When I find a spot with a bunch of baitfish, I am reluctant to leave it. If the baitfish are Menhaden, I will not leave. I will wait on the fish to come to the Menhaden. Sooner or later, the fish will find them and when they do, watch out! If the Menhaden are on the move, follow but don’t spook them. If I find a school, I try to cast net a few dozen. If I have lively Menhaden, success is assured.

Try to locate bait. Look around small islands and ditches that drain the marsh. Trout will move into these areas and often congregate for entire tidal stages. As the tide gets lower, baitfish have to leave the shallows and move back into the river or creek. Trout and Flounders often stack up just off these ditches waiting on the parade of baitfish forced out by the falling tide.

Most spots are tide-specific. Fishing might be good on the flood tide(incoming), but not on the ebb (outgoing) tide, or vice-versa. So, as the tide stages change, you might go back and try an earlier spot that did not produce. Basically, it is a game of running between several spots until you locate the fish. The following information may be useful in locating a few spots that hold fish without spending years of trial and error.

Look for bends in creeks and rivers that flow past shell mounds or points with rock or shell bottoms. Most of these places will be productive during the last couple of hours of ebb and first couple of hours of the flood tide. Fish along places where small rips form or where the water flows around a point. Trout will often be out away from the "structure" in 3-6 feet of water, while Redfish and Flounder hold close to the shells in less than 2 feet of water. Adjust your fishing depth and try different locations until you get a strike. When a strike occurs, fix that spot in your mind and cast right back in the same location. Trout are a tight schooling species and many times bite only in a very small zone but will often come topside to investigate a noisy popping cork..

When fishing around grass islands and points, try high flood and high ebb tide stages. Rips will be easier to find during these periods. During high tide, try fishing directly over submerged shell mounds and off the tips of grass islands. During dead low tide, take a break, eat a sandwich and wait for the water to begin moving again. This holds true for offshore Grouper fishing as well. Moving water, biting fish, dead water, eat lunch. Super low winter tides, especially toward the bottom of the ebb, are my favorites. Fish are more concentrated. They darn sure aren’t going to be on dry land and on these minus tides, there is lots of dry land. I’ve been stranded a few times, stuck up inside bars as the tide leaves. Sometimes it has been miserable, swearing and swatting mosquitoes and sand gnats but other times, I have caught Redfish every cast for hours and never even noticed the bug! s. A good tide table that shows the height of the tide in addition to the time of highs and lows is a great asset. During the early fall, fish will still be found in the shallow bays and lower reaches of the rivers.

After a few hard northeasters in late November and December, fish begin moving up the creeks and rivers. The fish will be in deeper holes and are slower to bite in the colder weather. This is a good time to try trolling wiggle grubs and shad tail jigs slowly along the banks in 8-12 feet of water. Troll slow enough so the jig bumps the bottom occasionally. Trolling during the lower parts of the tide is more effective because the lower water limits the area the fish can be in. Troll a baitfish color on one rod and a shrimp color on another. When you find a spot that produces, look it over carefully. See what makes it different from the rest of the area. You can bet there is some difference that makes it hold fish. If you figure why your "sweet spot" is holding fish, look for similar spots. If you find fish on similar spots, you have found a "pattern." Remember, every time you go, kee! p notes. Refer to them regularly. Note the location, tide stage, time of year, and methods used. When your "pattern" isn’t working, don’t keep on beating a dead horse. Get moving again and try to figure out what is going to work for you this trip. Develop several strategies. If your favorite spots or methods aren’t working, go to plan "B."

Remember: LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO CATCH LITTLE FISH.