King Tides around Pawleys Island can reach heights greater than 6 feet. After a long drive from the North Carolina mountains to the beaches of north Florida, I was dog tired. I load up my fly boxes with EP crabs in black and tan, toad style. Post navigation. Wind is a big factor in tidal flow. But I got up to go fishing anyway. Usually the best action is going to be around the last hour of incoming and the first hour of outgoing, depending on the height of the tide for that day. The Rio Redfish or Cortland Liquid Crystal Guide are both good options. There just wasn’t enough water for the fish to feel comfortable enough to feed. So if flood tide fishing sounds like a your next fishing adventure feel free to give the guides of Florida Fishing Adventures a call today. Most of the time these Redfish get so caught up on foraging that they often let their guard down making these fish easier to target. It’s important to prepare the night before. But I got up to go fishing anyway. Kayaks provide mobility and stealth, two attributes that help with pursuing flood-tide redfish. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina or North Carolina. Flats near Jacksonville don’t need as much water to flood; flats near St. Augustine and points south need a tide of 5.4, 5.5. The allure of tailing redfish on the marsh is intoxicating. Slack water is that time between when the incoming tide, the flood, stops flooding and the outgoing tide, the ebb, starts making its way back to low water. Flood tide fly fishing for reds in the Golden Isles with Captain Rob of Southeastern Angling. And neither did the tailing redfish. Flood tide Redfish are actively feeding while on these flats, so after about 2 hours you start to see fewer tails because, as you can imagine, most of the fish are full after gorging on the buffet of crabs.

It will happen around the new and full moon cycles, as well as when there is added wind from storms and hurricanes. Flood Tide Fishing. Rod Repair 101: The Basics of TFO’s Warranty Program. Copyright © 2020 Temple Fork Outfitters™ All Rights Reserved. So what is a Flood Tide? All you need is a rod, reel, a sling pack and a pair of flats boots. A flood tide is a larger than normal tide that pushes water onto spartina grass flats and floods mangroves, allowing redfish to feast on the thousands of crabs that live there. In a matter of minutes, you can be on the water and fishing — before or after work or on your lunch break. You don’t have to prep a boat or a kayak.
You need enough water to reach the dry areas of the marsh, so the big reds can feed on fiddler crabs. I’ve used both.

Website by Heritage Marketing Group. If you cut it too close, you might miss opportunities. Marching to the beat of a different Drum. Five Tips to Catch Flood Tide Redfish The sun came up early. However, if your tide is borderline with a southwest wind, the fish might not have enough water to tail, which is exactly what happened on my most recent trip. Copyright © Reel Florida Fishing Charters 2019-2020. Kayaks are more stable; paddleboards have a better casting platform, but require above-average balance and core strength. Posted Under. Home » Blog Posts » Five Tips to Catch Flood Tide Redfish. In Northeast Florida, for instance, you generally need a high tide of at least 5.2, but that designation is a mere guideline. By contrast, a south or west wind pushes water off the flat, which means you’ll have less time to fish, or even worse, not enough water to cover the flat. Boats need a two-person approach. The beauty of fishing for flood tide Redfish is that it gives anglers the opportunity to target fish in areas where they normally can’t be targeted. The Axiom will punch through the wind and the Power will handle any flood-tide red with ease. So what is so special about fishing a Flood Tide? Also realizing that not every fish on the flat will be a Redfish is equally important. Tidal flow is huge when it comes to flood-tide redfish.

If you have a big tide, a southwest wind may not ruin your fishing, depending on the strength of the wind. Each fishing trip with Flood Tide Charters includes the licenses for you and your friends, as well as rods, reels, tackle, lures, and live bait. The sun was up and the tide was trickling in. Any other advice or questions, feel free to comment on one of our social media pages. That means you can fish longer, because you’ll have ample water.

I have a soft spot for tailing reds. It doesn’t hurt to have a Gurgler or two. Where there’s a marsh, there’s usually a tailing redfish. Your email address will not be published. When fishing flood tides anglers usually want to start around 2 hours before high tide, so they can be in a prime location as the fish start to move onto the flat with the incoming tide. The water was shin deep, and I waited for it to reach the bottom of my knee caps. One fishes; the other poles. If you’re late, head to the next flat. As for fly lines, I use a weight-forward line. Kayaks and paddleboards are solo affairs. In Florida our flood tides typically occur around the months of September and October and during these tidal phases our average tide rises from 2-3 ft to 3.8-5ft depending on the direction of the wind. Photo courtesy of Jason Sheasley. As big tides fill the grass flats, Redfish swim into nearby creeks that pour out onto these shallow flats. So I trudged back home.

The mere sight of a spotted tail in the grass takes my breath away. A boat or kayak/paddleboard requires more preparation, but offers the advantage of mobility.
For anglers in the know in Northeast Florida, this is the epitome of light tackle and fly fishing in our area. Sheepshead, Black Drum, Snapper, and even Snook are also common on these flats but the one thing that all of these fish have in common is that they’re all on this flat to feed. The flood tide happens when our high tides reach a height of +5.2 feet.

Flood Tide Fly Fishing. Flood Tide Charters are well equipped to catch Redfish, Flounder, Sheepshead, Tarpon, Spotted Seatrout, Spadefish, Bluefish, Jack Crevalle, Black Drum, and who knows what else! This is, however, not always the case, especially during late summer when fish seem to feed nonstop through the tide. Affordable, high performance fishing rods. Flood Tide Fishing can be an incredible experience! July 11, 2020 July 16, 2020 moldychum. Sleep would have to wait. fly fishing for redfish fly fishing video. Targeting tailing redfish on flood tides, from Homosassa all the way north to Yankeetown is one of the most unique fishing opportunities for anglers found anywhere in Florida. The sun came up early. Once high tide arrives, you generally have about an hour or so of good fishing before the water will recede and the fish will leave. Though counter intuitive, this approach sometimes works. The primary food source on the marsh are fiddlers. As most flood tide anglers will tell you “keeping your eyes open for tails or surface commotion” is just as important as a good cast. by Kyle Messier | Sep 5, 2018 | Fishing Reports | 0 comments, “I ALWAYS TELL MY CLIENTS THAT FLOOD TIDES CAN EITHER BE A GIFT FROM GOD OR A CURSE BESTOWED UPON US BY MOTHER NATURE.”.

Cortland’s lines, in my opinion, are lighter and easier to cast. I arrived at my favorite marsh in time.

Fishing shouldn’t be this Good. This happens during the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons. Virtual ICAST Starts Today . For longer trips, I use a kayak. These abnormally high tides occur mostly during full and new moon phases. Seriously!!

Tagged. You may like these posts. For shorter, quick trips, I use the paddleboard. And I waited and waited and waited. After 30 minutes of walking, I arrived at my favorite spot and looked for fish. The Dirtbag Diaries: Endangered Spaces. After a long drive from the North Carolina mountains to the beaches of north Florida, I was dog tired. The projected flood tide never arrived. Get up early and be on the flat well before high tide, so you can be in position before the water rises and the fish move in. Watching these fish casually tail their way through the flat, digging their noses in the mud looking for a shrimp or fiddler crab is almost as entertaining as watching them eat after a perfectly placed cast. Something about seeing a tail slowly cutting through the top of the water column, surrounded by short spartina grass, on a flat that is only covered by water a few times a month is simply special. Archives Slightly Moldy Chum Videos. In north Florida, north or east wind pushes water on to the flat. An 8-weight Temple Fork Axiom II with a Power reel is the ticket. On average the Nature Coast will see around 10-15 of these tides per year and for those anglers that try to home in on these particular tidal phases a tide chart is the best resource for trying to nail down these flood tides. The mention of the words alone is enough to send anglers scrambling for tide charts, scouring for the magic numbers that forecast that a flood tide is impending. With flies, you can’t go wrong with a crab pattern. Below are a few flood-tide tips that I learned along the way. Wading is a possibility and has its benefits. I knew the west wind might be an issue, but I fished anyway. The allure of tailing redfish on the marsh is intoxicating. The culprit was Hurricane Florence, which was several days away, but close enough to yield a west breeze, which stymied the tidal flow. Local knowledge is key to ferreting out these nuances. Each area has its required tidal flow to entice tailing fish. Rio’s lines tend to be heavier. When fishing flood tides anglers usually want to start around 2 hours before high tide, so they can be in a prime location as the fish start to move onto the flat with the incoming tide.

Usually the best action is going to be around the last hour of incoming and the first hour of outgoing, depending on the height of the tide for that day. And I will go to just about any extreme to find them. If your skipper does something similar, look at your tide table and work out which side of the boat is the better for you, so that you are not fishing under the boat for the best part of the day. In short, each area, each flat, has different tidal requirements. When fish are feeding intensely with their nose in the muck, I will cast a popper in their general vicinity to get their attention. You can cover more ground and potentially reach more fish.

Flood tide fishing is only available from north Florida up through the Carolinas.