Coast Region Archives - Page 37 of 39

Wildfires on Deer Island have highlighted the need for burn bans on the popular camping site.

Deer Island wildfires highlight burn ban

June 3, 2011 From News Reports

Coastal Mississippi is currently under extreme drought conditions. After two recent wildfires on Deer Island, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is reminding the public that Harrison and Jackson counties along the coast have a burn ban in effect that prohibits any outdoor burning, including campfires.

Although there is no proof either of the Deer Island fires was caused by people, both fires started in areas frequented by boaters and campers. […]

The average grade of red snapper at the end of last season was 10 to 15 pounds. Capt. Mike Moore expects them to be at least that big, if not bigger, when red snapper season opens this month.

Catch big snapper, cobia on Gulf Coast

May 31, 2011 John E. Phillips

Capt. Michael Moore, owner and operator of Strictly Business Fishing Charters based out of Biloxi, captains all the Strictly Charters fishing vessels, including the “Ms. Darsy” and a tour boat that takes 49 passengers on a trip to catch shrimp and other marine life, hear a history of Biloxi and enjoy light-tackle fishing for trout, flounder and ground mullet. […]

There will be plenty of 8-pound red snapper caught off the coast this month, but to find the place that’s holding the biggest snapper, look for individual rocks and small
bottom relief.

Not Exactly Obvious

May 31, 2011 John E. Phillips

“Most fishermen bypass catching big red snapper to catch little snapper,” said Capt. Lenny Maiolatesi of the Fighting Chicken (228-326-3180), based out of Dry Stack Marina in Ocean Springs. […]

The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway doesn't just affect Louisiana waters. Department of Marine Fisheries officials believe it also will push saltwater species from Hancock County's coastal waters and potentially introduce invasive species to coastal rivers.

Opening of Louisiana’s Bonnet Carre Spillway will impact Mississippi coastal fishing

May 19, 2011 Mississippi Sportsman

The Bonnet Carre Spillway and the Mississippi Sound.

This year’s spring rains and thaws from a hard winter have created the largest flood to come down the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys in a century. That led to the opening of the 5.7-mile long Bonnet Carre Spillway, which is located 32.8 river miles north of New Orleans. […]

Wise Mississippi coastal anglers know that the best time to catch fish is when they are forced to congregate around contour changes, like the point on the west side of Horn Island.

Horn of Copious Cobia: Lemon fish invade this barrier island

May 12, 2011 Chris Ginn

Like a giant brown bear waiting to catch leaping salmon swimming upstream, hundreds of Mississippi offshore anglers are lining up this month to take advantage of the thousands of cobia making their annual migration around the Gulf of Mexico coastline.

After bobbing and weaving through the gauntlet known as Destin and Pensacola, the cobia will eventually hit the barrier islands off the Mississippi coast. The first island they get to, Petit Bois, might get a little of their attention, but it is the second island in the chain, Horn, that attracts cobia like Britney Spears draws attention. […]

NMFS officials are proposing a short fall recreational season for gag grouper, while also wanting to significantly increase the commercial quota on the species.

Fall gag grouper recreational season, increased commercial quota proposed

April 28, 2011 From News Reports

The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing the setting the recreational gag grouper season to run Sept. 16 through Nov. 15, according to the agency’s newsletter. Public comment on the proposal is being accepted through May 6.

The proposal, announced April 21 in the Federal Register and apparently coming at the behest of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, also includes a temporary rule to reset the commercial gag grouper quota and continue the suspension of the use of red grouper multi-use individual quota commercial allocation. […]

When you're fishing over the grass beds, more than likely you're fishing for speckled trout, but don't be surprised if you catch really nice redfish out of these same waters.

Action unbeatable at Chandeleurs this month

April 28, 2011 John E. Phillips

Capt. George Pelaez of the Joka’s Wild charter boat, docked at Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi, operates trips to the Chandeleur Islands. His boat, the mother ship for a Chandeleur Islands’ adventure, carries 12 to 14 people who sleep and eat on the boat and then go out in skiffs to fish the Chandeleur Islands. […]

Large current eddy in Gulf kicking offshore fishing into high gear

April 27, 2011 From News Reports

Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service has been monitoring what appears to be the formation of a relatively large Loop Current eddy in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

“This eddy will have substantial consequences for the fishing,” the service said in a release. “While the eddy has sea surface temperatures of 81 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, there is blue 77 to 78-degree water extending northward to the coastal states from the Mississippi Canyon to the DeSoto Canyon.

“These are excellent early season conditions for tuna, dolphin, wahoo and marlin.” […]

Biloxi piers provide great fishing opportunities

April 26, 2011 Christopher L. Eger

The Harrison County port resort city of Biloxi is well known for its casinos, Beauvoir, and for being the setting for a number of John Gresham novels. What is not as well known about the city is that it is in the heart of the “Fertile Fisheries Crescent” of the northern Gulf of Mexico and that from more than a half dozen prime spots, a saltwater angler can stand on shore and capture any number of prime game fish without ever getting their feet wet. […]

One killed, six injured in Hancock County boating accident

April 4, 2011 From News Reports

A young boy died and six others suffered minor injuries after the boats in which they were riding collided head-on in Rotten Bayou near the Jourdan River, according to news reports. The accident occurred north of Interstate 10 in Hancock County, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources reported. […]

The really good cobia run off the Mississippi coast usually lasts for about five weeks.

Bumper year offshore begins now

March 29, 2011 John E. Phillips

Saltwater fishermen can look for a bumper crop of offshore fish this year. With the BP oil spill last year and fishing shut-down all along the Upper Gulf Coast, the offshore fish had the least amount of fishing pressure they’ve had in many years. This year, outdoorsmen should see bumper crops of all offshore fish.

[…]

Long Beach's Troy Helwig caught the pending Mississippi state-record amberjack March 18 by catching this 114.2-pound beast.

Pending state record AJ landed near Horseshoe Rigs

March 29, 2011 Andy Crawford

The group of seven anglers leaving Ocean Springs Harbor on March 18 had one destination and one species in mind: the Horseshoe Rigs and amberjack. When they came home, they carried the pending state record AJ. […]