Killing Time on dead tide

[baylitter]

Just curious what you guys do at dead tide. Seems I have 2 to 3 hours a trip that the trout get lock jaw and little to no water movement. Just trying to maximize my trip. I have considered trolling up in the creeks,or throwing nets at mullet, anchor off and tight line ,but usually just wear myself out pitching jigs and popping corks at nothing hoping to pick a bite up. I'm open to suggestions, thanks.

[JCromer]

Still water can be tough. I usually get in deeper water and drift a pinfish just above the grass. Something will hit it eventually and more times than not its a big trout. Good luck !

[SS-342]

I do what you do.

Expecting every cast to catch a fish. I do change methods. Instead of slinging a cork, I'll bounce off the bottom or throw a plug, try cut bait or a pin fish. Often times I hunt, ride to every spot I've ever caught a fish and burn lots of gas. Try to do like my Daddy said, "Make um bite!"

My wife eats snacks. rest and wonders what I'll try next.

[Steve Stinson]

I think your estimate of the length of time the tide takes to switch is too long. I normally only see a half-hour to an hour of dead tide and sometimes the wind will switch directions at the same time. Eat / smoke a cigar is always on my to do list for the down time.

There are also some things you can do to help -

Switch to very slow moving lures like a Catch 2000 or a DOA Shrimp.
Move to someplace that the current is restricted like between oyster bars, around a creek mouth, river mouth or bridge (the tide is going to start moving in these places first.)
As mentioned above - try live bait.

Good Luck.

[countrycorners]

I just keep fishin

[baylitter]

Appreciate the suggestions, I normally fish threw an incoming and outgoing so the time frame was combined. I don't get to go as often as I'd like ( but who does) and with weather permitting try to make a day of it. I will definitely start changing my strategy on and location the next trip.

[Jumptrout51]

Your 3 hours might actually be a short time. I once spent from 8am til 2 pm with no water under the boat and watching my partner smoke cigars and eat.
The bite was slow the whole time.
The nearest water was 200 yards away.

[Gulf Coast]

[zload]

That's usually time to:

put up the Bimini & eat something
reapply sunscreen
clean up all the crap that I have scattered around the boat while fishing hard
rearrange tackle bags
take a ride and look for new structure/holes
break out the deck brush and scrub up all the fish blood if offshore
if within cell range check my email in case something bad happened somewhere
enjoy life and being on the water
sometimes I just fish on with a new lure etc.

[woopty]

Slack tide always seems to put a damper on things in general... but if we're reef fishing we always seem to catch a couple undersized grouper during the lull...it happens so often that it has become kinda of an indicator that the tide about to turn and things are gonna change.

[DixieReb]

Eat lunch or go out deeper and fish a white jig on the bottom. I usually tip with strip of cutbait. Black sea bass usually bite through a slack tide, and going deeper you can get some big ones.

[SHOWBOAT]

agree with Stinson that slack tide is usually a shorter period than that. Gives me 15-30 minutes to change locations and find a different color/depth of water if I haven't been catching. Just keep grinding if I have been.