water
The size of any large body of water is intimidating. Don’t let it be. Whereas boats offer anglers the advantage of covering more water, most lakes and reservoirs offer shore-bound anglers some bank access. Some even feature fishing piers, often with sunken brush piles nearby to attract fish. Fishing any lake or reservoir calls for ruling out the fishless water. The fish population won’t be distributed equally over the acres, so whether you’re fishing from boat or bank, seek out cover or interesting structure. A point could attract fish, especially if it provides cover, too. A bank with a rocky ledge will usually lure fish. A bridge over a lake will often appear in a narrower area where the banks are closer together and may feature banks of riprap (large stones or chunks of rock) to control erosion. Pay attention — the land above the water line provides clues about the bottom. A sharp rising bank usually means the water is deep below the surface, because the bottom will fall away just as steeply. Fish will be drawn to edges, or differences — where one bottom type meets another (say where a sandy bottom becomes rocky, or where a weed bed stops).
Generally, fish will be in shallower water in the spring, seeking warmer water (the sun warms shallower water faster) and potential spawning sites. As the summer progresses, fish move into areas offering the right structure and cover spread out around the lake, and as fall approaches, fish tend to move to deeper sections of the lake or reservoir. Usually, the closer you are to the dam, the deeper the water will be. Plan your location around the season and you’re on the right path.
Where NOT to fish
If you’re fishing in public water, you’re paying for the privilege by purchasing a fishing license. If you’re fishing in privately owned water, you don’t need a license, but you do need permission, another form of a license. Another option, and one I hope you do not consider, is a paypond or paylake. These bodies of water are privately owned, and as such, they don’t require licenses to fish. Instead, the owner of the paypond will charge you a fee to fish for a set amount of time. So what’s wrong with payponds? Fish in payponds come from somewhere, and these fish (especially the big catfish) are netted from public waters (usually big rivers) by commercial fishermen. These catfish (often trophy size) are then hauled to payponds, where they swim in small, unnatural environments until they die. (At which point, the paypond owner replenishes the stock with more wild-caught fish!)
A paypond stocking only farm-raised channel catfish could be a legitimate option for you, but any paypond that will not verify where its fish come from should be ignored. (And no, those large blue or flathead catfish were not farm-raised.) Or paypond could be stocked with hatchery trout who, as a rule, are kind of stupid and don’t put up a great fight.
Evaluating Saltwater Sites
Saltwater fishing can be intimidating due to the vastness of the ocean. Chances are, though, you’re going to do most of your saltwater fishing within three miles of shore, in water less than 100 feet deep. To fish the deep blue of the sea, you need a serious boat, gear, and experience. You may not have those things yet, but you can always hire a guide to get a taste of fishing the biggest water. A guide will have the proper gear and knowledge, which takes the pressure off you. You can relax and enjoy the trip. But fear not — even if you fish on your own, closer to shore, plenty of adventure awaits the coastal angler.
Approach saltwater fishing as you would freshwater — seek access and fish (refer to the earlier section “Knowing Where to Go” for the full scoop). Pay attention to your surroundings, and watch for clues about what’s happening beneath the surface. Saltwater species often come closer to shore to pursue prey because the shoreline offers the habitat that creatures like crabs, shrimp, and baitfish need. In a feeding frenzy, larger gamefish chase huge schools of bait to the shore and, once the bait is corralled, the gamefish feed voraciously and fearlessly. You can catch feeding fish if you understand the saltwater fishing basics of tides, structure, and cover.
Tidal inlets, marshes, streams, and bays
To fish saltwater, you need to understand tides; they affect all oceans, but the tidal range varies from place to place. Sometimes the tidal range, which is the difference between high tide and low tide, can be less than a foot. But with irregular coastlines with inlets, bays, and streams, the tidal range can be as high as 40 feet! Tides affect fishing just as current does in any stream: The fish understand that tides move baitfish and other prey, and they respond accordingly.
Tides are basically predictable, and you can find charts informing you of the high, or rising, tide, as well as the low, or falling, tide. But even predictable ones can be very affected by storms and other natural events thousands of miles away. When the tide is neither rising or falling, it’s known as a slack tide. As in a river, where too little current often makes for difficult fishing, a slack tide tends to slow or stop the bite.
Who’s home?
Gamefish can’t survive without food; tidal inlets, marshes, streams, and bays offer a smorgasbord of baitfish, crabs, shrimp, eels, and the like. In warm climates, places like mangrove coves and flats provide plenty of food, so many species of gamefish will come close to shore in pursuit of it. Tarpon smash through baitfish near the pilings of a causeway. Snook chase bait in the shadows under docks. Stripers pick off bait near a jetty. Bonefish often cruise the flats. Sharks dash through the crashing surf. In late spring and early summer, stripers on the East Coast do the same, and redfish along the Gulf Coast fit this pattern. Saltwater fishing offers anglers a lifetime’s worth of opportunity and adventure.
How to fish the water
In places like marshes or brackish streams, a high tide offers gamefish a chance to chase baitfish and other prey in prime habitat. But a low tide will force fish back into deeper water, so time your trips to coincide with moving tides. Falling tides are often as good or better than rising ones. Gamefish will often be following the tide, chasing the displaced bait. Fish inside harbor, bay, and creek mouths during high tides, as fish will be moving into shallow water, and outside bay mouths (downtide) as the tide recedes (see Figure 3-1).
All tides can consolidate and move fish. Look for ambush points like rock outcroppings that gamefish use (just as freshwater fish do) to catch prey being carried by the tide. Look for variances in structure — reefs, sandbars, and drop-offs — and watch for signs of fleeing baitfish. Birds won’t help you so much in most freshwater fishing situations, but in saltwater, they’re a valuable aid. Watch birds such as terns and particularly seagulls — they’ll respond to schools of baitfish, and if the birds are following the bait, you can be sure the gamefish are, as well. Sightfishing is often better in saltwater, too, as you can often spot fish like bonefish, tarpon, stripers, bluefin, bluefish, seatrout (specks), and redfish when they come into shallow water to feed. Polarized sunglasses, which are recommended in Chapter 6, will help you see the fish.
© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FIGURE 3-1: Fish staging outside a marsh during a falling tide.
