are more than 100 feet from the ramp before you cast

Bon Secour Bay is the brackish southeastern arm of Mobile Bay, and its fish follow the salt.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and redfish push onto the shallows as the water warms, and white trout and croakers bite on the bottom
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout early and late, flounder along the sandy edges, ladyfish and catfish through the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): usually the best season, with redfish and trout feeding hard and flounder drifting toward the Gulf
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead near rocks and structure, and trout on mild afternoons

Keep your tackle light and portable; this is a spot for walking and wading rather than sitting.

• A 7-foot medium-light spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader handles most of the fishing
• Speckled trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head hopped over the sand
• Redfish: a gold spoon or a paddle-tail swimbait run along the shoreline, or cut mullet on a Carolina rig
• Flounder: a bull minnow or mud minnow dragged slowly along the bottom
• White trout and croakers: shrimp on a two-hook bottom rig
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp fished tight to the rocks

As in the rest of the Mobile Bay system, the tide is usually one high and one low a day, only a foot or two apart, and on some days it barely moves.

• Wind counts for more than the tide: a hard north wind behind a winter front drains the shallows, and a steady south wind piles water in
• Moving water around dawn or dusk is the best time to fish
• The bay is often stained; a few calm, dry days clear it and help the trout fishing
• Heavy rain upstate freshens the bay and can push trout and redfish toward the Gulf
• Check the tide forecast for the Mobile Bay or Dauphin Island area

This is an open roadside shoreline, not a park, so think about traffic and boats as much as fish.

• Fort Morgan Road runs right behind the shore; take care unloading and crossing
• Stay clear of boats using the ramp, and keep your line away from them
• Rocks line parts of the shore; wear shoes with good grip
• Shuffle your feet when wading to warn off stingrays
• Get off the water at the first thunder of a summer storm
• Accessibility: roadside parking and a short step down to the water; there is no accessible path or platform

There is almost nothing here, so arrive with everything you need.

• One boat ramp and a courtesy dock
• A few roadside parking spaces
• No restrooms, lights, drinking water or shade
• No bait or tackle at the launch; stock up in Gulf Shores on the way out
• The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge's visitor contact station and trails are a short drive back east

• Pace off 100 feet from the ramp before casting; the state's rule keeps the launch lane clear
• The courtesy dock is inside that zone, so leave it to the boaters
• Arrive at first light, before the wind rises and the boats start launching
• After a winter front, give the water a day to return to the shallows
• Bring ice and drinking water; there is nothing to buy at the launch
• A popping cork lets you cover the shallow water without snagging the bottom

The Pines is a state boat launch that the Marine Resources Division lists as a saltwater fishing access site.

• Fishing is allowed only more than 100 feet from the boat ramp
• Keep the ramp and its courtesy dock clear for launching
• 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