Shore Thing Fishing Report, 1/7/2026

 January 7, 2026

A new year, a new season of fantastic fishing! Our local guides are hot on the trail of sheepshead and redfish when the weather is right - which is most of the time.

​- by Sonny Schindler, Shore Thing Fishing Charters

Charlie Thompson with a huge late season red snapper he caught in federal waters.

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Several of our guides spent the majority of Christmas break on the water and had a wonderful time. The bulk of our efforts were on sheepshead and redfish. I am happy to report that both have been great. We still have to keep an eye out for cold fronts. We make sure we are either in protected waters or off the water altogether when they hit.

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Coach Bill Henley with a big black drum he tagged and released in the Louisiana Marsh.

 
Thankfully, the bait shops are keeping us supplied with beautiful live shrimp. Everything we fish revolves around heavy structure. If it has barnacles or oysters on it, we fish it.
 
Big tidal swings are making a noticeable difference in when the fish bite. The water has been very clean, and hopefully it will stay that way for a while.
 

Charlotte, Mary, and Anna Nobile with a mixed bag of sheepshead, black drum, speckled trout, and flounder they caught in Bay St. Louis.

 
Cold fronts coming this week will likely drop water temperatures again. When this happens, we usually start the fishing deep water, and as the temperatures rise throughout the day, we work our way to shallower waters. Sight-casting to redfish during midday has been, without a doubt, the most fun thing we do this time of year. Perfect conditions would be a bluebird day, the end of a low tide with rising water, and little to no wind. We usually give an area about 20 minutes, and if we don’t see signs of shrimp, minnows, crabs, or obviously fish, we move to a new shoreline or pond.
 

The LaFontaine gals with one of their many holiday redfish they caught near Pearlington.

 
Federal Snapper season closes at the end of 2025, but our offshore boat has been reporting big fish close to shore.
 
It’s an amazing time of year to be on the water, but please be extra special careful with the weather and the temperatures. Always let people know where you’re going and what time you are planning to return.

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