Pascagoula River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Mississippi

About the Pascagoula River

The Pascagoula is the last big free-flowing river in the contiguous United States. From the junction of the Leaf and Chickasawhay it runs about eighty miles to the Mississippi Sound with no dams and very little development, through cypress and tupelo bottomland, past white sandbars that make some of the best primitive camping in the South. The Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area protects tens of thousands of acres of that floodplain.

Fishing changes as you go down. The upper and middle river is bass, bream and catfish water, fished from kayaks and small boats around log jams, cut banks and sandbar edges. Approaching Pascagoula the river goes tidal and brackish, and redfish and speckled trout appear in the same water where largemouth are still holding, which makes the lower river one of the few places you can catch both in a morning. Multi-day float and camp trips are the signature experience here.

The Graham Ferry gauge covers the lower main stem. Moderate readings, roughly 1,000 to 5,000 cfs, give clear enough water and exposed sandbars for camping. High water after a Gulf rain event floods the bars, puts the fish into the timber and turns the river the color of coffee; extreme low water in late summer makes the upper reaches shallow and slow. Hurricane season also matters here in a way it does not on inland rivers.

Lucedale, Wade and Pascagoula are the access towns, with Mobile and Hattiesburg the nearest cities. Bring bug protection, plan around the tide on the lower river, and check the forecast twice in late summer.

Access

Highway 26 and the Leaf and Chickasawhay junction: the top of the main stem.
Wade and Cumbest Bluff: mid-river landings with parking.
Graham Ferry: access near the gauge on the lower river.
Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area: extensive public land and primitive camping.
Highway 63 landings: the main lower-river ramps.
Pascagoula and the Gulf: tidal water, redfish and speckled trout.
Sandbar camping is first-come and legal on most of the river; pack out everything.

Seasons

March through May: high, cool water and the best bass fishing of the year.
June through August: hot, low and buggy; fish early, camp on the bars, watch the weather.
September through November: falling water, clearing river and comfortable camping.
December through February: cold and quiet; high-water events after winter rain.