[Eric]

We've been doing well on sturgeon on an outgoing tide in the shallows. However, our next available trip will face us with the prospect of fishing an incoming tide........something we don't normally do. We want to stay in the flats as that's where our good spot has been.

Just looking for some insight on where alot of you fish (read that as shallow or deep?) on the incoming tide. Do you find the shallows can be fished effectively on the incoming tide?

Not interested in peoples' locations......we have our own. More of a "tide philosophy" question.

Thanks.

 

[Mr. Carp]

We have fished in a sport regardless of what the tide was doing as long as the fish were hungry or in there thick in shallow or deep water.

 

[Tacklebuster]

If you are fishing the estuary, I like fishing deep near the shipping lanes on a flood tide. My best trip last year (17 keepers in one day) came on a flood tide tide in 70 feet of water. I usually do not fish below the bridge in the flats on a flood tide because of the crab and sculpin.

 

[Pitch Pocket]

The way I look at it, the fish fill the flats on an incoming and exit the flats on an outgoing. It stands to reason that at the beginning of incoming tide, they are in deeper water, but they are soon on their way to the flats for dinner. Sooner or later they will go by. The move and hunt is to find them right now rather than wait for them to come to you.

 

[Eric]

Tacklebuster,

If you are in 70 ft of water doesn't that, in fact, put you "in" the shipping lane and not "near" it? I'm not being critical of your description but rather trying to picture what you mean.

I envision flats slowly deepening as you near a shipping channel, then dropping off rapidly into the channel itself. Are you describing a slope or a flat bottom? In the channel....or on the sloping edge?

Thanks.

 

[Tacklebuster]

Eric-
I am talking water that is 50 to 55 feet or so that slowly slopes down into 70 feet. Above the Astoria bridge on the Oregon side you will find what I am describing. You do not have to be sitting in the middle of the shipping lane to fish water like this. The flats are the surrounding areas to sand bars that get exposed on an ebb tide or low slack.
The true flats are no where near a shipping lane where I fish. I like to fish the deep stuff on a flood because the current isn't very strong most of the time and you can fish 70 feet of water with 8 ounces of lead. I like fishing next to exposed sand bars (flats) when the tide is ripping out because the sturgeon are grabbing up the shrimp and chovies that are getting washed off of them. Plus in 4 to 6 feet of water you can use 2 ounces of lead and stay on bottom even with the strong tide ripping out.
You do bring up an interesting point of water dropping off fast at the edge of a shipping lane. If you find a break in the bottom where the depth drops very sharp say 10 feet or more, pitch anchor and fish right on the edge of that drop. You can get on some sweet bites sometimes while the fish are in the transition mode. One of my favorite areas to do this is about 2 miles above Toungue Point. You have a depth of about 15 feet and it drops real fast to 45. I can't begin to tell you of how many fish have been tagged in that area over the past three years on my boat.
Hope this helps you out. The most important thing you can do is watch depths and bottom contour on your finder. Do not get caught up in looking for fish. You get a good spot, the fish will come. Last but not least a sure fire way to get on some fish is to cruise the water and look for jumpers. Last year I would be on my way to a spot when I would see fish jumping in places I never considered of fishing. Within minutes of dropping a bait it was fish on. I can think of a half a dozen trips that started out that way last year.

Good luck,
Chris

 

[TundraIII]

I have not noticed much of a difference wether incoming or outgoing. Have caught just as many in either conditions. Although that aint saying much

 

[Eric]

Good description tacklebuster.......makes sense now. Appreciate the info!

Good fishing.

Eric

 

[Lured In]

As TB suggested, there is some good water up around the bridge. I have done well on the WA side just below the bridge, just above the bridge and up by the ship wreck on the incoming.

Good luck.