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Exploring at Low Tide
Subtle bottom changes such as this trough will become fish paths during higher tides.
Every year it is the same old story, February rolls around and I am about one step away from the nuthouse (most think I am only about three steps out during all other months). The point is; I get a very bad case of cabin fever because the days are short, it is usually cold, and the few days that I can get out to fish are never enough. For me, getting out as much as possible is the closest thing to a cure for this wintertime depression. However, as I mentioned, the days are few and far between so I settle on making the most of each day that I do get out.
One of the best ways to take advantage of the few and far between days is to use these days to explore and learn. In fact, the winter months are some of the best times to explore. The reason for this is because at no time of the year are the tides lower- especially those following a blow a strong north winds.
I have said many times that anglers suffer from tunnel vision when it comes to fishing. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know quite a few good anglers however, very few have achieved or will ever rise to the level I consider to be great. This is because they are obsessed with only catching fish and not with learning why they caught them.
A good example is one angler I know who is good and catches a lot of fish, in fact his success rate is probably well over fifty percent, but does so not by accessing and utilizing a vast bank of knowledge, but by burning a ridiculous amount of gas and fishing from before the sun comes up until after sundown. In fact he almost always starts fishing in the same couple of spots and finishes his day in the same couple of spots. This routine is exactly why this fisherman will never get any better.
Rather than running around from spot to spot to fill a box, anglers should take the time to understand why they did or did not catch fish at a given location. By doing this, anglers can improve their success rate. And, as I mentioned before, there is no better time to learn a spot than when low tides expose the hidden features of the bay.
Recently, I had the opportunity to take advantage of the low water conditions created by a strong passing front. A buddy and I saw a small window of opportunity to do some fishing and when discussing where we should go, we both decided that we would try some place that neither of us had ever fished. So, the next morning when I woke up and was awaiting the arrival of my friend, I busted out my trusty stash of charts and started looking for something interesting.
On the way down to the ramp we narrowed the spots down to two based on wind direction, proximity to deep water and bottom make-up. We left the rest up to fate, flipping a coin to decide which direction we should go once we left the ramp. Twenty minutes later we were idling the boat up to a shoreline in an area that I had only fished once before and that was over half my lifetime ago. But this time things were different. I was not approaching this spot with a bucket full of mullet hoping to catch a couple of redfish like I did all those years ago. This time I was there with years of experience and a thirst for knowledge.
We immediately started studying the bottom and reef structure of the area in hopes of figuring out where the redfish might be hanging out. The water was of course very clear because, as you probably know, the algal blooms that cloud the warmer waters of summer are dormant allowing winter waters to clear quickly, even after a hard blow. The clear water allowed us to see specific areas of scattered shell as well as the numerous shell piles.
The fish, we found, were holding very close to the individual piles of oyster. Upon closer inspection we also found that crawling around each shell pile would be several crabs which incidentally, explained why every now and again we would see the occasional tail waive slowly above the surface. Now, for the sake of not making this too long, I will go on to say we whacked the fish but that was not the best part of the day.
Not only had we caught fish, but we had learned a new area under the best of conditions. The low water conditions along with the gin-clear waters of winter allowed us to identify what would normally be less than obvious channels and changes in water depth. It also allowed us to identify exactly where and what the fish were feeding on. Another benefit of the trip was that we were able to find several paths through the fields of oyster reefs that did show up on any charts of the area.
Now with all of the above being said, I will leave you with one final thought. Even though this was a new spot and we chose it because we wanted to learn something new, we chose the spots that were eventually narrowed down by a coin toss based on the many trips before. In short, we did not go into the area completely blind. We took the knowledge learned exploring other areas and applied it to choosing a likely spot. Many people think the best way to learn a new area is to jump up on the console and run through it and I can assure you that not only is this not true, it is a completely unacceptable method.
We took the time to slowly work an area and are now better and more knowledgeable anglers because of it. In fact, I cannot wait for the next front because I want to go hit the other spot that we considered that day. I am ready to learn something new.
One of the best ways to take advantage of the few and far between days is to use these days to explore and learn. In fact, the winter months are some of the best times to explore. The reason for this is because at no time of the year are the tides lower- especially those following a blow a strong north winds.
I have said many times that anglers suffer from tunnel vision when it comes to fishing. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know quite a few good anglers however, very few have achieved or will ever rise to the level I consider to be great. This is because they are obsessed with only catching fish and not with learning why they caught them.
A good example is one angler I know who is good and catches a lot of fish, in fact his success rate is probably well over fifty percent, but does so not by accessing and utilizing a vast bank of knowledge, but by burning a ridiculous amount of gas and fishing from before the sun comes up until after sundown. In fact he almost always starts fishing in the same couple of spots and finishes his day in the same couple of spots. This routine is exactly why this fisherman will never get any better.
Rather than running around from spot to spot to fill a box, anglers should take the time to understand why they did or did not catch fish at a given location. By doing this, anglers can improve their success rate. And, as I mentioned before, there is no better time to learn a spot than when low tides expose the hidden features of the bay.
Recently, I had the opportunity to take advantage of the low water conditions created by a strong passing front. A buddy and I saw a small window of opportunity to do some fishing and when discussing where we should go, we both decided that we would try some place that neither of us had ever fished. So, the next morning when I woke up and was awaiting the arrival of my friend, I busted out my trusty stash of charts and started looking for something interesting.
On the way down to the ramp we narrowed the spots down to two based on wind direction, proximity to deep water and bottom make-up. We left the rest up to fate, flipping a coin to decide which direction we should go once we left the ramp. Twenty minutes later we were idling the boat up to a shoreline in an area that I had only fished once before and that was over half my lifetime ago. But this time things were different. I was not approaching this spot with a bucket full of mullet hoping to catch a couple of redfish like I did all those years ago. This time I was there with years of experience and a thirst for knowledge.
We immediately started studying the bottom and reef structure of the area in hopes of figuring out where the redfish might be hanging out. The water was of course very clear because, as you probably know, the algal blooms that cloud the warmer waters of summer are dormant allowing winter waters to clear quickly, even after a hard blow. The clear water allowed us to see specific areas of scattered shell as well as the numerous shell piles.
The fish, we found, were holding very close to the individual piles of oyster. Upon closer inspection we also found that crawling around each shell pile would be several crabs which incidentally, explained why every now and again we would see the occasional tail waive slowly above the surface. Now, for the sake of not making this too long, I will go on to say we whacked the fish but that was not the best part of the day.
Not only had we caught fish, but we had learned a new area under the best of conditions. The low water conditions along with the gin-clear waters of winter allowed us to identify what would normally be less than obvious channels and changes in water depth. It also allowed us to identify exactly where and what the fish were feeding on. Another benefit of the trip was that we were able to find several paths through the fields of oyster reefs that did show up on any charts of the area.
Now with all of the above being said, I will leave you with one final thought. Even though this was a new spot and we chose it because we wanted to learn something new, we chose the spots that were eventually narrowed down by a coin toss based on the many trips before. In short, we did not go into the area completely blind. We took the knowledge learned exploring other areas and applied it to choosing a likely spot. Many people think the best way to learn a new area is to jump up on the console and run through it and I can assure you that not only is this not true, it is a completely unacceptable method.
We took the time to slowly work an area and are now better and more knowledgeable anglers because of it. In fact, I cannot wait for the next front because I want to go hit the other spot that we considered that day. I am ready to learn something new.