The fishing rule of thumb in this situation is to use natural baits instead of artificial lures. When the water is sandy, fish locate their food more by scent than sight. Whether you wade or fish from a boat, fish facing into the direction of the sun so that shadows you cast will not be directly on the water being fished. This can severely handicap waders and boaters in shallow water. Clouds and clarity of the sky can influence fishing in shallow water.
Shadows cast by clouds can influence fishing for speckled trout and redfish.
Clouds that cast heavy shadows on shallow water will usually cause these fish to spook and move to deeper water. A cloudless sky in the summer can cause surface water to heat considerably with the end result being that the fish move to deep areas. The two primary functions of waves is they churn minute marine fodder loose from the bottom, and as they break and roll toward the shore, they oxygenate the water. This process of churning oxygen into the water is extremely important in hot summers when bay and Gulf of Mexico watersheds may suffer from drought conditions. Given favorable conditions, the best fishing from spring through early fall is shortly before daybreak until about 10 a.m.