Biloxi Lighthouse Pier Fishing

Biloxi Lighthouse Pier is closed and waiting to be rebuilt. The mayor has called it the most iconic public pier on the coast, and anglers still look for it, but no fishing is possible from it until the new pier is finished.

• Closed since Hurricane Zeta in 2020
• The city's plan: a stronger pier on concrete pilings with a stone breakwater
• Open alternatives nearby: the Forrest Avenue Pier, the Coliseum Pier and the Point Cadet Fishing Pier

The pier leaves the beach on Beach Boulevard (US 90) at Porter Avenue, across the highway from the Biloxi Lighthouse. The City of Biloxi owns it and lists it as currently closed and to be rebuilt.

• The pier deck is shut; stay off the damaged structure
• The Biloxi Lighthouse stands across the highway, a landmark for finding the old pier
• For an open pier, drive north on Porter Avenue to Bayview Avenue and the Back Bay piers, a few minutes away
• The Coliseum Pier is west along US 90 and the Point Cadet Fishing Pier is east

When it was open, this pier fished like the other Sound piers along the Biloxi beach.

• Spring (Mar-May): ground mullet, croaker and the first speckled trout
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, catfish and trout at dawn and dusk
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the larger redfish and speckled trout, with white trout and flounder
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and white trout around the pilings

The same fish are caught today from the open piers nearby.

These are the methods that worked from the old deck and work on the open piers nearby.

• Ground mullet and croaker: a two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of shrimp
• Speckled trout: live shrimp under a popping cork
• Redfish: cut mullet or crab on a Carolina rig
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp tight against the pilings
• Medium spinning tackle with 10 to 15 lb line covers all of it

The Biloxi beach has one high and one low tide on most days and only a foot or two of range, so wind and rain shape the fishing more than the tide does.

• South winds raise the water and bring bait to the piers
• Winter north winds drain the shallows and move fish to deeper water
• After heavy rain, muddy water pushes trout away from the beach for a few days
• The same rules apply at the open piers you fish while this one is shut

The pier is closed for safety, so treat it as off limits.

• Do not climb barriers or walk onto any part of the damaged pier
• Wading near the old pilings is risky; debris may lie on the bottom
• Cross US 90 only at a signal
• The sand beach beside the old pier is public, but swimming near the wreckage is unwise
• The open Coliseum and Point Cadet piers both have level decks suited to visitors with limited mobility

With the pier shut, there are no fishing facilities here.

• The Biloxi Lighthouse is across the highway
• No bait or tackle on site; Biloxi's tackle shops and bait stands are a short drive away
• The Coliseum Pier has a public restroom beside it
• The Point Cadet Fishing Pier has overhead lights and portable restrooms

• Until the rebuild, the Porter Avenue North and Forrest Avenue piers on the Back Bay, about a mile and a half north up Porter Avenue, are the nearest open city piers
• For long casts into the Sound, the Coliseum Pier is the closest substitute
• For black drum and night fishing, drive east to the Point Cadet Fishing Pier
• Watch city news for the rebuild; the mayor said in 2026 that the city hoped to put the work out to bid that year
• Photograph the lighthouse at sunrise on the way to an early session

The Lighthouse Pier belongs to the City of Biloxi, which lists it as closed and to be rebuilt.

• No access to the pier until the city reopens it
• 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