Fishing spots in Hancock County

Hancock County is the western end of Mississippi's coast, running from the marshes along the Pearl River, which divides it from Louisiana, east to the Bay of St. Louis. Beach Boulevard follows the shallow Mississippi Sound through Lakeshore, Clermont Harbor and Waveland, with bayous and coastal marsh behind it, and Old Town Bay St. Louis looks out over the mouth of the bay, where the Jourdan and Wolf rivers bring in fresh water. The water is brackish and shallow, and it turns brown after a south wind or heavy rain.

Anglers come for speckled trout and white trout from the town piers, redfish and flounder in the fall, wade fishing off the beach at Buccaneer State Park, sheepshead and black drum on the pilings in winter, and the speckled trout that run up the Jourdan in the cold months. The tide is usually one small high and low a day, so wind and rain count for more than the tide table. The county keeps Central Time.

Old Town Bay St. Louis

• Character: the town's waterfront where the Bay of St. Louis opens onto the Sound, with the municipal harbor set between the railroad trestle and the US 90 bridge, and the beach running south of Old Town
• What it suits: white trout, speckled trout, redfish, flounder and croaker from the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier, with sheepshead and black drum on its pilings in winter; trout, white trout, croaker and winter sheepshead from the short Washington Street Pier beside its launch
• Access: level decks with Old Town's restaurants a short walk from the harbor; restrooms and trailer parking at Washington Street; no fees are listed at either pier

The upper Bay of St. Louis

• Character: shallow, brackish water fed by the Jourdan and Wolf rivers, along North Beach Boulevard north of the US 90 bridge
• What it suits: trout, white trout, redfish and fall flounder, plus blue crabs, from the Dunbar Street Pier and the North Beach Boulevard Seawall; redfish, trout and flounder at the mouth of the Jourdan from the bay wall at Cedar Point Launch, with sheepshead and black drum in winter
• Access: a roadside pier and wall where you park only as the signs allow; restrooms, a pavilion and a kayak launch at Cedar Point. This shore lies between US 90 and I-10

The Jourdan River at Diamondhead

• Character: the lower river just north of the I-10 bridge, brackish but fresher than the bay
• What it suits: speckled trout in the deep holes near the interstate in late fall and winter, redfish, black drum and flounder along the banks, and bass and bream after heavy rain, all at Pete's Landing
• Access: a free city landing with a boardwalk and fishing pier, restrooms, ADA parking and an accessible kayak launch; it is north of I-10, so a freshwater license applies

Waveland, Clermont Harbor and Lakeshore

• Character: the open, shallow Sound along South Beach Boulevard, with marsh and bayous behind the road
• What it suits: wade fishing for trout and redfish at Buccaneer State Park and at Lakeshore Beach, where Bayou Caddy runs into the Sound; trout, white trout and croaker, then fall redfish and flounder, from the quiet Clermont Harbor Pier
• Access: state park admission at Buccaneer, whose beach across the road is public; beach-side parking at Lakeshore and a dirt pull-off at Clermont Harbor. Waveland's Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier is closed while the city rebuilds it

Season	Likely species (shore)	Notes
Spring (Mar–May)	Speckled trout, white trout, redfish, croaker, flounder, black drum	Trout spread along the beachfront and up the bay as the water warms; redfish cruise the wading shallows at Buccaneer and Lakeshore; the first flounder show at the harbor pier
Summer (Jun–Aug)	White trout, croaker, hardhead catfish, speckled trout, Gulf kingfish, Spanish mackerel	Bottom fishing all day, specks at first light and dusk, kingfish over the sand, and mackerel or jacks on calm, clear days; blue crabs at their best off the bay piers
Fall (Sep–Nov)	Speckled trout, redfish, flounder, white trout	The best season: fish gather at the mouth of the Jourdan and along the beach ahead of the first fronts, and early November brings the bay's bridge trout bite
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Sheepshead, black drum, speckled trout	Sheepshead and drum hold on pilings and walls; speckled trout push up the Jourdan to the deep holes near I-10

• Popping cork: a live shrimp or a cocahoe minnow under a popping cork is the standard for speckled trout and redfish off pier ends, the bay wall and the beach; locals favor live cocahoes on this bay
• Bottom rigs: a two-hook rig with small pieces of fresh shrimp for white trout, croaker and Gulf kingfish
• Lures: a gold spoon for redfish along the shoreline, a soft-plastic paddle tail on a light jig head for trout, and a white grub with a red tail for flounder
• Flounder: a live minnow on a Carolina rig, bumped slowly over the bottom and along drop-offs
• Winter: fiddler crabs or shrimp tight to pilings and walls for sheepshead and drum; on the Jourdan, cocahoes, shrimp or a soft plastic crawled along the bottom of the deep holes for trout
• Wading: a 7-foot medium-light spinning rod, a wading belt or stringer and old shoes for Buccaneer and Lakeshore
• Crabbing: a crab net with chicken necks at Dunbar Street and the seawall, which the city promotes for crabbing as well as fishing

• The tide is diurnal: one high and one low on most days, a foot or two apart, with a few days every two weeks when it nearly stalls; predictions for the Bay St. Louis area cover the county
• North winds behind winter cold fronts drain the bay and the beach shallows and push trout into deeper water by the bridges and up the Jourdan
• Strong south winds stack water against the beach road and muddy the shallows within hours
• Heavy rain on the Pearl River turns the western end of the coast fresh and brown, and rain on the Jourdan and Wolf freshens the bay for days, pushing trout toward the Sound
• A falling tide drains bait out of the Jourdan, Bayou Caddy and the marshes, and is often the best time to fish
• Calm, clear mornings with a light north or west wind give the cleanest water for wading and cork fishing

• Lightning: summer storms build fast over the bay and the Sound; leave piers, walls and the water at the first thunder
• Road traffic: the boulevard runs right beside the Clermont Harbor Pier, the Dunbar Street Pier and the North Beach seawall, so keep children, coolers and rods off the road
• Wading: shuffle your feet for stingrays, keep well away from swimmers and the Bayou Caddy boat channel, and check MDEQ's water-contact advisories before wading at Lakeshore
• Boats: cast clear of the launch lanes at Washington Street, Cedar Point and Pete's Landing and of boats in the Old Town harbor; fast boats and water-skiers use the lower Jourdan
• Storms: storm tides flood the low beach roads, so stay away when tropical weather is forecast; the Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier is a fenced construction site until it reopens
• Facilities: restrooms at Washington Street, Cedar Point, Pete's Landing and Buccaneer State Park; little shade anywhere, so bring water and sun protection
• Fees: Buccaneer State Park charges admission; no fees are listed at the city and county piers, and Pete's Landing is free

• Buy live shrimp in Bay St. Louis or Waveland before heading west; nothing is sold at Clermont Harbor or Lakeshore
• Fall, and early November in particular, is when the bay's bridge trout bite is at its best; cast toward the railroad trestle from the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier
• Follow the speckled trout up the Jourdan in late fall and winter, from Cedar Point Launch at the mouth to Pete's Landing near the interstate
• When a south wind muddies the beach, move into the more sheltered Bay of St. Louis
• Wade Buccaneer or Lakeshore at sunrise on a calm morning; the beach trout bite fades as the sun climbs
• Bring a crab net to Dunbar Street and the seawall in summer, and fiddler crabs for winter sheepshead
• Old Town festivals fill the harbor lots, so check the city calendar before a weekend trip
• Until the Garfield Ladner pier reopens, the Washington Street Pier is the nearest public pier east of Waveland, and the Jimmy Rutherford pier the longest

• Harrison County, Mississippi – east across the Bay of St. Louis on US 90: Pass Christian Harbor with its public pier and live bait, the rebuilt Jim Simpson Sr. Memorial Pier at Long Beach, then Gulfport's long piers and the seasonal ferry from Jones Park to West Ship Island
• Jackson County, Mississippi – farther east beyond Biloxi Bay, for the Ocean Springs piers and the marsh bayous and rivers around Gautier, Pascagoula and Moss Point

• Do I need a fishing license in Hancock County?
  • 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. Pete's Landing in Diamondhead is just north of I-10, where a freshwater license is the one you need. MDMR 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 month to fish here?
  • Fall, from September into November, when trout, redfish and flounder gather at the mouth of the Jourdan and along the beach; early November brings the bay's bridge trout bite. For winter trout, fish the Jourdan from December on.
• Can I fish at night?
  • No pier here publishes night hours or has confirmed lights, so read the posted signs and check with the harbor office before a night trip to the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier. Cedar Point Launch and Pete's Landing allow no overnight parking.
• Where can I fish when the Sound is rough?
  • In the more sheltered Bay of St. Louis, such as the bay wall at Cedar Point Launch where the Jourdan comes in, or up the river at Pete's Landing.
• Is the Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier open?
  • Not yet. Waveland began rebuilding it in February 2026 and expected the work to finish in fall 2026, so check with the city before you go. Meanwhile fish the Washington Street or Jimmy Rutherford piers in Bay St. Louis, or wade the beach at Buccaneer State Park.

Area	Coast character & access	Best species	Prime season	Go-to methods	Key safety notes	Facilities
Old Town Bay St. Louis	Long harbor pier and a short launch pier at the bay mouth	White trout, speckled trout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead	Fall, especially early November	Live cocahoes or shrimp under a cork, bottom rigs, fiddler crabs	Harbor and launch traffic, lightning	Restrooms at Washington Street; Old Town's restaurants nearby
The upper Bay of St. Louis	Shallow, brackish bay with a roadside pier, seawall and launch	Trout, white trout, redfish, flounder, blue crabs	Fall	Popping corks, gold spoons, crab nets	Road traffic, wet walls, boat ramp	Restrooms and a pavilion at Cedar Point
The Jourdan River at Diamondhead	Lower river north of I-10; free city landing	Speckled trout, redfish, black drum, flounder	Late fall and winter	Slow soft plastics, live cocahoes	Fast boats, ramp traffic; freshwater license	Restrooms, ADA parking, kayak launch
Waveland, Clermont Harbor and Lakeshore	Open, 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 at Buccaneer; little elsewhere