How do tides affect fishing you wonder?
Lets first understand what tides are, then we can understand how tides affect fishing. Tides are the rising and falling of the sea level. It is as a result of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon and follows a lunar timetable. In general terms, fishing is generally better when the tide is running, that is, during the middle period of the tide, instead of the peak of the low or high tide when the water is “slack “. Snappers and a lot of other fish species tend to feel more excited when the water is flowing. However, the fish biting regularly slows down with a slow or high water flow. It makes sense to time fishing trips during times that coincide with the tides.
Tides also affects deep-sea fishing, dictating the place where the fish retain their structure and concentrating food in circular movements of water that lead to a small whirlpool and deeper nutrient-rich water pushed to the surface. The impact of the tide is strongest in shallow waters, bay, estuaries and the harbor, as well as around the islands and reefs that “press” the tide through narrow channels.
How high the tides raise will differ depending on the position of the moon relative to the sun. When both are in line, we experience big tides. When they are opposite each other the tidal range is small, once the moon’s orbit brings it closest to Earth every 27.5 days (pedigree) we experience the highest tides in a month. When the moon is at the furthest point from Earth, the tides are lower.
The feeding cycle of several fish is directly affected by the movements of the tides. In most of the world, fish that cling to coastal areas feed mainly on the flood tide when tiny organisms are washed with warm water in winter and with cold water in summer. There are times when the fish feed at the start of the flood tide and the tail end of the ebb tide, This would explain the variation in the diet of fish species from one region to another at different times. What may seem indicative of certain fish species eating habits in one place may not be the same anywhere else at a short distance away.
Tidal flow provides one of the three main things that fish need: food. Current sweeps drag small marine animals and plants along with it, concentrating them in small whirlpools where a structure such as reefs or rocks disrupts the flow of water. All types of fish benefit from this, gathering where the food is concentrated. When small fish and smaller organisms are washed in with the rising tide, the larger fish will follow and feed on them, leaving when the food source is finished.
