Cedar Point Launch, Bay St. Louis Fishing

Cedar Point Launch sits at the far end of North Beach Boulevard, where the Jourdan River meets the Bay of St. Louis. Most people come to launch a boat or kayak, but the bay wall beside the ramp gives shore anglers a spot on moving water at the river mouth.

• A city launch with restrooms, a pavilion and a kayak launch
• Redfish, speckled trout and flounder at the mouth of the Jourdan
• Winter sheepshead and black drum
• A handy base for a kayak trip into the bay or up the river

The launch is at 4098 North Beach Boulevard, at the north end of Bay St. Louis, behind the casino at the mouth of the Jourdan River. The City of Bay St. Louis runs it.

• Getting there: follow North Beach Boulevard north and west from Old Town to its end
• Parking: a lot with two ADA spaces; trailers take most of the room on busy weekends
• The walk: a few steps from the lot to the bay wall
• Launch: two lanes for boats and a separate kayak launch
• Fees and hours: none are listed; no overnight parking

Fresh water from the Jourdan mixes with the bay here, so the catch follows the rain and the season.

• Spring (Mar-May): redfish along the shoreline and speckled trout moving up toward the river
• Summer (Jun-Aug): catfish, croaker and white trout on the bottom, with trout and reds at first light
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best months, as trout, redfish and flounder gather at the river mouth
• Winter (Dec-Feb): speckled trout push up the Jourdan into deeper holes, while sheepshead and black drum hold around structure

A medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb braid or monofilament and a fluorocarbon leader suits the mouth of the river.

• Redfish: live or dead shrimp under a popping cork near the shoreline, or a gold spoon
• Speckled trout: live shrimp or cocahoe minnows under a cork; soft plastics worked slowly along the bottom when the water cools
• Flounder: a live minnow or a white grub with a red tail dragged along the drop-off
• Sheepshead and black drum: shrimp or crab on the bottom close to the wall
• Kayak anglers can reach the bayous and shorelines up the Jourdan from the kayak launch

Tides at the head of the bay are small and slow: one high and one low most days, a foot or two apart, with a few days each fortnight when they nearly stall. The Jourdan's flow and the wind can matter more; check the nearest NOAA station in the Bay St. Louis area.

• A falling tide pulls bait out of the river mouth and is often the best time
• After heavy rain, the river runs fresh and brown and fish slide down into the bay
• North winds behind winter cold fronts drop the water and push trout into the river's deep holes
• Calm, clear mornings give the best topwater and cork fishing

The launch is easy to reach, but it is a working boat ramp first.

• Fish well away from the launch lanes, and never cast across a boat backing in
• Fast boats and water-skiers use the lower Jourdan; stay alert on the water's edge
• Leave at the first thunder; storms build quickly over the bay in summer
• Watch your footing on the wall when it is wet
• Access: paved parking with ADA spaces and short, level paths to the water

This is a launch site with the basics.

• Two-lane boat launch and a separate kayak launch
• Restrooms on site
• A small pavilion with bench seating
• Parking, including two ADA spaces
• No bait shop; buy bait before you arrive

• Fall is prime time: trout, reds and flounder stack up at the mouth of the Jourdan
• In late fall and winter, local anglers follow the speckled trout up the river toward the deep water near the I-10 bridge
• Launch a kayak here to fish the shallow north and west shores of the bay, which are too shallow for most boats
• Come on a weekday morning; the ramp gets crowded on summer weekends
• A gold spoon is a good search bait for redfish along the shoreline

The City of Bay St. Louis manages the Cedar Point Launch and posts its rules at the site.

• No overnight parking or camping, no alcohol, tobacco, drugs, firearms or pets, no glass containers and no loitering
• Keep the ramp lanes clear for boaters
• This shore lies north of the US 90 bridge
• 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
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything