North Beach Boulevard Seawall, Bay St. Louis Fishing

North Beach Boulevard Seawall is the long bayfront wall on the north side of Bay St. Louis, where the city says the public can fish and crab. It is a local, come-and-go spot: pull up, drop a crab net, and fish the bay with whatever bait you have.

• A city-recommended place to fish and crab
• Speckled trout, white trout, redfish and flounder in the warm months
• Sheepshead and black drum in winter
• Wide views across the Bay of St. Louis toward the US 90 bridge

The seawall lines North Beach Boulevard on the Bay St. Louis side of the bay, north of the US 90 bridge and the Bay-Waveland Yacht Club. This guide's pin is on the stretch between the yacht club and Cedar Point, where the road hugs the shore.

• Getting there: follow North Beach Boulevard north from Old Town
• Parking: there is no dedicated lot along this stretch; park only where signs allow, never on the road
• The walk: straight from the roadside to the wall
• Fees: none listed for fishing from the seawall

The upper Bay of St. Louis is shallow and brackish, fed by the Jourdan and Wolf rivers, so fresh water and wind decide where the fish are.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and white trout move up the bay, and redfish roam the shoreline
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and catfish on the bottom, trout at dawn and dusk, and blue crabs in the nets
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and flounder along the wall, and the best speckled trout fishing of the year
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum close to the wall, and slower fishing after cold fronts

Keep it simple: a medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb line and a crab net or two.

• Speckled trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head worked along the bottom
• Redfish and flounder: a gold spoon or a white grub with a red tail along the shoreline, or shrimp on a Carolina rig
• White trout and croaker: fresh dead shrimp on a two-hook bottom rig
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on the bottom close to the wall
• Blue crabs: chicken necks in a drop net, checked every few minutes

The bay gets one high and one low tide on most days, rarely more than a foot or two apart, and some days the water barely moves. Wind and rainfall upstate shift the water as much as the tide does; check the nearest NOAA station in the Bay St. Louis area.

• A high, moving tide brings fish up to the wall
• North winds behind winter fronts drop the water and pull fish out to deeper holes
• Strong south or east winds push water up against this shore
• After heavy rain the bay runs brown and fresh, and trout drop down toward the bridges

A seawall beside a road needs a little care, especially with children.

• Traffic passes right behind you; keep gear, coolers and children off the roadway
• No railing is listed along the wall, so keep small children close to you
• Leave at the first thunder; summer storms come quickly across the bay
• Wear shoes with good grip; a wet seawall is slick
• Access: flat ground from the roadside to the wall, but no rails, ramps or shade

This is an open seawall, not a park, so come prepared.

• No restrooms on the wall itself; the Cedar Point Launch to the north lists restrooms
• No bait or tackle on site
• No lights, benches or shelters are listed
• Old Town, a short drive south, has food, drinks and supplies

• Bring a crab net even when you come for fish; the city recommends this wall for crabbing too
• An evening high tide in summer is the best time for both trout and crabs
• A gold spoon cast along the wall finds redfish when shrimp only bring catfish
• On north winds, the water can drop far enough to make the wall slow; try the Old Town harbor pier instead
• Keep chicken necks and shrimp on ice in summer; both spoil fast in the heat

The City of Bay St. Louis lists the North Beach Boulevard seawall as a public place to fish and crab, and notes that a state license may be required.

• Obey parking signs and keep off private seawalls and docks
• 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
• Anglers under 16 are exempt
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits, crabbing included, before keeping anything