# Higher tides bring fall action



## Capt. Chris Martin (May 22, 2004)

*WEDNESDAYâ€™S SCOUTING REPORT*

By: Capt. Chris Martin

While on a Wednesday scouting session, I dialed-in several areas that needed to be investigated, especially with bull tides. The top water bite was more of the â€œslap, swing in a missâ€, so it was necessary to work the water column. Interior back lake drains with swollen tides gave up scores of trout while working 6-inch Gambler flappâ€™n shad chicken on a chain tipped with 1/8 oz. screw lock jig heads. While scouting sandy shorelines in other areas, I found shrimp jumping nervously out of the water 100-150 yards off the salt grass, which resulted in fast-paced trout action. Norton tequila gold sand eels rigged on a Norton screw lock worked best. The best lure action was away from the shoreline and was a slow, but steady, retrieve â€" it felt like a heavy weight on the lure, or a slow pull on the line. I hope this helps!

Date â€" Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Time of Day â€" 2:30 pm â€" 3:30 pm

Water Temperature â€" 84 degrees

Air Temperature â€" 88 degrees

Wind Direction â€" Southeast

Wind Speed â€" 10-15 mph

*HIGHER TIDES BRING FALL ACTION*

The position of the Earth in accordance with the position of the sun will soon officially mark the ending of summer and the beginning of fall. This happens each year at this time, and itâ€™s known as the September equinox, and it takes place this year on September 22nd. The word â€œequinoxâ€ means â€œequal nightâ€, but in the case of our Northern Hemisphere, the daylight hours will still be longer than nighttime by about seven to ten minutes (a couple days after the equinox, day and night are finally equal). But the September equinox, or the autumnal equinox, has also been linked to many myths over the years. How does all of this effect fishing along our coast? Well, hereâ€™s howâ€¦and itâ€™s no myth!

Twice a year, at the September equinox and the spring equinox, the earthâ€™s equator is aligned with the orbital plane of the earth around the sun. This is when we experience extremely high tidal ranges that generally peak in September, October, and sometimes even into the early part November, with the absolute highest tides occurring a day or two after the full or new moon nearest to the equinox. This is good news for us because favorable fishing conditions commonly exist around higher tides, specifically in coastal marshes, and especially following such extreme slack-tide conditions like those weâ€™ve had here during the last part of the summer.

The trout, redfish, and flounder will suddenly all be able to go places that were previously unavailable to them. The trout, and particularly the redfish, will once again start looking for food on outgoing tides, tides that will dump an assortment of food out of the grassy areas and upon adjacent flats. When this happens, anglers need to be ready to take advantage of some of the hottest action of the year. Toss top water baits for trout during the first hours of light, but later switch to soft plastics, working them slightly above the bay floor. While wade fishing for the trout over grass, place your focus from the middle to the outside edges of the grass, as youâ€™ll often find larger trout to be just on the outside edges where thereâ€™s sand.

The next few weeks will offer anglers who may be new to the sport of artificial fishing a fighting chance at boosting their confidence while fishing with lures. This time of the year is truly a magical time in the outdoors, a time that can certainly raise the bar for anglers of all levels wanting to improve their skills.


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