Washington Street Pier, Bay St. Louis Fishing

Washington Street Pier is a small public pier and boat launch on the Bay St. Louis beachfront, south of Old Town, where the Mississippi Sound meets the mouth of the Bay of St. Louis. It is a no-frills spot for a dawn or evening session close to town.

• A short pier beside a two-lane public boat launch
• Speckled trout, white trout, croaker and redfish in the warm months
• Sheepshead and black drum in winter
• Restrooms and parking on site

The pier is at the foot of Washington Street, where it meets South Beach Boulevard on the Bay St. Louis waterfront. The City of Bay St. Louis lists the launch and pier among its recreation sites, and Hancock County awarded the contract to repair it after Hurricane Zeta.

• Parking: spaces for cars and for trucks with trailers
• The walk: straight from the lot onto the pier, with no sand or rocks to cross
• Hancock County has applied to add an accessible pier with a ramp and landing beside it, so expect work here
• Fees and hours: none are listed; read the signs at the entrance

The water off this pier is the shallow, brackish edge of the Mississippi Sound, and it changes with every blow and every heavy rain.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and white trout move up the beachfront, with croaker on the bottom
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and catfish all day, speckled trout at first light, and Gulf kingfish on the sand
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and flounder join the trout as the water cools
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum around the pilings, and slower fishing on cold, clear days

Light tackle fits this short pier: a 6 1/2 to 7-foot spinning rod with 8 to 12 lb line.

• Speckled trout: a live shrimp or a cocahoe minnow under a popping cork, cast along the end of the pier
• White trout, croaker and kingfish: a two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of fresh shrimp
• Redfish and flounder: a Carolina rig with a live minnow or a soft plastic dragged along the bottom
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp straight down beside the pilings
• Children: a bobber, a small hook and shrimp catch croaker and pinfish all summer

Tides here are small: one high and one low on most days, a foot or two apart, with some days when the water barely moves at all. Wind and the rivers often set the water level, so check the nearest NOAA station in the Bay St. Louis area as well as the forecast.

• Fish the moving water; a falling tide out of the bay often brings bait past the pier
• Calm mornings give the clearest water and the best trout bite
• A strong south wind stacks water up and muddies the shallows
• After heavy rain upstate, the fresher, browner water pushes trout out toward the Sound

The pier is low, short and easy to reach from the parking lot.

• Watch for boats backing trailers and idling past the pier from the launch
• Leave at the first thunder; afternoon storms are common from June to September
• Bring water and sun protection; there is no cover on the pier
• Handle catfish carefully; their spines cause painful wounds
• Access: level from the lot, and the county set aside part of the rebuild money for accessibility and parking

This is a simple site built for launching boats and fishing.

• A fishing pier
• A two-lane public boat launch
• Restrooms on site
• Parking for cars and trailers
• Bait: none on site; Old Town is a short drive north for food and supplies

• Get there at first light; the launch gets busy as soon as the sun is up on weekends
• Fish the end of the pier for trout and the pilings nearer shore for sheepshead
• Bring live shrimp when you can; this shallow water rewards a lively bait
• Do not fish from the private pier at the school just up the beach
• On a north wind in winter, try the deeper water by the Old Town harbor instead

The City of Bay St. Louis lists the Washington Street Launch and Pier among its sites, and Hancock County maintains the pier.

• Follow the park rules posted at the launch
• Keep the launch lanes clear for boaters
• 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 before keeping anything