Unpredictable Weather Stymies Anglers

By Al Jones, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Jan. 13–OCEAN SPRINGS — Is it springtime or winter in South Mississippi when it comes to fishing?

One minute, temperatures drop near the freezing mark, forcing the action on speckled trout in the rivers and bays to escalate.

The next minute, temperatures rebound into the 70s as if the month of March had arrived instead of January.

The inconsistency in weather patterns also hurts deer hunting throughout the state of Mississippi, especially in the southern portion. With a month left in South Mississippi, hunters are faced with the possibility of a late January of early February rut.

Despite the roller coaster in temperatures, speckled trout fishing continues to shine when the weather conditions permits.

South Mississippi has seen stiff winds out of the south and north that has limited fishing in some parts of the area.

But the bends in the rivers, ones that offer some protection from the wind, have produced some nice trout. Other areas protected from the wind like the casinos along U.S. 90 have been productive, too.

“I did hear about fish being caught when the weather is decent,” Kenny Dinero of Ocean Springs Marine Mart said. “There have been some trout caught out front of the shop here in the bay and back toward Davis Bayou and the Palace Casino.

“It hasn’t been a lot of fish, but the fish are decent. Everything is being caught on live shrimp.”

In terms of live shrimp, Dinero is optimistic about the rest of the month. Currently, Dinero said live shrimp are being caught up the Pascagoula River, which along with Fort Bayou and Graveline Bayou, are considered hot spots for trout in the winter.

“I still have shrimp,” he said. “Mine are coming out of the river. We did pull over here on Monday and Tuesday and we can eight pounds one day and 10 pounds the next. I hope to keep getting them out of the river through the month.”

Crappie are being caught around the twin bridges on the Tchoutacabouffa River using small minnows.

Catfish catches, using chunks of cut bait, have been solid in the upper part of the Biloxi River as well as Turkey Creek in Gulfport.

Barrier island fishing is slowed due to stiff wind conditions.

When the weather permits, a few redfish are being caught along the surf at Ship Island as well as the pier on the north side of the island using gold spoons.

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Copyright (c) 2008, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

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