[seachaser]

Has anybody been to Horn island off mississippi to fish and camp.Thinking about going in april to fish there and run out to the chandelier island also to fish.Any info would be very helpful thanks.

 

[BentStraight]

Forty years ago I spent my teen years in Gautier (Seacliffe)andcamped on Horn Island all the time. We always took dipnets, crab traps, floundering lanterns and gigs, seines and cast netsalong with our fishing gear and LIVED LIKE KINGS out there (it wasn't a Nat. Park then). We would harvest our own oysters on the way out and live off the bountry of the land, crabmeat stuffed flounder, grilled redfish and oysters and sometimes we would bring gumbo fixin's and make a big pot withEVERYTHING from coquinas to baby squid thrown in. In the winter we would tow a canoe out and hunt ducks in the lakes. Thanks for bringing back some happy childhood memories!

Oh, don't camp too close to any of the lakes, sloughs or swamps, the mosquitos can be bad and the lakes are full of gators that will cross out into the Sound and Gulf at night to feed on crabs! I think now days you have to register with the Park Service if you are going to camp?

 

[Mikvi]

I stayed out there many nights prior to Katrina. I never bothered to register with anyone. Doesn't make it right... Just did it. There's a deep hole (30ft) on the NW end which is good for white trout, ground mullet and other easy catch types. I have caught many Cobia off the West tip on the sand bar (4-7ft). You can't sight fish as the water is too cloudy, so most people just chum, and use live bait. The Red fishing gets good towards the East end. I caught a 44" Red there a few years ago. Plenty of Specs, so take liv shrimp. Don't trust any charts of the area, including GPS chartplotters as nothing was updated after Katrina.

 

[DS Casper]

Hey, I just moved from MS and spent the last 2 years out there. Great place to go to camp but of course bring everything with you. The island is about 12 miles out.Ship Island isn't bad either. Now the bad news, Very shallow water, 8-12 feet from biloxi to islands so fishing around there is slow most of the times. You can catch all the catfish and stingray you want but as for game fish, not to sporty. Hope this helps and have fun.

 

[pmurphy]

Bring your flounder gigging setup and wade the lagoon. And yeah their are lotd of gators so don't camp by the lagoons and I would recomend camping on the southside of the island on the west side, that way you are closer to the deep hole off the SW tip and the south side is not as crowded. Lure of choice a red and white sparkle beetle followed by a cocahoe in firecracker. And there's lots of good gamefishing to be had over here. I prefer Cat Island myself. Imo much better fishing. It has a large bayou in it. You should have fun though. Since Katrina it got pretty tore up. The ranger shack got destroyed and they haven't built it back and lots of dead pine trees.