Fishing the tides

[baitstealer]

Do you fish before, during or after the high tide change?
When have you had your most success.

[Monty]

I fish whenever I can regardless of the tides.
I think that each areas structure or location determines the best portion of the tide that is most productive.
Personally I really enjoy fishing ocean side during the low tide (a couple hours before through a couple hours of the incoming). During this period I can wade out to sand bars or fish cuts in the bars. Structure is more apparent and although it may not be the most productive time to fish those areas, I love to throw plugs at the structure, bars, rips, cuts, etc..

[finchaser]

when ever but like the last 2 of incoming and first 2 of out going the best they have always been good to me just about everywhere I've fished.

[wish4fish]

when ever but like the last 2 of incoming and first 2 of out going the best they have always been good to me just about everywhere I've fished.

yeah your right but im bored gonna go out now and fish the incoming, bunker chucks, beats watching tv

[Stripercoast1]

1 word, Location.
Tides affect some places differant than others. Being a rock hopper as I am almost forced to be here in Rhodie, some reefs are better at differant tide stages than others. I can start at the south coast, fishing the turn of the high, work my way north hitting places along the way that produce best on the outflow, until I end up on a rock thats best on the incoming. The only other important factor is wind, and I have places that I hit for any given wind direction. Then theres weather, got those bases covered too, although not quite as important, as the deep water reefs can take the barometer right out of the equation.

[williehookem]

when ever but like the last 2 of incoming and first 2 of out going the best they have always been good to me just about everywhere I've fished.

This makes the most sense to me too. I would also add that sometimes I have had great luck on the bottom of the outgoing, or right as it changes to incoming. This seems to happen mostly in the summer for me, I don't know if any other folks notice the same thing.

[baitstealer]

I wanted to see if there was a possibly of catching fish during slack tides. I did read that during slack tides you need to find a place with some sort of current.

Here is an article I found thought a newbie ight learn something.

All about tides
2008-01-19

Understanding the tides helps you know when to fish. Just like people, fish have active periods and rest periods. Unlike people, fish's actives are determined by the tides. The tide tells the fish when to be on the move for food and when to rest. Because fish don't have eyelids, they cannot close their eyes to rest. Instead, most species remain inactive during certain tides.

Tides are up-and-down movements of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the Earth. As the tide rises and falls, water flows in and out of bays, feeding behavior in fish. Whereas tidal changes have little effect far offshore and are of no concern to anglers who venture there in boats, tides are of the utmost importance when fishing inshore waters.

In most locations, the tide changes 4 times a day, resulting in 2 high tides and 2 low tides. Low tide occurs roughly 6 hours after high tide. At the end of each rising and falling tide, there is a period called 'slack tide', when there is little or no current, or movement of water, in or out of the bays, harbors, and estuaries. Slack tide usually lasts 2.75 to 3 hours, although it varies with location.
Published tide tables, such as those found in local newspapers, are general approximations. A strong wind from offshore can create a high tide sooner than predicted. When the wind is blowing against the incoming tide, the opposite occurs.

During slack tide, most saltwater predator fish that frequent inshore waters rest and do not seek food. Slack tide, therefore, is usually an unproductive time to fish inshore-which isn't to say that it's not worth a try. For example, anglers who like to be on the water at the very beginning of a tidal change often find themselves on the water during a slack tide. By presenting the proper bait, along with chumming or chunking, it is possible to provoke fish into feeding during a slack tide.

A rising tide is referred to as a 'flood tide'; a falling tide is called an 'ebb tide'. The change in water level is determined by the phase of the moon and the relative positions of the Earth, the moon and the sun.

Each month, the moon goes though 4 phases: new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter (aka: third quarter). The new moon and the full moon occur when the moon, sun, and Earth are in a nearly direct line with one another. This increases the overall gravitational pull on the Earth, which causes relatively high high tides and relatively low low tides. These extreme tides are called 'spring tides', which has nothing to do with the season.

During the first quarter moon and the last quarter moon, the moon, sun, and Earth form the points of a triangle, with the Earth at the apex. This arrangement generates less gravitational pull on the earth, causing relatively low high tides and relatively high low tides. These more moderate tides are called 'neap tides'. Naturally, currents are stronger during spring tides than during neap tides.

Using the tide to Catch Fish

When the tide begins to ebb, the current forces baitfish into deeper water, concentrating them into smaller areas and making them easy prey for larger predator fish. The ebb tide thus trggers the predators' feeding instinct. Flood tides also trigger the feeding instinct and predator fish lie in wait for baitfish to flow into the mouths of inlets, bays, harbors, and estuaries or along the surf. Fishing action subsides during slack tides because baitfish disperse themselves, seeking shelter from predators. There are exceptions, but this is what happens with each ebb and flood tide for most areas on the East and West coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico.
As a rule of thumb, the best fishing takes place 1.5 to 2 hours after the ebb and flood tides begin. Tide tables appear daily in many newspapers, my website , and many tackle shops give them away. Read them for the approximate times, but remember that weather conditions can make the tides occur earlier or later than "scheduled," and not all fish feed during a rising or falling tide.

http://www.fishingidiots.com/2008/01...out-tides.html

[surfstix1963]

when ever but like the last 2 of incoming and first 2 of out going the best they have always been good to me just about everywhere I've fished.

I agree thats the best times to hit it and be fairly consistent.I will get there a little earlier just to scope it out a bit.

[gjb1969]

when i can any tide i can

[storminsteve]

1 word, Location.
Tides affect some places differant than others. Being a rock hopper as I am almost forced to be here in Rhodie, some reefs are better at differant tide stages than others. I can start at the south coast, fishing the turn of the high, work my way north hitting places along the way that produce best on the outflow, until I end up on a rock thats best on the incoming. The only other important factor is wind, and I have places that I hit for any given wind direction. Then theres weather, got those bases covered too, although not quite as important, as the deep water reefs can take the barometer right out of the equation.

Good post, well said.

[UrbanFishingMan]

This 63 was caught at slack low
i know this because Rob Koch walked past me to begin fishing
i went home because the bite slowed down by then.
just fish & stop thinking so much.
big fish hit at slack tides so they won't use up energy fighting the current!

[DarkSkies]

I want to thank UrbanFishingMan for his feedback here.

He fishes some of the most dangerous water on the East Coast. Big fish live in that current. If you don't figure out when they're feeding and clever tricks for presentation you would never know they are there.

For example, the guys up there are big proponents of 3 way bucktailing when fishing from a boat. Otherwise there is no feasible way to reach the fish as they are not on the top during most stages of the tide.

However, when you have extreme current, as UFM states, some of the best opportunity will come at slack...










********
Other areas.....
Tide stage may be less important, but anytime you have strong currents (inlets, rips, points, river outflows, jetties, etc.).....the stage of tide is key....

There are some places I fish, that if you are not there for the exact 1/2 hour when they are feeding, you will think there are no fish there at all...and think to yourself...."that's dead water I won't waste my time there next time"

That's one of the reasons I recommend an intimate knowledge of each area....I have found fish feeding at vastly different stages of the tide in as small an area as a mile of beachfront....









IMO you can't learn this from an internet forum, or seminar, or book. You have to go out there, fish the whole tide, and then start to make assessments based upon your results.

A good surfcaster looks for patterns.
Learns to exploit those patterns to his advantage when the fishing is good.
And...most importantly, tries to rise above adversity when there is no discernible pattern (as has been the case lately for me) and try to figure out if there is anything at all... that will show you any small glimpse of a pattern...

This is why good logs are important....
If you know moon tides are good for bigger fish, get your A** out there and fish for them at that time.,.no excuses...
If you know a certain month and water temp range will produce bigger fish, get out there and make it your priority to try during that time...

And above all, do not read your logs as if set in stone...for even the best previous intel, requires a probing mind to decipher and apply it to the present.....

[storminsteve]

There are some places I fish, that if you are not there for the exact 1/2 hour when they are feeding, you will think there are no fish there at all...and think to yourself...."that's dead water I won't waste my time there next time"

That's one of the reasons I recommend an intimate knowledge of each area....I have found fish feeding at vastly different stages of the tide in as small an area as a mile of beachfront....









IMO you can't learn this from an internet forum, or seminar, or book. You have to go out there, fish the whole tide, and then start to make assessments based upon your results.

A good surfcaster looks for patterns.
Learns to exploit those patterns to his advantage when the fishing is good.
And...most importantly, tries to rise above adversity when there is no discernible pattern (as has been the case lately for me) and try to figure out if there is anything at all... that will show you any small glimpse of a pattern...

This is why good logs are important....
If you know moon tides are good for bigger fish, get your A** out there and fish for them at that time.,.no excuses...
If you know a certain month and water temp range will produce bigger fish, get out there and make it your priority to try during that time...

....

Golden, dark, I would not have gotten fish the other night if I didn't listen to your specific advice. Thanks again brother.

[jigfreak]

That's one of the reasons I recommend an intimate knowledge of each area....I have found fish feeding at vastly different stages of the tide in as small an area as a mile of beachfront....

IMO you can't learn this from an internet forum, or seminar, or book. You have to go out there, fish the whole tide, and then start to make assessments based upon your results.

A good surfcaster looks for patterns.

Amen, there are also patterns of when bait comes into or goes out of an inlet or sedge bank area. I see guys come up, make 3 casts, an leave. There is no way to tell the fish are there or not there with only 3 casts.

[DarkSkies]

Low tide strategies......

...the fish wait for no one....

I try to hammer this theme through, whenever I run across someone who isn't catching.....
Also want to point out that no matter how much you plan, or try to figure fish out......the behavior the next night could be something completely against the norm. When you find that, you have to adapt, and roll with it.

I talk all the time about how bunker come in with the flood tide, leave with the ebb....
Last night that pattern didn't hold, and they were there by the thousands, on a part of a tide they should not have been, and not where the prevailing winds should have put them........

I caught fish because of the bunker....easy fishing
And when they left they took all the fish in the area with them......

Nonetheless, when the tide changed, the fish came back, now feeding on the abundant shrimp...harder fishing....high activity....but a lot harder to tease these fish into hitting artificials.

My fishing was eventually ended by the building E wind.....(curses to that wind pattern)....
Overall, a fair night of catching., but a great night of activity.........














Something I typed yesterday to help someone out....thought it fit here for the fishing I was doing......

**Low tide Strategies.....

Generally speaking.....without giving up too much in terms of specific spots....

1. My low tide areas that produce best, are areas that tend to concentrate the fish in a particular area......This is where low tide can be an asset...

2. Sometimes the window is small because you will have to do some wading to get to them...this is true for back bay or inlet spots where there may be some deeper areas/sloughs, out there....and wading is the way to get to them.

3. Be especially careful on sandbars, at night, and during moon tides....if you do get into fish you have to have the discipline to leave them feeding, because you getting back safely is the priority.....people die every year because they lose sight of this in pursuit of bigger fish.....some sad stories surface every year....so be careful.

4. Always have a plan B in case you have trouble getting back...know your limitations....If you really start to explore in detail as you begin to see the opportunities (often fish will be holding just on the other side of a sand bar, and it is pure adrenaline on the nights when you manage to find them)

5. As you learn more and are willing to expand your skill set,,,,you really should invest in a wetsuit....much safer.....at the very least a good wading belt...remember no fish is worth your life.....


Hope this helps, good luck....