How to: Reading the water

Came across this article by Randy Jones. It's a nice read. It might take me a couple posts to put up the complete article.


By Randy S. Jones

The purpose of this article is to give you an idea of where to find game fish in the relative vastness of the ocean and its surrounding waters and to explain the importance of tides to any saltwater fishing. The ocean is a huge area with much of the water devoid of fish. Where are the fish and why? Read on.

Randy Jones leading clients across the shallow flats of Monomoy, Cape Cod. photo John Halnon

Tides
What is tide and current? Tide is the vertical movement of water. Current is the horizontal movement of water. In a 24-hour period there are 2 high and 2 low tides. When the tide is rising, it’s known as flooding. When the tide is falling, it's known as ebbing. When there is no horizontal or vertical movement of the water, the tide is slack.

What creates or causes them? It’s the gravitational pull between the sun and moon on the earth’s atmosphere. This creates tides and currents. Because the moon is closer than the sun, it has more of an effect on our tides. Therefore, we have to pay special attention to the different phases of the moon.

Full / New moons create spring tides that mean higher high tides, lower low tides and faster currents. Opposite moon phases mean lower high tides, higher low tides and slower currents. The exaggerated full and new moons normally create better fishing conditions.

Why are tides and currents so important to understand? Here’s the bottom line — fish are easier to catch when they are feeding and it’s the tide and currents that dictate this. This means the tide and current will concentrate the bait and the movement of water will initiate and stimulate feeding activity. As the water begins to move, smaller baitfish are at the mercy of the current and get confused in the turbulent water. Larger game fish have an advantage because they are equipped to feed in this turbulent water. As such, moving water is often best for fishing.
I highly recommend a tide log book (known as tide tables in the United Kingdom ) for anyone interested in understanding tides and currents more thoroughly for your area. This book is my bible. It’s what I use to plan each and every fishing day.

Let’s take tides and currents a step further. The fastest part of either tide is normally 2 hours before the high and 2 hours before the low. Most areas fish the best during this time period, but not all. The fastest of either is the falling tide; normally this is the better of the two. As water begins to push in or out, it starts out moving slowly, then gradually increases in speed until reaching a crescendo. During this peak the fish normally feed voraciously. Taking very little time to inspect their next meal for scent and realism. This is similar to trout feeding in the fast water. These tides can almost be too easy.

I’m not embarrassed to say that after fly guiding in Vermont for trout for 12 years I was intimidated by the saltwater environment at first. Where are the fish and why? How? After reading Striper Moon by Kenny Abriems and Inshore Saltwater Fly-Fishing by Lou Tabory, I realized the similarities between the two and found my doubts less warranted. With fly-fishing the main ingredients are basically the same. Presentation.

Casting
Same as freshwater, but throw in the double haul for good measure and easier casting! Mostly we are stripping streamers through the water.

Instead of entomology it's baitology: Much easier to understand than 1000 types of caddis, stones, mayflies, etc. Matching the hatch? Try 3 profiles in thin, medium and wide. A few specialty flies (surface flies, squid, crabs and shrimp). Use brighter colours in the spring and more natural colours in the later part of the summer. Simple.

Habitat
Several basic types — beaches, flats, marshes, estuaries, rock structures, jetties, bays and rips. Once you've learned the basic ingredients, its as simple as saying “Fish On”
Let’s discuss tides, currents and their relationship to structure, so we can all catch more fish. When water is moving and coming into contact with rocks, points of land, holes, islands, jetties, rises in the bottom, channels etc there is a natural tendency for the water to speed up. It has to compress or concentrate its flow (speed up) to get over, around or into a piece of structure, just like in a trout stream. This increased water flow or speed draws the attention of predators. We all know if a predator has to expel more energy to get food than it takes in, it will surely die. That’s why predators normally use this structure to hide behind (like trout ) and allow the currents to bring their food to them. Baitfish are at a disadvantage as they are unable to swim away or navigate easily with these faster currents, sometimes being tumbled. These areas are one of the easiest places to catch.

BIG bass are easiest to catch when they are feeding actively. What initiates this? Most of the time it’s the speed of the current moving the bait over, around or into structure. The faster the current the more aggressively they will feed and the easier they are to catch! During the course of a day most flats will have fish on them, but I try to only fish the ones that have moving water.
This equation works ninety percent of the time.

Moving water + structure = a compressed water flow.
Compressed water flow + baitfish = predators.

Take some time and study current movement. Seek out moving water and you will be rewarded. The only time this equation will not work is if there has been a strong wind for several days that will blow the bait out. Water temps. are too cold or warm. (55 — 65 deg. best — like trout) Too much noise created by anglers or boats. The following areas are all ideal locations to find your quarry. The best way (for the most part) to learn and understand these area’s is to look at them at low tide.

by Randy Jones

Rips
One of the easiest pieces of structure to catch fish. Rips are formed by bars of sand or rock that rise up to below the surface, combined with current. Points of land also create them. Severe changes in depth with tide and current create turbulent water. The increase in water flow as it moves over or around this structure is a main stay in consistent hook-ups. Bait is swept over structure as the water flow is concentrated. This leaves bait confused, unable to swim against this faster current. It leaves them easy prey.

Rips occur when tide is coming in or out and can be found in any type of habitat. Fish really key in on these and make them a regular stop in search for a meal. Normally casting across the rip line and retrieving your fly as it cross’s into deeper water will work. This imitates the natural bait being swept over the rip. Sometimes letting your fly swing and go deeper into the water will also produce great results. The speed and depth of water would determine the type of fly line you would use.

Marshes and estuaries
A marsh system is a relatively flat, low-lying portion of the coastline. Hidden behind beaches and harbours. These marsh systems tend to have a lot of water movement and tidal flow. Mud bottoms warm up the quickest and are the very first place we find them in the spring. Starting on the South side of Cape Cod moving east. We talk about marsh systems in regards to fishing because they are very rich in food and nutrients. These areas are a nursery ground for many saltwater species including plankton, shellfish, chubs, grass shrimp, crabs, sand lances, silver sides, herring, cinder worms etc. As such, game fish love these areas and are an ideal habitat for bass and blues looking for an easy meal. Normally as the water heats up as the summer progresses they will move out and into areas that have a cold water influence.
Fish can be found in a marsh almost all the time, depending on its size. Many times fishing high up in the system at high tide and working your way down on the drop will keep you in the general area that the fish are travelling. Fish near the mouth at low tide and work up with the incoming. If your marsh system is smaller in nature than most, fish will leave as the tide recedes and hold in an area with deep water accessible, most likely at the mouth or just outside it. Normally you will have current flowing out of the marsh at this time and the fish will be feeding on the bait that is swept out. This would be a prime area to fish. If your marsh is large then look for fish to hold and feed within this area. They will have plenty of deep water and feel safe to remain in the system to feed through the entire tide.

When the water is moving the fish are feeding. Marsh systems can be very long and meander endlessly, like a freshwater stream. So, how do we locate fish? What do we look for? Well, the key word is structure. Structure can be anything that helps shelter fish or bait. It could be rocks, deep holes, rips, ledges, channels, undercut banks, logs, depressions, sand bars or the channel itself. Fish it like you would a river. Look at your favourite marsh at low tide and it will open up all of its secrets.

Rock Structures and Jetties
Jetties are normally located at the entrance to harbours, marsh systems or along the coast to try and protect it. Jetties and other rock structures (rocky coastline) are home too many baitfish. They feel safe and comfortable being able to blend in with the surrounding structure. Our quarry understands this and keys in on this type of habitat for this and other reasons.

At low tide, does your beach have many rocks exposed? If so, then this could be a prime area to fish at the high. It will have bait fish and predators mixed within all of the rocks that are now covered. Throw in waves crashing over the rocks, tumbling the bait and this makes them an easy target for predators.
When on a jetty, try fanning your casts. Work close to the jetty then further out. If your at the tip of the jetty (12 o’clock) look for water being swept (concentrated) around the tip of it. The fish will always be at the 1 o’clock position if the current is sweeping the bait in the current from left to right. This would be another form of a rip. The jetty forms a point and the current from the shoreline to the tip of the jetty is being compressed around the tip. The bait gets swept along for the ride and the predators will be waiting for an easy meal.

Flats
A large expanse of shallows, consisting of mud, eelgrass or sand. Its high noon, blue-bird sky, light coloured sand, incoming tide, cool breeze blowing, standing in 2 — 3 feet of crystal clear water in June, July and August. Girls in grass skirts surround you (just kidding). Sound like the Caribbean?

Here on Cape Cod, we have miles and miles of light coloured sand flats and crystal clear water that makes sight casting to 5 — 25 pound stripers the order of the day. This is probably the most exciting type of fly-fishing you will ever do. They’re cruising the flats eating crabs, shrimp, silversides and sand lances, and just waiting for your perfectly cast fly. Sometimes you need to burn up the water with a fast retrieve and at other times using a dead drift with the current is all that is needed. All methods will require distance, speed and accuracy in your casting skills.

http://www.leadertec.com/Images/randy_pic2.jpg
photo John Halnon

We have some of the finest destination flats fishing in the world right here on Cape Cod. Seeing hundreds of fish in a tide is the norm. Stripers and blues come to this area in search of food. As the sand flat becomes covered with water the baitfish move up onto the flat through troughs, sluice ways and channels to escape the predators. Approximately 2 hours before high water the predators come up onto the flat following these same troughs (like roads) in search of food. This would be a good place to stand and sight cast to them.

Sun and no wind make for optimal sight fishing conditions as they cruise the flat. At high tide many times you will find them in 6 inches of water tight to the shore, again, this is where their next meal is hiding. So this would be an additional area to prospect during that stage of the tide.

As the water starts to recede, the larger fish will leave that area and depart from the flat using similar channels and sluiceways to those they came up on. This is another prime spot to fish. Normally they will hold, waiting in ambush in the deeper water for the baitfish to get flushed off the flat. My next move would be to stand close to the edge of the flat and cast my fly into the creek that is flowing off the flat. I'd allow my fly to swing and sink, imitating a baitfish being washed off the flat.
This is one of many basic feeding patterns that never changes and consistently repeats itself, tide after tide.

Beaches
Beaches are one of the most difficult areas to understand and read. Mother Natures’ signature clues can sometimes be very subtle and a keen eye and knowledge of what to look for is imperative to being a proficient reader of where the fish are at and why.

What to look for? Converging currents, slope of beach, tidal flow, wash, waves, sand bars, ocean holes, dips, slots, troughs, spill zones, wind direction, points, channels from bays, rips, rocks and coves. These are areas that all hold fish. The best way to learn a beach is to first look at it at low tide.

Slope of beach
A gradual sloping beach is probably a better beach to take the kids to then to fish. Normally if the slope of the beach is steep then it continues at that angle subsurface. These are preferred areas to fish due to its depth and fish holding capabilities.

Wash
The wash is the area where the wave crashes onto the beach and where the water receding off the beach meets. This white water turbulence is often at your feet and often over looked as a fish holding habitat. Fish can and do feed in this turbulent area where the bait is being tumbled and confused, making it an easy target for a predator.

Randy Jones part 3

Sand Bars
These come in many shapes and sizes and normally how the current, wave action relate to the bar is the key ingredient to understand where the fish will be holding.

If you see a point off a beach it will normally continue out under the surface. Combine a current on the dropping or incoming tide moving across it and you will very likely have a rip. Look for most fish to be feeding on the down tide side.

If a sand bar were 50 feet off the shore running parallel to it with waves crashing over it then I would look for the fish to be holding between the beach and the bar. They will feed on the bait as it's picked up by the wave and tossed over the bar. Casting into the wave as it’s ready to break and allowing the wave to crash on your fly, then imparting a darting action will often result in a strike.
There will be times where you will be able to stand on these bars and cast your fly perpendicular to the wave / current direction and allow your fly to flow over the bar and into the deeper water. Imparting action to your fly or simply letting it dead drift will often result in a strike.

Channels from a Bay or Estuary
These areas are a magnet for fish. All Bays and estuaries hold bait fish. At sometime these baitfish will leave these areas or be sucked out by the tidal current. These channels are prime feeding lies for cruising, migrating, resident bass and blues. On a dropping tide the current through these channels is often extremely fast, providing a predator an easy meal. They may set up like a trout on a seam, behind a bar (rip) or maybe in a multitude of different sand holes on the bottom created by this incredibly fast concentrated current. Often sight fishing to these fish is almost comical as you can pick out the fish you want to catch. It’s just like swinging a streamer for trout. With this increased flow of water they do not have the time to study or inspect your fly for realism and are often much more opportunistic feeders, which we always like.

Ocean Holes
These are good fish holding locations due to the depth of water they hold, making the fish feel comfortable within this habitat. One of the easiest ways to find an Ocean hole is to put on a pair of polarized sunglasses and look down the beach. Look for the darkest water along the beach and you've just found a spot to fish.

Waves
A wave is made when it comes in contact with shallows. Often by simply reading the swells and where the wave is breaking will help you to decide where to fish. If a wave breaks on the shoreline then I know I have deep water in front of me and would be a good fishing location. If the waves start to build 200 feet out, crest and break far from shore then I probably have a point of sand or shallow water bar. If I have waves breaking out to my right and left, but breaking at my feet in front of me, then I probably have an ocean hole. This is where I would fish. Even if you cannot visually see sub-surface structure, by reading the swells and breaks it will help you understand what you cannot see.

Reading Sand
Holes, bars, dips, pockets normally indicate fast moving water. A prime location to fish when the current is at it’s optimum. Soft sand equals shifting sand and in this area expect Sand Lances (called sand eels in the UK ) to be present. They normally seek out this type of sand to hide in. Throwing a Sand Lance pattern would be my first choice. Or the real thing!

Bays
Bays are comprised of everything. Flats, bars, channels, rips, marsh, beach, and rocks. Look for birds, darker deeper water, structure, current and all of the above. Read the water right and this is the result, a beautiful striped bass. photo John Halnon

http://www.leadertec.com/Images/randy_pic3.jpg
Read the water right and this is the result, a beautiful striped bass. photo John Halnon

The best way to study these different habitats is to first start out at low tide. Go for a walk on your favourite beach. Notice the points, bars, holes and rocks. These are the areas to concentrate on and could be loaded with fish later in the tide. A careful eye and an understanding of these areas are all that is needed to become a proficient angler.

Let’s try to put it all together. As an angler, your goal is to search out and study all the above mentioned habitats and their relationship with moving water. Fish them, find out when each piece of structure fishes at its optimum. (Remember my equation?) Some will fish best at high, mid, low, incoming, outgoing, half in or half out. Others on a half or full moon, while sometimes your spots will fish best on opposite phases. Compile an assortment of spots, so you can do what I do each day before heading out. Fish each spot when it is at its optimum. Thus guaranteeing you the best chances for hooking up! You will find with time the more spots you acquire, the odds of fishing 24 -7 all summer long increase. Also, you will then be able to take wind into consideration. Casting on your back cast is easy as spreading soft butter on a warm muffin when you’re experienced. But for the new angler it’s an acquired skill. So being able to fish, casting on your forward cast can sometimes be a more pleasurable experience.

When I go fishing, I take all this and more into consideration when deciding where to go. In my opinion, fly-fishing is one of the most challenging and rewarding types of fishing you will ever experience. But to achieve proficiency you need to have a clear understanding of tides, currents and habitat you fish. Then you'll soon be realising the best part of fly fishing —FISH ON!

http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtech..._habitats.html

Thanks for posting that hookset. I found it informative and helpful.

Great read, hookset. I was reading this one the other day, but yours is a lot more detailed.:thumbsup:

http://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=725


How to Read the Beach for Surf Fishing
By Joe Malat

Rookie surf casters, as they gaze into the churning mix of breaking waves and vast expanse of open ocean are often intimidated. They have no clue about where to cast their baits and lures. “It all looks the same,” I often hear. But it doesn’t. Each section of beach has a combination of obvious and subtle characteristics that may determine the presence of fish. The key to reading the beach is being able to locate sections of beach that are most likely to attract fish.

A slough is a deep trough that runs parallel to the beach, bordered by a sand bar on one side and the beach on the other. The distance from the beach to the bar will determine the width of the slough. Fish travel up and down this trough and look for food such small fish, crabs, and sandworms. On the Outer Banks, under normal conditions, we have approximately a two-foot difference in water depth along the ocean beach between low and high tides, and it's easier to locate a slough at low tide, when the sand bars are easily visible.

When the water depth decreases suddenly in a short distance, such as in the case of a sandbar, the incoming waves will break on top of that bar. In the case of a gently sloping beach, with no outer bar, the waves will gradually spill over, and continue to do so until they eventually break on the beach. This what experienced surf fishers call a flat beach.

Beach sand can also be a tip-off about the contour of the ocean bottom. Very fine, tightly packed sand is often found on a beach with a gradual slope. Coarse sand, or small gravel, is typically found on a steep sloping beach. Sometimes this coarse, large sand is often darker than the fine grain sand, and it's not unusual to find various types of sand over several miles of beach.

The width of a slough may also be critical. On the Outer Banks, big fish such as red drum tend to prefer the wider, deeper sloughs, with some shallow, shoal water at either end. Speckled trout, flounder and sea mullet can be caught in narrow sloughs where the bar may be as close as fifteen to twenty yards off the beach, but the water between the beach and the bar is several feet deep.

Once you locate a promising slough, it's time to take the investigation one step further. Fish may travel this ocean "highway", but they need a way to get on the road. They can do this through a break in the outer bar, easily discovered after watching the waves for several minutes. If there is a break in the bar, a wave will pass over the bar, but will not crest.

If the occurrence consistently repeats, that indicates a cut in the bar. Fast moving, rippling, or discolored water may also be seen at these breaks or “outsucks” when the tide is falling. Not only will wandering fish come into the sloughs through these breaks, the fast moving water around these breaks will often form rip currents that send food swirling past the predator fish as they line up in front of the baitfish buffet.

Sloughs are not the only beach formations that attract fish. Currents and winds may scallop out the beach and form points. Frequently, the water is deep on one side of a point, a perfect location for fish to congregate. A well defined point on an open beach may attract fish the same way a piece of structure will hold fish on an otherwise featureless ocean floor. The key is to concentrate your efforts in a location that is just a bit different from the rest of the topography.

Hard structures such as jetties, piers, bridges, or inlets are also locations that encourage fish to stop and congregate. Usually these don't change, but the beaches around them will change regularly. Inlets can be incredibly productive locations to fish the surf. On a falling tide, the small baitfish and other sources of food are swept out of the inlet, providing a natural chum line that will attract fish from miles away.
Beach formations are constantly appearing, moving, rearranging or disappearing, as the winds, currents, and waves change. A perfect speckled trout hole can appear then vanish in a few days, or even migrate up and down the beach during the course of several weeks. Keep that in mind as you scan the surf line, looking for that ideal slough or perfect point.

Reading the water is one of the most asked questions from newbies. I came across this chart showing the optimal location of bait.

http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547...beachfig3A.JPG

There have been quite a few requests lately from new members about reading the water.

We've gone over the basics, but in different threads.

There are some great books out there, among them John Skinner's, to name a few.

On the internet, there are some all-time best threads on this subject. Poppy's "reading the water" comes to mind as one that's very good because it has pics of the water to illustrate what he's talking about.

I threw up this thread to help the new guys learn more effectively. I'll fill these in when I get a chance. I'll try to post up some more interesting stuff and pics when I can.

Anyone else wants to post up some of the stuff they learned, feel free, and thanks. :thumbsup:

Just because the bay is basically flat and seems to have less depressions or structure per mile than the ocean, there are still some things you can learn:

Some bay pics:

Some bay pics:

Basics: reading the rivers and inlets

Some river pics:

Some inlet pics:

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:

more surf pics

some surf pics

other surf pics

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DarkSkies

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

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That's why guys should be out there putting in their time instead of following all the internet reports like lemmings. You can lead a man to water, but you can't make him want to learn.

What I do-----I mostly fish in a boat where GPS is important. You might think that's all there is to is, job done. Nope, I also have landmarks written down for my inshore spots that are just beyond the surf. When we fish the rocks off of Deal, I write down in a Captain's log which pieces were more productive that year, and when. I write down if a rocky piece was between 2 certain landmarks. I also do this when we drift for fluke because we are drifting on sand, and the humps shift with the seasons.

Reading the water should be something that is in every fisherman's toolkit, whether you fish the surf or from a boat. Fishing an inlet is important as well. There are certain weather patterns and tides when you want to be near the front on the incoming and others where you want to be further towards the back on the outgoing. There are others that have some severe rips right before the inlet, and you have to read that water as well. They all depend on the structure and water flow of that particular inlet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DarkSkies

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:

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I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by finchaser

I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water:D

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(I guess you missed the part where I said: "I'll fill in when I get a chance" :HappyWave:)

So you're takin the place of Killie tonight? :laugh:

Where is the HealThyselfMiracleMan...he sick or somethin?

Did he ask ya to fill in for him on the ballbustin crew?

Ya know, the job doesn't pay overtime, and the hours are terrible...;)

A little something I try to look for, find the water that is different from the rest ie when the water is going out, find the water that is still coming in, or vice versa. This will reveal an area of stronger current. It's not always easy to spot for the newbie. Give it some practice in the sunlight, and you will soon get better at it.

If you want to learn the basics, go to one stretch of beach at low tide, study it, and learn that well. Do it as many times as you need to until you learn that area. It would help if it was near an inlet, you can then learn what happens near the inlet as the tide ebbs and floods. Look for eddies or pools of different water near the sides of the inlets. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Your confidence will build up that way.

Sandbars are pretty easy to see whats going on especially when you have waves.

A wave only breaks over shallow water.

Where it starts to form is the outer bar(deep water)

When it starts to form it is going over the sandbar(lower water).

Where it actually breaks is called the slough or trough. The wave dies down because it is coming back to deep water.

Thats the area between the beach and where the wave broke. Most of the fish are going to be right in front of the inside of the bar.

If you think about the least turbulent place for the fish to hold and feed on bait being washed over the bar, its where the wave just lifted and broke right over their heads.

Its really important to try to cast over the outer bar and work it slowly over the bar. When it comes over the bar this is where you need to pay close attention to the plug.

Keep it working but don't get caught up in the wave.

Try to follow the backside of the wave so your plug doesn't tumble and you lose control of it.

Waves usually come in sets.
Try and count them to get some insight on how the sets are coming in.
If you figure that you will have some time to work your plug w/o wave interference there should be nice foamy water. Always try to cast to the backside of an incoming wave.

Then you have cuts in the bar.
Watch the waves break. There will be areas where the wave is not breaking. This is a cut. This is the fishes hwy.

From outside the bar to the inside is where they can search for food. It is basically just a deep pocket of water in the sandbar the fish use because they can't get over the shallow sandbar.

Like I said most of the bait is being washed over the bar into the slough.I hope this made sense because I kind of got lost in my words.

What he said.:clapping:

no need to read the water, call Bob. :HappyWave:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by killie

no need to read the water, call Bob. :HappyWave:

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What happens when your cell phone doesn't work one day and ya can't find Bob? :fishing:

Pssst - Word on the street has even odds that if ya don't get that special plug (you were given last year) painted in the next 30 days... ya might get lost in the shuffle and not be able to find the path to the promised land any more.

Better fire up the compressor and the airbrush, dude. ;) :moon: :HappyWave:

Outer Bar & Cuts:

Another way to identify cuts when the waves aren't around is to look for foamy water or just a difference in what the water looks like as it exits.

This will be vertical to the beach.

You need to look a little harder but you will learn to see it.

I feel the larger fish stay on the outer bar right near the opening of the cut. As the water naturally comes in and recedes through the cut, there will be a current or eddy formed because of the surrounding sandbar on both sides of the cut.

This forces the water and the bait to be washed in and out of the narrow opening. Easy pickings...big bass are lazy, and they didn't get big by being stupid.

If you can reach the outer bar I like to fish my bucktails real close to the bottom in these cuts. Just my .02 cents

Sloughs or troughs:

Another good holding spot is slough or trough.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the fish use this to feed against the inside of the bar.

Sometimes you have a situation when the wave is rolling over the bar into the trough, but flattens out all the way to the beach. This is when the trough in front of the inner bar has a rising hump in the bottom midway to the beach and a drop off in front of it.

So you have:
a) the sandbar,
b) the trough in front of that(fish holding here)
c) then the hump
d) and a drop off between the beach and the hump.(fish holding real tight to the beach.)

This is why you never lift your plug out of the water -- keep reeling until it is on the sand.



Another thing... don't step in the water when you first get there because:
#1- theres a drop off and you will take a swim
#2- thats where some of the fish will be, and they will get spooked.

You can only identify this at high tide by the wave action.

At low tide you will see these humps as you walk the beach.

If you can imagine what these humps look like at high tide you will see the uprising and a deeper depression between two of them.

The bait and fish like to lay in the deeper spots between the two rising areas.

You can feel these as you walk at the lower tidal stages at night if you can remember what they felt like when you walked on them at low tide during the day.

I don't try to reach the outer bar too much in this situation, because the fish like to get inside the trough at night.

I like to work the trough and bring it into the drop off right to the beach.

Stay out of the water! Remember #1 and #2 at night. :learn:

I'll just give a quickie on inlets because I cannot educate NJ jetty jockies. I may learn much from you guys.

An inlet is basically a hwy from the bay to the ocean for bait and fish to get from one to the other.

Current is the big factor in the inlets.

It brings the bait to the fish where they lie to feed in the various structure...rocks, eddies, and rips.

The fish will feed on the inside when the current is moving in and vice versa when going out.

What you need to know tide and current are 2 different things.

I don't know how many times someone has come up to me and asked why the tide is going in or out.

It was supposed to be doing this at this time according to the tide charts.

Well it is doing that, but the current continues until the bay water and the ocean water equalize or level out. The tide may be changing, but the current will still be running for another 1-2 hrs. Depending on the size of the bay it is filling or emptying.

I think the best fishing for me is the 2 hrs. from tide change to the current change as the flow slows down

I feel this is also when the fish are on the move opposite of where they were. I'll let the jetty guys fill in the spaces.

OK gotta go my back is shot hope this helps you new guys out.:thumbsup:

As a result of reading these threads I'm going to be spending a lot more time studying the water instead of throwing and hoping. When you fish an inlet do you always throw your plug/jig upcurrent and let it come down to the fish?

Dreaminofishin, here's what I do when I fish an inlet. Other guys do it differently, it's all a matter of preference and what you're comfortable with:


Flood tide...
I generally like to be near the back of the inlet. If the inlet has a bridge or some kind of structure, I'll fish against the current and fish from whatever side allows me to do that. I don't want to confuse you by bringing bridges into the equation, but often there are car or train bridges near the back of inlets.

Big predators hang around structure in wait to ambush smaller fish. Since I generally fish at night, I look for the shadow lines made by the lights, and try to throw out so my offering ends up in the darkness of the shadow line.

Again, I'll try just to stay on the inlet topic here. All inlets are basic in their design. As Surfstix said, they are a highway for a water and the fish. There are many subtle differences for each inlet. That's why you should pick one inlet and learn those differences at different stages of the tide.

The first thing I would do if I didn't know an inlet was to go there at extreme low tide, right before slack. Pay attention to the rocks on the sides and the variations. All sorts of little fish, and also seabass, tog, crabs, etc will be hiding in those rocks as the tide fills. It's also a good time to check any nuances in structure you can see near bottom. If you're bait fishin it will save you many lost rigs.

As the tide fills in, you may have eddies, pockets, or areas in back of the inlet where the current is less. I think Surfstix, despite his modesty, did a fantastic job of explaining the difference between tide and current above. :thumbsup:

The current will become stronger or weaker at different stages of the tide. A lot of guys like to fish the middle areas of inlets. Fine, but know when to move from them. IMO the middle areas are best at the beginning and end of the tidal flow when current is weaker. That's a great time to toss out plugs because you can retreive across the current and still have your plug at a slow enough retrieval speed.

Retrieving plugs when the current is too fast, like in the middle of a tide when current is at its strongest, can be a waste of time if you're targeting bass. What I usually dto is hit an inlet up to 2 hours before and 2 hours after high tide, as many have advised. That seems to be the best window.

Ebb tide:
Everybody's different. I like to be at the front of an inlet for the ebb. I try to figure out where the sweep is. The sweep is the direction the water is moving in the ocean. This depends on the moon stage, wind, offshore weather patterns which sometimes give rise to a swell, among other factors. Also the structure at the outer area of the inlet.

Based on that sweep I'll decide whether I want to fish the N or S side of the inlet. I'll note here that right before a storm, I might concentrate on the front of the inlet for he ebb, depending on the wind and sweep. If fish are pulled out of the inlet by the tide, and there is a swell pushing the water in at the same time, there can be some big predators right in front, or to the sides of the rocks in front. This gets a little dicey, safety gear is an absolute must. More on that in a bit.

When I work the front rocks of an inlet, I will take the bucktail and bounce it on the bottom as close as I can to the rocks without getting hung up. This is where you will lose the most jigs until you get the hang of it. Even after you get better, you'll still lose some jigs if you're fishin it right. I generally like to bounce the bucktail around the frong of the inlet, gradually working it around the structure WITH the tide.

If you were a scuba diver, you would be amazed at all the bass that sit at the bottom near the safety of the rocks. The strong current just 20 feet above them is less intense as the current action is broken up by that bottom structure.


Full/New moon tides:
However my fishin rules are not set in stone. If there's a full or new moon tide, the current will be extremely strong. It's a waste to fish the fastest running water during the mid-tide.

Does that mean ya go home? Nope, that's why ya need plan B, and C sometimes. I will bounce around an area and may come back to an inlet area 2 or 3 times in a night, fishing other spots until I feel the tide is optimal.

Should I stay or should I go?
Also, if you're not doing anything at an inlet, how do you know if the fish are there? My guage is the bait. If there is a lot of bait around and popping, I know fish will usually be on them. That's not the whole picture. Many times you will see bait running in and out on the sides because the current is usually a little less intense there. You won't see anyting popping or on the surface at all. You have to train your eyes to look for them. Sometimes that's difficult in fast moving water. It's something I don't believe you can teach to someone. You have to learn to recognize it at your own pace to get good at it.

My intensity and focus on fishing a place becomes more directed when I see lots of bait. However, there are times when you will see no bait and fish will still be holding.

Jigging and bucktailing:
That's where the bucktailing comes in, or throwing rubber jigs. A lot of guys will make a few casts at an inlet, move around once or twice, convince themselves because there are no fish busting on the surface that it ain't happenin that night. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...know%20why.gif Sometimes they're right, but I always remember a simple rule an old-timer taught me years ago:

"The fish are on the bottom" http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif :learn:
If you don't probe the bottom as part of your fishin that night, you will never know if you missed the fish by not being deep enough.

As the current strengthens through the tide, it's an effort for a fish to not get swept in or out. So many bait fish will hold to the sides, and bigger fish hold on the bottom, away from the stronger.

Another reality is that the bigger fish move with the current. Striped bass love current. You have a higher chance at catching a big bass in strong current than you do on the flats somewhere.

The key is realizing that a bass will move during the tide stages up or down an inlet area to find the combination of water they can comfortably swim in, ambush food, and not get swept away.

Current is less strong on the bottom, so that's where the big predators will sit during strong parts of the tide. Or they'll find a ledge, a seam, or crease in the bottom to sit and pop up once in awhile to nab a juicy enough baitfish.

Bucktailing/fishing rubber:
Your job bucktailing or throwing rubber is to find where those fish are sitting. Learning creases, ledges or seams is good if you have a boat with a depth finder. From shore you have to do your own prospecting.

If you're jigging, you'll lose bucktails and jigs. Never buy expensive bucktails or rubber when starting out. Buy stuff in multi-packs, or at flea markets. If you have a friend who makes bucktails and likes to trade, that's golden. :dribble:

The functionality of a bucktail doesn't depend on how much you paid for it or how artistic it looks. :kooky: It's all about how you work it in the water. I have seen old timers fishing next to other guys outfish them 3:1 with the same bucktail. At times I've been the one outfished 3:1 as well. When that happens to you, you will quickly try to learn the subtle differences. ;)

The best advice I can give you about beginning bucktailing or jigging is to:
1. Read a good book on bucktailing (Skinner's comes to mind)
2. Buy a lot of cheap or used bucktails at shows
3. Learn to bounce the bottom.

As you become more proficient and get into bigger fish, the quality of the bucktail hook becomes more important. You will tend to learn which ones to stay away from if you lose a big fish when a hook pulls. :burn: Big fish don't just break your line, they break your heart! :( You don't need to worry about that much in the beginning, just work on your technique.


Fish with mono in the inlets first when learning. As you lose jigs it's not cool to put a lot of braid out there on the bottom. I can recommend sufix tritanium 17 or 20lbs for inlets. We have gotten jigs stuck on the bottom and been able to retrieve them with that line.

Good one DS very informative:clapping: like you said when your losing your bucktails your in the target area at least then you just need to find where those fish are holding in that target area.To me the inlets are harder to get a read on unless you learn them upside down and backwards.One thing I like to do when the water is slowing down enough while I'm waiting for the turn around is to throw a live eel no weight and just let him swim around on his own my theory is the fish are starting to move to stage up for the turnaround and that eel is irresistable if they see it. This has gotten me two fish in the thirties(lbs.)and I just did it early one morning when the BT didn't produce I had some eels and just said What the hell threw on a bait rig and wham.So when in doubt try anything.

This is turning out to be a primo thread Surfstix. :HappyWave:Good point about the eels. I was in the middle of editing my post and decided to send you a pm. Look for it. Thanks. :thumbsup:

What Surfstix said about eels is a killer piece of advice, guys and girls. Some huge bass have been taken on eels in inlets. The way to do it is wait until near slack, toss it out, and let it sit. Or ya can drag one in slowly if you know the bottom structure.

Primo times are dawn and dusk. The problem with inlets is that boat traffic really hurts the bite for quality fish. That's why it's best fo fish at night or when the weather is bad and a lot of boats won't be going out.

That being said, that magic hour before dawn in the morning is truly magic when there is bait around. Sometimes you may only get a 1/2 hr or 15 minutes of real action. And the action may not be consistent on a daily basis. That's part of the challenge. If you're there at the exact right time and you see it with your own eyes, you would agree. :lookhappy:

Last but not least. Let's talk about safety...

Safety is always the most important thing:
No fish in the world is worth you jeopardizing your safety or your family's future on those rocks in front. I have friends who have pulled in trophy bass right before a noreaster.

There are some mighty big bass to be had if you fish at or near inlets, at the right times. Tales of trophy sized bass bring guys out during every storm to give it a shot. And EVERY YEAR a guy is washed off or drowned from being washed off an inlet somewhere. :scared:

Especially if you fish the fronts, you have extremely powerful current out there. The rip can wash you out to sea if you lose your footing, and you could drown before anyone gets to you. :(

Some basic safety tips, feel free to add if anyone has any more:

!. Korkers always. I have made a lot of fast friends fishin inlets in the dark of night. However if you've ever walked on the front of an inlet or jetty with sneakers or bare feet and had a guy ask you what the hell ya were doing and how your family would survive without ya :argue: that guy was probably me. :D
(I know someone is gonna bust me about this sooner or later, so I might as well fess up now. In 2008 I fished the Spring bass season with old worn korkers. I got knocked down quite a few times as I procrastinated about buyin new ones. I was wrong. Some of my friends won't let me forget it. I make lots of mistakes. That was just one of a long list. Confession ever. Effumall! ;))


2. Try to wear something other than waders. Raingear, pants, boots, drytop, etc. If you feel the need to wear them, you should have a wader belt. There is no reasonable way you're gettin your waters off if you get washed out in strong current. They could become your grave marker.

3. Fishing plan. There's always one person who knows where I am when I'm on a jetty or inlet somewhere, or out in a kayak they know the general area I put in at. You night warriors would be well-advised to do the same. ;)

4. Escape plan in your head. I've taken a bunch of headers over my head fishin rocks, jetties, and lighthouses. I know what I'm getting into when I go out there. You can't always plan the sizes of the waves if you get a rogue set in there. So you should anticipate what your first survival moves will be when you eventually get knocked down, or in the water.

Fishin with a buddy is good. I don't always do that, so I try to think what rock, what channel, what area I will try for if I do go swimming. Many bad experiences in life can be turned around by thoughtful planning ahead of time. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif

With all the above lecturing done, please don't be the guy below. What he did is not cool, or smart. And I haven't seen any jetty world records reported in 2009, so I know he didn't get the world record the afternoon he set out to fish that noreaster. ;)

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...1&d=1258085839

(As originally posted by Finchaser)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=5327

Surfstix mentioned about there being some threads for the new guys to read and learn from. Don't feel intimidated by asking a question. That's the only way you're gonna learn. :learn:



Search feature:
The "Search" feature toward the right top of the user tool bar (under where the site lists your username) is also helpful for finding stuff. Type in a term, and you should find it if it's here. A little tip is to use " in front of the term if your search words are common or generic. That way your search will be targeted better. Do not use " at both ends of the search term or phrase because sometimes that will be too limiting. You might not find what you're looking for.

Hope this helps, guys and girls. Feel free to click on and add to any of the threads below to help our new members.

Some of your questions might be answered in the threads below.
They were all found by typing in the word Techniques in the search key.


Surf fishing 101.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=1824

We also have a lot of "New guy/Newbie/Just learning " threads:

You can find these using "Techniques" as the search term:

Bombers
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Jigging shallow water:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Jigging deep water:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Mag darter:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Fin-S:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Danny:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Mambo minnow:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Needlefish:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Pencil popper:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Sea Dog or Saltwater Spook:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Shad or rubber swimbait:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing a Sluggo:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

Fishing Swimmers in the surf:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques

This is a great post guys. I have not been fishing that long and always get great advice here. This post is awesome. Thanks.:clapping::clapping:

Great information!!! I have spent a lot of time throwing black bombers into an inlet current running full blast, thinking I was doing the right thing to get into some big fish and catching skunks instead. Time to fish smarter.

One other question, is there anything that you just don't fish at inlets because it's a waste of time? I'm wondering about things like metals and even using bait.

Thanks to everyone for the lessons.

Plugs:
Anything that is considered a swimmimg plug I like to fish as slow as possible.
If you think you're reeling too slow, slow down some more. Just keep the plug moving to keep slack out of the line.

The only exception would be a needlefish you need to try different things w/these.Those posts DS put up are a great read.

I like to throw bucktails and large rubber shads at night at an inlet.

I don't fish inlets much during the day. Fall and early spring there can be some action w/ big blues when the fish are using the inlet for migration. This could be some quick good daytime action. Just bring some heavier tins and poppers. This is one of those "I was at the right place at the right time" things. It probably won't repeat itself daily.

Bait:
If your going to fish bait use eels at night. If you have never done it try and pick up some tips on it. Eel balls are a nightmare. I fish fresh bunker during the day.
Bring lots of rigs because you will get hung up and lose them.

I like a fishfinder rig so the bass doesn't feel the weight when they pick up the bait

I use only circle hooks.
I use gamakatsu 8/0 and mono line 30 lb test.

This is one exception - on a jetty when I break out the 11 ft. Old Ugly Stik rod & a larger line capacity reel, a big bass will take quite a bit of line on its initial run. You need to try and get control w/o horsing the fish. They usually have a couple good runs in them before they wear down. You need to let the fish set the hook.

w/ circles don't rear back when the fish takes off. "Bow to the cow" and when the line comes tight hold on. Just think of every strikeout as a lesson learned. You never stop learning. Hell we all get skunked. Doesn't matter how long you've been doing it, or how much you know. :fishing:


Family first:
One last bit of advice. Take it any way you want. If your a family guy, remember you have a family. This addiction, like any other could drag you down to places you don't want to be. :learn:

Been There Done That.