ã Ed Mitchell
Sandbars. Big and beautiful, bright yellow under the summer sun. I admit it; I’m fascinating by them. In part it’s their unique nature; the fact that they appear and disappear with the tide, and then change shape with storms and the seasons. They're terra incognito, mysterious places that seem almost alive. But most of all it’s the great fishing that surrounds them. Yeah sandbars are fun.
Why are bars fish magnets? In good part it is because of the bottom structure they provide, but there is more to it. Sandbars form in places of deposition, spots where waves, longshore currents, and tide permit sedimentation to occur. But these forces stockpile more than simply sand, they also carry and concentrate nutrients and plankton. Consequently sandbars are feeding grounds, attracting a rich array of marine life from tiny silversides to thick striped bass.
Two Types of Bars
As experience
anglers know, sandbars crop up in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Still, two
basic types of sandbars occupy a good bit of our angling attention. One is
called a longshore bar, and the other type anglers call either a
longbar or a fingerbar. These two bars are quite distinct from one
another, and furthermore frequently found on different kinds of shorelines.
Nevertheless both provide excellent angling opportunities if you know how to
fish them.
The longshore bar is the more common of the two. These structures run parallel to the shoreline separated from the beach by a pocket of deeper water called a slough. Typically found on exposed beaches, longshore are usually awash in waves at low stages of the tide, making them easy to spot, even from a distance.
These bars are typically solo structures, one to a beach. Still, at times you’ll encounter multiple longshore bars in a single location. When that happens the bars are either strung end-to-end like sausage links, or stacked back-to-back like the rungs of a ladder. With the sausage style, there is a passage of deeper water between the bars called a “cut”. In the ladder-rung formation the bars are separated by long, narrow trenches, which are in reality additional sloughs.
Unlike longshore bars, fingerbars run more or less straight out from shore. Think of them as submerged peninsulas, if you like. Occasionally you'll find one on an open beach, but they are far more likely to form in places of strongly defined tidal current. So look for them near the mouth of a coastal river or the inlet to a salt pond or lagoon. Further distinguishing them from longshore bars, fingerbars do not have sloughs, but they may have adjacent deep holes. Lastly, fingerbar are almost always loners, so don’t expect to see them in pairs.
Given the differences between these two bars, it’s no surprise that you fish them differently. Since the longshore bar is the more common structure, lets start by looking at the basic strategy you’ll need to fish them well. Be sure to refer to the accompanying illustrations; they will help clarify matters and add additional information as well.
Fishing
Longshore Bars
When fishing a longshore bar the first thing you have to deal with is the slough. Some sloughs hold four or more feet of water even at the bottom of the tide. Consequently there is little or no opportunity for you to safely wade through and fish off the bar itself. Obviously then you’re limited to working from the beach, but don’t despair, these deep sloughs hold trophy size fish. Ask any angler who has fished the ocean side of Cape Cod. Furthermore, because of the depth, fish are apt to stay in these sloughs for longer periods of time during either tide. Which, in turn, gives you more flexibility in terms of when to fish them.
In my experience, the best bite in these deep sloughs occurs at the first of the flood. Striped bass tend to enter deep sloughs immediately as the water begins to rise, and what’s more these early arrivals are typically eager eater, readily to whack a fly. Naturally light level can be important too. So the very best bet is a day when the first two hours of incoming tide arrive in low light.
Shallow sloughs are different deal. Here striped bass may not show until mid flood, and may exit back over the bar by the middle of the ebb. Hence your prime angling hours in a shallow slough are usually a narrow window. Nevertheless shallower sloughs have one advantage, their lack of depth may permit anglers to wade out and fish off the bar during lower stages of the tide.
If you wade out to a longshore bar, you’ll certainly want to fish the drop-off along the seaward edge. And the best tactic is to cast and move along, covering the water as you go. Pay particular attention to any place where the drop-off seems steeper. The increased depth associated with that steepness provides a sanctuary for fish especially in periods of bright light. Where possible, be sure to work the fly around the ends of the bar as well, and once again key to any area that seems to hold greater depth.
As the tide begins to rise, expect some fish to swim around the bar and into the slough. So as the tide comes in it pays to fish those "cuts". But other fish may come directly up on the bar as soon as water depths allow. This may spark some sight fishing. Generally the amount of sighting fishing is dependent on the width of the bar. Wide bars delay the tide’s progress and typically provide more time to sight fish than a narrow bar. As the tide continues to rise, expect fish to cross over into the slough. At this point, you can turn and fish the slough from the bar, although you must be very careful to return to shore in a timely fashion.
Regardless whether you fish a slough from the bar or from the shore, be aware that the bottom of a slough is never perfectly uniform. Very likely there are spots where the depth is noticeably greater. These depressions may be anywhere in the slough, but wherever found are honey holes for larger fish, as well as being the last spot to hold fish at the end of the ebb. Frequently you can spot these holes by looking for changes in water color, such as a shift from yellow to green or green to deep blue. In my experience, the best hole is one that backs up to the inside edge of the bar. This hole is home to a good deal of current and turbulence on a rising tide. Nervous water, rips lines, and foam may give away its presence. Believe me these are super spots to look for a jumbo bass.
Fishing
Fingerbars
Typically you fish a fingerbar by walking or wading out on it and then casting to either side. The distance you can travel out on the bar is determined by the bar’s size, the water depth on the bar, and the speed of the current crossing it.
At low tide the bar is at its greatest exposure, which offers you an opportunity to travel out and fish the tip. Generally the water near the tip of a fingerbar is big fish territory. Since the tip is unavailable to you at all other stages of the tide, once you get there cover the water well. First off, look for signs of current. During low water it is common to have a lane of moving water directly off the tip running at a 90 degree angle to the bar. These lanes of moving water usually hold fine fishing. Also beware that at the tip of the bar there may be a deep hole to one side. This is another prime location for large fish, but take care. No sense wading in.
Tips are hotspots, but fingerbars offer fishing along their entire length, and there is often action on both sides. One side of the bar, however, is usually much more productive than the other. You can discover this side by trail and error. Still an experienced angler can often spot it immediately. Here’s how. Commonly one side of the bar has a sharper, steeper edge, and greater water depth nearby. This side is apt to be where the bite is best. Furthermore once you have made that determination, you also have an important clue about when to fish the bar. More on this later.
Most anglers fish a fingerbar during those hours when there is current pouring over it. The accepted way to do it is to cast your line along the axis of the bar, allowing the tide to swing your fly across the bar and then downcurrent. On an ebbing tide, you continue this presentation slowly working your way out the bar. On the flood you begin farther out, and let work back toward shore as the water rises.
All the while you should be studying the surface of the water crossing the bar, looking for rip lines. These rips form where the bar and the adjoining bottom have more structure, and therefore are more attractive to fish. Concentrate on these areas as much possible, and it the current is strong be sure to try a sinking line.
One
Direction Best
Very often you can catch fish regardless of which direction the current is running. Still, one direction is almost always far more productive than the other. The reason for this discrepancy goes back to the business of fingerbars having a shallow and a deeper side. And the basic rule is this: The finest fishing occurs when the current is running from the shallow side of the bar toward the deeper side. So for example if the left side of the bar has the steeper edge, you want to fish when the tide moves from right to left.
At the top of tide, you may not be able to wade on to the bar at all. Still an angling opportunity exists. Some fingerbars have a deep hole to one side, right where the bar joins the shore. Don’t be fooled into thinking these holes are too close to the beach to hold good action; they are well worth investigating. Here again expect the fishing to be best when the current is running across the bar and into the hole.
Safety At the Bar
In closing let me add a few words about safety. When you leave the shore and move out to fish a bar, safety must be your first consideration. Waves, current, holes and rising water all present a certain risk. If you use common sense, however, the risk should not be great.
On a fingerbar, current can be very swift and even quite dangerous. A good basic rule is to never wade out where the current is more than knee deep, especially if that current is strong enough to pull sand and gravel from under your feet. No matter how good the fishing is, don’t go farther.
When fishing near the tip of a fingerbar bar, you have to be careful about timing you return to shore and you should also plan your route as well. Here's why. Sometimes the bars will have dips and depressions in them. These spots will submerge faster than other areas. Consequently you may turn to find out that the bar has become a broken into a series of islands separated by moving water.
When fishing longshore bars, be very careful during periods of rising water. A half hour delay may mean the difference between a dry trip to the beach and swimming back. On your trip back to the beach, cross the slough were you know it to be the shallowest. Don’t simply head back to shore in a straight line hoping things work out. Lastly remember that all sandbars are shifting shoals, altering their shape with the passage of storms and the seasons. So be prepared to relearn them from time to time.
The End