Tides is the movements of water in a predictable cycle. The tides influence the movement of fish and baitfish. The tides change direction twice every day and create four stage of water movement.
The tides determine where baitfish are locate. The tides determine where predatory fish is located. The movements of the tides will help to determine when and where to fish.
How Tides Affect Fishing
The first stage of the tides is known as an incoming tide. The incoming tide pushes the water into shallow area like grass flats. Predatory fish like redfish and snook that want to eat the baitfish will chase areas populated with baitfish and shrimp.
It is more easy to sight fish during this stage of the tide. The tide reaches its highest point during high tide. High tide is a period of slowed water movement.
The baitfish will scatter away from structure during high tide. During this time, fish like tarpon or sheepshead will be seen eat the baitfish. The second stage of the tide is known as the outgoing tide.
During this stage, the water drain from creeks and marshes. During an outgoing tide, food and baitfish are funneled through the channels where predatory fish like striped bass, bluefish, and trout is seen waiting for the baitfish to be caught. These fish can be sighted during an outgoing tide.
After the outgoing tide is completed is the slack low tide stage. Slack low tide is a period where there is no water movement. Fish like flounder and black drum are seen staying in hole in the ocean floor duri
There are different fish species that react different than the various tidal stages according to the way in which they find their food.
Red drum fish will move onto the flats to find their food of crab during the incoming tide. Snook fish use the incoming tide to move into new cover from which they can ambush their prey. Trout and bluefish species tend to hunt for food during the outgoing tide when the outgoing tide displace the shrimp from the back bays.
Flounder species hunt during the slack tide as they are fish that dwell on the ocean floor. Each of these species follow the tides in their specific manner to ensure that they can find their food. The speed of the tidal current can influence how angler should fish.
With a light tidal current, small lure can be used. However, with tidal currents that move at a fasterer rate than two knots per minute, heavier weights and larger sized lure are required to catch the fish. Due to the fact that water containing tidal movement contain more dissolved oxygen than stagnant water, fish will often gather at the edge of these tidal currents.
Therefore, anglers can fish in various areas, but must be aware of the movement of the baitfish in those areas. The moon phases influence the strength of the tides. During spring tides, which occur around the new moon and full moon, the tidal movements of the oceans are the strongest.
Between these spring tides are the neap tides, during which the tidal movements are the weakest. The time of day also influence the behavior of fish, interacting with the tidal cycle to create specific behaviors. For instance, fish are active at both dawn and dusk during certain tidal stage of the tidal cycle.
In order to successfully fish for these species, anglers must monitor the tidal cycles and where the fish moves according to these cycles. The tidal charts for a specific area will reveal the times of incoming, high, outgoing and slack tides. Additionally, anglers should observe the movement of the baitfish to determine where the predatory fish will be found.
By understanding the tidal cycles and the movement of the fish according to these cycles, anglers will have a better chance of success in there attempt to catch these fish species.