Chasing The Tides
Chasing the tide with Marco Island Fishing Guide is not just a phrase but a condition. Winter tides here in the Ten Thousand Islands are much lower than other times of the year. At Marco Island Fishing Guide we are always balancing tide, wind and the barometer. It is essential to be observant.
Winter means several things here at snookhookerfishing.com. Tides are affected by wind and high pressure. Wind going in the same direction as a falling tide will create much lower tide. Here in the Marco Island area and south wind can push another foot of water out. This is the time to explore. You’ll find structure, runs, creeks you never knew existed. This is the time to fish the deep edges and drop offs and take note of the structures for fishing flooding tide. Snook and redfish live this tide. Baitfish, crabs and other forage bait are forced to retreat to deeper water.
As the tide turns and starts flooding the exposed areas, all those critters push up on the flats. This is time to sight fish if water clarity allows. But if not just start working areas where the tide is moving. This is where the chasing the tide comes into play. Working from outside into the next bays following the flood just makes sense.
Now the choice of your presentation. Scale back your size and weight. Go with 1/16th or 1/8th oz. Keep your lure smaller in the 2.5 to 3 inch range. I like using darker colors such as watermelon or coffee colors. These seem to emulate small crabs, shrimp or mud minnows. Slow and low when water temps fall. Fish do not want to expend energy with cool temps especially ambush predictors like snook and big Seatrout. Redfish are roamers alway poking the bottom and oyster bars to push up a morsel to devour.
So in closing, low and slow, lighter weight, colors on the darker spectrum will be the ticket for cold water presentation. Check out Zman 
Call, text, email me for any questions on trips or just information.
Capt. John Pfeiffer/visit snookhookerfishing.com
Tagged: #snookhookerfishing, Chasing The Tides
