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Updated 2/08/10
Low Water Basics
It's great to see that fishing is slowly getting back
to normal out in the sound. We are still experiencing cold
fronts every week to 10 days but they do not have close to the
punch of the epic cold temperatures of January. Action out on
the bay has really picked up with lots of trout and redfish in
the mix. Most of the fish I am catching are on the small side
right now but what they lack in size they make up for in sheer
numbers. |
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The low tides of winter really offer some great fishing
opportunities out there. Big minus tides are caused by a big or new moon
and add in a north or northeast wind and the water can get super low out
there. If you know where to look during these low water conditons you
can find some great winter action. There are many different areas to
target on low water. Making the choice just depends on the weather
conditions and which kind of fishing you prefer.
During winter months the water in the sound is as clear as it gets all
year. Combine this clear water with super low tides and we have prime
conditions for shallow water sightfishing. Push poling or wading are the
two basic ways to go if you want to do what I call "hunt fish". Fish are
very spooky in shallow water and need to be approached with stealth if
you want to be succsesful at this. Sure, you have to put in your time
and learn which flats are productive and hold fish but nothing is more
satisfying than landing a well placed cast at a tailing redfish or
laid-up trout and watching the fish eat the bait.
The best conditions to fish these shallow areas are on low wind days
with bright sun and no clouds. The higher the sun the better your
visibility.
Weedless baits, either soft plastic or weedless rigged live shrimp, are
best for this shallow water action. Gold spoons work great for this
along with powerbaits rigged on a bass-style weedless bait hook. Some
things I look for to give me a better idea if a flat is going to be
productive or not are wading birds/feeding birds and mullet working.
Generally flats that have more life and bait on them hold more gamefish.
As you slowly check out and explore a flat look for the natural tidal
channels, drop-offs and sand holes in the flat to hold laid-up fish.
These channels and holes only need to be a few inches deeper than
anything else to be used by the fish. As the water slowly comes up
higher with the tide, gamefish will push up further onto the flat to
feed. I generally start out on the lowest part of the tide by working
the deeper edges of the flat until the tide starts to flood in and I can
move up more on top of it.
Boat basins and canals are not often the prettiest places to fish but
can and do hold tons of fish all winter long. Low tides are a great time
to give these areas a try. Deep dead-end canals and deeper channels let
the water stay warm longer and are areas the fish really bunch up in.
Seawalls in canals work like solar panels and warm up the water during
the day. Having a water temperature gauge on your boat is a real fish
finder this time of year. Three to five degrees warmer water temperature
than any other water around can make all the difference in finding
active fish. I like to target these areas on the coldest days just after
a cold front has passed through. They are also a great place to hide
from that strong north wind of winter.
Natural mangrove channels and deeper mangrove shorelines hold fish all
year long but in the winter they hold more than ever. Shorelines that
are more than three feet deep on a low tide with a high and dry flat in
close proximity are a winter time hot spot. As the flat dries out on the
low tide all of the fish from the flat have to fall off into the deeper
water or channel. Add in some good tide movement either the last part of
the outgoing or the first part of the incoming tide and the fish will
feed. The "Ding" Darling Refuge is loaded with shorelines and channels
like this.
Deep holes and channels around and through oyster bars can be very
productive too. Any place there is an oyster bar there is always really
good tide flow and usually a ton of life. Learning the layout of the bar
and how the fish relate to the bar and the stage of the tide is the key
to catching these fish.
Get out and take advantage of these winter low tides. If you have never
tried shallow water sightfishing before it will only take stalking and
catching one spooky redfish to be hooked.
Click the links below to view copies of my other recent reports.
01-19-2010 -
01-25-2010 -
02-01-2010
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