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Low tide or high tide

4657 Views 32 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Fishman1, 
led0321
Which do you prefer to fish?
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Brenardo
Either as long as water is moving
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trigger22
Whatever the tide is when I am able to fish. I have areas I like better on low water and areas I like on high water.
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drumchaser
Have several spots here in CB that I fish for flounder that only produce at the turn. Also, you wouldnt be able to hold bottom. Moving otherwise.
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crabman00
depends on alot of things like target species, location, time of year, time of day, fishing method, etc, etc, etc............
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h2ohhh
Like Trigger, I'll fish them all. I like the last half of the incoming and first half of the outgoing best as a general rule but you can catch fish on all moving tides. Dead high and dead low are dead for me though.....
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S
It doesn't matter. It just needs to be moving. I prefer the last two hours of one and the first two hours of the other, so I guess my answer could be both!
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Drum Runner
I prefer rising in most situations but I'll fish through tide cycles. Fishing is fishing. Better than being piled up watching TV.
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speckhunter80
Depends on the spot I am fishing. Some are better on low tide and some are better on high tide. That is why I have multiple fishing spots.
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whitey
speckhunter80 said:
That is why I have multiple fishing spots.
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Man.. you are on your game
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Scott Hobbs
Float into skinny water on the incoming high tide and float back out on the outgoing, so both tides....:) Couple hours on either side.
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TakeDown
Live, moving water regardless of tide. Learn/study the areas your fishing and you will know where you need to be on incoming or out going.
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challenger
What about reds in grass? I understand they will venture into spartina grass eating sales, fiddlers etc so this would be flooding/slack/ebbing but really no moving water in the flats. I mean obviously moving but not like a channel. Would this still be considered moving in the context that others have mentioned?
Reds spend so much time in flats so I wonder if these flats need to be near a larger/deeper channel.
I ask because I've paddles around for about 9 hours over the last 3 days and have not seen a single school busting bait nor a single tailing fish. I paddles the Marshes off surf city and I have the wrenched neck to prove it.
Thanks

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c.lane
May be time to start exploring different area!
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challenger
c.lane said:
May be time to start exploring different area!
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I was hoping to hear this. I was afraid I'd get some feedback about not being able to spot them. There is so much Marsh area between topsail Island and the mainland that I am going to continue exploring them if the wind permits. I don't have a way to transport the kayak right now for one thing. Secondly I feel like I've paddled maybe 20% of the areas and given the fact that people are talking about drum being inside the Marshes I'll give it more time. Thirdly I get a lot of exercise and have misplaced over 10 pounds since the start of spring. I say misplaced because I'll find them again come winter.

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h2ohhh
challenger said:
What about reds in grass? I understand they will venture into spartina grass eating sales, fiddlers etc so this would be flooding/slack/ebbing but really no moving water in the flats. I mean obviously moving but not like a channel. Would this still be considered moving in the context that others have mentioned?
Reds spend so much time in flats so I wonder if these flats need to be near a larger/deeper channel.
I ask because I've paddles around for about 9 hours over the last 3 days and have not seen a single school busting bait nor a single tailing fish. I paddles the Marshes off surf city and I have the wrenched neck to prove it.
Thanks

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
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I bet 90% of the reds I've caught were not seen prior to catching them. I fish the areas that look like they should hold fish rather than looking for activity...that's just a bonus when you see it.

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C
TakeDown said:
Live, moving water regardless of tide. Learn/study the areas your fishing and you will know where you need to be on incoming or out going.
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Where do u setup/anchor for an rising tide? Ive had limited success on the rising fishing docks and creeks off of the ICW.

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whitey
h2ohhh said:
I bet 90% of the reds I've caught were not seen prior to catching them. I fish the areas that look like they should hold fish rather than looking for activity...that's just a bonus when you see it.
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this is great info. Use your lure as your fish finder. 90% of everything i usually catch is not seen before it is casted to. Don't save your energy to cast at visible fish, or even visible bait....you want to cast to currents, eddies, points, structure, etc. Most fish like to stay submerged most of the time anyways. Feeding frenzies are not always visible. There could be complete carnage going on under the water and you would never even know it.
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S
Calabash asks a great question. Two things most gamefish do in moving water: 1) Set themselves in a good ambush position and 2) Look into the current for their prey. You should try to set up where you can make your presentation accordingly; the current needs to carry the bait to the fish. It's not a good idea to run a bait or lure up on a fish from behind it...spooks 'em about 95% of the time.
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madcircle
Calabash513 said:
Where do u setup/anchor for an rising tide? Ive had limited success on the rising fishing docks and creeks off of the ICW.

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Just my 2 cents but the days I use an anchor are the days I don't catch fish. Use your trolling motor and keep moving around. When you find them, then throw the anchor and catch a few and leave them biting for next time. I'm a die hard topwater guy but right now I've had to learn to put it down unless its first thing in the morning. Finger mullet is my best friend right now. When fishing docks the current side of them works best for me and for the most part you're gonna know if they are there pretty much right away. Keep moving and remember you can always go back.
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