🦪 Heavy Metal Charters Is Changing the Game With Oyster Tours on Deer Island
When most people think about a charter trip on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they picture trout, reds, a good fight on the line, and maybe a few cold ones 🎣🍻. But Captain Joey Cates of Heavy Metal Charters is bringing something completely new to the water — something that blends education, local seafood culture, and a true Gulf Coast experience.
A full oyster tour… right at the source 🦪🌊.
And according to Joey, this isn’t something people around here have really seen before. As he puts it:
“People probably would wanna see that… because it’s something that nobody’s ever seen before.”
🌟 How the Idea Was Born
The spark started with a simple idea: create a charter option where guests aren’t stressed about catching fish — they’re there for the experience.
“If you can kind of alleviate all that by doing an oyster tour, well, now you've got into something that's completely different because you're not under the pressure of having to produce fish.”
Instead of chasing trout and redfish during tough seasons, Joey saw an opportunity to showcase something uniquely Mississippi: the off-bottom oyster farms on the south side of Deer Island 🏝️🦪.
These aren’t wild dredged oysters — they’re farmed in suspended cages for a cleaner, more consistent product. And locals know: the quality is unbelievable 🤌.
🤝 Partnering With Two Cracker Oyster Co.
To make the tours happen, Joey teamed up with Mark from Two Cracker Oyster Company, one of the most respected names in Mississippi’s oyster farming scene. Mark works those cages every single day, often pulling fresh oysters right off the bottom — sometimes while guests are watching 👀🦪.
The partnership naturally evolved from running into each other on the water:
“Every time, I'm like, ‘Hey man, let's get something going… some partnership going,’ because he's got a whole oyster farm out there.”
Once the two linked up, the idea became reality — even if their first attempt at a dry run involved 20-mph winds 🌬️🛥️.
🦪 What You’ll See on an Oyster Tour
Guests board Joey's Blazer Bay and head straight for the farm, where Mark shows how off-bottom oysters are grown, maintained, and harvested.
You’ll see:
How cages are set and managed ⚙️
Why oysters need to be rolled and tumbled to develop that perfect shape everyone wants 🌀
What affects growth — storms, freshwater flow, salinity changes, and even Bonnet Carré impacts 🌧️🌊
Fresh oysters pulled right from the water — often eaten on the spot 🤤🦪
Joey and Mark also explain the oyster “boom and bust” cycle — how tons of people jumped in when the DMR launched the program, and how only the most dedicated stuck around 💪.
📅 When Can You Book?
Because water temps matter — especially with Vibrio concerns — tours don’t happen in the peak summer heat ☀️🚫.
Once temperatures drop, Joey opens the books:
Monday–Thursday: Afternoon tours
Weekends: Multiple tours available
🚤🦪
The very first customer?
A family from Arkansas who said the tour “looked cool” and wanted to learn more — proof that this is something fresh and exciting for tourists and locals alike 🌎✨.
🌊 Why This Matters for the Coast
Mississippi’s seafood heritage runs deep, but oyster farming is still something many locals know little about. This tour brings people closer to the water while supporting a sustainable industry.
It:
Connects guests to the ecosystem 🌿
Supports local farmers 🤝
Teaches where seafood actually comes from 🦪
Creates a totally new coastal experience ⚓
Plus, it gives charter captains another way to stay booked — even when the bite is slow.
🛥️ Final Thoughts
What Heavy Metal Charters and Two Crackers are doing isn’t just another tour. It’s a new kind of Gulf Coast experience — one built on storytelling, seafood, and the culture that makes South Mississippi special.
If you want to book the coast’s first and only dedicated Oyster Tour, give Heavy Metal Charters a call at (228) 383-7984 and follow them on Facebook for open dates each season 🦪🔥.
