Hey Hall of Fame Family,
I hope this blog post finds you warm, well, and with a fish on your line! In our last Tackle Room blog post, I wrote about an amazing day of trout fishing I had earlier this March. Check it out here, if you haven't already! Unlike that great day of fishing earlier this month, I have more recently been struggling to catch anything. I am in Biloxi, Mississippi again for field work, almost a month after my last visit down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I struggled to catch fish then too, actually only landing 1 largemouth bass during the whole week. That was an important bass, though, as it was my first of 2025! I recapped that trip in this blog post. It was a slow week, but now I'm back for Round 2 with a vendetta to figure out these fish. The fishing hasn't gone according to plan, however...
My flight landed around 12:30 pm on Monday afternoon, giving me the rest of the day to fish. I immediately went to the park where I caught my first bass of 2025, and I some fairly decent expectations. Having fished the park's pond, spillway, and creek just one month before, I had a better idea of what to throw and what the water would be like. On a casting rod, I tied on the same chartreuse/black spinnerbait I had caught on last time, as well as a fluke on my spinning rod. I figured a fluke might get bit, as the pond and creek arms are full of vegetation. My previous experience meant next to nothing, however, as I proceeded to spend a couple hours fishing in vain without a single nibble. I even tried a new spot in the park I hadn't before, where the creek dumps into the Back Bay of Biloxi. I then bailed on the park in favor of fishing the beach across from my hotel. I'd also fished this beach last month, but did not have any success. I knew the beach was very shallow, and I wasn't expecting much. Last month, I only got to fish this area of the beach as the sun was setting or already down, so I couldn't see exactly how shallow the water was. In better daylight, I realized I might've wasted a lot of time fishing there. In the sunlight, I could tell the water was about 3 feet deep, maximum, as far as I could see. I waded out into the water to look for deeper holes, but couldn't find any. I only spent about an hour fishing across from my hotel, as I had little confidence there. I then drove a few miles east to a public boat ramp on the Mississippi Sound. I thought this area might be deeper and hold some fish... It was indeed deeper, but I still could not get a bite. This part of the beach was still sandy, but had more of a mud bottom. The water was dirtier, and there was an old, decrepit yacht club dock for cover. I was a little surprised to see 0 signs of life over there.
On Tuesday afternoon after work, I set out to look for new water, hoping for better results than the day before. I started out fishing around the marina of the Air Force Base I'm working at, but this area was also quite shallow. Not as shallow as Biloxi Beach, but I certainly wouldn't call it deep, probably only about 4 feet as far as I could cast, if I had to guess. There was also a lot of submerged rock, which showed promise. However, I ended up getting snagged several times without a single bite before just leaving. The fishing on Tuesday was looking a lot like Monday... I grabbed some lunch before trying another spot, this time fresh water. I found a kayak launch and conservation area on the Tchoutacabouffa River. The launch itself was crowded, but I managed to find some open water on a sand bar off the river. This was the best looking fishing spot I've found down here in coastal Mississippi, but looks can be deceiving. I threw around the same lures as the day before, as well as switching from the fluke to a jighead and swimbait, all still to no avail. By the end of the day Tuesday, I was literally 007 - 0 bites, 0 fish caught, and 7 hours spent fishing. Terrible!
Wednesday was more of the same. I fished a new location, a causeway park with ample shore access, docks, grass, and riprap. Was I crazy to think I'd have any different success? I fished a couple different swimbaits, a fluke, and that same spinnerbait. I spent around 3 hours exploring the park, casting in as many fishy areas as I could. After breaking off a second swimbait, I left the park in discouragement.
Thursday was my final full day in Coastal Mississippi, and I only had an hour or two left to fish. I instinctively went back to the only place I've even caught a fish down there, the same spot I started the week at. I had little confidence, and I was right to feel that way. I fished my way around the pond, spillway, and bayou with no luck before cutting off my lures and preparing my rods for the airport.
Throughout the week, I'd spent around 11 hours fishing in freshwater and saltwater without so much as a bite. By the end of the week, I would've been happy to lose a fish. Being my second time fishing Mississippi's Gulf Coast, I scoured Google Earth for new spots to fish. I found some, but had less success than my first trip (which is saying a lot). In total, I've spent about 20 hours fishing in and around Biloxi, and I have only caught 1 largemouth bass. Talking to some locals at a boat ramp, they said all the fish were in 30 - 40 feet of water, about 20 miles off the coast. Oof. I will likely return to Biloxi at some point this summer for field work, and I will redeem myself!
Thanks for reading, tight lines!
Erik Hoffman, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co