Brittany Avenue Pier, St. Martin Fishing

Brittany Avenue Pier is a quiet neighborhood option on the north side of the Back Bay, where a small Jackson County pier sits beside a public launch on St. Martin Bayou. Locals use it for a few hours of trout and redfish fishing away from the crowds on the Biloxi and Ocean Springs piers.

• A county fishing pier beside the Brittany Avenue bridge
• Brackish marsh water that holds trout, redfish and flounder
• A fish cleaning station with running water and a covered pavilion
• No launch or parking fee on record

The pier is on the southeast side of the Brittany Avenue bridge over St. Martin Bayou, south of Lemoyne Boulevard in St. Martin, the unincorporated community between D'Iberville and Ocean Springs. Jackson County lists it as the Brittany Road Pier and Boat Ramp.

• Getting there: take Lemoyne Boulevard to Brittany Avenue and head south to the bridge
• Parking: a large paved lot south of the ramp, striped mostly for trucks and trailers
• Fees: none on record
• Hours: not published, and the site has no lights, so plan on daylight fishing
• Docks flank the ramp lanes, and a small T-shaped pier stands off the grass just east of the pavilion, the quieter place to fish away from launching boats
• Expect boat traffic on weekends

What bites in the creek depends on how salty the water is, and that changes with rainfall and wind.

• Spring (Mar-May): speckled trout and redfish return to the marsh edges as the water warms; sheepshead linger near the bridge early in the season
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and hardhead catfish on the bottom; trout at first light
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best months, with trout, redfish and flounder feeding on shrimp draining from the marsh
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and the odd trout in the deepest water by the bridge on mild days

After heavy rain the creek can run nearly fresh, and the saltwater fish drop back toward the bay.

Light spinning gear with 10 lb line and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader handles everything here.

• Speckled trout: a live shrimp under a popping cork drifted along the grass, or a 1/4 oz jig with a soft plastic
• Redfish: cut mullet or a live mud minnow on a Carolina rig near the bridge shadow
• Flounder: drag a mud minnow or a small paddle-tail slowly along the bottom in fall
• Croaker and white trout: a two-hook bottom rig with small pieces of shrimp
• Black drum: peeled shrimp or a piece of crab on a 1/0 circle hook
• A landing net helps with any fish too heavy to swing up by the line

Like the rest of the Mississippi Sound, the bayou sees one high and one low tide on most days, with a range of only a foot or two, and on some days the tide barely moves at all.

• Fish the hours when the water is moving, especially a falling tide that pulls bait out of the marsh
• North winds behind winter cold fronts drain the creek and gather fish in its deeper bends
• Strong south winds push water up into the marsh grass, scattering redfish along the edges
• Clear, salty water after a dry week fishes far better than the muddy flow after a storm
• Tide predictions for the Biloxi area are a reasonable guide to timing

The spot is sheltered from open water, but it is a launch first and a fishing spot second.

• Stay off the ramp lanes and the launch docks when boats are using them, and keep lines away from boats coming and going
• The bridge carries road traffic close to its rail; fish from the pier rather than the road
• Alligators use coastal bayous like this one; keep children and pets back from the edge
• Head for the car when thunder sounds; afternoon storms are common in summer
• There are no lights, so pack up before dark
• Access: the paved lot runs right up to the ramp and pier

The site is a basic county launch with a few extras for anglers.

• A fishing pier beside the launch
• A boat ramp
• A fish cleaning station with running water
• A covered pavilion
• A paved parking area, mostly trailer spaces
• No restrooms, bait shop or food on site that we could confirm; bring bait, ice and water with you

• Arrive early on weekends, when the trailer lot fills with boaters heading out to the Back Bay
• A falling tide after a few dry days is the best time to look for trout and redfish
• Small live shrimp outfish dead bait for trout and redfish in this creek
• In winter, slow down and fish the bottom for black drum in the deepest water near the bridge
• Use the cleaning station before you leave so you are not cleaning fish at home in the dark

Jackson County runs the pier and ramp.

• Follow any rules posted at the ramp and pier; the launch sign has banned overnight parking
• The site lies north of US 90 and south of I-10
• 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
• The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (dmr.ms.gov) sets the saltwater rules
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything