Brown Water Banter

Captain Zach Courtney from ChEnected Charters joins us to talk all things offshore fishing out of Mary Walker Marina in Gautier, Mississippi. From his freshwater roots in Brandon to chasing 200-pound yellowfin tuna in a 25-foot Sea Hunt, Zach breaks down how he built his charter business from the ground up and why he's all-in on blue water fishing out of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
🎣 How growing up bass fishing on an 18-acre lake and making trips to Ship Island as a kid eventually led to a full-blown case of "yellow fever" for yellowfin tuna
⛽ Running a 25-foot Sea Hunt with 140 gallons of fuel to Ram Powell and barely making it back — and the time his Invincible ran dry three miles south of Petti Bois with a 202-pound tuna on board
🧪 The chemical engineering degree from Ole Miss (after playing football at East Mississippi Community College) and how that background shaped the name Connected Charters
🗺️ Why Mary Walker Marina is perfectly positioned for offshore runs — from snapper on the triple rigs to tuna at Ram Powell, Horn Mountain, and even south of the Mississippi River with the Venice fleet
📡 How Hilton's satellite imaging platform is worth its weight in gold for reading chlorophyll, currents, and tracking drill ship locations before ever leaving the dock
🐟 The difference between summer and winter tuna seasons — long runs with live bait in summer versus short runs with dead bait and topwater poppers in winter, and why January 2025 was the best month of tuna fishing he's ever seen
⚔️ Swordfish stories including hand-lining a 211-pound sword after the rod exploded during the Mud Marlin Classic — and finishing second by just 25 pounds
🎯 Why small hooks and light leader are the secret to getting bit, and how blue runners are his go-to all-purpose bait even though they're smart enough to swim right back under the boat
🔥 The current mahi explosion offshore, bait balls so thick poogies were landing on the bow, and why the water has been chocolate milk from the river all the way out to 100 miles
🥩 Pro tips on preserving yellowfin — leave the skin on, freeze in large chunks, never rinse with water, and let it come to room temp before searing until it cuts like ice cream
🎵 A shoutout to Dick Jagger, whose fishing anthem "Raise One Up" name-drops ChEnected Charters with the lyric "in the sippy, you know that your boys stay connected"
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Ensured Roofing Company for the support!
🎵 From the dock to the deck — the fish rap nobody asked for but everybody needs. Listen to “Here Fishy Fishy”
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Grand Bay NERR is one of 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves in the country, it sits right on the Mississippi-Alabama line, and most people on this coast have never set foot on it. 🐢
Biologist Andrew Heaton and stewardship assistant Ashley Bosarge from the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve came into the studio to walk us through what's out there — and what you can do on it.
🥾 Nature trails open every day during daylight hours, free🐢 Tagging diamondback terrapins with acoustic receivers borrowed from MSU🐛 Live caterpillar displays in the interpretive center🔥 Prescribed fire and pine savanna restoration as the day-to-day work🚤 A public boat ramp, a fishing pier, and dorms you can book cheap
Plus the answer to something every one of us has faced on a back road: what to actually do when you find a turtle crossing in front of you.
CHAPTERS00:00 Intro and sponsors03:25 What a NERR is07:00 Trails, hours, and the dorms09:58 Marsh turtles, caterpillars, osprey18:10 Terrapin threats and tagging27:04 Protecting a turtle nest29:52 Turtles in the road, and brumation33:58 Turtle harvest and rescues42:17 Pine savanna work and events
Grand Bay NERR is a NOAA partnership funded 70% federally and 30% through the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. It overlaps the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is named for the watershed, not the Alabama city. Trails are open daily during daylight hours; the interpretive center is open 9 to 3 daily except holidays. Off Highway 90, down Franklin Creek Road to Bayou Heron Road in Jackson County.
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Ensured Roofing Company for the support!
🎵 From the dock to the deck — the fish rap nobody asked for but everybody needs. Listen to “Here Fishy Fishy”
Want to be a part of the Pelican Gang?
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#GrandBayNERR #DiamondbackTerrapin #MississippiGulfCoast #GulfCoastOutdoors #WildlifeConservation #BrownWaterBanter

Captain Mike Strickland with the Mississippi DMR returns to break down Operation Dry Water, Fourth of July boating safety, and what actually gets you stopped on the water. 🚤
We talk probable cause boat stops, impaired boating enforcement, gunnel riding, no wake zones, inflatable PFD rules, engine cutoff switches, and the difference between safety stops and regulatory inspections. Captain Mike also shares real stories from the water, including a runaway boat incident and a Governor’s Award rescue involving an elderly man stuck in the mud with an alligator closing in. 🐊
Topics include:
🚤 Operation Dry Water👮 Probable cause boat stops🌊 No wake zones🛟 Kill switches and PFDs🎆 Fourth of July enforcement
Listen before you hit the water this holiday weekend
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Ensured Roofing Company for the support!
🎵 From the dock to the deck — the fish rap nobody asked for but everybody needs. Listen to “Here Fishy Fishy”
Want to be a part of the Pelican Gang?
Check out our merch Here.
Download our free app: Apple: Here Android: Here
All our links: Here

Three charter captains pack the Brown Water studio for a Friday night snapper roundtable that runs nearly three hours deep — and this one covers a lot of ground.
C-BO from Spray You Later Charters, Chance Seymour from Mississippi Gulf Coast Fishing Charters, and Captain JJ from Family Tradition join the show to talk red snapper rules, rough weather, reef building, charter life, and what is really happening on the Gulf Coast water.
🐟 The Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks raffle is back, with $20 tickets for a chartered red snapper trip and proceeds helping support reef permitting and deployment.
🌊 The captains break down one of the worst weather seasons in years, snapper quota issues, honest DMR reporting, the move from Tails n’ Scales to MS Creole, and why data matters.
🦈 They also get into shark depredation, cobia recovery, sheepshead limits, captain’s licenses, booking platforms, inshore charter pricing, private reef deployment, toilet reefs, buried car bodies near Squash Channel, and Chance’s move from a 31 Bertram to a 37 Freeman.
Rules, raffles, reefs, and real talk — this is a true Gulf Coast roundtable.
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Ensured Roofing Company for the support!
🎵 From the dock to the deck — the fish rap nobody asked for but everybody needs. Listen to “Here Fishy Fishy”
Want to be a part of the Pelican Gang?
Check out our merch Here.
Download our free app: Apple: Here Android: Here
All our links: Here

🎣 The guys from the Pascagoula Men's Club are back in the Brown Water Studio — Chris Langston and Jack Northrop stop by to break down everything you need to know about the Inshore Challenge fishing tournament hitting Point Park on June 13th
💰 One entry fee covers ALL categories — redfish, speckled trout, flounder, cobia, snapper (now aggregate weight for two fish), and largest tripletail — with payouts up to $1,500 for first place
🐟 New this year: $100 lunker pots for both snapper and speckled trout, with 90% going back to fishermen and 10% to a charitable organization like Backpack Buddies
👧 The kids' rodeo is back for anglers 12 and under — any legal inshore fish counts, even a catfish — just sign up at the Pascagoula Country Club before you fish
🎟️ Register early for $60 before June 7th — after that it jumps to $80 — forms available at Wayne Lee's, Nelson's, and Dad's Superpawn in Pascagoula or just call Jack or Chris directly
🍗 Captain's meeting is June 12th at Pascagoula Country Club with food, door prizes, gift bags, and a full rules rundown — doors open at 6PM, meeting starts at 7PM
🥃 Raffle prizes include a rod and reel combo, a $300 Wayne Lee's gift card, and a liquor wagon loaded with 35 bottles
🏘️ Chris and Jack talk about what the Pascagoula Men's Club actually does — building wheelchair ramps, cooking for the fire department after losing a colleague, cutting overgrown yards for elderly residents, and supporting Backpack Buddies.
 
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Ensured Roofing Company for the support!
Want to be a part of the Pelican Gang?
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Kenny DiNero is back in the Brown Water Banter studio, and that means one thing — the Ocean Springs Marine Mart Fishing Tournament is almost here. 🎣
In this episode, we talk through the 2026 Ocean Springs Marine Mart Tournament, happening May 30–31 at Ocean Springs Marine Mart. The tournament includes inshore and offshore divisions, with redfish, speckled trout, flounder, blackfish/tripletail, cobia, and snapper all in the mix. Entry fees are $50 per angler for inshore and $100 per angler for offshore, with up to $12,000 in cash and prizes on the line. 💰
Kenny also breaks down the captain’s meeting, scale times, awards, sponsor support, live music, food, tournament shirts, and what anglers need to know before weighing fish. The conversation also highlights the people behind the event — volunteers, weighmasters, sponsors, and local legends who help keep this tournament going year after year. ⚓
This episode also includes a special conversation about honoring Dennis Mann through the Blackfish award and Jim Franks through a Cobia award, recognizing two Gulf Coast names who left a major mark on the fishing community. 🏆
It’s part tournament preview, part Gulf Coast storytelling, and part classic Kenny DiNero chaos.
Watch the full episode on YouTube ⬇️
https://youtube.com/live/sSTABg6L8Oo?feature=share
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, and Taylor and Cox Law Firm and Ensured Roofing for the support! 
Want to be a part of the pelican gang? Check out our merch Here. 
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General Joe Spraggins Returns: Oysters, Snapper Allocation Battles & the Gulf of America Seafood Push
Department of Marine Resources Executive Director General Joe Spraggins is back in the studio for his third appearance on Brown Water Banter, and this one covers a lot of ground — from record oyster harvests to the frustrating math behind Mississippi's snapper allocation.
🦪 Mississippi's on-bottom oyster season wrapped with over 50,000 sacks — the best numbers since 2011-2012 — and the General breaks down how spat on shell techniques flipped survival rates from 5% to nearly 70%
📈 Next year's oyster goal? Potentially 100,000 sacks, which would rival numbers not seen since 2007-2008
🏝️ A 400-acre expansion on the east end of Deer Island is underway — a $30 million Corps of Engineers project — and the DMR is pushing to reclaim old oyster beds north of Deer Island that were buried by dredge spoil years ago
🐟 Red snapper season opens May 22 and runs through July 5 — two fish per person, 16-inch minimum — but Mississippi is still stuck at just 82,000 pounds thanks to a 3.55% allocation that General Spraggins calls broken
⚖️ A June 1 meeting in Tampa will bring all five Gulf state directors together to discuss reallocating unused quota from states like Florida that aren't catching their full share — plus a possible rollover provision for hurricane years
🎣 The Amberjack situation is even more absurd — two reported fish from Mississippi could theoretically shut down the entire system because of how antiquated the data model is
📊 MS Creel has been certified and is now collecting real data alongside LA Creel, which could finally push Mississippi's allocation back toward the 130,000-160,000 pound range where it belongs
🚔 The new probable cause law for boating stops gets a thorough breakdown — General Spraggins confirms DMR will follow it 100%, notes it won't affect resource checks or safety situations, and emphasizes his officers aren't out there trying to write tickets
🦐 Shrimp season could open before June 7 — shrimp are growing faster than average thanks to high April salinity — and the General makes a direct appeal to processors to hold the line on pricing so shrimpers can actually afford to run their boats at $5.50/gallon diesel
🏷️ A new Gulf of America seafood labeling and marketing initiative is in the works with Visit Mississippi — restaurants serving domestic Gulf seafood will get free branding, advertising support, and a scannable logo to display
📉 DNA testing by the Southern Shrimp Alliance showed Gulf-fresh seafood being served at Mississippi coast restaurants jumped from 18% in 2024 to 64% this year
🗳️ Congressman Ezell is pushing a bill to extend Mississippi's state waters from three miles to nine for all species — not just reef fish — which would be a game-changer for charter boats and inshore fishermen
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, and Taylor and Cox Law Firm and Ensured Roofing for the support! 
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We sit down with the crew from Driftset Fishing to dig into the world of deep drop fishing off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We're not talking about your average inshore trip — these guys are running miles offshore and dropping lines hundreds of feet down to pull up some of the biggest, prettiest fish most people will never see in person.
From snowy grouper and tilefish to the kind of monsters that make a trip worth talking about for years, we cover what it takes to put clients on these fish: the technique, the equipment, the long runs, and the patience it takes to do this right. We also get into the current state of the Gulf fishery, the new artificial reef projects changing the game for Mississippi anglers, and what separates a good day on the water from a story you'll tell forever.
If you've ever wondered what's swimming below the depths most boats never reach, this one is for you.
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, and Taylor and Cox Law Firm for the support! 
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In this episode of Brown Water Banter, we sit down with Senator Jeremy England to break down the new Mississippi DMR probable cause law and what it could mean for boaters, fishermen, and enforcement on the Gulf Coast.
Senator England explains how the bill came about, why constituents pushed for it, and what changes when DMR officers stop or board a vessel. The conversation also gets into how bills move through the Mississippi Legislature, why so many bills never make it to a vote, and the ongoing debate over Mississippi’s ballot initiative process.
The guys also talk through some of the bigger questions surrounding this issue, including public concerns about fishing license checks, boating safety, Omega Protein, campaign contributions, and where the line should be between protecting natural resources and protecting constitutional rights.
🎣 What the new DMR probable cause law actually says⚖️ Why the Fourth Amendment matters on the water🚤 How this affects boat stops, boarding, safety checks, and enforcement🏛️ How bills move through the Mississippi Legislature🐟 Omega Protein, bycatch concerns, and Gulf Coast fishing politics🗳️ Mississippi’s unresolved ballot initiative issue
This one is a straight-up Gulf Coast civics lesson with a fishing and boating angle — and it’s a conversation a lot of Mississippi outdoorsmen are already talking about.
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, and Taylor and Cox Law Firm for the support! 
Want to be a part of the pelican gang? Check out our merch Here. 
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The guys from the Mississippi DMR are back in the studio — Trevor Moncrief (Marine Fisheries Director) and Travis Williams (Artificial Reef Director) join us to break down everything happening with Mississippi's artificial reefs and fisheries management.
🪸 Katrina Key got a major refresh — concrete from the old Broadwater Marina demolition was repurposed to cap subsided reef material south of Deer Island, bringing it back to permitted elevation
📏 Katrina Key is already over a mile and a half long and there are plans to extend it another two and a half miles — the longest artificial reef in the state
🚢 Multiple vessel deployments over the past year including a large tug with the Bay Pest sculpture, shrimp boat Captain Ben with the Gulf Fishing Banks, and a vessel on FH 14
🏗️ The Secretary of State's office is revamping the old Broadwater Marina site in Biloxi with new pilings, roadbed structure, and plans for a marina and green space — and they partnered with DMR to reuse demolished concrete as reef material
🐟 Jared was told to say "MS Creel" and not snapper... but they're talking about snapper anyway
🎣 Katrina Key doubles as island protection and aquaculture protection for off-bottom oyster operations — plus it's close enough inshore that you don't have to get beat to death running offshore to fish it
💰 Proximity matters — keeping reef projects closer to shore saves significant deployment costs for DMR
🔜 More Katrina Key extension work is funded and in the procurement process — stay tuned
Also big thanks to Southern Magnolia Smiles, Forever Young Men's and Women Health, Taylor and Cox Law Firm, and Cedar Lake Power Equipment for the support! 
Want to be a part of the pelican gang? Check out our merch Here. 
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All our links: https://linktr.ee/brownwaterbanter