I spend quite a bit of time fishing out of Flamingo, with most of the time spent on the Gulf coast and rivers between the cape and Broad River, in addition to northern Whitewater/Oyster Bays. More of less the same areas Capt. Lemay frequents. Speaking for snook and reds (not tarpon, that's different), I do quite well on the lower to mid-tide stages. I always seem to struggle though on the hours around the high tide, particularly during the colder months when the snook are not on the beaches. I'm not a bait fisherman, so let's take that off the table. What strategies (lures, presentations, types of areas) do you use to find and catch snook and reds in these areas during high water periods?
Flamingo - High Tide Strategy
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Good question.
In a winter like this one is turning out to be, I fish the off tides, slower moving water warms up faster in the shallow dark mud coves that have good exposure to the sun and some protection from northerly winds. This is where bigger snook and reds will lay up trying to get warm. Low and slow with lbj's,(little brown jigs,crab imitators) are effective along with 3" unweighted jerk baits in a variety of colors.
So ask yourself what spots you know that will meet the above criteria, spots you'd never or couldnt fish on a lower tide. Silence is golden on the approach and presentation.
In a winter like this one is turning out to be, I fish the off tides, slower moving water warms up faster in the shallow dark mud coves that have good exposure to the sun and some protection from northerly winds. This is where bigger snook and reds will lay up trying to get warm. Low and slow with lbj's,(little brown jigs,crab imitators) are effective along with 3" unweighted jerk baits in a variety of colors.
So ask yourself what spots you know that will meet the above criteria, spots you'd never or couldnt fish on a lower tide. Silence is golden on the approach and presentation.
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I find a shady shoreline, tuck the bow up under some mangroves during the last couple hours of the incoming. Have a snack or a sandwich then take a nap. Wake up and the water is falling. Works all the time!
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Bobber is right on the money.
- if the tide isn't productive where you are... go someplace where the tide is different. I figure that the western wall of Whitewater Bay is roughly two to two and one half hours behind the whatever the tide is out on the coast... (the 30 minute leeway accounts for wind slowing down or speeding up a given tide since there are days when the wind is simply stronger than the tide...).
The actual mouth of Tarpon Creek (the connector between Boot bay -change the B to a C... -hate that PC word programming feature...) where it empties into Whitewater Bay... the tide is exactly the opposite of what it is out on the coast.
Yes, out on the coast near high and during high tides there are certainly days when the fish are so far back in the bushes that you can hear them feeding but not be able to fish them at all. In winter, I'm much more often up inside looking for those shallow mud bottomed areas that just warm up much quicker than anywhere else nearby. Find a warm spot, a place where the water is a degree or two warmer than nearby areas, and you might just find a bunch of fish. No they're not there feed, just warming up - but make a decent presentation and you just might get bit...
Tide is only one of many factors you're dealing with each day (and some days one or the other that I forgot to consider really hurt our results...). I also pay a lot of attention to which way the wind is blowing - and how strong. I'm also looking at water clarity knowing that we can catch fish in muddy waters with bait - but wanting a better shot for lure or fly fishing where the fish have to be able to see the offering to bite...
Funny thing - during the warmer months (May through October) I love the higher stages of the tide out on the coast since that's when topwaters come into their own (and also big live baits...).
- if the tide isn't productive where you are... go someplace where the tide is different. I figure that the western wall of Whitewater Bay is roughly two to two and one half hours behind the whatever the tide is out on the coast... (the 30 minute leeway accounts for wind slowing down or speeding up a given tide since there are days when the wind is simply stronger than the tide...).
The actual mouth of Tarpon Creek (the connector between Boot bay -change the B to a C... -hate that PC word programming feature...) where it empties into Whitewater Bay... the tide is exactly the opposite of what it is out on the coast.
Yes, out on the coast near high and during high tides there are certainly days when the fish are so far back in the bushes that you can hear them feeding but not be able to fish them at all. In winter, I'm much more often up inside looking for those shallow mud bottomed areas that just warm up much quicker than anywhere else nearby. Find a warm spot, a place where the water is a degree or two warmer than nearby areas, and you might just find a bunch of fish. No they're not there feed, just warming up - but make a decent presentation and you just might get bit...
Tide is only one of many factors you're dealing with each day (and some days one or the other that I forgot to consider really hurt our results...). I also pay a lot of attention to which way the wind is blowing - and how strong. I'm also looking at water clarity knowing that we can catch fish in muddy waters with bait - but wanting a better shot for lure or fly fishing where the fish have to be able to see the offering to bite...
Funny thing - during the warmer months (May through October) I love the higher stages of the tide out on the coast since that's when topwaters come into their own (and also big live baits...).
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