The Biloxi Marsh offers a barrel of fun from two states!
When Mississippi became a state, they established East Pearl River as the boundary between it and Louisiana. However, that didn’t specify who owned the water to the south.
Much of Louisiana east of the Mississippi River thrusts out into the Gulf of America and associated waters, east of where East Pearl River flows into Lake Borgne. Entirely in Louisiana, Lake Borgne connects Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf and spreads across about 179, 200 acres.
According to legend, Louisiana and Mississippi authorities agreed to float a whiskey barrel down East Pearl River. Wherever the barrel drifted would become the new state boundary. Unfortunately for Mississippi, the current carried the barrel fairly close to the present coastline of the Magnolia State!
From Historic Importance to Fishing Paradise
The Biloxi Marsh includes much of that wetland south of Lake Borgne and east of the Mississippi River. Also called the “Bayou Biloxi Marsh” or the “Louisiana Marsh”, these wetlands make up most of the southern and eastern Lake Borgne shoreline. Due south of Waveland, MS, these wetlands create some of the best Redfish – or Red Drum – habitat in North America.
“Those marshes are a paradise for fishing,” comments Sonny Schindler of Shore Thing Fishing Charters in Bay St. Louis, MS. “It’s all perfect – broken marsh shorelines with shells, drains, ditches, and endless habitat. With a popping-cork rig sweetened with a live or fresh shrimp, anglers might catch anything in that marsh.”
The marshes spread across more than 600 square miles of St. Bernard Parish, LA. Reachable only by boat, the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area conserves 35,644 acres of this marsh. People can also reach the area by crossing Lake Borgne from Slidell, LA. or through the marshes from Hopedale or Shell Beach.
“The Biloxi Marsh is a special place with some of the best Redfish habitat in the nation,” opines Mike Gallo of Angling Adventures of Louisiana, who usually runs across Lake Borgne from his lodge in Slidell. “It’s just a far enough run so the area doesn’t get too much pressure. Therefore, fishing is a lot more consistent than some other areas.”
Many anglers run across Mississippi Sound from harbors in the state of Mississippi. From Pass Christian, MS. it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to cross the open waters of the sound to reach the Biloxi Marsh.
“People can fish the Biloxi Marsh from any coastal city from the Louisiana state line to Biloxi, MS. with a reasonable run,” states Mark L. Wright with Legends of the Lower Marsh in Gulfport, MS. “It’s about 11 miles from Pass Christian and takes me about 20 to 25 minutes to where I can start fishing.”
Non-Stop Fishing Grounds: Helped by Disaster
Brackish to salty marshes continue unbroken southward east of the Mississippi River all the way to the river mouth south of Venice, LA. However, many people consider the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MR GO) as the southern boundary of the Biloxi Marsh. MR GO began as a shortcut for ships to reach New Orleans without fighting the Mississippi River current. The waterway runs 76 miles from Breton Sound to New Orleans.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina slashed through this area, devastating New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast. The US Army Corps of Engineers closed MR GO in 2009 by building water control structures. With restricted access to the Gulf, water freshened in the southern portions of the marshes. This stimulated aquatic grass growth. And Redfish can survive in pure fresh water.
When the Mississippi River runs high, river water flows through the Violet Lock at Violet, LA, into MR GO and out through the Biloxi Marsh toward the Gulf. The river tends to run highest in the spring as snow melts across the north from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians. The river tends to run lowest in the fall and winter. When the Mississippi River runs low, water in these marshes becomes saltier.
“Blocking the MR GO definitely affected the area,” Gallo says. “I’ve caught Largemouth Bass in the southern end of the Biloxi Marsh before!”
Best Redfish Conditions in Biloxi Marsh
The best Redfish action typically occurs from March through November, with May and October marking the peaks. In the interior marshes, Reds usually run about 2–20 pounds. By late spring or early summer, bait becomes more plentiful. Besides Redfish, the catch might also include Speckled Trout, Flounder, Black Drum, Sheepshead, and Whiting.
“Look for clean, moving water with mullet, menhaden (locally called pogies), shrimp, crabs, or other bait in the area,” Schindler advises. “If we find life, we’ll probably find Redfish in the area. In areas with no life, that could mean little oxygen in the water or something else.”
Top Redfish Spots in Biloxi Marsh
“The main entry points, like the mouth of Bayou Biloxi or False Mouth Bayou, are good places to look for Redfish,” Gallo agrees. “The Bayou Grande area has a lot of submerged vegetation that usually produces some good Redfish. Those main bayous all have many ponds near them. All those duck ponds are Redfish havens.”
Redfish frequently get into the shallowest ponds to feed on shrimp, crabs, mussels, or small fish. Their spotted tails or backs commonly protrude from the surface. Anglers – especially fly fishermen – love sight fishing for individual fish in the ponds.
In shallow marshes and ponds, move along slowly and quietly. Stealthily, follow weedy shorelines or drift across shallow flats tossing various lures next to the grass or into small pockets. Toss baits around points and up into any little tributaries or other shoreline irregularities. Use the trolling motor only sparingly on a low setting.
“Sound travels much farther on the water,” Gallo explains. “We fish along the grassy shorelines as quietly as possible. When fishing shallow waters, I always wear a dark shirt – like light blue or gray – to blend in with the background. If a person can see the fish, the fish can see the person.”
Lures Matter: Tips on Catching Reds
When Redfish feed in the shallows, nothing causes more adrenaline-pumping excitement than a big spot-tailed marsh marauder blasting a surface bait! Many topwater baits simulate mullets – a prime Redfish forage. Mullet often swim near the surface with their heads poking above the water. Worked with short, brisk flicks to create a zig-zag action, walk-the-dog topwaters best mimic mullets or other wounded bait fish.
In grassy areas, a gold or silver weedless spoon makes a great enticement. For added attraction, tip spoons with plastic trailers. Also in grassy areas, fish unweighed soft plastics with the hook point inserted into the body to make it weedless. Skitter plastic frogs or creature baits over the grass tops. At pockets, let the bait sink a foot or two. Redfish or Largemouth Bass might erupt up through the grass to inhale the temptation.
“My main lure of choice is a weedless 1/2-ounce Johnson gold spoon,” Wright says. “In really skinny water, I’ll downsize to a 1/4-ounce to keep the splashes as quiet as possible. We can cast that spoon a country mile. I also like to fish queen-sized H&H cocahoes on a 1/4-ounce leadhead.”
Spinnerbaits can attract Redfish from the surface to the bottom and work well in grassy areas. Buzz them on the surface or wake them just beneath it. Over submerged grass, just tickle the grass tips. Periodically, stop the retrieve so the spinnerbait sinks with the blades flickering into the grass tops. Then yank it out. In deeper water, slowly roll spinnerbaits along the bottom or helicopter them up and down through the entire water column.
In deeper bayous, try a soft-plastic craw or creature bait on a Bass-type Texas rig with a bullet sinker. Use baits with blue claws, the same color as on live crabs. Some people add a touch of red to the craw tips. Toss the lure against the bank and drag it out along the bottom like a crab.
“I like to fish a Matrix craw on a Texas rig like for Bass,” Gallo details. “It’s a weedless bait, so I throw it in the grass or right on the shoreline edge and drag it out. When Redfish turn more aggressive, I fish it a little faster. When they’re not as aggressive, I fish it slower.”
Move with the Temperatures – Like the Fish!
As water becomes hotter, it holds less oxygen so fish head for deeper, cooler water. Also, when water turns colder, fish look for more comfortable temperatures in deeper water, although Redfish remain active all year long. Scoured by tidal flows, some bayous and dredged canals drop to 20 to 30 feet deep.
“Redfish are so much more hardy than Speckled Trout when it comes to cold weather,” Gallo explains. “They don’t have a problem biting even when the water gets down to the low 40s! We even get some topwater action during the winter. We fish a little slower because bait moves slower.”
During the colder months, Redfish move from the depths to feed in sunny shallows during midday. Shrimp and crabs become scarcer, so Redfish mainly eat mussels and small mullets or other fish.
Bait Is Key in Winter
“The key to fishing the marsh in the winter is finding mullet,” Gallo remarks. “When we find mullet concentrations, we usually find Redfish. Mullet hang out in shallower, warmer water.”
A live cocahoe minnow on a jighead makes an excellent winter temptation. Drag it along the bottom in short spurts. The struggling fish wriggling on the hook provides enough enticement for any hungry “Spot-tail.” The jighead creates a mud trail on the bottom like a scurrying crab.
A Variety of Redfish Spots near Biloxi Marsh
To the east closest to the Gulf and directly south of the Mississippi coastline, the marshes break up into large lakes and bays punctuated by grassy islands. Closer to the Gulf, the water characteristically remains cleaner and saltier. Redfish near the islands tend to run much bigger than the ones in the shallow ponds. Some “Bull” Reds can run in the 20–50-pound range.
Good places to catch Redfish in this area include Shell Island Lake, Drum Bay, Three Mile Bay, Nine Mile Bay, Jack Williams Bay, and Deep Water Pass. At times, you can also catch Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Cobia, and other species. You may even spot Tarpon rolling!
“All of those islands are almost too tempting to fish,” Schindler argues. “We focus on areas with moving water, diving birds, and bait. When we find that magic trifecta, that’s where the predators will be holding. We catch good fish from Isle au Pitre at the northeastern tip of the marshes to Comfort Island on the southern tip.”
Redfish only spend their first 5 or 6 years in inland waters. Then, most move offshore. In late summer and the fall, big Reds congregate in huge spawning schools closer inland, but these islands might hold giant huge all year long.
“We catch a lot of Bull Reds around those islands, especially from around August to early October – peaking in September,” Wright says. “By December, Bull Reds break out of their spawning schools. They become more solitary and stay in deeper water. I like to use swimbaits for Bulls. One of my favorites is a 5″ swim shad. I’ll also use a Matrix shad with a 1/4- or 1/2-ounce leadhead, but we catch a lot of Bull Reds on live baits.”
Bigger Redfish hit lures, but prefer the real deal. For giant Spot-tails, tip a jighead or popping-cork rig with a live mullet about 3–8 inches long. Big Reds might also hit cut mullet, fish strips, or live pogies fished on a Carolina rig. Nothing interests a Bull Redfish or a monster Black Drum more than a cracked crab. Hook a whole crab near the rounded swimmer fin. Crack the top shell so succulent juices ooze out. Anglers can also break crabs in half to make two baits!
Don’t Forget the Regulations!
Since the entire Biloxi Marsh area, including the outer islands, sits in Louisiana waters, everyone fishing these waters must possess a Louisiana fishing license and abide by the regulations of the Bayou State. That means anglers can keep four Redfish per day – each between 18 and 27 inches, but nothing exceeding 27 inches. In Mississippi waters, you can keep three Redfish per day, each between 18 and 30 inches, with only one exceeding 30 inches.
“If we’re fishing Louisiana waters, we must follow Louisiana regulations,” Wright explains. “I’ve been stopped by Mississippi game wardens before. If we have Louisiana limits in the boat, we cannot stop to fish in Mississippi waters. If we had nothing illegal in Mississippi, we can stop on the way back to Pass Christian and fish.”
From November to January, many people also hunt ducks on the wildlife management area and surrounding marshes. Avoid interfering with the hunters and fish elsewhere. With so much habitat in that area, everyone can find a place to enjoy their favorite pursuits!
Have you ever fished for Redfish in the Biloxi Marsh? Maybe you have a similar honey hole close to home. Either way, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
The post Paradise Found: Biloxi Marsh Redfish Fishing for 2026 appeared first on FishingBooker Blog.
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