For one of my spots, this isn’t as dumb a question as it sounds. Two nights ago, I was fishing a small creek that drains a fairly large flat. Caught a decent red on a mud minnow on jig head on the rising tide. I bet he was on his way to the flat with the rising tide. The reds were busting some bait in the flat, but by the time I waded up there, they had moved on (alternatively, perhaps the water just got deep enough that it was tough to see them). I’m guessing it is possible they had already left the flat ahead of the peak high tide. So how do they know to turn around? This creek and flat are off a larger body of water. The flat has a high tide about an hour after the high tide in the larger body of water.
Do you find that the reds turn around and head back into deeper water after the peak of high tide, or do they leave before to be safe? If they left too late in my spot, they’d be stuck behind exposed oyster reefs blocking the creek.
Regardless, which body of water are they measuring the tide from? The flat or the larger body of water? I can imagine several different theories with triggers such as change in water direction, change in temperature, or change in salinity, but does anyone know the actual answer? If I can figure this out, I think I can grab fish on the way in and the way out of the flat.
thanks!
Not sure how they know, but a wise man once told me that reds will go in the grass just as soon as they can. They will come out of the grass along and along because they are more reluctant to be in deeper water. I usually prefer to fish them on the incoming because they seem to be stacked up more so, but for a very brief period of time. Once the water gets in the grass, Im pretty well screwed until they start coming back out again. I’ve caught plenty of fish on the outgoing, but they are slower in between bites. Plus I love to see fish crashing bait with their backs out of the water and try to put a bait in front of them. You can’t really do that on a falling tide.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
I thought it was a dumb ? until I read it fully. They feel it in their lateral line. LOL Kidding. I swear, one night by toulers cove I sat there and watched 1000 reds leaving a flat, one after the other, through a little funnel… They were not eating, I think eating was the last thing on their mind. One after the other for 20 Minutes. These fish were leaving fast. I could not believe just how many fish were there. I said to myself…I just saw thousands of fish. Why cant I catch more?
J. Simmons
22 EdgeWater
19 Cobalt
A bad day fishing…could have been worse. Just ask the guys helped me extinguish a fire on a 33 Island Hopper
Most of the time reds want to do only two things. Eat and get away from flipper.
big dog
They read the tide charts.
fish today work tomorrow
The Bi Polar Express
Sportsman Masters 227
quote:A NOAA buddy of mine told me that the only two things that Flipper wants to do is eat and f--, ummm, eat and date(?), ummm, eat and 'make "Flippers" ' (?), ummm...
Originally posted by Wando GrillMost of the time reds want to do only two things. Eat and get away from flipper.
big dog
Anyway, Flippers don’t have much to worry about so, they eat and play all day.
quote:
Originally posted by smoothdog…Regardless, which body of water are they measuring the tide from? The flat or the larger body of water? I can imagine several different theories with triggers such as change in water direction, change in temperature, or change in salinity, but does anyone know the actual answer? If I can figure this out, I think I can grab fish on the way in and the way out of the flat. thanks!
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>Just MY opinion. You have covered many good points. If you move your thinking to the bait (instead of the fish) you would be closer to answering your question(s).
no oysters… low tide… lotsa oysters… high tide…