The Coosaw River contains many tailing flats, but differentiating them from deeper marsh grass by boat is no easy task.
To find the firm flats needed to stalk tailing reds, Tyler Gault searches for small islands in the marsh.
“If an area in the marsh is high enough for trees to grow on it, then it is very likely there is good firm ground surrounding it,” Gault said.
Other areas worth checking out are anywhere the land slopes down towards the marsh at a low angle; often, the backside of these marshes will contain large tailing flats.
The best areas on these flats is where the grass is short and sparse and the ground firm but not entirely devoid of grass.
A great way to find flats is to search Google Earth; sandy patches around marsh islands and in the marsh are a dead giveaway.
Areas worth close searches are the east end of Coosaw Island, west end of Morgan Island, the Ladys Island side of the Coosaw River, and the areas near where Wimbee Creek and the Combahee River dump into the Coosaw.
Gault prefers tides that are from 7.4 to 8.0 feet at the mouth of the Savannah River. Most areas of the Coosaw near Lucy Creek are around one hour behind the Savannah River tide, with less time difference on flats closer to the ocean and more for ones farther inshore.
Gault likes to get on the flat two hours before the top of the tide.
“You need to get there early, because the best chance of seeing a tailing red is when they are working their way onto the flat, and this is also when they feed the most aggressively,” he said.
Wind direction and strength also has an effect on tide height. A steady east wind causes higher-than-predicted tides, and a steady west wind will cause a lower one.
Keeping a fishing journal with tide height, wind direction and tide times is a great way to learn how wind and tide affect a particular flat.
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