Redfish here, redfish there

In September, the waters of the Mississippi Sound and the barrier islands, and even the bays of the coastal rivers begin to fill with schools of redfish. It’s a great month to get at the fish.

Doesn’t matter whether you like to fight the big bulls or try to catch slot redfish you can keep and eat, there’s plenty of both in September and plenty of places to find them.

“The beaches on the outside of the barrier islands, like Horn, Ship and Cat, will fill up with big schools of redfish, and a lot of times you can see them on top,” said avid surf angler John Cuevas of Biloxi. “You can also find big schools of bulls cruising in the cuts and passes, like Camille Cut at Ship Island. Big brutes.

“Smaller keeper reds are more likely to be found either in the Biloxi marsh or starting to move into the bays around bridge pilings, like on the Highway 90 bridges at Ocean Springs and Bay St. Louis. That’s the pattern I like because I can also catch a lot of puppy drum (black drum) there, and eventually the sheepshead will move in, too. That’s usually later in September into October, but once they get there, it’s crazy fun.”

Biloxi back bay anglers, like Terry Carnes of Ocean Springs, love September.

“I can catch redfish pretty much when I want then, and some flounder and puppy drum, too,” he said. “I love to move up in the bay and work the shorelines with spinnerbaits. I can get a limit of (three) redfish pretty quick, and then play or go look for something else.

“One of the things I like to do on an incoming tide is get some mullet, cut them in half and use them for bait to play around with the big black drum when they cruise the shorelines around Point Cadet. They’re brutal and fun to mess with. I don’t eat the big ones, but they are fun to fight on bass gear.”

About Bobby Cleveland 1340 Articles
Bobby Cleveland has covered sports in Mississippi for over 40 years. A native of Hattiesburg and graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Cleveland lives on Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson with his wife Pam.

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