Ride the Tides to More Fish

If you have ever said "man, there are NO fish here today!" this article is for you. A few years ago when we were newbies to the saltwater fishing game, my son and I were out hitting dock lights hoping to find some snook. We fished for an hour and a half with no sign of a fish and were quite discouraged with the area we had chosen to fish. On our way back past the docks, we began to see some activity. It was like someone had rung the dinner bell! We began catching fish at every dock we stopped at from that point on and had a blast!

What changed? The tide! We unknowingly started the trip near the end of the incoming tide, fished through the slack portion and were about to move locations when the outgoing tide started ripping. That night was the best learning experience I have ever had on the water, we started to plan our trips around the tides and "hoping" to catch was replaced with confidence that we would definitely catch fish.

Over the years, we have made a point to scout areas during dead low tide to see any low spots, holes or channels that may be exposed. The big snook and trout will move to these areas and wait for disoriented baitfish to come by so they can ambush them. Docks are our favorite structure to fish and finding good ones that will most likely hold fish is easy to do at low tide. Look for any change in depth close by and focus on the area as the tide comes in. You will find some areas produce better on incoming than outgoing and vice versa. Since seeing first hand the difference the tide made in the activity level of the fish, I have made it my number one priority when planning my fishing trips.

There are a lot of good tide charts online, but we prefer Tides4Fishing.  You can put in your specific area and get an accurate chart for the whole month. Pay attention to the tides, pay attention to the details and "hoping" to catch fish will become a thing of the past!

David
Treasure Coast Tackle