Inlets and Jetties
Rocks and jacks that line inlet jetties are a sure bet during shifting tides. The fluctuation of currents funnel both baitfish and predatory fish through the narrow inlet opening. During incoming tides, predatory fish such as snook, redfish, sharks and striped bass follow the push of the rising water to enter back bays. During outgoing tides, the rocks at the tip of a jetty serve as staging points for game fish to intercept baitfish schools that get caught in swirling eddies in the pocket pools. The "spin cycle" wrapping around the tips of jetty rocks provides optimal conditions for ambushing disoriented prey. Slack tide, when waters are still, is a primo time to target bottom brawlers, because crustaceans have nowhere to run. The more static species, like blackfish, sheepshead and snapper, root closer to the bottom along jetty rocks and submerged boulders to feed on crabs and shrimp crawling in the crags.