Rough Over Shallow

In this week’s episode we were talking about the definitions of “deeper water” within the context of our surfcasting spots. A tip I thought of after the episode probably won’t help you this spring, but you should file this away for the fall. While oftentimes anglers key in on rough conditions in deep or moderately-deep water, I have found over and over throughout the years that shallow areas can benefit substantially at the onset of a storm, or even during the “teeth” of the storm. There’s a bunch of reasons why this can occur, but I’ll throw out the one I think is most important: super charging.

The idea of super super charging is simple. In a shallow, relatively calm spot with relatively low current (not a rip or inlet), variables have to stack up nicely to produce a good bite- whether numbers or size. While some nights it will be perfect, in my experience most nights you have to accept some compromise – maybe the wind is quartering too much, or the tide differential isn’t right, or the moon is too bright, etc. But a storm- and the waves, current, and potential surge that come with it – can negate any of those “compromises” and overcome them, producing great fishing even when other factors aren’t spot-on. So next time a storm is coming – or happening – maybe think about fishing your shallower spot. As long as it’s not blown out, you might be surprised how tight the fish are.