Red Creek Fishing Guides
A clear, sand-bottomed coastal plain creek in southeast Mississippi, floated for its white sand bars and fished for bass, bream and catfish on the way to the Pascagoula.
Guides on the Red Creek
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About the Red Creek
Red Creek runs southeast across the coastal plain of Jackson and George counties and joins the Pascagoula River north of the coast. It is a close cousin of Black Creek to the west, with the same essential character: clear tannin-tinted water over clean sand, high cutbanks on the outside of bends, wide sand bars on the inside, and pine and hardwood bottom on either side. It is less celebrated and much less crowded than Black Creek, and for many paddlers in south Mississippi that is precisely the appeal. The Pascagoula system it feeds is the largest undammed river system in the lower forty-eight.
This is a float-and-fish creek. Largemouth and spotted bass hold tight to laydowns, root wads and the deep corners where the current undercuts the bank, and they are reliable rather than large. Bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth are thick along the shaded margins and in the slack water behind bars, and they will keep a family busy all day. Channel catfish occupy the deeper holes, while bowfin and longnose gar are common and account for a fair share of what actually eats a lure. The sand bars make wade fishing and camping straightforward, and a kayak or canoe is the only sensible boat.
The gauge at Vestry reports discharge and stage without temperature, and as on any sand-bottomed creek the stage is what determines whether a float works. The useful range sits in the middle: low water turns the crossings between bends into walking and buries the boat in sand, while high water removes the bars, speeds the current and pushes the fish into the flooded timber. Red Creek is flashy and drops quickly, so a rise is a reason to wait two or three days rather than cancel. Spring and autumn hold the best water, and late summer is when floats run aground.
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Access
Vestry - the gauge crossing and the usual put-in for floats on the middle creek.
Wade - the community downstream toward the Pascagoula, with road access and a landing.
Lucedale - the nearest town north, with services, tackle and lodging.
Pascagoula River - the main stem the creek feeds, with developed ramps and much larger water.
Ocean Springs - the coastal town to the south, with guides, outfitters and shuttles.
Benndale - the small settlement upstream, with forest road crossings on the upper creek.
Ward Bayou Wildlife Management Area - the state holding near the confluence, with bank and paddle access.
Seasons
Spring: the best flows of the year, with bass working the wood and the creek at its most floatable.
Summer: bream and catfish dominate, floats are shallow and slow, and the sand bars draw swimmers and campers.
Fall: flows recover, the water clears, and bass feed hard along the cutbanks with almost nobody else on the creek.
Winter: low, cold and quiet, fished from the bank and the deep holes on the milder days.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Red Creek?
As of Nov 2, 7:45 am, the USGS gauge RED CREEK AT VESTRY, MS reads 193 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Red Creek?
Anglers target Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Bass, Warmouth on the Red Creek in Mississippi.
Where can you access the Red Creek?
Vestry - the gauge crossing and the usual put-in for floats on the middle creek. Wade - the community downstream toward the Pascagoula, with road access and a landing. Lucedale - the nearest town north, with services, tackle and lodging. Pascagoula River - the main stem the creek feeds, with developed ramps and much larger water. Ocean Springs - the coastal town to the south, with guides, outfitters and shuttles. Benndale - the small settlement upstream, with forest road crossings on the upper creek. Ward Bayou Wildlife Management Area - the state holding near the confluence, with bank and pad...
When is the best time to fish the Red Creek?
Spring: the best flows of the year, with bass working the wood and the creek at its most floatable. Summer: bream and catfish dominate, floats are shallow and slow, and the sand bars draw swimmers and campers. Fall: flows recover, the water clears, and bass feed hard along the cutbanks with almost nobody else on the creek. Winter: low, cold and quiet, fished from the bank and the deep holes on the milder days.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Red Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Mississippi agency site: https://www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boating/