Having a good working knowledge of the tides in your area will greatly increase your angling odds. While I always like to follow the axiom, “The best time to go fishing is whenever you can,” understanding and being able to track tidal fluctuations is invaluable. Let’s start with a quick primer.
While there are numerous factors that influence the tides, it’s the gravitational pull of the moon on the water that has the greatest effect. The moon also affects the Earth’s mass. This means that the oceans on opposite sides of the Earth experience high tides as the Earth is pulled away from the water.
The other object in the solar system that influences the tide is the sun, which has approximately one-half the influence of the moon. When the sun and the moon line up at the full and new moon, their combined influence creates a greater pull, and we experience strong, or “spring,” tides. When the sun and moon are at right angles to each other, during the moon’s first and last quarter, they interfere with each other and we experience weak, or “neap,” tides. In addition, the tidal ranges are greater when the moon and sun are at perigee, or closest to the Earth. Experience will teach the angler how to benefit from the myriad tidal factors that produce good fishing.
I learned a valuable lesson about tides on trips to the Bahamas in search of bonefish. My first several trips were planned to coincide with a full or new moon in order to take advantage of the increased feeding activity that generally takes place during these times. Instead, I found that the bonefish I was stalking would disappear into the mangroves as the tide rose, giving me a shorter window to pursue them along the mangrove fringes. Based on that information, I planned subsequent trips when “neap tides” slowed the progress and size of the tide, providing many more opportunities for sight fishing bones.
Just the opposite is true when I explore local waters. While I still fish whenever I have the opportunity, I target days of extreme high and low tides because I know they stimulate feeding and concentrate fish. Depending on the time of year and the temperature, you can use the tide to take advantage of the season. In the winter when the waters chill down, I like to seek out locations where a late afternoon falling tide brings warm water off the flats. The holes, slues and channels the water drains into attract gamefish and can provide some excellent action.
When fishing the flats, working from the deep water to shallow on the falling tide and in reverse on the rising tide is a very effective way to target fish. Very low tides (during “spring tides”) provide an excellent opportunity to scan the flats for channels, slues and holes on the flats where fish congregate. Armed with this knowledge, anglers can return when the flats are covered with water and benefit from that awareness. Tide charts are valuable because the tide can be varying heights depending on whether you’re fishing in the Gulf or far up a bay.
Planning your day to take advantage of these variations can make a real difference in action. No matter what species you target, you’ll have a better chance at success if you understand and track the tides. They can tell you where to concentrate your effort and help you avoid other less productive areas. Pick up a tide chart at your local tackle shop or download one of a number of excellent apps on your smartphone.
