While nearby states like Florida and Louisiana have massive coastlines and big reputations for saltwater fishing, Mississippi has some fantastic hotspots along its relatively small share of the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulfport, Long Beach, and other coastal fishing destinations along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast yield plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and lots more gamefish that live along the beaches, bays and backwaters and out into the Gulf.
In this article, we will cover saltwater fishing in Mississippi somewhat broadly. Below, we discuss the species you may catch in the coastal and brackish waters of Mississippi, as well as some of the best locations for you to find them.
Mississippi Saltwater Fish Species
This article focuses on where and how to catch game fish species caught from shore and in personal boats along the Mississippi coast.
In other words, these are fish species that average anglers can catch without hiring a guide or charter service. Granted, hiring an expert is a good option for some types of fishing, and we’ll let you know about a few of those cases for fishing farther off Mississippi’s coastline.
We also have complete guides to help our readers catch some of the more popular gamefish species found along the Mississippi coastline. Check out the links to those at the bottom of this article.
Redfish
These coppery-gold torpedo-shaped predators cruise Mississippi’s coastal and brackish waters, feasting on mullet, shrimp, crabs, and various small fish.
Also called: red drum or “reds.”
State record: 52 lbs, 4.2 oz.
Speckled Trout
A spotted silver fish that roams the coastline and neighboring estuaries of Mississippi, the speckled trout is a delicious game fish that primarily feeds on shrimp and other small fish.
Also called: spotted sea trout or colloquially “spots.”
State record: 10 lbs, 7.6 oz.
Sheepshead
The sheepshead is a striped silver and black fish that feeds on crustaceans and mollusks in the coastal waters of Mississippi. This fish earned its name from its impressive set of teeth.
Also called: convict fish.
State record: 19 lbs, 10 oz.
Black Drum
Often confused with the sheepshead because of their gray and black stripes, these saltwater predators are close cousins of the redfish. They cruise through Mississippi’s coastal waters and estuaries, consuming shellfish, crustaceans, and oysters.
Also called: drum or occasionally drummer.
State record: 70 lbs, 5 oz.
Flounder
These saucer-like flat fish dwell on the bottoms of the coastal waters and brackish estuaries of Mississippi, eating crustaceans and small fish.
Also called: Southern flounder are the most common species but Gulf flounder also can be caught.
State record: 4 lbs, 14 oz.
Other species here that are commonly caught include white trout, croaker, gafftopsail catfish (gafftops), alligator gar, cobia, and plenty of small sharks.
Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Top Fishing Destinations
The following locations are at the center of Mississippi’s best saltwater fishing.
Gulfport
Also known as the root beer capital of the world, Gulfport has some excellent saltwater fishing action for anglers in the Hospitality State.
With a rich history of fishing on the sandy 6.7 miles of shoreline that borders beachside casinos, it’s easy to catch big saltwater fish from shore or boats in Gulfport.
Anglers catch various fish in and around Gulfport, including speckled trout, flounder, redfish, drum, and sheepshead. The publicly accessible beach means anglers don’t have to leave the land to hook into a monster.
Mississippi’s coast is lined with barrier islands and reefs, making them a favorite of redfish, particularly during the spawning month of October.
It’s not uncommon to hook into redfish over 30 pounds from shore or boat in Gulfport waters.
From shore, anglers using surf rigs such as Carolina, fish-finder, and drop-shot setups can set up and forget their rods in the beautiful white sands of Gulfport until a trophy red sets the reel screaming.
Popular baits for surf fishing include shrimp, minnows, and especially crabs.
Various artificial reefs line Gulfport’s shores and provide many incredible fishing locations. These reefs shelter gamefish such as redfish, speckled trout, and drum from the current while also attracting many of the bait fish that make up a staple of the predatory fishes’ diet.
Gulfport Fishing Piers
Accessible fishing spots with reefs include Charles Walker Pier, Moses Pier, and Jefferson Davis Avenue Pier, among others.
Aside from the redfish, the inshore speckled trout fishing yields consistent action for anglers not looking to hook into a bull red.
Shrimp is a popular bait for anglers in search of specks, and anglers can catch these delicious sea trout from beaches and piers, but mainly in the reefs just off the coast.
Anglers have plenty of success with lighter tackle and soft plastics when searching for speckled trout. Often caught beneath a cork, anglers also have plenty of success throwing a single or double rig baited with artificial shrimp or minnows.
One of the best ways to find speckled trout in Gulfport is to look for birds or schooling baitfish or shrimp. The trout will be there feeding.
The species of drum and sheepshead that inhabit the water surrounding Gulfport are fun to catch and often can be found around large formations of rocks and piers. These fish usually consume crustaceans and shellfish and are best fished using a bottom rig.
In addition to the specks, reds, and drum caught in Gulfport, anglers will also encounter gafftopsail catfish (gafftops), alligator gar, and the occasional black tip shark.
To prevent losing your lure and/or rig to some of these predators, it’s recommended that you use a steel leader.
Islands and More
Some more popular locations to angle in and around Gulfport include Cat Island, the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor, and sites referred to as the nipple, the elbow, and the spur in De Soto Canyon.
Cat Island is a barrier island close to 8 miles out from Gulfport. If you are looking for monster-speckled trout, this is your go-to location.
However, be warned more than one angler has lost a great catch to the population of blacktip sharks that swim around Cat Island.
A one-stop shop for shore anglers, the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor boasts boat launches, a variety of fishing piers, and a bait shop.
Anglers catch plenty of redfish, sheepshead, flounder, and even the occasional tripletail from Gulfport Small Craft Harbor’s piers.
Desoto Canyon is your blue water paradise in this area. Farther out in the Gulf, mostly billfish and big tuna inhabit these waters.
However, a massive drum can push your reel’s drag to the limit in shallow portions or around structures dotting the Gulf here.
Desoto Canyon is one of those spots where we’d suggest booking a charter (at least the first time) to have the optimal angling experience in Desoto Canyon.
Ocean Springs
To the east of Biloxi, across Biloxi Bay, Ocean Springs offers some excellent redfish and speckled trout fishing. On the inshore side of the bay, Ocean Springs is surrounded by the Gulf and bay in front and Old Fort Bayou behind.
Old Fort Bayou
Old Fort Bayou is a brackish bayou that empties into the bay.
In the bay, specks, reds, and drum are common catches, with the occasional shark and gafftop snapping up your bait.
Farther from the mouth of the bayou, the brackish waterway is home to largemouth bass, reds, and gar.
The blend of these two ecosystems means that anglers are just a boat ride away from large species of saltwater gamefish in open water and lunker largemouths hiding away in a riverine environment.
That said, you don’t need to leave the shore to hook into some trophy redfish and speckled trout in Ocean Springs. With plenty of piers, shorelines, and points to angle from, you have virtually limitless options to catch fish from land in and around Ocean Springs.
Having options is especially important with varying weather conditions and tides.
For instance, a rising tide and winds blowing in from the Gulf will drive fish around Fort Point and into the cuts and bays such as Bayou Porteaux and the creek near the end of Lovers Lane.
These areas offer wind shelter for baitfish and species such as reds and flounder.
Davis Coastal Reserve
The Davis Bayou Coastal Reserve is just east along the coast and is a favorite of bigger fish when the wind blows in from the Gulf. The land around Marsh Point shelters the fish from the influx of water and wind that affects the bay.
The mouths of Ramsay, Halstead, and Heron bayous are great spots to hammer speckled trout and redfish when they shift from the central bay.
Piers and Beaches
Ocean Springs Pier, Ocean Springs Beach, and Milo’s Pier all offer excellent fishing spots in Biloxi Bay. Nearby, Davis Bayou Fishing Pier sits on the shores of the Davis Bayou Coastal Preserve.
Lake Mars Pier sits just outside the mouth of the bay and, by default, farther from the brackish bayous and estuaries. Here, anglers can catch big bull reds during the annual run and large drum directly from the dock, which juts into the Gulf of Mexico.
If you have a boat or book a charter, Horn Island, a barrier island in the Gulf is an excellent location if you want to find trophy trout in Mississippi. Horn Island is a short boat ride from the docks of Ocean Springs or Pascagoula.
The mainland-facing shoreline provides shelter from the Gulf winds and currents with plenty of small cuts and lakes where reds and flounder take refuge. Along the coastline, the submerged structure creates reef-like habitats that trout and big drum inhabit.
Depending on your location, whether you are on a boat or land decides your rig and setup when angling in Ocean Springs.
The docks and piers facing the Gulf and inside Biloxi Bay are prime candidates for a Carolina or drop shot rig baited with crab, shrimp, or minnows. The same goes for surf fishing from the beach.
Cut bait will likely yield cats or sharks, so I recommend sticking to the other baits.
Further into the bayous, cuts, and along the shorelines of the preserve, anglers will find more luck working a popping cork baited with natural or artificial shrimp, a favorite of specks and reds.
The shorelines of Horn Island and the Lake Mars Pier can yield outstanding results for anglers throwing soft plastic minnows or shrimp on single or double rigs.
No matter where you angle in Ocean Springs, the time of year significantly determines what and how much you catch.
If you’re looking to rip into specks, April through September is the time of year that shrimp, a sea trout’s favorite food, can be found in many of the inshore bodies of water.
So during those warmer months, the bays, shorelines, and bayou mouths around Ocean Springs are prime locations for you to limit out on speckled trout.
From late August through October, anglers should set their drag and hold their rods tightly as the annual bull red run can yield some monster redfish in Ocean Springs.
During this time of year, anglers should target the mouths of bayous and bays, points with moving water, and around schools of bait if you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime trophy red.
December can be a pretty slow month for fishing in Ocean Springs, but it won’t last long.
Flounder spawn offshore and move back to near-shore areas in late winter and early spring. Finally, starting around late January, flounder return to their shallow water sanctuaries.
Anglers should target many of the same locations as the bull red run but with more emphasis on bottom rigs over plastics and corks.
Bay St. Louis
One of the closest fishing locations to the state of Louisiana, Bay St. Louis is a saltwater fishing hotspot. This part of Mississippi is known as the “Secret Coast,” but it’s just an hour outside New Orleans.
The Jourdan and Wolf rivers feed into the bay, bordered by Pass Christian and Diamondhead, before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
While the town has an old-time, Southern vibe, the fish here are anything but laid-back. Redfish, flounder, and speckled trout thrive in Bay St. Louis, and the fishing here is excellent almost year-round.
Most of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast locations are heavily affected by winds that blow in from the Atlantic and Caribbean.
However, Bay St. Louis is more protected from these strong winds than most places along the coastline. Henderson Point and the town of Bay St Louis form a lip around Bay St. Louis, with a large channel that empties into the Gulf.
The Bay St. Louis Bridge crosses the channel near the mouth, and the bridge provides refuge where hungry redfish and large catfish hole up during the winter.
The rest of the bay can still be affected by the strong winds blowing in from the Gulf, but it is still more sheltered than most other fishing locations discussed in this article.
Anglers catch multiple species here, including redfish, flounder, speckled trout, white trout, sheepshead, black drum, largemouth bass, tripletail, gar, bull sharks, and even a few jack crevalle.
Popular baits used in Bay St. Louis include dead shrimp, live shrimp, cocahoe minnows, and crabs.
In the deeper portions of the bay, farther from the Jourdan and Wolf river inlets, anglers often use bottom rigs such as Carolina or Texas setups to catch large redfish, black drum, flounder, and sheepshead.
Especially when fishing on the bottom, experienced anglers here either use a steel leader or expect to lose some rigs.
The shark population in Bay St. Louis is no joke, and more than a few anglers have lost a decent size red or speckled trout due to their voracious appetite.
There are a variety of locations anglers can target in and around Bay St. Louis to catch the many species of saltwater game fish that swim these waters. Let’s look at a few favorites.
Train Bridge
The Bay St. Louis train bridge is an excellent starting location for anglers year-round, though it yields some of the best results during the fall.
Targeting the trestles along the train bridge, anglers with a bottom rig will find everything from speckled trout to sheepshead tugging at the end of their line.
A favorite bait for catching flounder and specks, cocahoe minnows do very well when placed on a drop shot rig in a moving tide.
Depending on the current, anglers can moor upstream from the bridge and cast their bottom rigs towards the trestles to let it settle among or near the structure.
An alternative is to anchor to the bridge and cast downstream, where many fish use the bridge as a buffer from the current and ambush unsuspecting prey headed for the open water.
Anglers who wish to work plastics at this location should target slack tides and pitch them among the trestles or slow troll alongside the bridge.
Cutoff Bayou
Another great location for anglers to target around Bay St. Louis is the Cutoff Bayou just above Twin Lakes.
With a steady flow of freshwater rolling in from the Jourdan River, this is the place to be when there is a slack tide throughout the bay.
While this bayou is excellent for catching speckled trout, you might catch just about anything, including some monster largemouth bass.
Cutoff Bayou is one of the best locations in the bay to throw a popping cork with soft plastics, shrimp, or minnows. Anglers only have to locate the proper depth once before locking into the fish here.
Because this bayou is a funnel between the Jourdan River and Bay St. Louis, it concentrates the bait and fish into a small area with freshwater on the surface and saltwater beneath. Here, anglers also will slow troll for trout in the fall, but the full length of the bayou is good for fishing year-round.
Grassy Point
Another great fishing hole on Mississippi’s “Secret Coast” is the northern shoreline off Grassy Point. A relatively shallow fishing spot, this is your go-to location for trophy redfish and flounder.
Speckled trout are common in this area, but the redfish and flounder love incoming tides that push bait up into the grass.
Anchoring away from shore and retrieving your bait to the boat is your best bet when working soft plastics.
Redfish can be sight-fished here due to the shallow water, but for both reds and flounder, a popping cork with live or dead shrimp is sure to yield a spotted tail or hungry flatfish.
Finding small cuts, bayous, and grassy points is a safe bet for finding trout. Then, work a live minnow or shrimp beneath a popping cork and give it some good action.
Long Beach
Between Gulfport and Bay St. Louis, Long Beach is less well-known than some of its neighboring fishing towns. However, it still yields excellent coastal saltwater fishing for redfish, speckled trout, flounder, and tripletail.
Here, anglers have access to various charters to take them into the Gulf, but the inshore fishing for redfish, sheepshead, drum, and both white and speckled trout is spectacular.
Anglers should capitalize on tidal movements as there is little shelter from the Gulf of Mexico winds for fish along the shoreline of Long Beach. This exposure to the Gulf’s weather means that when the fishing is good at Long Beach, it’s excellent, but when it’s bad, it’s terrible.
Anglers should pay attention to any storms brewing in the Gulf or naturally occurring issues such as red tide.
With limited structure along the shoreline, many anglers headed directly to the beaches to surf fish in favorable conditions.
A great way to tell if it will be a good day on the water is to look for mullet. Finding a dense population of mullet along the shoreline of Long Beach is an excellent indicator of whether the fish are feeding that day.
Beach
White and speckled trout are common catches from the beach, usually on corks baited with shrimp or minnows.
When the surf is a bit more aggressive, switching to bottom rigs such as drop shot, fish-finder, or Carolina setups is a great way to avoid the turbulence on the water surface and still hook into trout.
You might catch some redfish along the beach, you are more likely to find these fish alongside black drum, small snapper, and sheepshead by structures such as harbors, piers, and rock formations.
Piers
Two favorite locations to angle inshore at Long Beach are the main wharf and the Long Beach Harbor.
The wharf Sticks out into the Gulf for several hundred yards. The pilings are crusted with barnacles, infested with crabs, and provide shelter for baitfish, making it a favorite of drum, croaker, sheepshead, and reds.
If you’re looking to hook into a big drum or redfish, your best bet is to cast laterally to the pier, using a bottom ridge baited with crabs or minnows.
The very end of the pier jutting into the Gulf can be a toss-up. Even so, anglers have caught plenty of big drum, reds, and even a few snapper using a bottom rig.
The few trout and plenty of croaker anglers catch here are usually hooked on a cork baited with shrimp cast near the pilings.
The enclosed Long Beach Harbor is a much better location for trout but is still home to plenty of redfish, drum, and the occasional tripletail.
The harbor features a fishing pier on one side, which sits next to a large rock jetty, home to plenty of trout and drum. Anglers can cast along the jetty, near pilings, or into the Gulf, likely catching different species from each spot.
A handful of freestanding pilings dot waters around the wharf, and with the right bait, anglers have caught tripletail from these pilings.
Fishing between these pilings, a bottom rig will yield big drum and the occasional gafftopsail catfish, but if you don’t use cut bait, the cats should be minimal.
The rocks are best angled with a popping cork baited with shrimp or crabs, worked back towards the wharf itself.
Anglers who cast along the pier and its pilings usually use a double or single rig with plastic shrimp or minnows or a popping cork. This tactic can yield croaker, trout, and the occasional redfish.
Islands
While Ship Island sits directly across from Gulfport, Cat Island sits a few miles into the Gulf from Long Beach and has some great fishing.
Filled with cuts, bayous and marshes, Cat Island is a haven for big redfish but also home to a sizable population of alligators.
You can target both specks and reds at Cat Island, but you will probably find them in different locations.
The front side of the island is riddled with shelves, reefs, troughs, oyster beds, and drop-offs, perfect for sizable speckled trout.
Big reds more often inhabit duck ponds and lurk in the shallows of the marshes and cuts on the island’s interior.
Anglers looking to hook into speckled trout on the island should go with single or double-rig plastic minnows and work underwater structures that you can find using your fish finder.
Though both sides of the island can yield excellent results, a strong current pushing inland means that the island’s backside will be sheltered and probably have a heavier population of trout.
Try Little Bay on the Gulf side of the island if the tide isn’t strong, or head to Little Bend on the inshore side if the fish are looking to get out of the current.
For reds, a cork baited with shrimp or crab is an excellent choice for working points or duck ponds.
Low tide in the marshes and bayous may allow anglers to sight fish for reds and cast for them with a gold spoon.
And it’s always a safe bet when chasing after redfish to work a popping cork along the mouths of the bayous and cuts on Cat Island.
Pascagoula
Possibly the best saltwater fishing in southeast Mississippi, Pascagoula is surrounded by water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico, the Pascagoula River, and the Escatawpa River Marsh Coastal Preserve.
Here, anglers are only a boat ride away from the Gulf, marshes, and bayous riddled with every species of near-shore ocean and brackish water game fish imaginable.
Redfish, flounder, speckled trout, black drum, sheepshead, largemouth bass, croaker, and white trout are just some fish that anglers can hook in the waters surrounding Pascagoula.
Let’s look at some of the best spots to try.
River Mouth
The mouth of the Pascagoula River is filled with jetties and reefs, holding a strong population of speckled trout and flounder.
In the marshes around the river, anglers can rip into redfish and flounder, and it’s not unheard of to hook into a lunker largemouth bass.
The marshes and river itself are incredibly susceptible to influxes of freshwater.
High river flow will push the redfish and flounder out of the bays, cuts, and lakes and into the Gulf, so anglers should pay attention to what the river is doing.
Lakes
While fishing from shore is a viable option, the best spots to angle around Pascagoula are accessible only by boat.
For excellent saltwater fishing, anglers can use kayaks or motorized crafts to reach locations such as Marsh Lake, Krebs Lake, and the rock breakwaters around the U.S. Coast Guard station.
The two best locations for anglers to target in and around Pascagoula itself are Marsh Lake and Pascagoula River Marsh Coastal Preserve.
Marsh Lake connects to the Pascagoula River on the back end and empties the eastern fork above the boat ramp.
Filled with cuts, coves, and offshoots, Marsh Lake’s shallow waters are home to redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. You also can catch drum and sheepshead in the deeper holes throughout the lake.
Anglers can work the marshy shoreline with great success with popping corks, spoons, and soft plastics, but the best locations are up into the offshoots of Lowry Bayou to the west.
Marsh Preserve
The Pascagoula River Marsh Preserve features the Twin Islands, Rabbit Island, and the bridge to the Coast Guard station. The river empties into the Gulf here, making it a feeding ground for big reds, drum, and sharks.
When strong winds are blowing in from the Gulf, anglers should target the channels inside the Twin Islands or the mouth of Belle Fontaine Bayou, where fish seek shelter.
On days with fairer conditions, the bridge to the USCG station and the channels between islands are great locations for speckled trout and redfish.
The coastal drop-off outside the preserve and bay is an excellent spot for massive redfish and drum, but be prepared to hook snapper and sharks.
Having angled this bay several times, I found mooring the boat on the south end of the Twin Islands near the mouth of the creek to yield the best results.
Here, I could throw out a bottom rig into the bay itself and work the channel with a popping cork or double rig simultaneously. This is a great spot to hammer reds, drum, and specks from one location.
Further Out
If you feel like taking a longer boat ride out of Pascagoula, you should know that Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, and Point Aux Chenes Bay provide some top-notch saltwater fishing.
If redfish aren’t in the marshes, it’s a safe bet they are swimming the shores of Petit Bois Island. This barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico has miles of sandbars, tidal flats, and shallow points home to monster redfish, speckled trout, and even a few flounder.
The two keys to fishing on this island are targeting the grass beds and drop-offs and finding the baitfish schools.
While the Gulf side of the island can yield some big fish, the magic happens on the inshore side, sheltered from the wind and current. So anglers who work the interior shoreline of Petit Bois Island with popping corks and soft plastics will have no trouble limiting out on big reds and specks on most days.
Point Aux Chenes Bay sits near the Alabama state line between Bangs Bayou and the Gulf. But, more importantly, Point Aux Chenes Bay is the best place to go sight fishing for redfish in Mississippi.
With plenty of ponds and flats along the edges of the bay, all anglers have to do is find the bait in clear water near grass and look for tell-tale spotted tails of feeding redfish.
Here, reds bite best on soft plastics rigged to jig heads, with shrimp, minnow, and even crawfish-style lures yielding the best results.
You can catch trout at this location as well, but they are often deeper into the bay around the flats, reefs, and other underwater terrains.
Other species you might catch in Point Aux Chenes Bay besides redfish and speckled trout include big drum, sheepshead, and even the occasional flounder.
For those looking to keep their feet on dry land and still land some big fish, the mouth and lower portions of Bayou Casotte is a viable option.
The Pascagoula River and O’Leary Lake are also accessible by land, but many bigger fish are further into the marsh and have to be chased down by boat.
Anglers who fish from land at these locations often use bottom rigs baited with shrimp, crab, or minnows to catch drum, redfish, and some flounder.
The downside of these locations is that they are usually infested by saltwater catfish, meaning that probably half of your bait will go to hungry gafftops.
Biloxi
Biloxi is the best location to catch big saltwater fish from piers or docks.
On the opposite (west) side of Biloxi Bay from Ocean Springs, anglers are a boat ride away from all the previous fishing locations mentioned in the Ocean Springs section, with many other great spots easily accessible.
The back of Biloxi Bay features Mullet Lake, Big Island, Little Island, and Goat Island, while the front has plenty of piers and Deer Island.
The best fishing piers include Coliseum Pier, Broadwater Marina, Point Cadet, and Forrest Avenue Pier.
Piers
Coliseum Pier sits in front of the city’s convention center and produces a solid crop of sea trout, flounder, catfish, and croaker from its 900-foot-long frame.
Even the occasional Spanish mackerel have been caught here on spoons, but most anglers stick to bottom rigs baited with shrimp.
Broadwater Marina sits on a 1,500-foot artificial peninsula and overlooks deep water filled with large black and red drum. While it yields some speckled trout and even the occasional tarpon, most anglers stick to bottom rigs for big drum.
Point Cadet is seated at the base of the Biloxi Bay Bridge that goes to Ocean Springs. Anglers cast directly into the mouth of Biloxi Bay and should pack heavy tackle for the massive drum that swim in these waters.
Farther up into Biloxi Bay, you’ll find areas like Mullet Lake that can be rich with rich with fat redfish, sizable flounder, and even the occasional largemouth bass and bream that swim down from fresher water areas upstream.
Deer Island
Deer Island is a favorite of anglers with a boat. Just offshore, it stretches several miles from south of downtown Biloxi several miles across to the mouth of Biloxi Bay.
Reefs, cut-offs, and channels dot this barrier island, providing excellent fish habitat. Anglers can catch sizable flounder and redfish on bottom rigs baited with shrimp, and the fall trout fishing here is spectacular.
Off the southeastern, Gulf-facing end of Deer Island, Mississippi’s largest artificial reef, Katrina Key, is home to massive speckled trout, redfish, and plenty of drum.
Because of the occasional shark, anglers should use steel leaders on their setups, whether bottom fishing or targeting the trout with a popping cork.
Double rigs and popping corks are for hammering the trout on top and around the reef, while drop-shot and fish-finder rigs baited with crab or shrimp will work wonders in the channel between Deer Island and Katrina Key.
Inshore
If the Gulf current is strong, the fish will often head inshore, and anglers will find success in locations such as the mouth of Bayou Bernard or the shoreline cuts around Coley Island.
While there is no shortage of hungry gafftopsail catfish here, anglers will find favorites such flounder and reds in shallow water, with trout a little deeper near Long Point or the island in Big Lake.
The Beach
Surf fishing from Biloxi Beach can be hit or miss, especially as it is a popular tourist location.
However, during the annual bull red run in late summer through fall, you can catch monster redfish on bottom rigs baited with crab or shrimp.
A good place to start right in Biloxi is along the half-mile or more of shoreline between Glennan Park (Small Craft Harbor) and Paradise Pier Fun Park.
Catch More Fish in the Gulf
Check out our how-to free resources with lots of good tips to catch the following Gulf of Mexico gamefish species:
Speckled Trout (Spotted Sea Trout)
Flounder (Southern U.S. species)
Summary
While Mississippi may not have the reputation of being a saltwater anglers’ paradise like neighboring Louisiana, it brings plenty of fishing to the table across its short coastline.
From docks and piers to bays, islands, and bayous, there are plenty of welcoming saltwater fishing locations in the Hospitality State.
The biggest takeaway should be paying attention to conditions on the Gulf. The current determines whether the fish will seek shelter inshore or be out along the coastline, open bays, and reefs.
Before heading out for your next Mississippi saltwater adventure, purchase a fishing license and check local and state regulations. Good luck, and stay safe out on the water.