The Mississippi coast is easing out of summer. The trout are still on the barrier islands and the deeper structure at first light, the redfish are steady in the marsh and on the bridge pilings, and the flounder have started their move toward the passes. Offshore, the rigs and the reefs are holding snapper, mangroves, and a few cobia. The fall run is a few weeks away, but the fishing is worth the trip now.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week: speckled trout on the surf and the points of Horn, Ship, and Cat islands at first light, and on the deeper reefs and the channel edges in the Mississippi Sound once the sun is up. Redfish are on the marsh points and the grass edges from the Pascagoula River marsh to the Pearl, and on the Biloxi Bay and Bay St. Louis bridge pilings. Flounder are moving along the shorelines and around the passes, with the bite improving weekly. Tripletail are on the crab-trap floats and the markers in the Sound. Offshore, the shallow rigs and the reefs have mangrove snapper and a few cobia, and the deeper water has red snapper — check the season.
Where to Find Them
Trout on the Gulf side of Horn and Ship islands early, and on the Katrina Reef, the Deer Island reefs, and the channel edges in the Sound later. Reds in the Pascagoula marsh, the Bayou Caddy and Heron Bay marsh, and on the Biloxi Bay and Bay St. Louis bridges. Flounder along the beach at Gulfport and Biloxi, and around the mouth of Bayou Caddy and the passes. Tripletail on the crab traps between the mainland and the islands.
Tides & Conditions
Sound temps are in the upper 80s and the trout bite is an early-and-late deal. Moving tides are essential in the Sound, and the falling tide pulls fish to the points and the channel edges. Calm mornings allow the island run in a small boat. Peak hurricane season — check the Gulf outlook before running to the islands.
Tackle & Tactics
Trout take a topwater at dawn and a soft plastic on a jig head or a live shrimp under a popping cork once the sun is up; live croakers on the reefs for the bigger fish. Reds take a gold spoon, a spinnerbait, or a cut bait on the points. Flounder want a bull minnow or a Gulp on a jig head worked slowly on the bottom. Tripletail take a live shrimp under a cork cast to the float.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Pass Christian Harbor ramp, the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor ramp, the Biloxi Point Cadet ramp, and the Pascagoula River ramp at the I-10 area. Fish are concentrating on the islands early, in the marsh on the moving tide, and on the bridges for reds. Mississippi has a slot and a bag limit on red drum and a minimum size on trout and flounder — check current Mississippi DMR regulations and the state and federal snapper seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the Sound reefs, the trout hold on the down-current side of the structure where the bait is pushed to them. Anchor up-current, cast past the reef, and work the bait back across the down-current edge — the strike usually comes as the lure crosses the shadow of the shell.
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