Catch 10/365

"What goes in, must come out"

Fishing endless mangrove shorelines (like those found in Everglades National Park) is often very frustrating to anglers not used to so much fishy looking habitat. It looks like a fish should be under every other branch, tucked in that pocket, laid up under that log...and after hours of fishing; it turns out none of those spots had a fish.

Here's a good tip that our buddy Steven Howie shared on our last Everglades trip. The fish follow a fairly regular daily pattern with the tide (Catch 6/365). The incoming tide pushes baitfish, crabs, shrimp, and other forage way back up under the mangroves. Snook, trout, redfish follow the bait into the maze of mangrove branches on the high tide. Getting to these fish is tough to sometimes impossible. 

BUT, the good news is when the tide turns and starts rushing out; the bait and fish flow back out with it. Setting up on outside ambush spots on a dropping time is a key to unlocking the mangrove mystery. It is almost like a funnel; as the tide flows out, the fish come right to you!

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