As stated in the introductory blog post, the main purpose of this blog is to inform and perform different techniques pertaining to hunting and fishing. With this said I have chosen to evaluate flats fishing. This phase of the sport is used wherever the water depth is relatively shallow ranging from mere inches to upwards of ten feet. However the majority of the angling is done within three to five foot range. The species that are primarily targeted by flats fishermen are snook, redfish, trout, and bonefish. When targeting these fish many anglers have to consider the tides, structure, and bait. In addition anglers will also have to choose how they will access the fish this means either using a boat or fishing from the shore.
Tides
The tides are determined by the proximity of the moon in comparison to the earth. As the moon gets closer more of its gravitational pull is imposed on the earth’s surface causing a draw on the oceans. This draw is what creates coastal tides. The tides are very important to flats fishing in the sense that they dictate when the bigger game fish will approach the flats to feed. As the tides begins to draw out many game fish begin to leave the flats and seek shelter in deeper water. In contrast when the tide starts to move in you will see an influx of game fish flooding the flats in search of food.
Structure
For fish to stay in an area there must be something to keep them there. Fish like any other living creature seek structure. Whether its mangroves growing along the shoreline or grass in the middle of the flats, both provide shelter to smaller fish and hunting opportunities to larger fish. As a result this makes structure a primary component in an angler’s formula for success.
Bait
The two main bait choices that an angler must contemplate using are live baits or artificial lures. The main difference between the two is the potential of an artificial lure to cover a greater amount of water than live bait. This is important if an angler is searching rather than targeting fish. While an artificial can be casted multiple times live bait cannot without running the risk of death.
Poling
The most popular and effective way to stalk the fish on the flats is “poling“ from a boat, which involves using a pole to guide the boat along the flats. It allows the angler to cover more area, as well as allowing more access to different depths. Being versatile is a great advantage when fishing it allows you to adjust to varying situations which in turn increase the odds of success.
Wading
Wading and shoreline fishing the flats are the simplest techniques to utilize for an angler who doesn’t want the hassle or cost of a boat. Wading is accomplished by actually entering the water and slowly meandering the flats stalking the fish. Whereas shoreline fishing consists of setting up at the water’s edge and relying on the fish to approach the angler.
Conclusion
This type of angling seems very challenging however quite fun. I’m rather intrigued with only fishing in a couple of feet of water because in the form of fishing that I have experience with I tend seek depths around thirty feet. Being able to sometimes see my quarry excites me as an angler. I have seen bites occurring at the surface of the water on television and to me it will get anyone’s heart pumping. As a result I will like to explore more of the techniques that pertain directly to the different species that are primarily targeted during flats fishing. I would also like to observe if there are any similarities in methods of catching these species; however that will be for another post.
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