Oak Street North Pier Fishing

Oak Street North Pier is the easternmost of Biloxi's Back Bay piers, close to the bay's mouth and its saltier water. It is a small, local pier where a few rods and a bucket of shrimp make an afternoon.

• A City of Biloxi public pier at Oak Street and Bayview Avenue
• Speckled trout, redfish, black drum and sheepshead
• Croaker, white trout and flounder in season
• Close to east Biloxi's seafood docks and restaurants

The pier stands where Oak Street meets Bayview Avenue on the Back Bay of Biloxi, in east Biloxi. The city lists it as a public pier, on the site of the former Bureau of Marine Resources.

• Getting there: Oak Street north from US 90 to its end at Bayview Avenue
• Parking: the city does not describe any here, so use legal street spaces and read the signs
• The deck: a short, level city pier
• The city has replaced and repaired its Back Bay piers several times since Katrina, so check it is open before a long drive

Being near the mouth of the Back Bay, this pier sees more saltwater fish than the upper bay.

• Spring (Mar-May): black drum and sheepshead gather, and speckled trout come back from the deeper water
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker and catfish on the bottom, trout early and late, flounder at night
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and trout feed hard as the water cools; white trout school up
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum, sheepshead and white trout on the milder days

A medium spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb line and a few leaders will cover it.

• Black drum: a fish-finder rig with a chunk of blue crab or a whole shrimp
• Speckled trout: a popping cork over live shrimp, or a paddle-tail soft plastic
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs dropped right down the pilings on a short, stout leader
• Redfish: cut mullet on the bottom, or a spoon cast along the shoreline
• Croaker and white trout: a two-hook rig with cut shrimp

Like the rest of the coast, the Back Bay has one high and one low tide on most days, with only a foot or two between them, and the Biloxi area tide station shows when it nearly stops.

• The bay's mouth channels what current there is, so moving water fishes well here
• North winds after cold fronts empty the shallows and gather fish in deeper water
• South winds and big tides push salt water and bait into the bay
• After heavy rain the Back Bay runs fresh; this end stays saltier than the piers to the west
• Low light at dawn and dusk is best in summer

A small, low-key pier, easy to walk onto.

• Keep lines clear of passing boats; the bay is a working waterway
• Watch children near the edges
• Leave the pier at the first thunder
• Carry water and sun protection in summer
• Wet decks can be slick after rain
• Access: a short, flat walk from the street

There is little beyond the pier itself.

• No bait shop, restrooms or lights confirmed at the pier
• Bring bait, a light and drinking water
• East Biloxi's seafood markets and restaurants are a few blocks away
• The Point Cadet Fishing Pier, with lights and portable restrooms, is a short drive east

• This end of the bay holds black drum in late winter and spring; bring crab
• A falling tide pulls bait out toward Biloxi Bay past the pier
• If the bite is slow, the Point Cadet Fishing Pier is five minutes away
• Fiddler crabs from a bait shop outfish shrimp for sheepshead here
• Go early on summer days, before the heat and the boat traffic

The Oak Street North Pier belongs to the City of Biloxi.

• Follow any rules posted at the pier
• 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