Clermont Harbor Pier Fishing

Clermont Harbor Pier is a small county pier on the far western stretch of the Hancock County beach road, where houses thin out and the marsh comes down to the roadside. It is one of the two piers Hancock County repaired after Hurricane Zeta, and in 2023 the county renamed it the Lyonie "Jeep" Ladner Sr. Memorial Pier, after the district supervisor who first pushed for a pier here.

• A Hancock County fishing pier over the open Mississippi Sound
• Speckled trout, white trout and croaker from spring to fall
• Redfish and flounder in the cooler months
• A low-key spot well away from the town piers

The pier leaves South Beach Boulevard at Clermont Harbor, west of the Clermont Harbor beach and between the Lakeshore beach and Buccaneer State Park. The boulevard runs right along the shore here.

• Getting there: follow South Beach Boulevard west from Waveland past Buccaneer State Park
• Parking: a small dirt pull-off beside the boulevard at the pier; there is no paved lot
• The walk: from the roadside onto the deck
• Fees and hours: none are listed; read the signs at the pier
• The county planned to add about 100 feet to the pier once its storm repairs were done, so watch for signs of any work

The Sound here is shallow, brown on a blow and clearer on calm days, with marsh bayous draining into it nearby.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and white trout move along the shoreline, with croaker on the bottom
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and catfish through the day, specks early and late, and Gulf kingfish over sand
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and flounder feed along the shore as bait leaves the marshes
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum around the pilings on milder days

Keep it light: a 7-foot spinning rod with 10 to 12 lb line suits the shallow water.

• Trout: live shrimp or a cocahoe minnow under a popping cork, drifted off the end of the pier
• Croaker, white trout and kingfish: a two-hook bottom rig with bits of fresh shrimp
• Redfish: a gold spoon or a paddle-tail soft plastic worked parallel to the shoreline
• Flounder: a live minnow on a Carolina rig, bumped slowly over the bottom
• Sheepshead and black drum: shrimp or crab dropped beside the pilings

Like the rest of this coast, the water rises and falls once a day by only a foot or two, and some days it barely moves. Wind sets the water level as much as the tide does, so check the forecast and the nearest NOAA station in the Bay St. Louis area.

• Fish when the water is moving, especially the first hours of the fall
• Calm, clear mornings give the cleanest water along this shore
• A strong south wind muddies the shallows and pushes water toward the road
• After big rains on the Pearl River and the bays, the fresher water pushes trout away from shore

This is a simple roadside pier with no staff on site.

• Traffic on South Beach Boulevard passes right beside the pier; keep children and gear well back from the road
• Leave at the first sign of lightning; there is little shelter nearby
• This low road can flood in storm tides, so do not visit when a tropical system is coming
• Bring water, sun protection and insect repellent for the marsh mosquitoes
• Access: the deck leaves from road level, but parking is a dirt pull-off, not a paved lot

Facilities are minimal here.

• The pier itself, repaired after Hurricane Zeta
• A small dirt pull-off for parking
• No restrooms, bait shop or lights that we could confirm
• The nearest stores and services are back in Waveland and Bay St. Louis
• Bring bait, ice and drinking water with you

• Buy live shrimp before you leave Waveland or Bay St. Louis; there is nothing out here
• Calm, light-wind mornings are the best chance of clean water and active trout
• Watch for diving birds over the Sound; trout and white trout are often under them
• Pair a session here with wading the beach at Lakeshore or Buccaneer when the pier is busy
• Check the forecast for south winds, which turn this shore brown fast

Hancock County owns and maintains the pier. The county does not list fishing rules for it, so read any signs posted at the pier before you fish.

• 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
• The pier is on the Sound, south of US 90, so a saltwater license is the one you need
• Anglers under 16 are exempt
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything