5 Things You Need To Know About Tidal Water To Help You Catch More Fish!

[@spintowinstradic6067]

This is an incredibly underrated channel. Matt gives such great advice in a way that’s clear and spot on. One of my favorites for sure.

[@MattStefanFishing]

I appreciate that!

[@juleswinnfield826]

Yep, everything he said. Lived in FL for 10 years and fished SW Florida lower Caloosahatche river, Matlacha Pass, Pine Island Sound, Boca Grande Pass. Great starter info you provided, beyond that it only gets more exciting. Slack tide... put her on the trailer and get cha a burger untill she's moving again. I would encourage all serious fisherman to go experience tidal fishing in their lifetime regardlessof the salinity....it's a riot. Thanks for the vid.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Understanding tidal water makes you a better angler

[@shannonkirby9295]

Congrats, steve. Great video, Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks!

[@twiggsherman3641]

I bank fish smallmouth on a tidal river. I never paid that much attention to it to be honest, but it makes sense. I generally fish late afternoon til sundown, and some days in the same area are a lot better then others. I'll have to pay closer attention to the tides and start adjusting my times.

[@MattStefanFishing]

You might be surprised how much your bite window lines up with specific tides

[@sonnygreen9698]

I fish the Potomac River, Chickahominy River a good bit here in Virginia, another aspect I would like to add to this already valuable information Matt provided is that there are lots of areas in these in which bass will move more or less just in and out, to be a little more specific you want to fish the inside of vegetation/wooded areas at high tides and outside of them at low tidal times during the slack periods this will help pick off a few more bites and usually these will be culling bites, no matter what though, if you get a bite make sure (especially in the grass) on these fisheries that if you get a bite that you fish it thoroughly because more often than not there are a concentration of bass. Thanks Matt for all of your efforts and valuable content !!!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome! thanks for sharing your valuable information

[@13thworker45]

Thank You again for sharing. They can definitely humble you.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Yes they do

[@kenpfeiffer4522]

Excellent information. Matt, I always enjoy your straight forward advice. I learned a lot.

[@MattStefanFishing]

THanks!

[@johnrayner5599]

Thanks for the tips professor Matt! great info you give daily and congrats to Steve for winning the beef jerky, its the best I have ever had and loved recieving it in Matts give away, I now buy it weekly… lol!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome!

[@mikeantes9597]

Good stuff this will help my Delaware river fishing thanks Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

Glad to help

[@bobjohnston5527]

I fish tidal water here in Fredericton. Here in New Brunswick we have the Bay of Fundy, every 6 hour the tide changes. In Saint John city has the reversing falls. When the tide is coming in it will reverse back over the fall and push the water back up to Fredericton. When the tide drops in the Bay Of Fundy, the Saint John River drops here in Fredericton. Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world

[@MattStefanFishing]

very cool!

[@k-mparker]

Goood video!!! Another nugget on tides and current is the amount of rainfall can significantly impact the tide in addition the wind, so be mindful of that as well. I fish the James and the Chick a lot and there have been times where a LOT of rain has basically negated the flood tide, so the outgoing tide/current will essentially eliminate the incoming tide/current. 👍😃🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

[@MattStefanFishing]

Great point!

[@stoneysdead689]

Never fished tidal waters- it would certainly make me a better angler though. Learning to adjust to rising and falling water levels on the fly has got to be a good exercise. I live in an area that sees tons of rain and thunderstorms every year so, this would be good knowledge to have.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Very true!

[@kennylowe9404]

Hi Matt. I live in SW Alabama on the Mobile/Tensaw River Delta. I’ve always looked at it as a low Tide, an incoming tide, a high tide and an outgoing tide. For whatever reason our tides are much closer to 12 hours apart between high and low. I usually have better luck on outgoing tide. Unfortunately for the past several spring and summers 90% of our days are incoming tides during the mornings.😂 I definitely need some pointers on how/where fish move on incoming. Thanks!

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll add it to my suggestion list

[@mellowfellowfishing]

Awesome Matt. I'm... currently (pun intended) on the Husdon River and will test out these tips. I'm curious if the bite will be consistent during the same tidal flow/time. Thanks!

[@MattStefanFishing]

go for it

[@guyb5333]

Great content. Don't fish tidal anymore. The HB units I use provide tide times and current speed when any designated station is selected on the map screen. Always enjoy this feature. I wonder if other manufacturers units do the same.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Most do I believe now. Its a nice feature

[@chazevans3240]

Your videos are always full of great info, I have a question while we’re on the subject of raising/falling water. I live in Utah, and every year our reservoirs fall slowly during the summer. They go from full in the spring to so low that you can’t launch boats anymore in the fall and all of the cover that was holding fish shallow is now dry and all that is left is mud banks, some grass, and rock on the banks. How do I approach this situation? Where do the fish move to and how do they position on cover when water falls slowly etc.

[@MattStefanFishing]

they will fall with the water but generally in falling water the fish will suspend out from shore at the same depth they were at when on the bank. Look for baitfish in pockets and creek arms and the bass wont be far behind. Any cover left in the water should still hold fish

[@chazevans3240]

@@MattStefanFishing ok thank you!

[@johnlantz7278]

.fishing the Columbia river near the mouth,it’s the same thing .then run to base of dam to fish the current lines for smallmouth , between tides they change location an bait hear we have smelt moving in an out with the tide moving into side channels to spawn on eelgrass ,so when tide comes in brings thous smelt right to the bass .thanks for a reminder just how tidewater Varys from any other have a great day .

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome example. Thanks for sharing!

[@kentbrown5369]

This question is off topic but do you ever use any kind of fish attractant if so what do you use. Another great video thanks for sharing all your knowledge

[@MattStefanFishing]

Yep. I did this video a while back kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5K4eGewe9Wbn5I

[@kentbrown5369]

Watched the video. Great information thank you.

[@eagleeye9549]

Good morning Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

Morning!

[@brianbrown9102]

Hi, quick question. Are tides upstream later than the areas down stream on tidal rivers? Example high tide near the mouth is 10 am, high tide further upstream would be later? If so, is it the same for low tide or reversed?

[@MattStefanFishing]

yes

[@brianbrown9102]

@Matt Stefan Fishing thank you! One thing I cannot wrap my head around is how is downstream low tide earlier than upstream low tide? I am obviously missing something. Haha

[@coreypowell7194]

My favorite boat ramp and the one I use most all the time you had better not be planning to get your boat out at low tide a hour after or before no problem died low tide not a chance of getting on the trailer

[@MattStefanFishing]

Yeah you can easily get stuck if not paying attention

[@craigstevens9734]

I got a dumb question is that tide water got salt in it.

[@MattStefanFishing]

It can if you are close enough to the ocean. where we catch bass it is mainly freshwater. When the tide comes up its just backing up the freshwater coming in that river system.

[@craigstevens9734]

Okay I get it thanks

[@rcallies82]

Well today is going to be awkward when I tell my wife I figured out bass and we have to move from wi to some tidal waters

[@MattStefanFishing]

haha! Well i don't think you want to move away from WI, but now you are ready when you happen to go to the coast

[@rcallies82]

@@MattStefanFishing oh I’ll be ready… and no I would not move away, wi has some incredible fishing, or so I’m told 😞