Hey Hall of Fame family,
I hope this blog post finds you warm and well, as snow is currently falling outside my window. Last week's blog post talks about a successful trout fishing excursion that Paul, our cousin, and myself went on. It was the coldest weather I've ever been fishing in! Check it out. As you may know, my 9-5 job allows me to travel across the United States, mostly to different military bases testing soil and groundwater. I always pack fishing gear on the plane with me, as there is always time to squeeze in a few casts while I'm in the field. Plus, I get to explore new spots and target different species.
I recently spent a week working in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was my first time visiting coastal Mississippi, as all my previous adventures in the state were up north in Columbus and Grenada. I flew into Gulfport, and was quickly greeted by the warm weather and sunshine. My hotel was across the street from the beach, and I was stoked to target some saltwater fish. Upon completing work for the day and getting to the beach for the first time, I was disappointed to learn that the water was only about 3 feet deep, maximum. I threw around a swimbait for about an hour with no luck, occasionally pulling in seaweed or gunk off the bottom. There was little cover or structure to cast at, and the shallow water yielded no signs of life.
I fished a different part of the beach the following day, but still relatively close to my hotel. This part of the beach had a boardwalk, interstate bridge pilings, a destroyed dock, and some culvert pipes. It looked like an area that might hold fish. Unfortunately, I found the same issue as the day before: depth. It was still probably only 3 or so feet as far as I could cast, and I wasn't too keen on wading out. I fished this area for a couple hours, throwing a wake bait, shallow jointed crankbait, lipless crankbait, and that same swimbait, without a single bite. Defeated at the beach, I went and got some Zaxby's.
I had just one more day to fish before getting on a plane and coming home. I was determined to catch a fish, but didn't have confidence in Biloxi Beach. I found a park near the fam camp of the base I'd been working at, and figured some new water might do me good. There was a bayou and small pond with a dam, and the dam's small spillway lead to a creek that dumped into the ocean. Hence, I was thinking saltwater.
The weather had been beautiful all week, sunny and 70s. There was a little cloud cover on my final day, so I figured I'd try topwater. Nothing else had worked. I threw a popper around where the creek enters the larger bay without any luck. I was texting a friend saying the fishing was horrible, and he suggested throwing a chatterbait around grass. I didn't have any chatterbaits, but I did have a small black and chartreuse spinnerbait. This lure was actually given to me by an old man at Toledo Bend. I've caught a gar on it before using it in Biloxi, and I thought it just might actually work. I fished it in the same area as the popper without a bite, and headed towards the small pond. This little pond was so full of grass and vegetation, and I didn't give it much of a chance with my spinnerbait. I then went below the small dam, casted right into the running water, and something nailed my lure. I fought it for a few seconds before landing it. It was a largemouth! I was not expecting that, and I completely believed I was fishing saltwater. My guess is there was just enough fresh water from the pond to sustain that bass. It was my first bass of 2025, and definitely a cool catch!
It had been just over 2 months since I last caught a bass, when I was working in Texas, actually. Man I've missed those green fish! That one fish, even though it was only around a pound, made all the struggles at the beach worth it. Something about them is magical, and they're the reason Hall of Fame Outdoor Co exists. The way they hit, fight, and powerfully swim off is all part of why we love this sport. It's a drug we crave. I have work plans to return to Biloxi and the coastal Mississippi area in April, and I am very excited. I will be returning to this spillway, as well as looking for new water to explore. Maybe next time I will find some salty fish!
Thanks for reading!
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co