How To Catch Redfish At High Tide In The Summer
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Summer high tides can sometimes make redfish feel impossible to find.
Many anglers assume the fish have disappeared when the water gets high.
In reality, they’ve simply moved.
Instead of roaming open flats, redfish often push up into shoreline cover where they have access to food and protection from predators.
If you know where to look, and how to present your lure, you can have some incredible days fishing even during the highest tides of summer.
In this video, I’ll show you exactly how I approach high-tide redfish while exploring new waters, including the retrieves, lure choices, and locations that consistently produce.
Insiders: June’s FREE Tackle Tester is the Hoss Weedless Round Eye Jighead featured in this video. If you haven’t claimed your free pack yet, don’t wait, this offer ends very soon! Click here to claim yours.
Featured Gear:
Shrimp Lure Setup:
- Rod: Slot Machine 7’6″ Medium
- Reel: Otis 2500
- Line: 10 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 15 lb Ande Mono
- Bite Tippet: 30 lb Ande Mono
- Lure: Prawn USA Jr rigged on 3/0 Hoss Weedless Round Eye Jig Head 3/16oz
Jerk Lure Setup:
- Rod: Slot Machine 7’6″ Medium
- Reel: Otis 2500
- Line: 8 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 15 lb Ande Mono
- Bite Tippet: 30 lb Ande Mono
- Lure: Polk County Tweaker rigged on 3/0 Hoss Helix Hook 1/8oz
Featured Software:
Other:
- Boat: 22′ Micro Draft
- Sunglasses: Smith – Guide’s Choice
- Solar Hoodie: Fish Strong Redfish Camo
Why High Tide Can Be One Of The Best Times To Catch Redfish
Of all the popular inshore species, redfish are some of the most willing to move into extremely shallow water.
During high tide, they frequently push tight against mangroves, grass shorelines, oyster bars, creek mouths, and other shoreline structure to feed on crabs, shrimp, and baitfish that become accessible only when the water rises.
Many anglers continue fishing open water.
The better approach is to fish where the water has just opened up new feeding opportunities.
Fish Tight To Structure
The biggest mistake anglers make during high tide is not casting close enough.
When redfish move into shoreline cover, they often position only inches from mangrove roots, grass edges, or shoreline points.
That means your lure needs to land as close to the structure as possible.
Sometimes that even means casting over mangrove branches or through shoreline vegetation before bringing your lure back into the strike zone.
The closer your presentation gets to the cover, the better your odds.
Why Weedless Lures Shine Around Mangroves
Fishing this tight to cover is almost impossible with an exposed hook.
A weedless setup allows you to:
- Skip under mangroves
- Cast through shoreline grass
- Retrieve over roots and branches
- Keep your lure in the strike zone much longer
In several of the catches from this trip, being weedless was the difference between landing a fish and getting hung in the mangroves.
Adjust Your Lure If Fish Become Spooky
Not every lure lands the same.
During calm summer conditions, even a quality presentation can spook fish if the lure enters the water too aggressively.
If you notice fish reacting to the splash instead of the retrieve, consider downsizing your presentation or switching to a lighter setup.
A quieter entry often gives fish just enough confidence to stay put long enough to eat.
Small adjustments like this can completely change your results.
Spend More Time In The Strike Zone
Another key adjustment during high tide is knowing where the fish actually are.
Most bites happen within the first few feet of shoreline cover.
Once your lure has moved away from the structure, the odds of getting bit drop dramatically.
Rather than slowly working the lure all the way back to the boat, make your presentation near the cover, fish it thoroughly, then reel in quickly and make another cast.
More casts into productive water usually mean more fish.
How To Find High-Tide Redfish Spots
When looking for productive summer high-tide areas, I focus on locations that combine several key ingredients:
- Healthy mangrove shorelines
- Shallow backwater areas
- Seagrass
- Oyster bars
- Nearby deeper water
The shallow water provides excellent feeding opportunities during high tide, while nearby deeper water gives redfish a place to retreat as the tide falls and temperatures rise.
These transition areas consistently produce throughout the summer.
Use Smart Fishing Spots To Narrow Your Search
One of the easiest ways to find these areas before leaving the dock is with Smart Fishing Spots.
I primarily use it to identify:
- High-resolution satellite imagery
- Mangrove shorelines
- Oyster bars
- Seagrass
- Smart Fishing Spots
- Marine charts
- Hourly tide and weather forecasts
- Personalized Game Plans
- Launch locations
- Private catch logs
Being able to compare satellite imagery with tides, weather, structure, and historical catches makes finding productive water much faster than relying on trial and error.
If you haven’t already, make sure you’re logging your catches as well. Your catch log can be kept private or public, giving you valuable historical data to help identify patterns and improve future trips.
Final Thoughts
Summer high tides don’t make redfish harder to catch.
They simply change where you need to look.
Fish tight to shoreline structure, use weedless lures that let you make aggressive casts, pay attention to how fish react to your presentation, and focus your time where the fish actually live during high water.
Those adjustments can completely change your success when the tide is high.
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish ever trip
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- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Great tip!
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Randy!
Thanks for the advice I appreciate all these tips and suggestions they help me a lot thanks Luke
Our pleasure James!
Thanks for some more great tips on catching reds in the summer Luke!
Our pleasure Leo!
Yes, I have been getting many hookups when the hook lands on or within 6 inches of weed embankments.
Thanks for sharing your findings
Outstanding video, thank you Luke
Thanks James!
Great video and info Luke thanks!
Thanks Stan!
Nice job Luke, this is very helpful. Thanks.
Our pleasure Matt
Great info. Thank you.
Our pleasure Bobby!
Excellent info. Thank you
Our pleasure Richard!
Very true Luke but for me NIGHT fishing will always be my summer fishing way way to hot for this true yankee to endure but thats me and I also love it that at least in my area I seem to be the only angler fishing at night but maybe thats because now that im fully 100 percent retired I am no longer and never will be again a weekend angler so while most anglers are fishing crowded extremely hot weekend days im out in the cool of the night when everyone else has to go to work the next day works for me thanks for your input and all you do🤔😉👍
How do you deal with the mosquitos at night? I agree the bite is best at night but man those bugs!!!!
Uh just like you deal with them during the very early morning Let’s put it this way I would rather deal with just the bugs then the heat and the bugs nothing is perfect so we all have to deal with something but if you can make it alot more bearable then why not besides bug spray does work but there is no way in dealing with the sun and relentless oppressive heat except to eliminate it altogether by going at night instead has worked for me for going on 24 years now but whatever you or anybody else does is your buissness I only speak for myself just saying
The night fishing sure can be fun and relaxing given how much less fishing pressure is out there.
Actually in my area of northeast fl mostly none once in a great while I’ll see another angler but rarely because like I have said before the majority of anglers I guess love the heat but not this michigander yankee thanks for replying back