Mississippi shore fishing spots

Mississippi's coast is short and sheltered: three counties, Hancock, Harrison and Jackson, strung along the Mississippi Sound from the Pearl River marshes on the Louisiana line to Grand Bay on the Alabama line. Barrier islands, Ship Island among them, stand between the mainland and the open Gulf, so the mainland beaches face shallow, brackish Sound water that turns brown after wind or rain, while the Bay of St. Louis, Biloxi's Back Bay and the Pascagoula River bring fresh water and miles of marsh into the mix. Most shore fishing is from city and county piers, harbor walls and bayou launches, and many of the piers Hurricane Zeta wrecked in 2020 have been rebuilt.

Shore anglers come for speckled trout, white trout, croaker and redfish almost everywhere, sheepshead and black drum on the pilings, flounder in the fall and Spanish mackerel off the long piers. For clearer water and Gulf surf, a ferry runs from Gulfport to West Ship Island in season. Most public spots list no fees, and the whole coast keeps Central Time.

Waveland, Clermont Harbor and Lakeshore

• Character: the western end of the coast, where the beach road runs beside the open, shallow Sound with marsh and bayous behind it
• What it suits: wade fishing for speckled trout and redfish at Buccaneer State Park and at Lakeshore Beach by the mouth of Bayou Caddy; trout, white trout and croaker, then fall reds and flounder, from the Clermont Harbor Pier
• Access: a state park with camping and an admission charge, beach-side parking and a roadside county pier; Waveland's Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier is closed while the city rebuilds it

Bay St. Louis and the Jourdan River

• Character: the brackish Bay of St. Louis, fed by the Jourdan and Wolf rivers, with Old Town's harbor at its mouth
• What it suits: white trout and specks from the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier, best in the fall; trout, reds, flounder and blue crabs at the Washington Street and Dunbar Street piers, the North Beach Boulevard Seawall and Cedar Point Launch; winter speckled trout up the Jourdan at Pete's Landing
• Access: city piers with no fees listed and Old Town close by; Pete's Landing lies north of I-10, where a freshwater license applies

Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport

• Character: small harbors and long rebuilt piers along the beach front, with the Bayou Bernard backwater behind Gulfport
• What it suits: trout, redfish, sheepshead and black drum at Pass Christian Harbor, the Ken Combs Pier, the Fred Urie Pier and Jones Park; croaker and white trout at the Jim Simpson Sr. Memorial Pier and the Libby Milner Roland Municipal Pier; marsh reds and trout at Bayou Bernard Park and the Gulfport Lake Boat Ramp
• Access: live bait at Pass Christian Harbor and Jones Park; several of these piers reopened in 2026

Biloxi and the Back Bay

• Character: the front beach on the Sound, Point Cadet at the mouth of Biloxi Bay, and the calm Back Bay behind the city
• What it suits: heavy black drum and night trout on the drive-on Point Cadet Fishing Pier; sheepshead, croaker and fall Spanish mackerel on the Coliseum Pier; spring wade fishing at West Biloxi Boardwalk Beach; trout, reds and flounder at Popp's Ferry Causeway Park, the Forrest Avenue Pier, the Old Ice Wharf and Fountain Pier in D'Iberville
• Access: city piers and parks, most with no fees published; the Biloxi Lighthouse Pier is closed until it is rebuilt

West Ship Island

• Character: a barrier island in the Gulf Islands National Seashore, with cleaner, saltier water than the mainland and true Gulf surf
• What it suits: redfish and speckled trout on the Sound side near the fort; pompano, Gulf kingfish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish in the surf
• Access: a passenger ferry from Gulfport, mid-March to early November, about an hour each way; no bait on the island

Ocean Springs, St. Martin and Gulf Park Estates

• Character: Front Beach on Biloxi Bay, the harbor breakwaters and the marsh bayous around town
• What it suits: black drum, redfish and sheepshead at the Ocean Springs Fishing Pier and the harbor pier; trout and croaker at the Chester McPhearson Jr. Pier; trout, reds and flounder at Old Fort Bayou, Percy Miller Marine Education Park, Davis Bayou, the Brittany Avenue Pier and Webbs Landing; redfish off the Lake Mars Pier
• Access: county and city piers, the national seashore at Davis Bayou, and restrooms and a playground in Fort Maurepas Park

Gautier, Pascagoula and Moss Point

• Character: the lower Pascagoula and Escatawpa rivers, their marshes and the Pascagoula beachfront
• What it suits: trout, white trout and croaker from the 1,000-foot Pascagoula Beach Park Pier; bull reds and big drum at Point Park; fall trout and reds at River Park, the Old Spanish Fort Pier, Riverfront Park and the Highway 63 Pier; family fishing at George Martin City Park; marsh fishing at Shepard State Park; winter drum in the Bayou Cassotte channel
• Access: well-equipped city parks in Pascagoula and Gautier and simple county launches up the rivers

Grand Bay

• Character: a wide salt marsh reserve on the Alabama line, away from the river mouths
• What it suits: speckled trout, redfish and flounder along the marsh edges at the Bayou Heron Pier and the Bayou Cumbest Pier
• Access: remote, free launches with nothing for sale nearby

Season	Likely species (shore)	Notes
Spring (Mar–May)	Sheepshead, black drum, speckled trout, white trout, croaker, redfish, pompano	Sheepshead and big black drum crowd the pilings and Point Cadet; trout move back onto the beaches and marsh edges, and the front beach at Biloxi gets its wade-fishing run; pompano reach West Ship's surf, while the rivers often still run fresh
Summer (Jun–Aug)	White trout, croaker, catfish, speckled trout, flounder, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish	Bottom fishing all day, trout at dawn and under the pier lights at night, flounder after dark, and mackerel and jacks off the long piers and the island; blue crabs are everywhere
Fall (Sep–Nov)	Speckled trout, redfish, flounder, black drum, Spanish mackerel	The best season on the whole coast: shrimp leave the marsh, flounder head for the Sound, bull reds run the river mouths and dry weather salts the rivers and bayous
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Sheepshead, black drum, white trout, speckled trout	Fish drop into deep holes and channels after cold fronts; speckled trout run up the Jourdan River, drum and sheepshead hold on the pilings, and no ferry runs to West Ship

• Live shrimp under a popping cork catches speckled trout and redfish from almost every pier, wall and bayou; live cocahoe minnows are a favorite on the Bay of St. Louis. Buy bait on the way, since only a few spots sell it, among them Pass Christian Harbor, Jones Park and Wiggles in Moss Point.
• A two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of fresh shrimp takes white trout, croaker and Gulf kingfish, the ground mullet of the beaches.
• Fiddler crabs on a small, strong hook dropped tight to pilings and rocks catch sheepshead; half a blue crab on a fish-finder rig with heavy line is the bait for big black drum and bull reds.
• A mud minnow on a Carolina rig, dragged slowly, finds flounder; a gold spoon or spinnerbait along the marsh grass finds redfish.
• Small silver spoons and Gotcha plugs, ripped fast, catch Spanish mackerel off the ends of the long piers and on West Ship Island.
• Wading gear for the beaches, a crab net for summer evenings and a kayak for the marsh bayous all widen the choice; a drop net lifts a heavy fish onto a high deck.

• Tides: the Mississippi Sound is diurnal, with one high and one low on most days, a range of a foot or two and a few days every two weeks when the water barely moves. Predictions for the Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula areas cover the coast.
• Wind: the wind moves the water more than the tide. North winds behind winter cold fronts drain the Sound and the bays and push fish into deeper holes, channels and bridge pilings; strong south winds stack water against the beach roads and muddy the shallows.
• Rain and rivers: heavy rain upstate on the Pearl, Jourdan, Pascagoula and Escatawpa freshens the Sound and the bays for days and pushes trout and redfish out toward the islands. In a dry spell the salt creeps up the rivers, and the saltwater fish follow it as far as Diamondhead and Moss Point.
• Water: the Sound is shallow and often brown; it clears after a few calm days, and the Gulf side of West Ship Island has the cleanest water on the coast.
• Current: the small tide runs hardest where water squeezes through, at Point Cadet, the Pascagoula River mouth and the harbor entrances, and a falling tide draining the marsh is the best time on the bayous.
• Storm tides: the low beach roads in Hancock County flood in a storm surge, and very high tides can close the road to the Bayou Heron Pier.

• Lightning: summer storms build fast over the Sound; leave piers, boardwalks and the water at the first thunder.
• Traffic: US 90 and the beach roads run right beside many spots, so cross at signals, and on the drive-on Point Cadet pier drive slowly and keep children on the sidewalks.
• Boats and ships: keep casts clear of launch lanes and harbor mouths, and reel in when big ships pass in the Bayou Casotte channel at Pascagoula.
• Wading: shuffle your feet for stingrays and keep clear of swimmers; rip currents form on West Ship Island's Gulf side, where there is almost no shade.
• Rocks and wildlife: stay off breakwater and jetty rocks; alligators live in the marshes and rivers of Jackson County; catfish spines and mosquitoes are part of every summer evening.
• Closed piers: the Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier in Waveland and the Biloxi Lighthouse Pier are closed until they are rebuilt; stay off both.
• Fees and hours: most city and county spots list no fee and publish no hours; Buccaneer State Park charges admission, the West Ship ferry charges a fare, Fountain Pier closes at 10 p.m. and the Davis Bayou area at sunset.

• Plan around the wind and the rain as much as the tide: a few calm, dry days bring the cleanest, saltiest water.
• Fall is the season to come, for trout, redfish and flounder from Bay St. Louis to Grand Bay.
• Bring fiddler crabs from late winter into spring for sheepshead, and a blue crab for Point Cadet's black drum.
• When the Sound is rough, fish the sheltered water: the Back Bay of Biloxi, Old Fort Bayou, the Bay of St. Louis or the deep channel at the Bayou Cassotte Pier.
• Follow the winter speckled trout up the Jourdan River to Pete's Landing.
• Make a day of West Ship Island on the morning ferry, with a light rod in a tube and all your bait.
• On summer nights, trout gather under the lights of the Point Cadet and Pascagoula Beach Park piers.
• Keep a crab net in the car; several city and county piers are as popular for blue crabs as for fish.

• Alabama – just east of Grand Bay: Mobile County's Bayfront Park in Coden, Cedar Point Pier and the Dauphin Island surf, then across Mobile Bay to the Fort Morgan peninsula, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, where an Alabama saltwater fishing license and Marine Resources Division rules apply (outdooralabama.com)
• Florida – beyond the Alabama coast, from Perdido Key and Pensacola east along the Panhandle and on down the peninsula to the Keys, with Florida's own license and rules

• Do I need a fishing license to fish from the shore in Mississippi?
  • A Mississippi saltwater fishing license is required south of US 90 unless you are exempt; between US 90 and I-10 either a saltwater or a freshwater license will do. Anglers under 16 are exempt. North of I-10, as at Pete's Landing on the Jourdan, a freshwater license is the one you need. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources explains the rules at dmr.ms.gov.
• Can I keep what I catch?
  • Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.
• What is the best time of year?
  • Fall, from September into November, for speckled trout, redfish and flounder all along the coast; spring for sheepshead, big black drum and wade fishing on the beaches; winter for trout up the Jourdan River.
• Can I fish at night?
  • Yes, at the lit Point Cadet Fishing Pier in Biloxi and the Pascagoula Beach Park Pier, and until 10 p.m. at Fountain Pier and 10 or 11 p.m. at Popp's Ferry Causeway Park. Most other spots publish no hours, so read the signs.
• Where can I fish when the Sound is rough?
  • In the bays and bayous: Popp's Ferry Causeway Park and the Old Ice Wharf on the Back Bay, Bayou Bernard Park in Gulfport, Old Fort Bayou in Ocean Springs and the more sheltered Bay of St. Louis.
• Is there surf fishing in Mississippi?
  • The mainland beaches face the shallow Sound, where anglers wade for trout and redfish. For Gulf surf, pompano and Spanish mackerel, take the ferry from Gulfport to West Ship Island between March and November.
• Where's good for children?
  • The Pascagoula Beach Park Pier and Fountain Pier in D'Iberville, both set in family parks, the Jim Simpson Sr. Memorial Pier at Long Beach for croaker and white trout, and the small pier at Davis Bayou.

Area	Coast character & access	Best species	Prime season	Go-to methods	Key safety notes	Facilities
Waveland, Clermont Harbor and Lakeshore	Shallow Sound beaches and a small county pier	Trout, redfish, white trout, croaker, flounder	Spring and fall	Wading with corks and spoons, bottom rigs	Stingrays, road traffic, storm tides	Bathhouses and camping at Buccaneer
Bay St. Louis and the Jourdan River	Harbor pier, bay piers, seawall and a river landing	White trout, speckled trout, reds, flounder	Fall; winter up the river	Live cocahoes and shrimp, slow soft plastics	Road traffic, ramps, fast boats	Restrooms at the launches; Old Town nearby
Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport	Harbors, long rebuilt piers, a marsh backwater	Trout, reds, sheepshead, drum, croaker	Spring and fall	Corks, Carolina rigs, fiddler crabs	Harbor traffic, jetty rocks	Live bait at Pass Christian and Jones Park
Biloxi and the Back Bay	Drive-on pier, beach piers and calm bay piers	Black drum, sheepshead, trout, reds, flounder	Spring; fall	Crab on the bottom, corks, mud minnows	Cars on the pier, US 90	Lights at Point Cadet; parks with pavilions
West Ship Island	Barrier-island beaches and Gulf surf	Redfish, trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel	Spring and fall	Pompano rigs, spoons, jigs	Rip currents, sun, last ferry	Restrooms and a snack bar
Ocean Springs, St. Martin and Gulf Park Estates	Bay-mouth pier, harbor rocks, marsh bayous, open Sound	Black drum, reds, sheepshead, trout, flounder	Late winter; fall	Crab, fiddler crabs, corks	Rocks, alligators	Parks and a seashore visitor center
Gautier, Pascagoula and Moss Point	Beach pier, river mouth, river piers and launches	Trout, white trout, bull reds, black drum	Fall after a dry spell	Corks, cut bait, heavy rods	River current, ships, alligators	Lights and concessions at Beach Park
Grand Bay	Remote salt marsh reserve	Trout, redfish, flounder	Fall	Light corks, spoons	Flooded road, insects	An accessible pier, little else