If you have ever fished the “super-moon” tides, you know it can be very frustrating. For argument’s sake, let’s say a tidal range of around 7 feet. That’s a big tide for Charleston, but we see them maybe 10 times a year, more or less. When the tide turns to go out, it can seem like someone pulled the plug out of the bathtub! Almost whitewater… Chances are, the luck you had was probably near slack low or high when the water flow was manageable.
Well, yesterday’s “blood-moon” was one of those days, and yes, the struggle was real! But, you can still catch fish if you know a little about where fish will be and why. With the exception of Striper, who it seems the faster the water the happier they are, most inshore fish won’t, or more likely can’t, waste their energy fighting that kind of current. They will hide somewhere in a current break when the tide is really rushing. That doesn’t mean they won’t feed.
We found a place yesterday where the current was so fast that my trolling motor, while on full speed, still couldn’t hold steady. Yet, we landed two big reds in this rushing current. How? They were hiding behind a submerged fallen tree trunk that broke the current. They were waiting for baitfish to be swept by and they would come out to get them. In this case, it was our jerk shad on a TroutEye jig instead. My high school friend Scott was the happy angler for a couple very nice overslot reds.
So, as Ralph likes to say in his seminars, go out at negative low tides and make note of the bottom contour. If you know of any fallen trees or submerged structure, it might be a good place to try on one of those screaming tide days.
Tight lines!