Reading a new flat comes down to a handful of features I look for before I trust it to hold fish. In this How 2 Tuesday I answer Feeding Frenzy Pablo's question about tide and flats, and my short answer is that good current flow matters more than whether the tide is incoming or outgoing. From there I want the right depth for my target, a gradual tapering edge, a hard stop, easy access to deep water, and plenty of signs of life telling me the flat is active.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Good current flow. Whether the tide is incoming or outgoing matters less than whether the water is actually moving. You will find more fish on a flat with good current flow than on one that is somewhat stagnant. So when I scout new water, the first thing I am checking is whether that spot is going to have enough current at the tide I am fishing, and everything else builds from there.
It depends on the spot, and you usually learn it by experience. Some spots only produce on the incoming, some only on the outgoing, and some hold fish on both. As a rule of thumb in summer, an incoming tide brings in cooler water, while on an outgoing the water that sat on the flat has heated up and runs warmer. The fish feel that temperature change, but flow still trumps direction for me.
Because the fish need enough water to be comfortable. If a flat is very shallow with a sharp drop-off, it is all or nothing, the fish are either way up top or down in the channel. What I want is a gradual tapering edge where I can find water from two inches down to eight feet along the same line. Somewhere on that taper there is a depth the fish I am after will sit, which makes it far more fishable.
A hard stop is a barrier the fish cannot cross, like a shoreline, mangroves, or water too shallow to swim in. It matters because fish will not climb out and walk across dry ground, so a hard stop concentrates them along a predictable edge. When you scout into the middle of nowhere with no barrier, you might find fish, but on a giant open flat they are much harder to locate.
Very. I want to know how easily fish can get onto the flat and, if something spooks them or a predator shows up, how quickly they can escape to deep water. Is that exit right there or way over there? There are exceptions, like Snake Bight, where you can get well up into the flat with plenty of fish and no quick exit, but in general easy access to deep water makes a flat more attractive to the fish and to me.
Activity. I look at the bottom, whether it is healthy turtle grass or sandy marl, and I watch for stingrays, bonnet sharks, baitfish, jacks, barracudas, anything moving. The more life I see, the more active the flat, and the more likely it holds what I am after, whether that is bonefish, permit, tarpon, redfish, or snook. If a flat seems dead, it can still surprise you, but an active flat is where I want to be.
When I drop into water I have never fished, here is the checklist I run to judge whether it is worth my time.
People want a simple answer about incoming versus outgoing, but the truth is that good current flow is what concentrates and feeds fish, regardless of direction. You learn a spot's best tide over time by returning on the opposite tide and seeing what holds. I get into how I figure that out in the episode, so press play in the player above.
A gradual tapering edge with a hard stop above it and deep water access below is the kind of structure that holds fish, and the bottom matters too, healthy turtle grass or sandy marl, full of life. I describe exactly what I am scanning for in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The trick is not to write off a flat after one look. Note what you saw, the tide, the life, your gut feel, and keep returning across different tides before you decide. Sometimes the unlikely spots are the best and the obvious ones never produce. I explain how I track that in the episode, so press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
flats fishing · current flow · incoming tide · outgoing tide · tapering edge · turtle grass · sandy marl bottom · Snake Bight · bonefish · permit · tarpon · redfish · snook · stingrays · Feeding Frenzy Pablo · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I am Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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