I had planned a day for sheepshead fishing on the inlet jetties. The wind was light and variable and it looked like we would have a good day. But, as we headed out toward the end of the jetties, we were greeted by some rather heavy ground swells rolling in from the east.
There is always a groundswell of some size coming off the ocean – that’s what makes the surfers happy on the beach. But today, that swell was often well over eight feet in height. I could run in it wide open, like I was on the rolling hills of Oklahoma, so it really was not unsafe. But, it created a big fishing problem.
Huge swells were crashing into and over the rocks on the jetties. As they approached the rocks, they grew higher and steeper and literally pounded the rocks. So much for the day we planned. Any fish around the rocks had left long ago, running for their very lives!
So, a planned day had to be changed.
We headed back inshore and into the Intracoastal Waterway to look for some inshore fish. It was a fog filled morning – remember, no wind – and my GPS came in handy finding our way up the ditch to a couple of my trout holes.
The first stop yielded several small trout, but they were really not concentrated in the area, so we strapped down and headed for hole number two.
The second stop was not really any more productive when we first arrived, but we located the fish and began catching trout. I had been catching trout in this hole for the past three months, and they were still there. I could see the baitfish running in a few spots and see a trout or two chasing them.
John Parris, my partner from Virginia began catching trout and I soon followed. When the bite slowed, we moved farther in with the tide and found them again. In all we caught maybe thirty to thirty-five trout – we honestly lost count – all on artificials. They weren’t huge fish, but the day turned out beautiful and we had a great time getting to know each other.
The keys to learn here are twofold. First, always have a backup plan. When we found those ground swells, I had to move to plan two.
Second, pay attention to the fish you are catching. In my experience, trout are more influenced by tide and current than almost any other fish. And that applies to every part of the country I have fished for trout, from the Gulf of Mexico around and up to Virginia. Trout will move with the tide.
When the bite slowed on the incoming tide, we simply moved a hundred yards or so with the current and found the school again. We moved several times, finding the fish again each time. This pattern lasted all the way up to high tide. When the tide stopped moving, the fish quit biting – right on queue.
It took about thirty minutes for the tide to begin rolling out of the creek system we had entered, but when it did, the trout turned on once again. But, by now, we had pretty much decided to call it a day and head back in.
Tide and current are the two keys to catching seatrout. I have some holes where trout will only bite on an outgoing tide. I have other holes where I catch them only on an incoming tide. But, in any of these locations, the current has to be there – the tide has to be moving.
Study the fish you catch and their patterns. Take note of the time of day, the tide stage, and water conditions. The fish you are catching didn’t just happen by while you were there. The fact is you just happened by when they were there! Chances are good they will be there again on a similar tide, current and weather situation!
