Portersville Bay Redfish: Marsh Fishing West of Mobile Bay
An Overlooked Redfish Fishery
While most Alabama inshore anglers crowd the waters of Mobile Bay and the Orange Beach backwaters, Portersville Bay quietly produces some of the best redfish action on the state's coast. This broad, shallow bay south of Bayou La Batre is bordered by expansive spartina marshes, dotted with oyster reefs, and flushed by tidal exchange with Mississippi Sound. The result is a nutrient-rich environment that supports a healthy population of redfish from juveniles to slot-sized fish and the occasional oversized bull.
Understanding the Bay
Portersville Bay stretches roughly 4 miles east to west and 2 miles north to south, with an average depth of 4 feet. The western shore features a chain of marsh islands (Coffee Island, Marsh Island) that create sheltered pockets of calm water. The eastern shore connects to Coden and the small communities along the coast. Oyster reefs—both natural and planted—break up the flat bottom throughout the bay, creating ambush points where redfish wait for crabs and shrimp swept along by tidal current.
Seasonal Patterns for Portersville Bay Redfish
| Season | Redfish Behavior | Best Areas | Top Presentations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Transitioning onto flats as water warms past 65°F | Western marsh edges, Coffee Island | Live shrimp under cork, gold spoon |
| Summer | Early morning flats feeding, midday deeper channels | Grass flat edges, tidal cuts | Topwater plugs at dawn, soft plastics midday |
| Fall | Aggressive pre-spawn feeding, schooling on flats | Oyster bar edges, marsh drains | Weedless spoon, cut mullet |
| Winter | Holding in deeper channels and creek bends | Bayou La Batre channel, Crab Creek | Slow-retrieve soft plastics, live shrimp |
Portersville Bay in October is as good as redfish fishing gets in Alabama. The water drops into the 70s, the mullet are running, and schools of 20 to 50 slot reds cruise the oyster bars. I've had mornings where every cast with a gold spoon gets hit.
Oyster Bar Tactics
The key to consistently catching Redfish in Bayou La Batre is understanding how they use oyster structure. On incoming tides, reds position on the upcurrent side of bars where crabs and shrimp get swept over the shells. On falling tides, they move to deeper edges of the bars and into the cuts between reef sections. Position your boat upcurrent and cast across the bar, retrieving your lure or bait along the edge.
Fly Fishing Portersville Bay
The bay's shallow, clear water makes it one of the better fly fishing destinations on the Alabama coast. An 8-weight rod with a floating line and a 9-foot leader tapered to 16 lb covers most situations. Tan or olive crab patterns (Merkin, EP Crab) and chartreuse/white Clouser minnows are the most productive flies. The marsh edges along the western shoreline offer the calmest water for sight-casting to tailing fish.
Other Species in the Bay
Flounder in Bayou La Batre hold on sandy patches near the oyster bars and along the channel edges where the bayou dumps into the bay. Speckled Trout move into the bay from October through March, favoring the deeper cuts and channel bends along the northern shore. Black drum cruise the oyster bars alongside redfish, eating the same crabs and worms.
Practical Considerations
- Launch from the Bayou La Batre public ramp—it's a 10-minute run to the bay's productive areas
- Carry a detailed chart—unmarked oyster reefs can damage lower units at speed
- Idle through the commercial fleet area to avoid wake conflicts with working boats
- Bring fresh water and sun protection—there is no shade on the bay
- Check current regulations at Outdoor Alabama