UTERSheepshead fishing in Mississippi & Alabama Coast
In Mississippi & Alabama Coast, sheepshead peak December–April and are around year-round, spawning in February–March, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. February: Spawning sheepshead on the Dauphin Island bridge, the jetties and the nearshore reefs.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Sheepshead in Mississippi & Alabama Coast, month by month
- JanuaryPeakSheepshead on the pilings; trout up the rivers. Fiddlers or shrimp tight to the bridges; slow jigs in the Pascagoula and the Delta.
- FebruarySpawningSpawning sheepshead on the Dauphin Island bridge, the jetties and the nearshore reefs.
- MarchSpawningPeak at the Pass Christian and Biloxi reefs and the Mobile Bay structure.
- AprilPeak
- MayAround
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberAround
- NovemberAroundTrout fill the rivers; flounder head out. Pascagoula and Delta for trout; Alabama has a fall flounder closure — check ADCNR.
- DecemberPeakWinter on the pilings. Bridges and docks for sheepshead; deep river bends for trout.
Where to fish sheepshead near Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi
The Mississippi Sound behind Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois islands, the Biloxi Marsh to the west, Mobile Bay and the Mobile–Tensaw Delta, the Dauphin Island bridge and causeway, Perdido Bay and the Alabama beaches — with the world's biggest artificial-reef zone just offshore of Orange Beach.
Fish Scouter charts 1,918 artificial reef, 502 wreck, 3 marker / buoy, 1 dock / pilings spots in the Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay map area — the kinds sheepshead hold on.
What to use for sheepshead
- Fiddler crabsA #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait.
- Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
- Sand fleas (mole crabs)On a small circle hook or a pompano rig, digger-end first — the pompano and whiting bait.
- Grass shrimpTwo or three on a #6 hook under a small cork — the bream, crappie, sheepshead and mangrove snapper bait nobody sells.
- Leader20–30 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#2–1/0
- Jig head1/8–1/4 oz
- Braid10–20 lb
Feeds in 48–74°F water, best at 54–66°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch sheepshead in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Peak season is December–April, with fish spawning in February–March (often a closed or catch-and-release window — check the rule). Sheepshead are here year-round. February: Spawning sheepshead on the Dauphin Island bridge, the jetties and the nearshore reefs.
Where do sheepshead hold in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Look on bridge, artificial reef, wreck, marker / buoy — around Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Dauphin Island.
What is the best bait for sheepshead in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Live bait: fiddler crabs, live shrimp, sand fleas (mole crabs), grass shrimp. Fiddler crabs: A #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait. Tackle: leader 20–30 lb fluorocarbon, hook #2–1/0, jig head 1/8–1/4 oz, braid 10–20 lb.
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All about sheepshead · Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay, the whole year