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Do Tides Matter?


BigHorse

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Hi all, I've been trying to understand tides for fishing around the lake. I get that some times of the tides are more productive then others. That was all till today when i was watching someone catching jew and they said that tide in the middle of the lake didnt matter? I have been hearing that tides in general play a big part in catching no fish to catching buckets of fish. 

My question is, do tides matter and if so in what cases?

Bighorse

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Tides are important for most species as it controls what direction the baitfish travel in and then where the predators would be located. For example, people normally pump nippers at low tide so when it's high tide, the water covers the sand banks and the predators come looking for an easy feed.

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Tides,times,days,weeks,months,years,seasons,baits,plastics,day,night,shore, boat fishing don't matter to me.

One thing that I find 100% consistent is I'm a terrible fisherman.

One thing I know is sitting here on the couch with my line out of the water won't increase my chances of catching that whopper!!

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Time and tides definately afect prime feeding times for some species however if given the opportunity to feed by encountering a prime bait they will eat it regardless of t and t.  The main thing is if you like fishing and have the opportunity,  go for it.   Ron 

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Hi BH,

You've just hit on one of the two topics that really get under my skin (the other is barometric pressure).

Many years of TV program hosts talking about within 1 hour either way of high or low tide is the best time to fish has resulted in many people blindly believing or repeating it.

Here is my take on it. Firstly, the whole harbour or water system does not start firing up as soon as the tide falls within these magical windows. If it were that simple I'd check out the tide charts and then head down to the water, catch fish for 2 hours and then go on to my next activity. Doesn't work like that for me or anyone I fish with.

Do I believe tides matter - on the whole, yes. It is not so much the tide but what is happening during the tide and at specific locations. Examples:

  • Mangroves. On a rising tide fish can move into them to pick at insects or food dropping from the trees. On a falling tide food can get washed out.
  • Back eddies around structures in the water depending on which way the tide is flowing. These might trap small baitfish.
  • Sand flats when the fish can move in to feed on yabbies or crustaceans and the oysters on the rocks
  • Long reef as the incoming tide hits the wall and pushes the smaller fish over the lip
  • Spit bridge in Sydney. There is a lot of water coming through that narrow neck into and out of Middle Harbour meaning the tidal flow is pretty quick through there. Fish will generally not want to work hard for their food as it wastes energy (watch trout in a stream as they hide in the eddies created by structure and pop into the stream to grab an insect then pop back to their holding point). On the low and high tide as the water changes direction it is easier for them to sit in that area. They could also hide in the eddies in front of or behind the bridge pylons and waiting for food to come past.
  • Oyster leases as the water moves over them exposing the other residents to the predatory fish.

I do keep a tide chart in my car. On low tide there are areas I like to fish (e.g. walking on the rocks and oysters around the edges of bays). High tides make these impractical to fish so I head to other spots that give me good access on a high tide.

Fish are also opportunistic feeders. Put the right thing in front of them at the right time and they'll probably take it regardless of what the tide is doing at that particular time. When my line is in the water I have a chance at catching a fish so my approach has been to get out there and fish whenever I can.

Just some food for thought.

Derek

Edited by DerekD
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That pretty much sums it up, fish don't starve because it's high tide, the tide affects where fish might/can be, but that's about it, they feed when feeds there and they are hungry. That said, just turning up to a convenient spot (regardless of the tide) hurling out a black frozen prawn of 50lb line with a kilo of lead on a 10/0 hook is not the way to catch fish consistently. To be successful, especially in heavily fished city locations requires a fair degree of skill and patience.

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1 hour ago, noelm said:

That pretty much sums it up, fish don't starve because it's high tide, the tide affects where fish might/can be, but that's about it, they feed when feeds there and they are hungry. That said, just turning up to a convenient spot (regardless of the tide) hurling out a black frozen prawn of 50lb line with a kilo of lead on a 10/0 hook is not the way to catch fish consistently. To be successful, especially in heavily fished city locations requires a fair degree of skill and patience.

Thanks mate. Just got to got out and practice aye.

13 hours ago, Fab1 said:

Tides,times,days,weeks,months,years,seasons,baits,plastics,day,night,shore, boat fishing don't matter to me.

One thing that I find 100% consistent is I'm a terrible fisherman.

One thing I know is sitting here on the couch with my line out of the water won't increase my chances of catching that whopper!!

Thanks mate only a couple more weeks then you'll be out there👍

18 hours ago, turtleeater said:

Tides are important for most species as it controls what direction the baitfish travel in and then where the predators would be located. For example, people normally pump nippers at low tide so when it's high tide, the water covers the sand banks and the predators come looking for an easy feed.

Thanks for the help.👍

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19 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi BH,

You've just hit on one of the two topics that really get under my skin (the other is barometric pressure).

Many years of TV program hosts talking about within 1 hour either way of high or low tide is the best time to fish has resulted in many people blindly believing or repeating it.

Here is my take on it. Firstly, the whole harbour or water system does not start firing up as soon as the tide falls within these magical windows. If it were that simple I'd check out the tide charts and then head down to the water, catch fish for 2 hours and then go on to my next activity. Doesn't work like that for me or anyone I fish with.

Do I believe tides matter - on the whole, yes. It is not so much the tide but what is happening during the tide and at specific locations. Examples:

  • Mangroves. On a rising tide fish can move into them to pick at insects or food dropping from the trees. On a falling tide food can get washed out.
  • Back eddies around structures in the water depending on which way the tide is flowing. These might trap small baitfish.
  • Sand flats when the fish can move in to feed on yabbies or crustaceans and the oysters on the rocks
  • Long reef as the incoming tide hits the wall and pushes the smaller fish over the lip
  • Spit bridge in Sydney. There is a lot of water coming through that narrow neck into and out of Middle Harbour meaning the tidal flow is pretty quick through there. Fish will generally not want to work hard for their food as it wastes energy (watch trout in a stream as they hide in the eddies created by structure and pop into the stream to grab an insect then pop back to their holding point). On the low and high tide as the water changes direction it is easier for them to sit in that area. They could also hide in the eddies in front of or behind the bridge pylons and waiting for food to come past.
  • Oyster leases as the water moves over them exposing the other residents to the predatory fish.

I do keep a tide chart in my car. On low tide there are areas I like to fish (e.g. walking on the rocks and oysters around the edges of bays). High tides make these impractical to fish so I head to other spots that give me good access on a high tide.

Fish are also opportunistic feeders. Put the right thing in front of them at the right time and they'll probably take it regardless of what the tide is doing at that particular time. When my line is in the water I have a chance at catching a fish.

Just some food for thought.

Derek

I've gotta say this one annoys me too (don't even get me started on the bloody barometer).

It's painful for me to think of all the times as a beginner that I didn't go fishing because I thought the tides weren't right 🤦‍♂️

Sure, tides are important, but so are a million other variables that alter in their importance from moment to moment. 

The tide info is not useful unless you combine it with a more comprehensive set of data ie water temp, wind direction, water clarity, availability of food, structure etc etc etc

Better yet, go fishing anytime you have a chance.  You'll probably find over time that you can catch fish on any tide you like.

 

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Tides determine where I fish , not so much when. I love a pre dawn start. Low tide I fish drop offs. High tide I fish the sand flats. Jew love the deep water on an ebb tide. The rock walls must have a run in the tide. No flow No Go !!  Howard.

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A lot of opinions on this thread and interesting to read the different views Raiders have on this question.

I wrote a long reply to this the other night but lost it before posting.

My two bobs worth: tides are very, very important, especially for fishing estuaries, beaches and rocks. The intertidal zone is one of the richest food sources for fish and tidal movement not only gives fish access to this zone and its resources, it also washes food into deeper water making it available to fish.

Of course other factors come into play such as the time of the year and day, cloudiness, wind and swell conditions, recent weather especially floods and heatwaves and so on. Many of these are factors which only become apparent on the day you go to fish whereas the tides can be predicted well in advance.

I always plan my fishing around the tides. The other factors I mentioned above help me to determine what fish I will target, what bait to collect and where I will go to fish.

As usual, it's a matter of fishing often in a range of conditions throughout the year at a variety of spots till you get learn how things work. Eventually you get to the point where you only go fishing when you have a good chance of getting a feed.

KB

 

 

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Nest tide To go fishing is “any tide” and Best time to go fishing, is “any time”.

If you do this you’ll learn, that for the area you fish there are times and tides that produces more or better fish, just gotta get out there and find out when.

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