I’m still learning here and not about to ask for spots but I do have a question. I do a lot of scouting during my normal fishing trips and have seen a lot of flats with sparse grass that I know will flood on big tides. Will a good flat show signs of crabs/bait etc on a lower tide or will the fish go up there anyway? I know all flats don’t hold fish but I’m trying to get an idea what to look for.
Thanks
you definatly want to see crabs and other food on that flat… The fish go up there to eat… no food means no point for them to be there…
Mad Mike
"to hell with insane… I’m OUTsane!!! "
concur with Mad_Mike.
When we are scouting for new flats to venture…one of the key things we look for are the ol fiddler crabs. Usually a good sign for us.
I’m sure there is much more to look for, and that is pretty basic, but always works for us. Also while scouting during low tide, check for the soft spots!
But there’s no way you can tell if there will be fish there unless you can watch it rise to flood and fall a couple of times. It’s maddening but the fish by and large work in schools and there are just some places that don’t have a resident school even though they have everything else that SHOULD make them a good spot.
You may see a straggler just about anywhere but for solid numbers your spot needs to have a resident school working the area.
if ya gonna be dumb boy you got to be tough - JJ Gray
that said, if you have success fishing areas near your spots for reds during other tides then you probably have a school.
if ya gonna be dumb boy you got to be tough - JJ Gray
If you know where they are at low tide, look for a high tide flat close. Yes, they will likely be there for food, but also for shelter from dolphins.
chris
One of the tell-tail factors is if there is a low tide flat in the vicinity that holds fish. In addition good fiddler populations and ingress egress routes for fish on an off the flat help. I often use the marginal tides to scout new areas. Sometimes you get enough water to see where the water comes on a flat first, even if you don’t get enough water to fish. My favorite technique is armed recci…using a marginal tide to scout a new flat, with a fly rod at the ready…I have lucked out and caught more than a few fish on a new flat in this manner. Pretty rewarding as well.
JohnH0802
'Worked as a biologist @ Ft. Johnson some yrs ago. I did not do fish biology (did oyster stuff). But, one of the other projects caught a variety of fish over many months and dissected their stomachs to identify their food. The reds fed very heavily on fiddlers. So, fiddlers are a good sign.
17’ Henry O Hornet
26’ Palmer Scott