Today — right on the edge.
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
Safety gates
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Bay St. Louis, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.
Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.
Open the seafloor mapRubble from the old Bay St Louis railroad bridge in 2 m. Black drum and sheepshead among the concrete; a training spot for days when the Gulf is shut.
Google MapsSheltered reef south-west of Cat Island, some 27 km out in 2 m with cleaner water. WARNING: part of the island is federal, and the reef sits in a powerhead-banned area.
Google MapsCedar Point Boat Launch is a shore entry about 4.1 km from Bay St. Louis. OpenStreetMap lists the site as a boat ramp. The pin sits at 30.339 N / 89.355 W on the chart. Expect no more than about 3 m of water.
Google MapsNearshore limestone and concrete reef in just 2 m — reachable by swim or small boat. Red drum and sheepshead; brackish, dark water that rarely gives you more than arm's length.
Google MapsHenderson Park: you go in from the shore, some 7.0 km from Bay St. Louis. Access type in the OpenStreetMap data: waterfront park. The pin sits at 30.309 N / 89.256 W on the chart. The pin is about 80 m from the shoreline. Expect no more than about 1.0 m of water.
Google MapsShore access point Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier, roughly 0.8 km from Bay St. Louis. Mapped by OpenStreetMap as a pier. Marker position: 30.311° N, 89.322° W. The pin is about 70 m from the shoreline. Expect no more than about 2.0 m of water.
Google MapsSOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.
Spearfishing Bay St. Louis is not a blue-water reef fantasy. It is a modest Mississippi stop because the western Mississippi Sound is often turbid and the inshore reefs are shallow, roughly 1 to 2 m. The practical plan is to scout Cedar Point Reef or the old train bridge rubble when conditions are settled, then run toward Cat Island Reef when you need cleaner water. Mississippi allows spear and gig take for finfish with a saltwater license, but the Gulf Islands National Seashore creates a 1 mile no-spear ring, and red snapper remains season-controlled.
These are modest Mississippi Sound options. Cat Island can involve federal water, so boundaries matter more than the name of the reef.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Point Reef | Limestone and concrete inshore reef | Very shallow inshore water, around 1 to 2 m | Beginner only in calm, clear conditions | Shore or boat entry | A close check when you want a short Mississippi Sound dive. Expect turbidity, low relief and limited visibility windows. |
| BSL Train Bridge Reef | Old railroad-bridge rubble | Shallow rubble; exact depth not stated | Intermediate because of traffic and low visibility | Boat entry | The bridge rubble gives sheepshead and flounder type structure, but it is still a dirty-water plan. Do not dive it without a flag and a boat-aware setup. |
| Cat Island Reef | Sheltered reef southwest of Cat Island | Cleaner offshore Sound water; exact depth not stated |
All 367 spots → · Region: Mississippi · spearo.app — All countries
| Intermediate boat dive |
| Boat run, about 27 km |
| This is the cleaner option, but the note says partly federal. Verify National Seashore and local boundaries before spearfishing. |
Visibility improves by distance from the turbid inshore Sound. Cedar Point and the train bridge are convenience checks; Cat Island is the better shot at cleaner water. The coast is sheltered, but a southerly wind or chop can still stir the Sound. Use the municipal harbor and Silver Slipper camera views for surface color, then compare them with PNLM6 for broader Gulf conditions.
Mississippi allows bow, spear and gig take for finfish with a saltwater license. Good practical targets are sheepshead and flounder, while red snapper is season-controlled and often tied to state-set openings. Do not take Goliath or Nassau grouper, Gulf sturgeon, sawfish, sea turtles, marine mammals or prohibited sharks.
The important Bay St. Louis boundary is the 1 mile no-spear ring around Gulf Islands National Seashore islands. That matters around Cat Island and any barrier-island run. If the chart, park rule or GPS position is uncertain, treat the water as closed and move to a verified reef outside the ring.
Only occasionally. The western Mississippi Sound is often turbid; cleaner water is more likely toward Cat Island than at the inshore reefs.
Yes. Mississippi saltwater licensing applies before spearing finfish.
Only when the relevant season and area are open. Red snapper is season-controlled, so check current Mississippi and federal rules first.
No. Cat Island can involve federal water, and Gulf Islands National Seashore has a 1 mile no-spear ring. Verify before hunting.
Short, shallow structure dives for sheepshead or flounder on settled days, with a visible flag and conservative expectations for visibility.
Sargassum: in seasonshore washups possibleAFAI satellite, 2026-10-24 · NOAA/USF
