Mississippi Charters,

Saltwater Fishing In Mississippi

Mississippi offers an abundance of saltwater fishing. Even though the state has only 44 miles of shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico, the fishing grounds are teeming with fish. Angling methods include fishing from shore, inshore fishing, nearshore fishing, offshore trolling, and deep sea bottom fishing near wrecks and reefs. In addition, fishing around gulf oil rigs and the barrier islands is very productive.

Like its neighbor-states in the Southeast, Mississippi is a prime location for reds. Reds, redfish, spottail bass, red drum, channel bass – whatever you prefer to call them, these fish are worthy opponents. They’re very aggressive and will put up a courageous fight. Smaller reds can be caught in the surf and from piers, but to catch the really big ones – the “bull” reds – you need to fish farther out. In Mississippi, this is usually done via deep sea fishing and offshore trolling. The state record red in Mississippi weighed 44 pounds. To land your own bull, book a Mississippi fishing charter.

Deep sea fishing generally targets fish that prowl the ocean floor, or near the bottom, for food. In Mississippi, likely catches include grouper, snapper, sharks, and amberjack. The state’s grouper include red, black, gag, yellowedge, and their larger cousin, the Warsaw grouper. The state record Warsaw weighed in at 250 pounds. Shark species include the great hammerhead, the scalloped hammerhead, the sandbar, the spinner, and the blacktip. The largest shark recorded tipped the scales at 885 pounds.

Charter Fishing In Mississippi

Mississippi charter boats fish around oil rigs for cobia, tripletail, barracuda, trigger fish, and tarpon. In the Gulf, cobia are often referred to as “ling.” The state record fish weighed 106 pounds, 13 ounces. The largest barracuda recorded 48 pounds, 4.8 ounces, and the record tarpon weighed 167 pounds. Fish are attracted to the rig structures because they hold baitfish. Numerous Mississippi charter boats fish the oil rigs, so you’ll have a chance to catch a whopper by booking passage.

Trolling offshore for king mackerel is a popular type of angling, too. Kings are sometimes called “smokers” because of their amazing runs. The largest king landed and verified in the state was a 64-pounder. While you’re trolling, you might also hook a bonita, a ling, a Spanish mackerel, a big red, or a dorado.

Mississippi fishing charters and fishing guides are also available for inshore fishing. This includes fishing the bays and around the barrier islands. Here, you’ll have the chance to land reds, sea trout, black drum, sharks, and sheepshead. One advantage to this type of Mississippi fishing charters is that you’ll spend more time actually fishing and less time reaching the fishing grounds.