Biloxi Marsh Redfish: The Flood Tide Spoon Pattern

The Biloxi Marsh is a 20-minute run from the Gulfport harbor, and in late summer, it becomes a redfish factory—if you know how to read the water.

The Flood Tide Strategy Redfish push into the marsh when high water overtakes the grass flats. This gives them access to crabs, shrimp, and baitfish trapped in the flooded vegetation. The key is finding areas where the water is JUST deep enough to hold fish—about 2 to 4 inches over the grass.

Last Tuesday's tide was a 1.5-foot flood, considered ideal for this pattern. We arrived at first light and began working the grass edges.

The Gold Metal Spoon I know some anglers turn their nose up at spoons, but you can't argue with results. A 1/2 oz gold Johnson Silver Minnow with a swim-bait trailer is my go-to for this scenario.

The key is to bounce it OFF the grass, not over it. You want that spoon to tick the vegetation, creating a vibration that mimics a wounded baitfish.

The Numbers We landed 40 redfish in 4 hours, with 8 of them slot-sized (18-27 inches) and one beast that pushed 34 inches. Lost at the boat—those marsh giants have one thing on their mind: get back to the grass.

Pro Tips - Run a trolling motor to silently approach the grass edges - Cast past the area and retrieve past the target—never cast AT visible fish - Keep the boat in deeper water; wading in the marsh spooks more fish than it catches

What's Next? Next week, I'll be targeting the falling tide pattern in the same area. The redfish go back out, but they stage near the passes before heading to deeper bay waters. Stay tuned for that report.