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Reading the Beach and Structure

68K views 58 replies 27 participants last post by  0sja6nl5 
#1 ·
Most resort beaches have tons of sand pumped into them. These beaches become very broad and gently slope out to sea. There is not much structure here and fish may be scattered. However a beach not visited for bathing has some key differences. Visit the beach at low tide and look for sand bars and sloughs. When the tide comes in the waves may crash further out sometimes building swells. This is where the wave strikes the bar. After that, they suddenly slump down and get shorter as they move over the slough, a deeper portion of the beach's structure. You want to be able to cast into the other side of the slough or cut out behind the sand bar. Look for cut outs and fishing the downcurrent side of any cusp will put you on the fish. Big fish are lazy (smart) and will wait at the openings for the bait fish to be flushed through. Always visit at low tide. Learn to read the beach and you'll start catching more fish from the surf.
 

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#29 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

in effect and not all area or structure is the same as in /shoals/channels which change on sometimes a daily basis if you fish the beach with long sweeping uneffected (dunes if you will) then you will see the waves coming in on an angle in one direction or another (depending on where you are in the hemisphere). when fishing the surf as the previous article shows (btw very nicely put) there is a current that runs parallel to the beach close to shore called a "longshore current" or "along the shore current" and if you toss a plug or fly into the surf it tells you which direction the current is moving ( in the same direction as the oncoming waves) and there is where the bars and troughs are made parallel to the beach. after a continuous supply of waves feeds this longshore current it gets to the point it has to make it;s way back out to deeper water and there is where you get your rip currents. these are another ideal place to catch disoriented baitfish (dangerous to be near but if you can cast far enough into it) it;s easy to see or distinguish where the rip current (some call it a rip tide but is not a tidal factor) by seeing a swirling foamy water behind the breaking waves and if i can find the pic of that overhead shot in my files i will post it. hope this adds to an already well informative thread.:notworthy:
 
#30 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

If I take pictures of a couple of my fishing spots, would y'all mind taking a gander and pointing out anything on them that sticks out to you as signs of better/worse fishing spots? I figure I read them pretty well, but 'd be interested in some objective opinoins, and they're not secret spots or anything.
 
#31 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

Mainline said:
If I take pictures of a couple of my fishing spots, would y'all mind taking a gander and pointing out anything on them that sticks out to you as signs of better/worse fishing spots? I figure I read them pretty well, but 'd be interested in some objective opinoins, and they're not secret spots or anything.
Take pics and lets see em Mainline.
 
#35 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

the tide will be higher and lower at the new moon than at the full moon. You are looking for structure and sand bars, at low tide. at high tide look for the rips around the inlets to the sand bars. you may also notice a drop off if you get in the water at low tide. this means at high tide that deep water shelf is within casting distance. unless you are like me who spend two years learning a beach only to discover it is a clam bed for 200 yards out. oops. just my 2 cents.
 
#37 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

i will but what am i looking for and why diff moon phase?
Mike Smu basically covered it. Twice a month the Full and the new moon will have the highest of high tides and lowest of low tides. Known as "Spring tides" they happen when the sun and moon are on the same side of the earth (New Moon) or when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth (Full Moon) These extreme low tides can reveal structure not seen under normal circumstances. Submerged outcroppings of rocks often extend out way beyond the visible water lines. Lower tides offer places that concentrate fish or provide good cover for predatory fish waiting for a meal to tumble by. At higher tides the water can fill in behind structures and this water needs a way to escape. These escape ways can form what we look for as rips or eddies as this water accellerates back out into the main body of water. The water accellerates out underneath faster than the water coming in. This constriction of water is known as the venturi effect. It creates "nervous water" and bait fish can be disoriented and stunned in these tidal eddies. Making the water prime for targeting cows. This may be completely unnoticible until you have looked it over at all tide stages and sat there and quitely watched a rip form.

Sand beaches often change. The sand bars shift after severe wind and weather. Its best to read a sand beach at low tide. You may spot a slough or cut out parrallel or perpendicular to the beach that fish will use as pathways. Predators often lay at these edges in ambush.
 
#38 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

Please be aware that some of those shots on google earth and the other sites are years old! The sand shifts and the bottom changes after every storm.I realized the shots were old when I was looking at a spot where I fish and I noticed an empty lot between two houses. They built a house on that lot 2 years ago!:biglaff:
 
#40 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

A lot of times people make a big issue about "reading the beach". But it is easy if you just focus on finding these four primary structures - points, bowls, troughs and bars - and then target the secondary "spots on the spots".
You can dissect the layout of any sand beach into these four well-defined structures. Then you can methodically fish them, thereby identifying which structures the fish are currently using and equally important, discover which structures the fish are NOT currently using. If you do so, you can confidently eliminate unproductive types of spots for the moment, and you can consistently put yourself in the company of gamefish all up and down "any beach" where gamesters are using these four primary structures - and especially the secondary "spots on the spots" to put on the fall feed bag.
"Russ Bassdozer"
 
#42 ·
Re: Reading the Beach

This particular structure the tide has been receding for some time . When it was full the water filled behind the boulders and would excellerate out as a washout on the drop making very distinct eddies.
 
#44 ·
Question,
I have been "beach fishing" for stripers for the past 3 years. Each year i catch 4-5 good keepers usuall on chunk mackerel. My question is : do all beaches hold keeper stripers? I normally fish the incomming tide. This year im also trying low tide fishing. I was fishing yesturday at low tide around some rocks saw alot of schoolies , but im looking for that "pig" I have grown up fishing for largemouths my whole life and i use the same ideas and methods and it seems to work. so can fish be caught at low tide from the beach as well as high "incomming tide" I'M new to this site im looking for someone to share ideas with i live on the N SHORE of Boston if anyone can help e mail thanks , matt
 
#45 ·
Hi Matt,
Do all beaches hold keeper sized fish at low tide? Not necessarily. It all depends on what structure is there, what bait is present, currents, etc. The best way to know about your spot is to fish it with regularity at all stages of tide and keep a log of your results to learn what is generally the most productive time to fish it. There's is one location I fish occasionally where there is a very productive spot at low tide, but 30 yards down the beach it's normally dead at low. Every location is different and you have to put in the time required to learn it well if you want consistent results. Good luck out there and Welcome to the site!! thumbsup.gif
 
#46 ·
Matt, welcome to the site... Baitrunner hit the nail on the head, learn everything you can about your spot... Check it out during low tide so you know what structures are hidden at high tide

Bryan
 
#47 ·
sup guys, my spot is chapin beach in dennis on the cape, its a big river inlet on the left and then like a mile and a half of sand flats. my "experinced" friends fish in the flats a couple hundred yards from the river and we havent caught jack, and when i try to suggest fishing in the river they all laugh at me....... we're using sand eels. should i tell them to shove it and walk down to the river or are they correct fishing the more shallow flats ??:7834:
 
#52 ·
I'll tell u one thing being able to know wht ur looking for is first and foremost! Once u find it proper presentation is next.
But I have low and high tide views I have ones from three weeks ago same spot when it had even more features. This spot in three trips produced A 50" 43lb bass 8-12 other bass from 31-36" and 6 or 7 shorts 18-26". Only 3 skates 1 shark. Best looking strech of beach for half a mile in each direction trust me I walked 2 miles of beach easy.

Sky Water Asphalt Coastal and oceanic landforms Horizon
Water Sky Cloud Fluid Beach

Water Sky Cloud Fluid Coastal and oceanic landforms
Water Sky Azure Fluid Beach

Cloud Sky Water Plant Natural landscape

the first pick is a small break in the exposed outer bar. The following ones r of the main break to the right where it cuts deep unwadable at low tide then it wraps around and connects to the other break. The rocks r completly covered at high tide. Week long west winds exposed outer bars and high tides were a blast even in 30+ blows.
if u look close at the last one u can c the line from the water coming through the bar in the center and to the left with a bowl smack up against the shore line. U want to cast into the bowl and right in the break or right outside it. I prefer the out side of it so to stimulate bait getting flushed out on a falling tide. Incoming I want in the break itself so u r right in the travel path of bass coming in feeding behind the outer bar.
 
#54 ·
Thats Zimno - just kidding.


It was done by a guy in long Island around 2004. I 'm not sure of his real name but he went by the sur name of OZ.
I remember downloading the music as oztown records for preservation. If I find anything else I'll post it.
 
#55 ·
The best book I have ever read is called Fly Fishing The Coast. The bible to reading the beach. You may never have surfed but understanding the dynamics of wave formation is key. A good pair of polarized glasses. Look down at the sand. Are there clams washed up? Bait fish? Areas where crap washes up all the time? Make friends with everyone who jogs the beach or has a dog. These are your pawns to gathering info.
 
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