Deep-Sea Fishing: Unravel the Secrets

A complete and expansive knowledge on tides and their effect on your fishing area are considered to be one of the keys to being successful in deep-sea fishing. Fishing guides and charter-boat captains know this as a fact, and they have been making close studies on currents, tides, and how they affect fishing in their areas.

Revealing the Secret

A lot of deep sea anglers don't know that paying attention to these details can increase their chances in getting a lot of fish. And then there are those who know that tides somehow affect their fishing; but sad to say, they know nothing of how and why this happens.

The deep sea angler who knows his tides can pick the most favorable fishing periods in advance. But the ignorant angler spends so much wasted time trolling, casting and sinker bouncing only to find that he did not catch any fish. This knowledge basically tells us that we can have less of those wasted days and get more fish minus the hassle.

A Basic Knowledge

One does not have to be a tide expert to learn that the tides are due to the gravitational forces brought about by the sun and moon. The moon has greater influence with tides than the sun because it is located nearer to our planet.

The Types of Tides

Whenever the tide rises, water moves towards land. This is called "flood tide". The opposite happens in "ebb tide", when the tide drops and moves its way back to sea. There are times when the tide doesn't move either way. This is termed as the "slack tide". It usually takes a period of six hours for it to rise, and another six hours to get low. Tides occur 50 minutes later than the last for every 24 hours.

Variations of Tides

Tides also vary in the degrees that they drop or rise. When the sun and moon are situated on the Earth's same side, they create a direct line and form the highest tides. This is called the "spring tide" which occurs during the new-moon and full-moon. Tides become higher than their usual state during this time.

The opposite occurs during "neap tides". This occurs during the last and first quarter phases of the moon, when tides don't fall or rise that much.

Choosing the Right Time

Most experts believe that moving tides are more productive than having no currents or tides. This would mean that a fishing trip on a "slack tide" is probably a waste of time.

So when is the right time to go fishing? Experts say that the start of an incoming tide is the most productive period for fishing. This is especially true when you are aiming for gamesters like weakfish, channel bass, striped bass, and bluefish.

The lack of strong currents during "slack tide" allow fish to swim faster and escape their predators, which explains why this is a bad time to go fishing. But when tides start moving, small bait fishes are at the current's mercy. This makes them easier to catch.

The start of an outgoing tide is also a good time to go fishing, simply for the same reasons. The change of tide, whether low or high, is the best and right time to go fishing. So the next time you go fishing, consider the tides and apply your new-found knowledge to avoid a waste of energy, time, and money.