Tips for tidal largemouth bass: survey low water

Scroggins suggests surveying a river during low tide to see which areas lose their water when the tide is out.

“Look at the creeks and sloughs and pockets when the tide is low,” Scroggins said. “If there’s very little water in the whole slough, the fish aren’t going to live there, so you can pretty much eliminate that area.”

Fish do utilize banks and bars that turn high-and-dry during low tide. In fact some such areas get nice rips running across them and are excellent areas when the tide turns right. However, an adjacent spot must be deep enough to give the fish somewhere to back down into when the water goes out, and the broader area needs to maintain some water even at low tide.

Surveying the water when it’s down also helps you identify interesting-looking features that are hidden when the water is up, and to envision how the water moves when it’s rising or falling.