Recently, a few people have been asking questions about how the tide influences my approach to fishing. In the Lowcountry, we have a tidal range of 5 to 6 feet. Subsequently, we have a consistent 2 to 3 knot current as the tide rises and falls. Tidal range and current are helpful factors for anglers that plan accordingly.
As the tide begins to fall, shrimp and baitfish funnel out of the marsh through small drains and creek mouths. Trout, Flounder and Redfish have this figured out and position themselves accordingly. So I tend to fish this pattern early in the falling tide.
When the water flow from small drains and creek mouths begins to slow down (and food is no longer being funneled), I move to larger creek mouths or marsh points that are still being swept by a good current. These areas are predator feeding stations and should be productive until slack tide.
At the bottom of the tide, I focus on Redfish in shallow water. Not just any shallow area but areas with oyster bars and a depth transition (like a channel). Bait gets concentrated in these areas and Redfish can often be seen chasing it around. They are literally fishing in a barrel. Anglers with shallow draft skiffs can fish in the same barrel.
Three patterns for three stages of the tide. I hope this helps.
My skiff drafts about 7 inches of water. Today, the Redfish were tailing in 5. So we had to take them on foot. Great day On The Fly.
The past few days have been very windy. So windy, that I abandoned my favorite finesse techniques and switched to power fishing mode with a quarter ounce Trout Eye Jig and Z-Man MinnowZ (Pearl Blue Glimmer) body. This combination casts well into the wind and stays in the strike zone despite the gale. Oh yeah, big Trout like it to too!
Top water fishing was tough yesterday. Super high tides and strong winds made me happy to catch just one (small) fish. However, the scenery was great!
The other day, I was working a school of Redfish in ultra shallow water. The Reds were very spooky so I was casting my lure (a Z-Man StreakZ on a Trout Eye Jig) onto the bank then pulling it into the water. This stealthy presentation was working well. After releasing a couple of decent size Redfish, I made another cast onto the bank. As I pulled the lure back into the water, I foul hooked this Flounder. As if that was not bad enough, the unlucky flat fish was keeper size. Typically, I release most of the fish I catch. However, this one was invited home for dinner.
For me, Summer begins when Redfish begin feeding on the surface. Last week, small pods of Redfish were chasing bait in the shallows. So I knew it was time to give top water a try. For the past few weeks, Trout have been crushing the new Rapala Skitter V. Turns out, Redfish like it too!
Last week while speaking at the Summerville Saltwater Anglers meeting, I was introduced to Grant Allison. Turns out Grant was working on a school project that required him to catch a Trout, Flounder and Redfish. The project was due this week and Grant needed a little help catching the fish. So I invited him to fish with me on Monday. It was blowing 20 knots when we launched the skiff. Rather than fight the elements, we tucked into a small creek and began casting Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 lures on 3/16th ounce Trout Eye finesse jigs. The bite was slow but Grant managed to release a few Trout and a Flounder. However, the Redfish eluded us. As the sun set, the wind finally let up. With just a few minutes of daylight left, we moved to a wind sheltered shallow area and immediately spotted a school of Redfish. It took a little doing but Grant finally got a Redfish to eat his StreakZ. Using the last rays of sunlight, we took a quick picture and released the fish.
Great weather, warm water and hungry fish are a proven recipe for excellent fishing. This weekend we hit three out of three. While on occasion, it was a bit breezy, the fishing was off the charts (good). In the morning, before a lot of boats got on the water and their wakes diminished water clarity, I sight fished for Reds in the flooded marsh. They were not tailing (hopefully they starting doing this in a week or so) but they were actively feeding. Pretty much every fish I saw ate a 5-inch Z-Man StreakZ (Pearl) on a sixteenth ounce Mustad 4/0 keeper hook. This lure combination is weedless, so it works well in the flooded marsh. A slight switch was all it took to trigger a strike.