Libby Milner Roland Municipal Pier Fishing

The Libby Milner Roland Municipal Pier is the long city pier off Gulfport's west beach, the old Westside Pier, rebuilt after Hurricane Zeta and back open since March 2026. With no marina or bait shop beside it, it is a quiet place to soak shrimp and watch the water.

• Rebuilt with concrete pile caps, flow-through decking and stainless steel hardware
• Croaker, white trout and catfish on the bottom in summer
• Speckled trout and redfish on moving water
• Sheepshead and black drum on the pilings in the cool months

The pier leaves the beach on the Sound side of US 90 (West Beach Boulevard) in west Gulfport, about a mile west of Jones Park and the harbor, where the Beachfront Promenade runs along the sand.

• Westside Park, a city park on West Beach Boulevard, is a short walk inland
• Parking is along the beach front; look for marked public spaces
• The City of Gulfport reopened the rebuilt pier in March 2026, six years after the storm
• No opening hours or fees are published for this pier
• No restrooms or bait shop at the pier could be confirmed

The water off the west Gulfport beach is shallow and often brown, so most fish are bottom feeders that follow the bait.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and redfish arrive as the water warms; sheepshead linger on the pilings
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and hardhead catfish, with gafftopsail catfish and a few trout at dawn
• Fall (Sep-Nov): flounder moving offshore, redfish and trout feeding
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum around the pilings; slow on the coldest days

A light to medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb line covers the fish here.

• A two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of fresh shrimp for croaker and white trout
• Live shrimp under a popping cork for speckled trout, especially early
• Cut mullet or crab on a sliding-sinker rig for redfish and black drum
• Fiddler crabs held tight to the pilings for winter sheepshead
• A soft plastic bumped slowly along the bottom for fall flounder

This stretch of the Sound has a single high and low tide most days, only a foot or two apart, and some days almost none.

• Fish when the water is moving, rising or falling
• North winds after cold fronts drain the shallows and push fish to deeper water off the end
• A south wind raises the water and muddies it along the beach
• After heavy rain upstate the Sound freshens and trout move away from the beach
• The Gulfport tide predictions are the nearest guide

The open beach front has few hazards beyond the weather.

• Summer thunderstorms build quickly over the Sound; leave at the first thunder
• Watch for swimmers and kayakers near the pier and keep casts clear of them
• Shuffle your feet if you wade; stingrays lie in the shallows
• Carry water and sun protection; there is no shade to count on
• Access: the approach is from the promenade at the beach front; the deck itself is a long, level walk

Treat this as a pier with no services.

• No bait shop, restrooms or lights could be confirmed at the pier
• Westside Park, inland, has a splash pad, playgrounds, swings, a pavilion and a lighted walking track
• Bring bait, water, a cooler and a light for dusk
• Jones Park, about a mile east, has a bait shop and a comfort station

• Buy live shrimp before you arrive; nothing is sold at the pier
• Fish the far end, where the water is deepest
• In winter, bring fiddler crabs for sheepshead on the pilings
• Early mornings are calmest before the sea breeze picks up
• Many locals still call it the Westside Pier, so ask for it by either name
• If the pier is closed or posted, Jones Park is a short drive east

The City of Gulfport owns the pier, and its Leisure Services department runs the city's fishing piers.

• Read the posted signs before you fish, and follow them
• Keep clear of swimmers on the beach either side
• 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.