Old Fort Bayou Fishing Guides
A winding tidal bayou draining the pine woods north of Ocean Springs into Biloxi Bay, with redfish and speckled trout in the lower reach and bass in the fresher water above.
Guides on the Old Fort Bayou
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Old Fort Bayou
Old Fort Bayou runs east to west across the top of Ocean Springs and empties into the Back Bay of Biloxi, and it is the sort of water that rewards anglers who are willing to work a small system carefully rather than run twenty miles offshore. The gauge at Ocean Springs reads stage, which on a bayou governed entirely by tide and rainfall is the number that actually tells you what the water is doing.
The bayou changes character along its length. Down near the bay it is broad, brackish and lined with marsh grass, and it holds the full coastal cast of redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum and sheepshead. Move upstream past the bridges and the water freshens, the banks close in with live oak, cypress and pine, and largemouth bass, bream and catfish take over. In between there is a genuine overlap zone where a single morning can produce a redfish and a largemouth within a hundred yards of each other, which is the particular pleasure of fishing a Gulf Coast bayou.
Structure is mostly natural. Oyster shell and hard bottom appear near the mouth, undercut banks and fallen timber line the middle reach, and the marsh drains and small feeder creeks concentrate bait on a falling tide. Grass beds thicken through summer. The tidal range is modest, as it is everywhere on this coast, so anglers pay closer attention to wind than to the tide chart, because a sustained south wind stacks water into the bay and a north wind pulls it out.
The Old Fort Bayou Bluff and the surrounding conservation lands keep a good deal of the north bank undeveloped, and there is a well used paddling trail through the upper bayou that has made it a favorite with kayak anglers. Ocean Springs itself sits directly on the water with ramps, tackle and a substantial guide community.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Old Fort Bayou.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Ocean Springs - the town at the gauge, with ramps, tackle, lodging and guides.
Biloxi - the larger city across the bay, with full services and charter fleets.
Fort Maurepas Park - waterfront park access on the Ocean Springs shoreline.
Old Fort Bayou paddling trail - a marked kayak route through the upper bayou.
Back Bay of Biloxi - the receiving bay immediately downstream.
Gulf Islands National Seashore - protected barrier island waters a short run south.
Davis Bayou - an adjacent tidal bayou within the national seashore boundary.
Seasons
Spring: warming water pulls redfish and trout up the bayou and bass spawn in the fresher upper reaches.
Summer: fish move to shade and deeper bends through the heat, with early morning and late evening the productive windows.
Fall: the best fishing of the year as bait leaves the marsh and redfish and trout feed hard on the falling tide.
Winter: cold fronts drop water levels and concentrate fish in the deepest holes, where trout and redfish stay catchable.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What species can you catch on the Old Fort Bayou?
Anglers target Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Crevalle Jack, Ladyfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Red Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder, Spotted Seatrout on the Old Fort Bayou in Mississippi.
Where can you access the Old Fort Bayou?
Ocean Springs - the town at the gauge, with ramps, tackle, lodging and guides. Biloxi - the larger city across the bay, with full services and charter fleets. Fort Maurepas Park - waterfront park access on the Ocean Springs shoreline. Old Fort Bayou paddling trail - a marked kayak route through the upper bayou. Back Bay of Biloxi - the receiving bay immediately downstream. Gulf Islands National Seashore - protected barrier island waters a short run south. Davis Bayou - an adjacent tidal bayou within the national seashore boundary.
When is the best time to fish the Old Fort Bayou?
Spring: warming water pulls redfish and trout up the bayou and bass spawn in the fresher upper reaches. Summer: fish move to shade and deeper bends through the heat, with early morning and late evening the productive windows. Fall: the best fishing of the year as bait leaves the marsh and redfish and trout feed hard on the falling tide. Winter: cold fronts drop water levels and concentrate fish in the deepest holes, where trout and redfish stay catchable.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Old Fort Bayou?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Mississippi agency site: https://www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boating/