Flood Tide Quandary

A full moon, combined with a low-pressure system moving over the area, has pushed the tides to very high levels over the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Such tides muddy the water and turn normally placid creeks into whitewater rapids on the tide changes. They also push the bait and fish high into the spartina grass at high tide. Needless to say, this creates a hostile fishing environment for the average angler.


Time to leave the rods in the garage, right? Actually, the flood tides present a unique opportunity for the angler in-the-know. South Carolina, and particularly Georgia, lack the traditional salt "flats" typical of Florida and the Gulf Coast. While fishing on the bottom at low tide in the deeper sounds and on the beaches might net you some success in such big tides, it's fishing the skinny water that really gets exciting when the tides get high. Florida anglers boast tales of "tailing" redfish and sight fishing for seatrout on shallow-water flats, and flood tides give Low Country anglers a shot at the same type of action.


Fishing such high tides means special tactics, meaning that you'll either need a shallow-draft flats boat or go wade fishing. Due to the fact these big tides can change in a hurry, leaving even a flats boat high and dry, I recommend the latter. Flats fishing is done strictly with either artificials on spinning or light baitcasting equipment or with a fly rod. I recommend using waders with flats boots to avoid nasty oyster and sawgrass cuts.


When using artificials, a medium-light saltwater spinning reel, such as a Daiwa Capricorn, is best mounted on a 7 to 7 1/2 inch, medium-heavy, extra-fast action rod. I recommend the Shimano Teramar series of rods due to their light weight, but high strength (the over-the-counter lifetime warranty helps, too). Saltwater-ready baitcasters like the Shimano Curado work well on a 7-foot casting rod of the same action.


There are several different artificial baits to try in the grass, and a good selection of each is key to finding what the fish are biting on. However, all baits need to be somewhat weedless in order to slip through the thick grass. Gold Johnson spoons are a good choice, as are redfish spinnerbaits like the Thunder Spin in the Calcasieu color. A 5-inch Saltwater Assassin rigged weedless with an offset worm hook slips through the grass well, and draws hard stikes from tailing spottail bass. If you find an area with less grass, topwaters like a Rapala SkitterWalk or a Mirrolure work well.

If using fly tackle, which is a great option on a flood tide, a 7-8 weight rod is best with weight-forward floating line. Clouser flies, as well as shrimp and crab imitations like a Redfish Ration are great choices. Stained water means that sight fishing isn't as great as in Florida, but casting ahead of wakes and rustling grass can put you on some fish. The greatest thrill of all is watching a redfish barrel through the grass to attack your fly!

Fishing these flood tides can be very tricky and intimidating, but with the right setup and the right location, you can get into plenty of inshore action while everyone else is waiting to put their boat back in the water.