Ocean Springs Harbor Pier Fishing

Ocean Springs Harbor Pier is the angler's corner of the town's small craft harbor, where a pier runs beside the rock breakwaters at the harbor entrance. Rocks, a dredged channel and steady boat traffic make it a different kind of spot from the beach piers to the west.

• A public pier at the harbor mouth on Harbor Drive
• Breakwater rocks that hold sheepshead and redfish
• Trout along the channel edges on moving water
• Boat ramps and a small harbor park beside it

The harbor lies at the east end of Front Beach in Ocean Springs, reached from Front Beach Drive and Harbor Drive. Jackson County lists the Ocean Springs Harbor Pier and Boat Ramps among its public facilities.

• Parking: a free public lot by the harbor, shared with boaters using the ramps
• The pier runs out beside the breakwaters at the harbor entrance
• The harbor green, a small park, sits on the harbor's north side
• Fees: none for the pier that we could confirm
• Busy launch days fill the lot early, so arrive before the boaters on summer weekends

The channel and its rocks hold fish most of the year, with the Sound's school fish passing through.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead on the breakwater rocks; trout and redfish move up the channel edges
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker, white trout and catfish on the bottom; Spanish mackerel and ladyfish chase bait at the mouth
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and black drum work the rocks; trout feed hard on falling tides
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum stay around the rocks and in the deeper channel on cold days

Rocks eat tackle, so fish heavier than you would off a beach pier: 15 to 20 lb line with a 20 to 30 lb leader.

• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a 1/0 hook with a split shot, lowered along the rocks
• Redfish and black drum: cut mullet or half a crab on a short fish-finder rig with a 3/0 circle hook, cast to the channel edge
• Trout: a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig, or a live shrimp under a cork drifted along the channel
• Croaker: a high-low rig with bits of shrimp on the bottom
• Expect to lose rigs on the rocks; bring spare weights and hooks

Like the rest of the Mississippi Sound, the harbor gets one high and one low tide on most days, with only a foot or two of range, so the wind can matter as much as the tide.

• Fish when water is moving in or out of the harbor channel
• A falling tide flushes bait out of the harbor past the breakwaters
• Hard north winds lower the water and concentrate fish in the channel
• Strong south winds push murky water onto the shoreline; the channel stays fishable
• Early mornings beat the boat traffic and the heat

The pier is easy to walk, but the breakwater rocks are not.

• Stay off the breakwater rocks; they are uneven, slippery and sharp with barnacles
• Keep lines and casts clear of boats entering and leaving the harbor
• Watch for vehicles and trailers in the ramp area and parking lot
• Leave at the first thunder; summer storms build quickly over the Sound
• Handle catfish carefully; their spines cause painful wounds

The harbor is set up for boaters, which helps anglers too.

• Public boat ramps beside the pier
• A free parking lot shared with ramp users
• The harbor green, a small park on the north side of the harbor
• Restrooms are not confirmed at the pier itself; Fort Maurepas Park along Front Beach has public restrooms
• A marine store has operated at the harbor, but bait sales are not confirmed, so bring your own

• Sheepshead on the breakwater rocks are the classic late-winter target here
• Fish the last two hours of a falling tide at the harbor mouth for trout and redfish
• Give boaters room at the ramps; the harbor is busiest on summer weekend mornings
• A long-handled net helps lift fish clear of the rocks
• Pair a harbor session with a walk along Front Beach toward the McPhearson pier

Jackson County lists the harbor pier and ramps as public facilities on the Ocean Springs harbor.

• Obey posted harbor rules, and do not fish where signs prohibit it near the ramps and slips
• 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. Under-16s are exempt
• MDMR (dmr.ms.gov) sets recreational limits for Mississippi's coastal waters
• Check current MDMR rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything