How To Catch Boatloads Of Fish Near Oyster Bars
- By: Wyatt Parcel
- on
Oyster bars have everything a game fish could ask for…
Lots of bait, so an easy meal isn’t hard to come by, and plenty of ambush spots, so these predators can sneak up on their prey.
And since fish love hanging around oyster bars, so do fishermen as they make great fishing spots.
In this video, I’m going to show you everything you need to know about fishing oyster bars.
You’ll learn:
- A little-known hack to easily find oyster bars on satellite maps
- The best way to catch lots of fish near oyster bars
- How to find the best oyster bars (even if there are dozens of them to choose from)
- And much more
And this isn’t just theory — I’ll also show you some fun fish-catching footage of how I used these tips to land some nice trout and flounder.
Check it out below.
How To Find & Fish Oyster Bars [VIDEO]
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How To Find Oyster Bars On Satellite Maps
The first step to catching fish around oyster bars is to find them.
At low tide it’s obvious where they are, but at high tide, it’s much harder.
So the best way to find them is to use satellite maps.
Now here’s the trick to finding oyster bars on satellite maps: download Google Earth and use the historical imagery tool to look at pictures taken in the summer.
This is because in the summer, the bars are bleached white by the sun and show up on maps much more prominently.
Here’s a picture showing the difference between an image taken in the summer vs. an image taken in the winter:
Now, once you’re looking at a satellite image taken during the summer, you’ll probably see mud flats that look a lot like oyster bars.
But here’s how to tell the difference between these two structures:
- Oyster bars have more defined edges
- Mud flats sometimes have depressions or potholes in them that oyster bars don’t have
Alright, now you’ve found lots of oyster bars… how do you know which ones hold fish?
How To Choose Oyster Bars That Hold Fish
Some areas may have dozens of oyster bars and it’s impossible to fish them all to see which ones hold fish.
Thankfully, you can use satellite images to help you with that, too.
There are two things to look for that make a good oyster bar:
- Current
- Depth changes
In the image above, you can see how I drew out where the current flows on an incoming tide.
The oyster bars near the blue lines have both current and depth changes, so these are the ones that are most likely to hold fish.
So as you’re looking at the map in your area, look for oyster bars that are near current and have dropoffs next to them.
How To Catch Fish Around Oyster Bars
If you’ve found oyster bars that are likely to hold fish, the next step is to go and catch them!
The fish will be waiting in ambush down current of the bar and just out of the current, usually behind the bar.
So if you’re fishing with artificial lures, position yourself down current, throw your lure up current, and retrieve it down with the current so it will come in the direction the fish are facing.
If you’re using live bait, then position yourself up current and drift your baits down with the current so that they will drift right into the fishes’ waiting jaws.
And here’s a quick note about species-specific behavior:
Trout and redfish will be hanging pretty close to the bar, but flounder will often be on the bottom a little farther away from the bar where the bottom is sandy or muddy.
Keep that in mind as you’re tossing out your bait or lure.
P.S. During high tide, when the water is covering the bars, you can often throw topwater lures over them and catch redfish and trout.
Conclusion
Oyster bars are some of the best spots to find redfish, trout, snook, and flounder.
Use Google Earth to find oyster bars that are likely to hold fish and present your bait or lure along with the current on the down current side of the bar.
Have any questions about fishing oyster bars?
Let me know in the comments below.
Know someone who wants to get better at fishing oyster bars? Please TAG or SHARE this with them!
And if you want more videos like this where we break down fishing spots and strategies on online maps, then you’ll love our Insider Club’s weekly spot dissections.
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As an Insider, you’ll also get access to our Insider Reports where we do spot dissections, go out and fish the spots, and then show you what worked and what didn’t.
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I mainly fish oyster bars so I really appreciated that video.
Incredible video Wyatt! Keep up the good work man!
Google earth is great for general location of the oyster bars but I find less then satisfactory at providing the correct GPS coordinates. I have traced google earth to oyster bars that I already fish and find the GPS can be upward of 1/4 mile off. That could do more damage then just not finding a fish. Tread carefully if relying specifically on Earth to locate a new bar
I agree. I usually don’t use the coordinates, and usually just reference my mobile device and gps location as I come up to an area and once I’m close, I just begin fishing!
Great stuff…i’ve been doing very well on the low tide during twilight time, question advice if high tide is during twilight timeframe?? fish same areas?? w same game plan?? have taken advice on topwater/jig depending on fish actions..thank you in advance.
It’s very situationally dependent, and the twilight times will usually yield productive fishing, but the tide level will influence where you fish. Typically I enjoy using topwater at twilight periods.
Great video. I want to know more. You referenced more info about lures, tactics and retrieves in the video. How can I find this info?
Be sure to log into your Salt Strong Insider Club account and then visit some of our artificial lure mini-courses under the courses tab!
Yet another concise and informative video with real-world examples. Thanks Wyatt! 🙏
Thanks so much Andy! Glad you liked it!
Awesome Wyatt!!! Great info and presentation.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Great job Wyatt. You confirmed for me that I’m not crazy. Been fishing em right, just not getting the results…time to find another bar! Love the low tide action. How would your approach change at higher tide with water covering the bar? Fish over top, behind (based on current) or stick to the edges?
Typically when the bar is covered, I’ll fish it using topwaters from all angles, but I’ll give extra attention to the downcurrent side (the side that bait would be swept over with the current) and maybe even throw some paddletails or soft plastics. Most fish I find are hanging on the edges or “points” of the bar.
Agreed. Another home run, Wyatt. Always love your videos. Learning a lot.
Thanks so much Brad! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video!