Saturday, August 5, 2006
Caught plenty of nice size white trout and ground mullet in the Back Bay of Biloxi. Fished on the east side of the I10 Bridge four spans south of the draw area. Action was fast and furious, and my fishing companions Brad Huffman, his 8-year-old daughter Kennedy, and Brad’s dad Dan had a blast. For bait, menhaden caught in the brill net and fresh dead squid from nearby David’s Fishing Camp was used to lure the frenzied bottom feeders. Best results came from menhaden cut in half or thirds, as well as the small grey squid cut into small slivers. Our rigs consisted of 2/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks rigged on 25-pound-test Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader material, and 1-ounce bank and coined shaped weights. A strong falling tide triggered the fish into nonstop fishing action, and plenty of bait as well as fish kept the Garmin GPS/Fish Recorder lit up with clouds of fish below. To catch the menhaden always look for nervous patches of water on the surface or distinctive small surface flicks made by these popular baitfish. If the water is hot the bait may be found in deeper water or in lee side of calm coves, and areas with over hanging shade.

Sunday, August 6, 2006
Returned to the same white trout hole with Jeff McAllister, his son Austin, and Jeff’s nephew Jacob McAllister. At first the tide movement was slow, but as it picked up on its fall (ebb) so did the fishing action. Like the Saturday before, we enjoyed a couple of hours of fish catching fun. Once again, menhaden and fresh dead shrimp from David’s Fishing Camp proved to be effective offerings. By the way, deep water running near the east side of the bridge in this area, and the shallower flats rising to the east prove to be prime white trout and ground mullet haunts. The added scent of a menhaden cut in half or into thirds often proves best for enticing these bottom feeders.