Forrest Avenue Pier Fishing

Forrest Avenue Pier is a quiet neighborhood pier on the Back Bay, rebuilt in 2023 and handy for an evening's light-tackle fishing. It is one of the city's Back Bay piers, with a boat launch beside it.

• A T-shaped city pier roughly 400 feet long with a pavilion
• Young redfish around the pier and flounder at night
• Speckled trout, sheepshead and croaker in season
• Sheltered water that stays fishable when the Sound is rough

The pier is on Biloxi's Back Bay shore at Forrest Avenue and Bayview Avenue, near the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources offices. The City of Biloxi's Ports and Harbors office maintains it.

• Getting there: Forrest Avenue north from US 90 or Pass Road to Bayview Avenue
• Parking: the city lists a boat trailer lot across from the ramp; car spaces are limited, so read the signs
• The walk: a short, level deck out to the T and pavilion
• The city's smaller Porter Avenue North Pier is a block east along Bayview
• Hours and fees: none published that we found

The Back Bay is brackish, so the mix shifts with rain and river flow.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead on the pilings, croaker arriving and speckled trout moving up from Biloxi Bay
• Summer (Jun-Aug): young redfish chasing baitfish, flounder at night and catfish on the bottom
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best trout and redfish of the year, with flounder fattening before they move out
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead, with trout holding in the deeper water on cold days

Light tackle is the fun here: a 6 to 7 foot spinning rod with 8 to 12 lb line.

• Redfish: a live shrimp or a small soft plastic on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig worked near the pier
• Flounder: a mud minnow or shrimp on a Carolina rig bumped slowly along the bottom at night
• Speckled trout: shrimp under a popping cork off the T
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a small, strong hook against the pilings
• Croaker and catfish: a simple bottom rig with cut shrimp

The Back Bay has one high and one low tide on most days, with a range of a foot or two, and near-still days twice a month.

• A moving tide is best; slack days are slow
• North winds after winter fronts lower the bay and push fish to the deeper channel water
• Strong south winds back water up into the bay and bring bait with it
• Heavy rain freshens the water; trout drop back toward Biloxi Bay while catfish keep biting
• After dark is when flounder bite best around the pilings in summer and fall

This is a calm, easy pier, well suited to children and older anglers.

• Keep lines away from boats using the launch next door
• Hold children's hands near the rails
• Leave at the first thunder of a summer storm
• Bring insect repellent for evenings on the bay
• Bring a light for night fishing, and watch your footing on the deck
• Access: a short, flat deck from the street

Facilities are simple.

• The pier and its pavilion, rebuilt in 2023
• A public boat launch beside the pier, with trailer parking across the road
• No bait shop, restrooms or rod rental on site that we could confirm; bring what you need
• Biloxi's shops and restaurants are a few minutes south

• Flounder hug the pilings after dark; a slow-dragged mud minnow beats a still bait
• Watch for young redfish pushing bait along the shoreline and cast just ahead of them
• If the T is busy, the Porter Avenue North Pier a block east is a quieter option
• After a north wind, fish the end of the T where the water stays deepest
• Bring small hooks: a bream or two after heavy rain is part of the Back Bay's charm

The Forrest Avenue Pier belongs to the City of Biloxi.

• Follow the posted rules for the pier and the launch
• Do not block the ramp or the trailer lot
• 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