Most Anglers Get THIS Wrong In The Winter
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
Most anglers out there get THIS wrong in the winter…
It’s not lure selection.
It isn’t even about spots.
Get this concept correct, and you’ll find the bite!
Most Anglers Get THIS Wrong In The Winter [VIDEO]
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This basic concept will help you find the feeding fish in the colder months.
You need to start out fishing deeper water in the morning and make your way into the shallows as the day progresses.
First and foremost, these fish want to be comfortable.
Comfortable water depends on the time of day and where things are going to warm up the fastest.
In the afternoons and evenings, the shallow water is warmed up by the setting sun.
The fish want warmer water.
The deeper water is going to be more consistent when it comes to stable temperatures.
But, as the day goes on and the sun comes up, it will warm the shallows and that is where fish will feed.
So, what is considered ‘deep’ while fishing inshore?
If you’re fishing large, expansive grass flats of no more than 2 feet, 3-4 feet would be considered deep.
Creek systems often have 10-20 foot holes at certain points – that’s the deep water.
You want to look for these deep pockets of water that have access to shallow areas where the fish will feed.
There are situations and scenarios when you would NOT want to move up shallow.
For example, when the sun has no chance to warm up the shallows.
That will most likely be on cloudy, rainy, or windy days.
You’ll have to start deep and stay deep on those trips.
FINDING THE FISH HELP
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. WEEKEND GAME PLANS (UPDATED WEEKLY)
These regional game plans will show you exactly what types of spots to target in under 10 minutes… just click the video to start, and you’ll be informed on what to do on your next trip.
Weekend Game Plan Lessons2. SMART FISHING SPOTS PLATFORM (UPDATED EVERY 15 MINUTES)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. COMMUNITY REPORTS (LIVE FEED)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
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Pat, very nicely presented. Makes sense in the way you presented it. I plan to try your approach just as soon as the water warms up a bit in norhtern Virginia. Pennsylvania is sending ice water down into the Chesapeake Bay. I have not yet found any fish that will break up through the ice to hit a lure.
Your info in this video is EXACTLY how I had planned my trip. 🔥🔥🔥 “I MUST BE LEARNING”
A sincere Thank you Pat – just simply awesome stuff
While I agree on the info giving I still think you guys are crazy for not keeping a few fish now and then to eat because if I catch quality fish like those in your video you can bet ill keep my limit to feed myself and others as well spending all that money on tackle gas to get there and license fees just to release all you have worked so hard to catch doesnt make sence to me but that’s you and the other coaches at saltstrong but as far as your techniques I usually do fish deeper in the morning then move shallower as the day goes on one of the creeks I frequent in the winter has a dock that gets fished pretty hard but about 30 feet to the south of it is a deeper area that drops off from about 5ft to about 12 ft I have caught both trout and reds in that area the whole creek is great for fishing in that it had oyster mounds on both sides of the creek and the edges all have scattered oysters as well innfact one of my tactics which has proved ro work recently is to fish this pocket in the morning on a high tide then when the oysters are starting to be exposed fish the outside edges of them but I have to wait for them to show themselves because here in northeast fl the water is not clear enough to see clearly where they are exactly at until your almost on top of one unlike your area where sight fishing can be dome all year long thanks for the info and all you do😉👍
I do get a lot of grief for letting fish go, especially flounder, but truth is, I don’t eat seafood. I just never acquired a taste for it. That might change in the future though. I do not have any issue of anyone keeping their fair share as long as it’s within the limits.
Ma so sad for you but that’s like me and alcohol I hate the taste of it even though I did 20 years then retitled from the navy back in 02 alot of other sailors thought I was weird when we would pull into a foreign port and the first thing they did was started drinking alcohol and I would usually sip on a soft drink not saying I never drank but only did it once in a while to be social with the rest of the guys but that’s me but being a retired navy cook I definatly can make some very delicious fish recipes but that’s me thanks for the comment back pat and all you do😉👍
Great explanation Pat. I think the idle hi tide and the outgoing tide would be best with a sunny day? Or is this more for areas with little tidal flow?
You’re spot on, the high out going tide in the afternoon on a sunny day is my favorite time to fish in the winter! The water is at it’s warmest and the fish are typically feeding better then.
Question, what if it’s low tide in the morning and high tide around noon? Seems to me it’s a much more difficult situation. However Yesterday I unexpectedly found them on a shallow flat at low tide early in the morning before the sun came up. But I couldn’t get them to eat anything I had
A lot has to do with the weather trends and the amount of sun your area gets during the day. If it has been a long extended warming trend with a lot of sun for more than a week or so, the fish sometimes will stay shallow over night because it didn’t get could enough to drive them deep. As soon as the the next cold front comes through that should change things up back to normal winter patterns.
The original question about high being around noon, I actually like that tide better on a sunny warm day. In that case there will be the most amount of water when the sun is at it’s highest and the water that gets pushed farther up the creeks and on the flats will warm up more. This can make the afternoon bite really good, but the morning bite can be tougher.
Hope this helps