Bayou Bernard Park, Gulfport Fishing

Bayou Bernard Park gives Gulfport anglers a calm, sheltered place to fish brackish water without a boat. The city lists fishing piers, a boat launch and boardwalk trails here, and the neighboring James Hill Park shares the same bank of the bayou.

• A small city fishing pier on the open bayou, with more piers in James Hill Park next door
• Redfish, speckled trout and flounder in a marsh-lined backwater
• Boardwalk trails across the salt marsh
• Out of the wind when the Sound is too rough to fish

The park is at 1890 Switzer Road in the Handsboro area of Gulfport, north of US 90, on the south bank of Bayou Bernard. The City of Gulfport runs it.

• James Hill Park is next door at 1950 Switzer Road
• MDMR lists the Handsboro public boat ramp here, at 1900 Switzer Road
• The fishing pier sits at the water's edge beside a picnic shelter, a short walk from the parking area
• Hours and fees are not published; check the signs at the entrance
• The city has applied for funding through MDMR to improve the launch and the wooden boardwalk, so expect parts of the park to be fenced off while that work goes on

Bayou Bernard is brackish, so what bites shifts with the season, the rain and the wind.

• Spring (Mar-May): redfish and speckled trout feed along the marsh edges as the water warms
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker and hardhead catfish on the bottom, redfish early and late, white trout in the deeper water
• Fall (Sep-Nov): flounder move down the bayou toward the bays, and redfish are at their most active
• Winter (Dec-Feb): speckled trout and black drum settle into the deeper bends on cold days, with sheepshead around any pilings
• After heavy rain, largemouth bass and bream can show up when the water turns fresh

Light to medium spinning tackle with 10 to 15 lb line is plenty in this sheltered water.

• Redfish: a gold spoon or a soft-plastic paddle tail along the grass, or cut mullet on a Carolina rig
• Speckled trout: a live shrimp under a popping cork drifted past the points
• Flounder: a bull minnow on a light jig head, worked slowly along the bottom near the bank
• Black drum and croaker: shrimp on a simple bottom rig
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp pieces dropped beside the pier pilings
• Keep a landing net handy; the pier sits low over the water

This part of the coast has one high and one low tide on most days, with a small range, but water still drains in and out of the marsh with each tide.

• A falling tide pulls bait and shrimp out of the marsh and onto the redfish and trout waiting at the edges
• Winter north winds push water out of the bayou; fish settle into the deepest bends
• Strong south winds back water up into the marsh
• After heavy rain the bayou runs fresh and muddy; give it a few days to clear and salt up again
• Dawn and dusk fish best in summer

This is an easygoing, sheltered park, though the marsh brings its own nuisances.

• Keep lines clear of boats using the launch
• Bring insect repellent from spring to fall; mosquitoes and biting flies are thick near the marsh
• Leave the water at the first thunder
• Watch footing on wet boardwalks and the pier deck
• Handle catfish carefully because of the spines
• Access: the pier and boardwalks are flat timber structures reached by paths from the parking area

The two neighboring parks between them offer the basics for a day on the bayou.

• Fishing piers in both parks
• A public boat launch
• Boardwalk trails over the marsh
• James Hill Park: pavilions, a playground, two tennis courts and an open field
• No bait shop in either park that we could confirm; bring bait

• Pick up live shrimp before you come; there is no bait for sale in the parks
• Fish the last two hours of a falling tide for redfish along the grass edges
• On blustery winter days when the Sound is unfishable, the bayou is still workable
• Try the boardwalk's end over the open bayou as well as the park pier
• Bring the family to James Hill Park next door, with its playground and pavilions

Bayou Bernard Park and James Hill Park are managed by the City of Gulfport, whose Leisure Services department runs the city's fishing piers and municipal boat ramps.

• Follow the park rules posted at the entrance and on the piers
• Keep the launch area 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. This park lies between US 90 and I-10.
• Anglers under 16 are exempt
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.