Percy Miller Marine Education Park Fishing

Percy Miller Marine Education Park puts you on a winding, marsh-lined stretch of Old Fort Bayou well away from the traffic of downtown Ocean Springs. It is a calm place to soak a shrimp or cast to the grass, and it suits kayak anglers as well as those who fish from the pier.

• A railed boardwalk along the bayou, ending at a covered pavilion
• Brackish water with trout, redfish, flounder and drum
• A fish cleaning station, a pavilion and lights
• A launch for small boats and kayaks onto the Old Fort Bayou Blueway

The park sits at the north end of Bristol Boulevard, past the homes of the Fort Bayou Estates subdivision, beside Cumberland Road on the east side of Ocean Springs.

• Getting there: turn north off Bienville Boulevard (US 90) onto Bristol Boulevard and follow it to the end
• Parking: a small lot with room for about ten cars and a handful of trailers
• Fees: none on record
• The boardwalk runs along the bayou side of the parking lot, so you fish a few steps from the car
• The city now lists the site as its Fort Bayou Boat Launch, on Cumberland Road
• Hours: not published, so follow any signs posted at the ramp or the pier

Old Fort Bayou is brackish this far up, and its saltiness, as much as the calendar, decides what bites.

• Spring (Mar-May): redfish and trout start to work the marsh points as the water warms
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker and catfish on bottom baits; trout and reds early and late in the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): prime time, as shrimp leave the marsh and trout, redfish and flounder follow them
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and trout settle into the deeper bends on calm, mild days

After long rains the bayou freshens, and largemouth bass and bream take over until the salt returns.

Keep it light: a 7-foot spinning rod, 10 lb braid and a 15 to 20 lb leader.

• Trout: a live shrimp or a soft plastic shrimp under a popping cork, twitched along the grass
• Redfish: a weedless gold spoon or a paddle-tail on a 1/8 oz jig cast tight to the marsh
• Flounder: a mud minnow on a Carolina rig, crawled slowly across the bottom
• Drum and croaker: fresh shrimp on a bottom rig with a 1/0 or 2/0 circle hook
• From a kayak: drift the bends below the park and cast to points and creek mouths

The bayou rises and falls with the Mississippi Sound's single daily tide, which moves only a foot or two, so wind and rain often matter more than the tide table.

• The best bite usually comes on a falling tide, as water drains out of the marsh
• A week without rain brings saltier, clearer water and more saltwater fish up the bayou
• After a heavy rain the water turns dark and fresh; give it a few days to clear
• Winter fronts with strong north winds lower the water and pack fish into deeper holes
• Use tide predictions for the Biloxi Bay area, and expect the upper bayou to run a little behind them

The park is quiet and sheltered, but it is small and shared with boaters.

• Keep clear of the ramps when boats are launching or loading
• Alligators live along coastal bayous; keep pets leashed and children back from the edge, and never feed wildlife
• Thunderstorms build quickly on summer afternoons; leave at the first rumble
• Bring insect repellent for the marsh at dawn and dusk
• Access: the boardwalk runs right beside the paved lot, with no long walk

The park is built around its launch, with a few things for anglers.

• A railed boardwalk with a bench-back rail along the bayou edge of the lot
• A boat ramp, also used by kayaks on the blueway
• A fish cleaning station
• A pavilion and benches overlooking the water
• Lights
• A portable toilet has been provided in the past, but do not count on it
• No bait shop; buy shrimp in Ocean Springs before you come

• Paddle anglers can launch here and work their way down the bayou toward Ocean Springs
• Fall mornings on a falling tide are the time to target trout and redfish
• Check recent rainfall: dry spells bring the salt, and the saltwater fish, up the bayou
• The lot is small; on busy weekend mornings, come early or later in the afternoon
• Fish the deeper outside bends in winter, when trout and drum hold in them

The City of Ocean Springs runs the park, which it lists as its Fort Bayou Boat Launch.

• Follow any rules posted at the park and the ramp
• The park 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