5 Tips for Working Marsh Points

Fishing in marshy cuts and creeks there are a few features most anglers know to cast at. Any visible structure, dark spots which could be holes, grass patches, and of course points. But many anglers chase fish right off of those points long before they catch them. The next time you approach a point and plan to work it over, remember these five tips.

1. Stop your boat at least three casting distances away. Sure, you can’t wait to get in close and lob that jig, but unless you’ve fished the area before you don’t know just how far the point extends out underwater. Try fishing out and away from it as you slowly work your way in closer and you’ll often discover that 30, 50 or even 100 yards out is where the real hotspot is.
2. Focus on visible rips. These are like gold, so make visible rips your primary target whenever you see them. Try casting across, up, and down the rip before moving on.
3. Approach in such a way that you can fish your lure up- or cross-current. Baitfish generally cruise along into the current, not with it at their tails, so this allows for a more natural presentation.
4. Go into uber-stealth mode. It’s generally going to be quite shallow around marsh points, and there’s a huge danger of spooking the fish. Keep talking to a minimum and use hushed voices; don’t let any hatches slam or drop solid objects to the deck; and avoid shifting in and out of gear as much as possible if you’re under gas outboard propulsion. If you’re running a two-stroke and you don’t have an electric trolling motor, you need to find a way to drift in or the fish will likely hear the racket.
5. Be sure to thoroughly prospect both sides of the point. Depending on the tidal flows in the area, one could be significantly deeper than the other and quite often one side will be hot, and the other will not.