Port guide / Mississippi and Alabama / Mississippi

Bay St. Louis fishing guide

Bay St. Louis sits on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, a brackish bay fed by the Jourdan River from the north and the Wolf River from the east before it opens south into the Mississippi Sound. Where Gulfport fishing starts at a big harbor beside the state port and runs out to the islands, a lot of Bay St. Louis fishing happens right in the bay: the train trestle and US 90 bridge, Grassy Point, the bayous and the deep holes up the Jourdan River where trout stack up when it turns cold. When the weather allows, boats run south to the Cat Island grass beds or across to the Louisiana marsh and Lake Borgne, and the city harbor at the foot of Main Street has a public fishing pier on its north wall.

Conditions now
Chart and depths
Fishing reports
What is biting
Seasons and rules
Where to fish
Ramps and piers
Bait and charters
Events
Questions

10 ft, conditions now

Conditions now

Live from NOAA and the National Weather Service. Times show in your own time zone.

Today’s bite

A forecast built from live data and the calendar below. Not a catch report.

Working out today from the tides, water and calendar.

Tides

Loading the next highs and lows from NOAA.

On the water now

Water: Checking
Wind: Checking

Marine forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast.

7 day forecast

National Weather Service, for Bay St. Louis. Updates through the day.

Loading the 7 day forecast.

NOAA tides, Bay Waveland Yacht Club, MS (opens in a new tab) NWS 7 day forecast (opens in a new tab) NWS marine forecast, Mississippi Sound (opens in a new tab)

12 ft, the chart

Chart and depths

The official NOAA chart, centered on Bay St. Louis. Depths, channels, reefs and markers, live from NOAA.

The NOAA chart loads when you scroll here.

NOAA electronic navigational chart: soundings, depth contours, channels, markers and hazards. Zoom in to see more soundings. Not for navigation. Open NOAA ENC Online

15 ft, fishing reports

Fishing reports

What people are catching, on what, and where. Every report links to whoever wrote it. We do not write these ourselves.

Latest reports

From local captains, shops and outdoor writers. Newest first, last 14 days.

We have not found a report source that posts online for this water yet.

Report sources: Shore Thing Fishing Report (The Shoofly Magazine) (opens in a new tab) Captain Experiences Bay St. Louis guide reports (opens in a new tab) Captain Experiences Mississippi coast guide reports (opens in a new tab)

Straight from the dock

Reports sent to us by shops and captains on this guide. We check each one before it posts.

Checking for reports.

Run a shop or charter here? Send a report

20 ft, what is biting

What is biting, month by month

When each fish is at its best around Bay St. Louis. This month is marked.

What is biting by month around Bay St. Louis. Peak, good and slow months for each species.
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Speckled trout	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Good
Redfish	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak
White trout	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Peak	Peak	Slow
Flounder	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow
Sheepshead	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Good
Black drum	Peak	Peak	Peak	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Good	Good
Tripletail	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Slow	Slow	Slow
Spanish mackerel	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Peak	Peak	Peak	Slow	Slow	Slow
Red snapper	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Good	Slow	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow

Speckled trout
Peak: April, May, June, October, November
Fish live shrimp or cocahoe minnows under a cork at Grassy Point and the bridges in fall, then fish the bottom of the deep hole below the I-10 bridge on the Jourdan River once the water gets cold.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Redfish
Peak: October, November, December
Work the shoreline northeast of Grassy Point and the northwest shore of the bay with live or dead shrimp under a cork or a gold spoon, and look for tails on the flats.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
White trout
Peak: October, November
In fall they school on the US 90 bridge pilings just west of the channel on a moving tide, and they can turn picky between live bait and dead shrimp.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Flounder
Peak: July, August, September
Drag a white grub with a red tail or a live bait slowly along the bottom near shore northeast of Grassy Point and around the old Dupont pier pilings.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Sheepshead
Peak: January, February, March
Dead shrimp on the bottom at the train bridge and US 90 bridge pilings catches them in the cold months, and guides fish inshore structure for them into winter.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Black drum
Peak: January, February, March
They move into the bay with the sheepshead in winter and hit dead shrimp on the bridge pilings and inshore structure.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Tripletail
Peak: July, August, September
Bay St. Louis guides finish summer days running crab pot lines in the Sound, spotting fish by the buoys and pitching a big live shrimp under a cork past them.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab)
Spanish mackerel
Peak: July, August, September
In summer they are plentiful out in the Sound, and trolling or casting spoons fills a box quickly.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper
Peak: June
Snapper are an offshore run from here, so fish only on open days with the MS-ROLP permit for everyone aboard and the trip reported through Tails n' Scales.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)

30 ft, seasons and rules

Seasons and rules

Open and close dates we could confirm from official sources, plus where to check limits before you keep a fish.

Red snapper, Mississippi private and state for-hire
Opened at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026, seven days a week in state and federal waters, and closed Sunday, July 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper, Mississippi reopening
Reopened in Mississippi territorial waters Friday, September 4, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. for Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week plus Monday, September 7, and closes when the Mississippi private recreational catch limit is projected to be met.
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper, federally permitted for-hire vessels
Opened 12:01 a.m. June 1, 2026, and closed 12:01 a.m. October 26, 2026, in Gulf federal waters.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Gray triggerfish, Mississippi waters
Recreational harvest in Mississippi territorial waters reopened at 12:01 a.m. August 1, 2026.
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Gag grouper, federal waters
Recreational season ran from 12:01 a.m. September 1, 2026, to 12:01 a.m. October 1, 2026.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Greater amberjack, federal waters
Recreational season ran from September 1, 2026, to 12:01 a.m. October 14, 2026, a 43 day season, and stays closed until September 1, 2027.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)

40 ft, where to fish

Where to fish

Bridge
Bay of St. Louis train bridge
Best early in November on a moderately moving tide, with the west end of the trestle the most consistent for trout, reds, flounder, drum and sheepshead.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Bridge
US 90 Bay St. Louis bridge
White trout stack on the spans just west of the channel in fall, and the outside of the bridge is more consistent on either tide.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Bay
Grassy Point and the northeast shoreline
An outgoing tide pulls bait and trout around the point, and the shallow shoreline toward the northeast holds reds, flounder and trout at the bayou mouths.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Channel
Jourdan River, Cutoff Bayou and Crump Lake
The protected spots for windy days; trout stack in the deep hole below the I-10 bridge at the end of November, and Cutoff Bayou still has current when the tide is slack elsewhere.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Bay
North Beach Boulevard seawall
The city points walk-up anglers and crabbers to the seawall on N. Beach Blvd.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Flats
Cat Island grass beds
A Bay St. Louis guide says trout and reds move onto the south side grass beds in spring and stay through the spawn, with spawning trout caught as late as mid August.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Reef
MDMR inshore artificial reefs
The state has built 67 inshore reefs in the Sound that you can reach by small boat, pier or wading, and posts coordinates and GPX files.
Source (opens in a new tab)

50 ft, launch and piers

Ramps and piers

Public launches and fishing piers. Fees and hours change, so check the link before you tow.

Public boat ramps and fishing piers around Bay St. Louis
Name	Type	Fee	Where
Washington Street boat launch (opens in a new tab)	Ramp	Check	Washington Street, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
Washington Street fishing pier (opens in a new tab)	Pier	Check	Washington Street, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
Rutherford Fishing Pier, Bay St. Louis Municipal Harbor (opens in a new tab)	Pier	Check	Jody Compretta Drive, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

60 ft, bait, tackle and charters

Bait, tackle and charters

Where to get live and fresh bait, tackle and a guide. We are not paid to list anyone here.

Charters and guides

Fishing charters and guides around Bay St. Louis
Charter	Fishing
Shore Thing Fishing Charters (opens in a new tab)	Inshore
Bay St Louis Inshore (Capt. David Hamblin) (opens in a new tab)	Inshore
Lazee Daze Charters (opens in a new tab)	Inshore

70 ft, on the calendar

Tournaments and events

Annual events on this water. Dates move, so confirm with the organiser.

Trout de Mayo Fishing Tournament (opens in a new tab)
early May, in Bay St. Louis; first held in 2026
2026: May 2
Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (opens in a new tab)
usually the July 4 holiday, at Jones Park in Gulfport; rodeo waters cover the whole Mississippi Sound
2026: July 2 to 5 (78th annual)

80 ft, asked and answered

Fishing Bay St. Louis, asked and answered

When is the best time to fish Bay St. Louis for speckled trout?

Trout are here all year, with spring and October to November the best. Early in fall fish the bridges and Grassy Point, and by the end of November the trout move to the deep hole below the I-10 bridge on the Jourdan River and bite on the bottom.

Where can I launch a boat in Bay St. Louis?

Use the city's Washington Street boat launch, which has a fishing pier beside it.

Where can I fish from shore in Bay St. Louis?

Try the Rutherford Fishing Pier on the north wall of the municipal harbor, the Washington Street pier, or the seawall along N. Beach Blvd., where the city says people fish and crab.

Where do I go when it is too windy for the Sound?

Head up the Jourdan River. Cutoff Bayou and Crump Lake are the protected spots for windy days, and Cutoff Bayou still has current when the tide is slack elsewhere.

What NOAA station should I use for Bay St. Louis tides and water temperature?

Use Bay Waveland Yacht Club, station 8747437, at the mouth of the bay. It gives tide predictions and also reports water temperature and wind. For the marine forecast, check NWS Mississippi Sound, GMZ532.

90 ft, the kit