Versatility — it’s one of the top compliments you could pay a tournament bass angler, as the nation’s diverse fisheries demand a broad spectrum of knowledge and insight. From the deep, clear waters of highland reservoirs, to shallow weedy southern lakes, dynamics and details are many; but none prove as consistently challenging as a tidal bass fishery.
That’s because everything you know about how to fish particular seasons, weather, and habitats must also account for daily water lever fluctuations. Fish living in tidal waters know the game, but anglers that ignore the aqueous influence will be left scratching their heads.
Sounds perplexing — and it certainly can be — but don’t let tidal waters intimidate you. It takes a while to dial it all in, but understanding a few key principles will frame your progress.
Ebb & Flow
Largemouth bass prefer fresh water, but they can tolerate mildly brackish zones where the ocean’s pushing and pulling raises and lowers the water levels. The effects are indirect, but no less legitimate.
Here’s how it works: Tidal bass fisheries like Florida’s St. Johns River, Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, Maryland’s Upper Chesapeake Bay, and the California Delta feel these changes when an incoming tide pushes denser saltwater against the lighter freshwater’s outer limits. Essentially, this backs up the freshwater until the outgoing tide cycle draws it down to minimal level.
Unlike coastal zones where it’s a straightforward incoming and outgoing tidal function, rivers, creeks, canals, marshes, and sloughs that link to the Gulf of America or the Atlantic Ocean feel a gradually diminishing influence. The farther away from the saltwater source, the less tidal fluctuation you’ll see.
Also, tide changes are first felt closest to the saltwater. This means anglers several miles inland experience the rise or fall later than those closer to the brackish zone.
Take, for example, the St. Johns, Florida’s only north-flowing river. When Bill Lowen won the Bassmaster Elite on this fishery (Feb. 23), he fished about 10 miles north of the tournament site at Palatka, while fellow Top-10 competitors Jay Przekurat, Shane Lehew, Jake Whitaker, John Garrett, and Gerald Swindle spent a lot of their time about an hour south in canals below Lake George.
Due to direction and distance, Lowen fished on a significantly different tide schedule than the other anglers.
Important to note: Tides are caused by the moon’s gravitational pull, so the stronger force of new and full moons yield swifter water movement, typically with higher highs and lower lows. Strong winds also influence tides by pushing incoming cycles higher and often holding the water up all day, or pulling low tides lower and holding the water at below minimal levels (aka “negative low”).
Why It Matters
Bass anglers closely monitor tide stages through various apps or their onboard electronics units because these water fluctuations create windows of opportunity.
Access: Rising water allows boaters to reach farther into shallow areas to fish attractive spots. The key here, is making sure you’re exiting well before the tide bottoms out; otherwise, you might find yourself stuck on a sand bar or a mud bank until the next high tide.
Similarly, rising water allows fish to push deeper into shoreline vegetation. Knowing this, anglers may apply more attention to the inside sections on high tide and gradually adjust their focus to the outer edges as the water declines. (Cory Johnston, who placed 5th at the St. Johns, demonstrated this principle, as he caught fish by retrieving a swim jig across spatterdock pads.)
During spawning season, consider areas that retain sufficient low-tide depth to keep beds covered. Key point here is that bedding fish are most visible on lower water levels, but this is when they’re most nervous. On the other hand, fish relax more as higher water lowers visibility.
Clarity: Rising water tends to stir up shallow or exposed areas. Conversely, outgoing tides generally increase clarity, as shoreline vegetation filters and cleans the water.
Bite Windows: Combining elements of the previous points, tides create typically brief periods when bass are most likely to bite. Rising water definitely brings new options into play, as bass push into areas previously too shallow to reach and take advantage of food sources therein.
Generally, anglers find the outgoing tide most productive because falling water pulls baitfish and other forage out of the shallowest of cover and creates a bass buffet. Another thought: The fish probably realize that the draining water will soon mean diminished habitat and feeding opportunities.
Basically, it’s a get-while-the-gettin’s-good kinda deal.
“On Day 3, I had a 30-minute window when I had six fish try to eat my swim jig in the pads and then it was over,” said Lee Livesay, who finished 17th. “My bite window was the first hour of the falling tide.
“Those bigger fish have a 20-30 minute window when they want to eat and then they’re done.”
Lowen agrees, but points out one of the biggest challenges that tournament anglers face — advancing tide schedules. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a lunar day lasts 24 hours and 50 minutes, as compared to the more familiar 24-hour solar day.
This means your area’s tide schedule advances a little under an hour every day.
Explaining how his access to prime time decreased daily, Lowen said: “The key for me was the outgoing tide. When the tide started going out is when I would get my bigger-than-average bites. The tide got later and later every day, so my window got smaller.”
Tidal Tips
No question, the variables are many and the best way to learn tidal fisheries is to fish them. To that point, experienced anglers often choose to “run the tide” by incrementally moving up or down the tidal plane to stay with a particular tide stage.
The other option is “parking” or “camping” in an area. This means, you locate a promising bay, creek, pocket, etc. and stay there all day. By learning what habitat options your spot offers, you gradually figure out how and where the fish position at different tide stages.
If you’re new to tidal fishing, you’re usually better off by watching an area all day and analyzing every aspect of the water levels until you start to recognize patterns. With time, you’ll develop an understanding of when the key periods of bass feeding occur.
Expanded Menu: Tidal bass will capitalize on a mix of traditional inland forage, as well as marine species like shrimp, blue crabs, needle fish and finger mullet. Along with all the traditional bass baits, integrate lures resembling their additional options. Slender topwaters (needlefish and mullet imitators), artificial shrimp on jig heads, and single Colorado blade spinnerbaits (crabs), and soft plastics with orange accents (also crabs) are worth a try.
The Eyes Don’t Lie: Even without a tide chart or electronics, you can determine water level and directions through simple observation. Look at the shoreline and take note of any obvious waterlines — exposed algae on riprap, or muddy marks on docks, seawalls, and vertical vegetation, all of which indicate lower water. With no such markings obvious, you’re probably at high tide.
Also, debris lines — dead vegetation, trash, etc. — sitting higher than the water’s edge generally indicates a lower tide stage. Over the course of an hour or so, watch how the water level rises or falls relevant to the obvious high water marks to determine incoming or outgoing cycles.
Lastly, watch the water and the vegetation therein. Floating leaves or other blown-in items will move in a distinct direction with tidal flow. Similarly, submersed aquatic vegetation will lean in the current’s direction.
Know where you are in relation to the nearest coastal inlet and that will tell you if the water’s moving in or moving out.
Ultimately, motion is motion, so as long as you have tidal movement, bass are probably feeding somewhere.
