Cedar Point Pier Fishing

Cedar Point Pier is the free, all-night county pier at the foot of the Dauphin Island bridge, and the longest fishing pier in Coden. It stretches out over shallow water off Cedar Point, where trout and redfish move between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound.

• More than 880 feet of pier, open 24 hours every day except Christmas
• Free entry and free parking, with nighttime security
• Speckled trout, white trout, redfish, croaker and sheepshead
• Reopened in October 2025 after accessibility and shoreline work
• A pier has stood on this site since at least the mid-1800s

The pier is at 18250 Dauphin Island Parkway in Coden, on the causeway just north of the high bridge to Dauphin Island. Mobile County Parks runs it as a county park.

• Hours: open 24 hours, seven days a week, except Christmas Day
• Entry: free
• Parking: free, for more than 80 vehicles in the pier lot
• Construction: in summer 2026 the county began building a new boat launch on the east side of the highway; park in the pier lot and stay on the west side, as the east side is closed to parking and public access for about a year
• Access: a ramp from the parking area and a new walkway lead onto the pier

The water here is shallow and often stained, a mix of bay and sound water, so the catch follows the seasons and the wind.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead and black drum crowd the pilings early, then speckled trout and white trout move in as the water warms
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout at dawn, dusk and after dark, croaker and white trout on the bottom, Spanish mackerel chasing bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best all-round season, with trout, redfish and flounder feeding before winter
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the pilings, with trout on mild days between fronts

Medium spinning tackle with 10 to 15 lb line covers most of the fishing; a drop net helps land a big redfish or black drum from the deck.

• Speckled trout: a live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head worked along the pilings
• White trout and croaker: a two-hook bottom rig with bits of fresh shrimp or squid
• Redfish and black drum: a fish-finder rig with cut mullet, crab or a whole shrimp
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a short leader and a small, strong hook, dropped tight to the pilings
• Spanish mackerel: a small silver spoon retrieved fast
• Bring bait: none is sold on the pier, though there is a bait shop nearby

This end of Mobile Bay has one small high and one small low tide on most days, a range of only a foot or two, and a few days each fortnight when the water barely moves; check the Dauphin Island area predictions for the day.

• Moving water, in either direction, is what turns the fish on
• North winds behind winter cold fronts drain the bay and push fish to the deeper water off the end of the pier
• Strong south winds stack water up and can muddy the shallows
• Heavy rain upstate floods the bay with fresh water and pushes trout and redfish toward the passes
• Calm early mornings and evenings fish best in summer

The county rebuilt the pier's entry for wheelchair users in 2025, and the deck is long and open to the weather.

• Leave the pier when thunder starts; summer storms build fast over the bay
• Watch your footing on a wet deck, and carry a light at night
• Keep hooks and lines clear of other anglers on busy weekends
• Do not cross to the east side of the highway while the boat launch is under construction
• Carry water and sun protection; the canopy by the office is the main shade
• Access: an ADA-compliant ramp from the parking area, a new deck with a canopy, and a walkway onto the pier

Facilities are simple but cover the basics for an all-night session.

• Restrooms in bathroom trailers by the office
• Free parking for more than 80 vehicles
• A covered deck between the office and the restrooms
• Nighttime security
• No bait or tackle on site; a bait shop is nearby
• No food confirmed on site, so bring what you need

• Dauphin Island's huge July fishing rodeo brings crowds to the area, so arrive early that week
• Live shrimp from a local bait shop out-fish frozen bait for trout
• Fish the deeper water toward the end of the pier when a cold front has drained the bay
• In late winter, scrape fiddler crabs tight against the pilings for sheepshead
• Night fishing is allowed, so a calm summer night can be the best time to try for trout
• The county shuts the pier when a tropical storm threatens (for a day during Tropical Storm Bertha in July 2026), so check its notices when the weather turns

Cedar Point Pier is a Mobile County park, managed by Mobile County Parks.

• Open 24 hours, every day except Christmas Day
• Each angler may fish two rods at most
• No cast nets and no crabbing from the pier
• Mobile County park rules apply, including no alcohol
• The county says Alabama residents need no saltwater fishing license to fish from the pier
• 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