High tide or Low tide.

[memo43]

Been fishing the Chapowamic on Quantico, (by the small boat ramp)

Lately the tide has been higher than normal, I can see some avtivity but don''t know what it is since i am a bank beeter.

Is it better to fish high tide or low.

I have good luck with low tide useing 1/8 spinner baits (orange and green skirt).

Should i be using the same techinque, or try something else, what can i do to get them to commit. :-/

memo

[Micro]

When you say you can see some activity what do you mean?

[rondef]

From all of the fishing I have done there this year I like fishing the outgoing tide (high tide to low tide) the best. If you are back in the creek it does not seem to matter either way. I have also found that the night fishing lately is much better (more bites & more fish) then mornings and afternoon.

[memo43]

thanks for all the responces,

what I meant by activity is that I can actually see minnows an smaller fisher runnign for there lives. Also early in the morning I can see the boils and later on in the day I can see bigger fish swimming around all the vegetation.

Ron by the boat ramp, the water level is almost by the sign that is posted it used to be a good 20 feet, the last 2 days it is almost 6-7 feet.

I will try an give it a shot early in the morning around 5-530, an will keep you posted. Do you think the amount of rain we have had here will have much effect?

thanks

memo

[rondef]

The water levels at the launch will be high for a while. You have to remember that the run off into the creek will eventually make it's way down into the bay.

[Micro]

Thanks.

I fish a lot of tidal water in SE Virgina.  I, too, like fishing the outgoing tide.  When I do, I fish around structure since bass will often hold around structure to ambush prey moving out (or in) with the tide.

As far as seeing activity, I find it hard to catch the fish that are driving that activity.  Often times in VA tidal water it's gar, not bass, that are driving the baitballs of fish.   Shad are the main forage of tidal bass in VA.  In situations like that, a shiny silver lipless crank sometimes works.  

Lately, I've had a lot of luck fishing small frogs in shallow water late in the afternoon.   There's lots of bass activity in the shallows, especially in vegetation, after about 3:00 PM where I am.  A Net Bait or Wright Bait frog have been my best producers under these circumstances.  

[Sam]

We like to fish the outgoing tide for at least the last two (2) hours and then fish the incoming tide for at least the first hour.

Inbetween the water is slack so we fish the shoreline, grass edges, flats with grass, points, etc. until the tide starts to move in.

Just be sure you don't get stuck in a creek or a mud flat when the tide goes out.

A guy I know was stuck for two-hours on a mud flat until the tide changed and he could move the boat.  ;D

P.S.  This is why I carry a push pole in my boat.  It has happened to me, but I got out just in time using that push pole.  

[Wayne P.]

Sam has it right for the tide level, the time of day is unimportant, its the time of low tide, and that changes about 55 minutes later than the previous day's tide times.

The amount of tide level change is affected by the positon the sun and moon in additon to the wind direction. I have fished the Chick during a storm period that had constant East winds of 30+ mph and the lowest tide level that day was about 3' higher than the highest normal high tide. The Potomac tides are affected just as much as the James/Chick by the wind. A hard South to East wind will keep the water level high all day which has been the case for a few days.

[memo43]

well I did manage to go out there this morning around 5 ( with my newly acuired baitcasting skills) sort off :o

the water was still pretty high.

I threw in a blk buzz bait, red spinner baits, I even tried jigs with crawfish creature............ nothing just getting wet (rainning)

Around 6-6:15 I decided to throw a yellow/green  buzz bait,

in 40 minutes I had 6 hits (nice ones ) an landed only four.

The most important one was when I got to work..... there they where in the millitary mail... MY 2 CAVITRONS wht/ Chartuse with gold blade. and ghost minnow.

I couldnt  wait till the end off the day to try them on so I left around 1100, just to see them in action, (back at the boat launch area)

First cast with the wht/ chart an it only made it about 2 1/2- 3 feet an nailed a 4 lb. 2 cast later an same results.

now I  just gotta go back out later tonight around 10-11pm an try again..

Ron Thanks for the advise on the Cavitrons, ;D ;D ;D

memo

[rondef]

Congrats memo43, it sounds like you did well with the Cavitron buzzbaits, they work extremely well at Copawamsic.  If you want to have some real fun over there try the Rage Tail shad and toads, they have also been big producers for me when I have fished there.