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John N. Felsher's Saltwater Fishing Adventures
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Old fishing grounds off Mississippi
coast provide new opportunities
coast provide new opportunities
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When French settlers first came to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1699, they
found rich estuaries teeming with fish. While the area changed hands
numerous times over the next three centuries, the waters still offer an
abundance of fishing opportunities.
The town of Biloxi sits astride a peninsula with Biloxi Bay, also known as
Back Bay, on the northern side and Mississippi Sound to the south. An arm of
the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi Sound extends about 90 miles along the coast
between the mainland and a chain of barrier islands.
The Tchoutacabouffa and Biloxi rivers feed Back Bay from the west. Old
Fort Bayou and tributaries like Bayou Talla create a rich marsh at the eastern
end of the bay. Just south of Old Fort Bayou, a pass between Biloxi and
Ocean Springs connects the bay to Mississippi Sound. The bay averages
about four to 13 feet deep with some dredged channels. The pass runs about
15 to 21 feet deep. Throughout the entire estuary and adjacent waters,
anglers can often find excellent fishing for several species.
“Eastern Mississippi has some great fishing,” said Capt. Mike Adams, of
Fort Bayou Charters. “Fort Bayou has a lot of redfish. It doesn’t have as many
oysters as Graveline Bayou, but it has some holes down to about 30 feet
deep. In the spring, trout move out of the marshy bayous and into the bay and
sound. We get a lot of bull reds in late summer. I’ve caught some over 30
pounds.”
Flounder and redfish hunt along marshy shorelines or feed at the mouths
of small tributaries. Speckled trout hover near reefs dotting the bay.
Numerous bridges, dock pilings and other barnacle-encrusted structures hold
good populations of sheepshead, black drum, redfish, croaker and other
species. In the bay or the sound, anglers might also catch whiting, known
locally as ground mullet or channel mullet, jack crevalle, bluefish, sharks,
cobia, Spanish mackerel, white trout, tripletail and several other species. Up
some tributaries, anglers sometimes catch largemouth bass and redfish in the
same spots with the same lures.
“We have gulf fishing, river fishing, island fishing, surf fishing and bay
fishing all combined in one general area,” said Capt. Robert Brodie of Team
Brodie Charters. “In late spring or early summer, the bay is full of white trout,
ground mullet, drum and sheepshead. The white trout run was excellent in the
summer of 2010.”
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina smashed into area, scattering debris
throughout Mississippi waters. This debris ranges from concrete chunks
dubbed “katrinkets” to entire bridge spans. Although clean-up crews removed
most of the debris, the state used some rubble to create artificial reefs.
One, Katrina Reef, protrudes from the water near Deer Island just outside
of the pass in Mississippi Sound. Comprised mainly of chunks from the old U.
S. 90 bridge that once spanned the pass, it stretches about a mile and sits in
nine feet of water, creating excellent habitat for several fish species.
“Starting in the spring, fish move out from the back part of the bay into
Mississippi Sound,” said Capt. Steve Perrigin of Strictly Fishin’ Charters. “We
start fishing from the U.S. 90 bridge south. Katrina Reef is a great summer
fishery. I’ve had days where I’ve caught a 10 to 12 species of fish there.”
The storm also reconfigured barrier islands, shifted sandbars and cut new
channels. Congress authorized funds to rebuild some islands. In the summer,
these islands often produce bull redfish up to 50 pounds and large numbers
of trout. Many people wade in the surf to fish the beaches while others head
to the channels or reefs.
“The beaches hold a lot of good fish,” said Capt. Sonny Schindler of Shore
Thing Fishing Charters. “Cat Island is an incredible place to fish with sugar
sand surrounded by oyster reefs and grass beds. It’s a wade fisherman’s
paradise. The reefs have really taken off for big trout, redfish and
sheepshead. Sometimes, we catch tripletail around the bridge pilings, but we
usually go out into the sound looking for them from May through early fall.”
While borders might change and storms might reconfigure geographic
features, the rich waters along the Mississippi Coast can provide outstanding
action at any time.
For booking trips, contact Adams at (228) 697-4808 or www.fortbayoucharters.
com, Brodie at (228) 392-7660 or teambrodiecharters.com, Perrigin at (228)
217-0458 or www.strictlyfishincharters.com and Schindler at (228) 342-2206
or www.shorethingcharters.com. For area information, call the Mississippi Gulf
Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau at (888) 467-4853. On line, see www.
gulfcoast.org.
found rich estuaries teeming with fish. While the area changed hands
numerous times over the next three centuries, the waters still offer an
abundance of fishing opportunities.
The town of Biloxi sits astride a peninsula with Biloxi Bay, also known as
Back Bay, on the northern side and Mississippi Sound to the south. An arm of
the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi Sound extends about 90 miles along the coast
between the mainland and a chain of barrier islands.
The Tchoutacabouffa and Biloxi rivers feed Back Bay from the west. Old
Fort Bayou and tributaries like Bayou Talla create a rich marsh at the eastern
end of the bay. Just south of Old Fort Bayou, a pass between Biloxi and
Ocean Springs connects the bay to Mississippi Sound. The bay averages
about four to 13 feet deep with some dredged channels. The pass runs about
15 to 21 feet deep. Throughout the entire estuary and adjacent waters,
anglers can often find excellent fishing for several species.
“Eastern Mississippi has some great fishing,” said Capt. Mike Adams, of
Fort Bayou Charters. “Fort Bayou has a lot of redfish. It doesn’t have as many
oysters as Graveline Bayou, but it has some holes down to about 30 feet
deep. In the spring, trout move out of the marshy bayous and into the bay and
sound. We get a lot of bull reds in late summer. I’ve caught some over 30
pounds.”
Flounder and redfish hunt along marshy shorelines or feed at the mouths
of small tributaries. Speckled trout hover near reefs dotting the bay.
Numerous bridges, dock pilings and other barnacle-encrusted structures hold
good populations of sheepshead, black drum, redfish, croaker and other
species. In the bay or the sound, anglers might also catch whiting, known
locally as ground mullet or channel mullet, jack crevalle, bluefish, sharks,
cobia, Spanish mackerel, white trout, tripletail and several other species. Up
some tributaries, anglers sometimes catch largemouth bass and redfish in the
same spots with the same lures.
“We have gulf fishing, river fishing, island fishing, surf fishing and bay
fishing all combined in one general area,” said Capt. Robert Brodie of Team
Brodie Charters. “In late spring or early summer, the bay is full of white trout,
ground mullet, drum and sheepshead. The white trout run was excellent in the
summer of 2010.”
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina smashed into area, scattering debris
throughout Mississippi waters. This debris ranges from concrete chunks
dubbed “katrinkets” to entire bridge spans. Although clean-up crews removed
most of the debris, the state used some rubble to create artificial reefs.
One, Katrina Reef, protrudes from the water near Deer Island just outside
of the pass in Mississippi Sound. Comprised mainly of chunks from the old U.
S. 90 bridge that once spanned the pass, it stretches about a mile and sits in
nine feet of water, creating excellent habitat for several fish species.
“Starting in the spring, fish move out from the back part of the bay into
Mississippi Sound,” said Capt. Steve Perrigin of Strictly Fishin’ Charters. “We
start fishing from the U.S. 90 bridge south. Katrina Reef is a great summer
fishery. I’ve had days where I’ve caught a 10 to 12 species of fish there.”
The storm also reconfigured barrier islands, shifted sandbars and cut new
channels. Congress authorized funds to rebuild some islands. In the summer,
these islands often produce bull redfish up to 50 pounds and large numbers
of trout. Many people wade in the surf to fish the beaches while others head
to the channels or reefs.
“The beaches hold a lot of good fish,” said Capt. Sonny Schindler of Shore
Thing Fishing Charters. “Cat Island is an incredible place to fish with sugar
sand surrounded by oyster reefs and grass beds. It’s a wade fisherman’s
paradise. The reefs have really taken off for big trout, redfish and
sheepshead. Sometimes, we catch tripletail around the bridge pilings, but we
usually go out into the sound looking for them from May through early fall.”
While borders might change and storms might reconfigure geographic
features, the rich waters along the Mississippi Coast can provide outstanding
action at any time.
For booking trips, contact Adams at (228) 697-4808 or www.fortbayoucharters.
com, Brodie at (228) 392-7660 or teambrodiecharters.com, Perrigin at (228)
217-0458 or www.strictlyfishincharters.com and Schindler at (228) 342-2206
or www.shorethingcharters.com. For area information, call the Mississippi Gulf
Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau at (888) 467-4853. On line, see www.
gulfcoast.org.
TOP: Capt. Sonny Schindler of Shore Thing Fishing Charters
and Capt. Steve Perrigin of Strictly Fishin’ Charters show off a
large black drum they caught in Ocean Springs, Miss.
BOTTOM: Capt. Robert Brodie of Team Brodie Charters shows
off a redfish he caught by a bridge over Back Bay near Biloxi,
Miss.
and Capt. Steve Perrigin of Strictly Fishin’ Charters show off a
large black drum they caught in Ocean Springs, Miss.
BOTTOM: Capt. Robert Brodie of Team Brodie Charters shows
off a redfish he caught by a bridge over Back Bay near Biloxi,
Miss.
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