Why Brackish-Water Creeks Have Excellent Bass Fishing

Countless times I’d navigated past a narrow, seemingly shallow feeder creek which fed the mainstream of Lofton Creek, often passing up the opportunity of casting a bass plug there. Recently I pointed the bow of my Caymas bay boat towards the mouth of the narrow creek and motored up for a look.

My guest Chris Saugers was stationed on the bow armed with a spinning rod and one of the very best creek bass lures, a Redfish Magic spinnerbait. As we entered the mouth of the narrow feeder, a flooding tide guided us slowly into the creek with the aid of my boat’s electric trolling motor. Chris began casting his spinner far up into the creek, retrieving just fast enough so the #4 gold Colorado blade created a fish-attracting thumping vibration, much like a shrimp back-swimming to escape a nearby largemouth bass. “Gotcha!” Chris announced while setting the hook.

I knew right away that I had made the right decision to navigate up the creek, predicting more strikes would soon follow as I slipped the landing net under a nice three-pound creek bass. I continued to position Chris for more creek bass encounters, further and further up into the narrow creek. Chris caught and released six bass until the creek became too narrow to navigate. I was impressed with Chris’ results, which demonstrated that narrow, shallow creeks harbor some of the best tidal river bass fishing.

HOT BASS FISHING IN BRACKISH WATER

In the following years I began bass fishing in the many narrow feeder creeks of Northeast Florida brackish rivers, finding some of the best action during the last couple of hours of the incoming tide and the first hour of the falling tide. Be aware of navigating far up into a small feeder creek during the middle of the falling tide as you will more than likely be waiting for the incoming tide to float your boat!

I have also found that feeder creeks located at the deep, outside bend of a tidal river offer some of the best bass fishing. Particularly if there is an ambush point located at the mouth of the feeder where bass can easily capture baitfish and crustaceans.

Before you go, look at your electronics mapping feature and locate feeder creeks which are in large expanses of marshes with several deep turns, and smaller creeks that enter the main feeder creek. Straight feeder creeks and creeks that enter straight stretches of the main tidal river are seldom productive bass waters.

Some of the best narrow, feeder creek bass fishing comes during the fall and spring when there is an abundance of shrimp and minnows using these small creeks to enter and exit.

Moon phases are key as well with some of the best fishing action coming during a full moon, or with a strong northeast wind that pushes more water in and out of these small, fishable feeder creeks.

Casting a spinnerbait in one of the darker plastic tail color patterns into the mouth of the feeder before entering will most always produce active largemouth bass. When the action stops, use your electric trolling motor navigating into the feeder while casting to visible ambush structures including lily pads, cypress knees and deadfall.

If a bass strikes and misses a hookup, cast a dark colored swimming worm, or ¼-ounce jig with a dark colored scented Berkley Gulp! Shrimp. Brackish water bass will more than likely turn down a second strike with a spinner, but will often take a scented plastic worm or shrimp.

For tackle, I personally prefer a 7-foot medium heavy spinning rod with medium tip that helps load up a lure for accurate casts in tight quarters. My spinning reels are filled with 20-pound dark colored braided fishing line with a 4-foot length of 20-pound fluorocarbon shock leader. The two fishing lines are attached using back-to-back uni knots.

In many of Northeast Florida tidal rivers, fishermen are likely to catch both fresh and saltwater species of gamefish including stripers, seatrout, redfish and targeted largemouth bass. Go to myfwc.com for the latest on both salt and freshwater fishing regulations.

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• This article was featured in the August-September issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe.

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