Bass Fishing Tidal Rivers

Not sure I have ever fished a tidal river but I have fished the bayous surrounding lake Pontchartrain. When the water gets low, I like to target the cuts that drain shallow ponds. Many times on a very low tide the ponds will dry out temporarily and the bait that is in them is forced to move out. Predatory fish will just sit outside of the cut and chow down.

Another thing to look for is shoreline where the shallow part of the water has been depleted and the bait fish can't sit up on the shallow ledge that is normally there. This can form just about anywhere but I usually try to key in on flats and pockets. Look for surface activity since the bait will be moving around if fish are feeding on them. You can also check out dead end canals, sometimes the "dead end" portion is fairly shallow and the bait will get pushed out into the feeding ground.

When i fish an incoming tide I usually go back to my normal attack which is looking for drains, grass lines, points, bait, structure, etc. Basically as the water rises I will begin to fish further and further into the marsh.

Good luck and hope this helps you out where you are currently fishing. When fishing low tide my go to bait is usually a fluke.