Should I stay or should I go?
"The fish are on the bottom"
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 current.
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.