Mississippi Gulf Coast Fishing Report — Week of September 17, 2026: Tripletail on the Markers, Specks at the Islands, Marsh Redfish Steady

Mississippi Gulf Coast fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. It has been a strong tripletail week on the Mississippi Sound, with fish on the markers and the floats from Cat Island to Horn Island. The specks are still at the islands early but starting their move toward the bays, and the marsh redfish have been as reliable as ever.

What’s Hitting

This week on the water it is tripletail. Fish from 5 to 15 pounds are on the channel markers, the crab-trap floats, and any floating debris across the sound, with the best numbers around the Gulfport and Biloxi ship channels and the Pass Christian floats. Speckled trout are at the barrier islands and the nearshore reefs early, with the better fish along the Horn and Ship island surf, and they are beginning to move toward the Bay St. Louis and Biloxi Bay reefs as the water cools. Redfish are steady in the marsh from the Pearl River to the Pascagoula River, with slot fish on the shorelines and bulls at the island passes. Flounder are showing along the beach and the bayou mouths, and the nearshore rigs and reefs still have red snapper for the state-waters season.

Where to Find Them

Tripletail are on the markers along the Gulfport and Biloxi channels and on the crab-trap floats in the western sound. Specks are in the surf and around the points of Horn, Ship, and Cat islands at first light, and on the Bay St. Louis and Biloxi Bay reefs on the moving tide. Redfish are on the marsh shorelines and pond edges on the high tide and in the deeper bayous as it falls, with the Pearl River marsh and the Pascagoula River marsh both producing. Flounder are along the beachfront and at the bayou mouths on the outgoing.

Tides & Conditions

Moderate tides this week between the moons, with a single main daily swing and the morning falling water the best window in the marsh. Sound water is in the low to mid-80s and easing at night. Winds have been light out of the north and east, which has cleaned up the sound and made the island run comfortable most mornings.

Tackle & Tactics

For tripletail, a live shrimp under a cork pitched to the up-current side of the marker or float on a 7-foot medium spinning rod with 20-pound braid and 30-pound fluorocarbon. Specks want a live shrimp or croaker under a popping cork at the islands, or a soft plastic on a jig head worked over the reefs. Redfish in the marsh want a gold spoon, a spinnerbait, or a soft plastic cast to the shoreline, or a live shrimp or cut mullet under a cork. Flounder want a live bull minnow or a Gulp on a jig head worked slowly along the bottom.

Local Intel This Week

The Gulfport Small Craft Harbor ramp, the Biloxi Point Cadet ramp, and the Pass Christian Harbor ramp serve the sound and the islands, with the Bay St. Louis and Pascagoula public ramps covering the bays and the marsh. Shore anglers are catching trout and reds from the Ocean Springs and Biloxi beachfront and the Bay St. Louis bridge. Fish are concentrating on the markers and floats across the sound and at the islands early. Tripletail have a size and bag limit; check current Mississippi Department of Marine Resources regulations before keeping fish, especially for speckled trout and red snapper.

This Week’s Tip

Approach a tripletail marker from down-current and shut down early. The fish lies on its side right against the piling in the shade, and a boat that runs up-current past the marker spooks it every time. Pitch the shrimp so it drifts back to the piling, not onto it.

More Mississippi Gulf Coast Resources

All Mississippi Gulf Coast fishing reports · Seasonal fishing calendars · Submit your own report