When you look at the beach, try to think of three things - direction of tide and currents, food holding places and features. The tide sweeps along the shore - not towards it - so there will be places where food is swept, perhaps an eddy at the end of a breakwater, a clump of rocks etc., where the food has a chance to settle. Smaller fish will know these places and investigate, looking for food. These, in turn, will draw the bass. A freshwater stream may attract sandeels, digging into the softened sand as the tide recedes. Then, as the tide comes back in, the sandels will erupt from the sand ready to hunt for their own food. However, nine times out of ten, the bass will be aware of this and will often come in startlingly close to ambush the sandeels. I have seen the water turn silver from sandeels, only to find them being hammered into by black silhouettes in the water - bass daring in as shallow as water only six inches deep. Here fly and spinners can be deadly but you will have to work fast. When it happens, it happens quickly and it can be over in a matter of minutes.