Deep Sea Fishing at Biloxi Mississippi
by Scott A. Sumner
Thunder Bay Business
A trip to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi can include so much to do. There is gambling in 11 casinos, golfing at some world class courses, visiting some tremendous art galleries and exhibits or dining out at a great selection of unique restaurants with seafood specialities. For a great unique experience why not try your hand at deep sea fishing!
I grew up fishing in Northwestern Ontario, Canada and really enjoyed our afternoon on the Gulf of Mexico with Captains Tom and Frank Becker. Their boat Skipper, is located at the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is a locally built 40 foot custom boat for charter fishing with twin Cummins diesel engines of 300 HP each.
The most popular fishing trip we offer is 8 hours for 1 to 6 people. Our base price for that time frame is $900 dollars.If we carry more than 6 people there is a $90 per person surcharge. noted Captain Frank Becker. The Skipper will also offer 4 hours trips or 1 day or 2 day excursions.
Our day began travelling at some 10 or 11 knots 9.5 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. We will duck in behind Ship Island as it will knock down some ot the seas we are having today, stated Becker. We use shrimp bait and the lines are down 18 feet. Here we have a water depth of 18 feet but it drops off quickly. It is mainly salt water but when we have a lot of rain it becomes quite brackish. We can catch ground mullets, white trout or red fish which is a good fight.
You see mullet in local restaurant and they are very good eating. The Skipper will have 1 or 2 trips per season where they don't catch fish as they move around a lot to find the fish. April, May, June, July, August and September are the peak fishing months when the water is warm. A lot of our fish are migratory and leave when the water is below 65. Today it is 58 and in July it is is 85 degrees, noted Becker. We have a lot of repeat business. They come down here
to have a good time and they know we it give our best shot to get some fish. My father, Captain Tom has been doing it for over 20 years. The people mostly come from a 8 hour radius of Biloxi, Memphis or Jackson.
During our 2 hours of fishing time fellow media member Matt and I caught 22 fish in the Gulf of Mexico on the Skipper. Our catch included ground mullet and white trout. It became a beautiful sunny day and a real treat to be out on the water for a Canadian who had left cold weather and snow at home. On our trip back to Biloxi, Captain filleted all the fish and was ready for a fish barbecue. This was a great day and one you should try when you visit this part of Mississippi.
