From Ron Brooks,
Your Guide to Saltwater Fishing.
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A tropical storm had just whirled around off the eastern seaboard kicking up seas and surf as it went. Because it stayed offshore so long and came in south of us, we had an extended northeast wind, and while this article deals specifically with the St. Johns River, it applies to any river or bay all up and down the east coast. An extended nor'easter is a sure "no fishing" sign for many anglers. But for those that can find protected water and know what the wind will do to the tides, a nor'easter can actually mean better fishing!

I fished a 25 knot northeast wind. Seas were running eight to ten feet offshore, and the entrance to the St. Johns River off the Atlantic was a sloppy, rolling mess. Days like this mean that there won't be a crowd at the boat ramp.

I stayed in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) south of the St' Johns River. High tide in the area I planned to fish was supposed to be around 9:30 in the morning. I was there early, and had several hours of incoming tide to fish.

These nor'easters affect the tide more than most people realize. The wind gets behind and actually pushes water inland on the incoming tide. On the outgoing tide, this same wind opposes the tidal flow and prevents the water from leaving. Consequently, we have much higher than normal high tides and much higher than normal low tides. The effect is cumulative to a degree. The longer a nor'easter blows, up to a point, the higher the high and low tides will be. That wind just keeps the water stored.

This high water invades areas of grass, mud flats and salt marsh that ordinarily will not have enough water on them for fish to swim. These areas are home to all varieties of small crabs and animal life, all of which are food for the larger species. Under normal tidal conditions, these small creatures are protected by the lack of water. Extended winds like we had last week keep lots of water on these previously shallow areas, and the fish are quick to move onto them in search of food.

Areas in the ICW and in the river that I and other anglers normally fish don't hold many fish in these situations. Many anglers stay home in these winds because they know they won't find fish in their normal honey holes. It's the savvy angler who knows where the fish went that can really do well.

As I eased up to the west bank of the ICW and dropped my trolling motor in the water, I saw schools of finger mullet working the edge of the grass. Ordinarily, I don't see these finger mullet except at low tide. But they were working the edge of the marsh grass, and bigger fish were striking at them.

The area I fished is normally too shallow to fish even at high tide. But, today, the water was a good three feet deep and getting deeper. My normal spots in this area were three to four feet deeper as well, and I marked no fish on them.

I worked the edge of the grass using my trolling motor. The wind direction was such that it wanted to push the boat into the grass. That means that it also was pushing water and anything swimming in the water up against the grass. That accounts for the mullet schools. It also accounts for the success I had along this grass line.

Using a light jig head and either a mud minnow or a small live shrimp, I worked the edge of the grass, both parallel to the grass and perpendicular out to about ten feet. The fish were back in the grass and working along the edge foraging for food. Close to the grass, I caught spotted sea trout and redfish. On the bottom out from the edge of the grass I caught flounder. In three hours of fishing I managed three reds, one of which was about twenty pounds, three sea trout, and five nice flounder.

I was back at the ramp putting my boat on the trailer by 10:00AM. A few people were just launching as I was putting the tie downs on my boat.

One of them said to me, "Giving up early in this wind?"

"Yes," I said, "I've had enough for one day". He probably assumed I meant the wind. I assure you, I didn't!

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