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Understanding the influence of tides is vital to fishing
success. Tide is generally referred to as the vertical rise and
fall of water due to the gravity of the moon and sun. Under a
full or new moon, the gravity from the moon and sun are
additive. During these times, the greatest tidal changes
occur. The tides of the full or new moon are called spring
tides. Tides in the Chesapeake Bay are semi-diurnal, meaning
there are two highs and to lows per day. It takes a little over
six hours for the tide to change from one extreme to the other.
While vertical tidal changes on the Chesapeake are small (2ft.),
they impact the location of fish in shallow water. As a general
rule, gamefish like striped bass move closer to shore on high
tides to feed around structure that they cannot safely reach on
low tides. When fishing the shallows, it is important to notice
the tidal height when you find fish at specific locations.
During extreme highs or lows, you will find fish in areas that
typically do not hold them. Generally extreme tides are the
combination of the general gravitational forces plus the
influence of wind. Strong wind can push large amounts of water
causing a raise or fall in water level. Here on the western
shore of the Chesapeake, strong northeast wind will stack up the
water causing abnormally high tides, while strong southwest wind
will cause abnormally low tides. I also find that during fall
and winter, the tides tend to run lower on average – possibly
due to the tilt of the earth’s axis.
Horizontal current is created from vertical tidal movement.
Fish are opportunist feeders and rely on current to catch
smaller prey in the fast moving water. As a general rule, fish
feed most actively during times of strong current. For example,
it is critical to fish a fast moving current at night when
targeting stripers under the bridge lights of the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge Tunnel. Current direction will influence where fish will
congregate. I will only fish certain spots on an outgoing
current and others on an incoming current based on the way water
moves around particular points, channels or structure.
Understanding local variations in current flow for your given
area is important. I find that the time of slack current can
vary greatly in a short distance. There are spots that I fish
1mile offshore where the time of slack current occurs 1.5 hours
later than directly inshore. Using this knowledge can help you
plan your day to take advantage of moving current. Wind can
play a role in current, as well. If a strong wind is blowing in
the same direction as the tidal driven current, the current
speed will increase and vice versa. It is a good idea to plan
to fish during an incoming current during a strong NE wind,
because the wind and tide will be working together to cause a
fast moving current.
I hope you have found this tutorial to be useful, because
understanding tides can help decode the mystery of fishing! |
