If you have ever fished an inlet, particularly a large one, on your first visit did you scratch your head and wonder, “Where in the world do I start?” Join the club—an inlet can be intimidating, and the devil to figure out.

Long break walls and natural jetties herd migrating baitfish that would otherwise continue down the coast.

Rather than going about inlet fishing blindly, become familiar with inlet structure, those hotspots or features that consistently attract and hold fish. The secret is to do what fly fishermen do in big trout rivers. You have to break that big monster down into smaller parts.

Although the term structure is normally used by freshwater bass anglers, successful saltwater fishermen have been catching inlet gamefish from natural and manmade structure for generations. Concentrating your efforts around prime inlet structure is the key. That includes deep holes, channels, jetties, manmade structures (bridges, bulkheads, docks) and tide rips.

A deep hole or even a subtle depression can be an outstanding fish-holding spot. It provides a break from the current where both baitfish and predator fish congregate, and they don’t always hang out smack on bottom. For that reason, it’s wise to fish lures or baits somewhere in the water column above a hole as well as on the bottom. If the hole is in deep water—say over 20 feet—be sure to cover all depth levels when working it. Inlet holes can be good any time of year, but they’re particularly productive in winter and during the heat of summer. Some holes have underwater springs that spew water of consistent temperature, attractive to many species during weather extremes. Holes and depressions on relatively shallow flats bordering an inlet also attract gamefish during low halves of tides because they offer refuge and tend to hold baitfish. Of course, should the tide be especially low, or the weather inclement, fish will likely vacate these places and hunker down in the deeper inlet channel.

Fishfinders used in conjunction with accurate inlet charts are the fastest means of locating holes. But remember those charts are not set in stone—the bottom of many inlets is constantly changing due to sediment runoff, wind, current and tide. In many inlets, shipping channel dredging is common practice. During dredging operations, fill material is removed to maintain shipping channel depth, and is dumped nearby, often in adjacent bays, producing underwater islands and spoil bars that in turn become fish-attracting structures. It pays to take note of where dredge fill is removed and dumped. Record the GPS numbers of such spots, so they’re easy to locate.