How to Determine the Tide Schedule for a Fishing Area

The tide is one of many factors in determining the right time to fish. If that is the only factor available then it is a good place to start. Generally, the greater the tidal change (particularly when there are 2 high or low tides in the day), the better the fishing is. The best times to fish during the tidal cycle are around the changing of the tides, both high (any place) and low (anyplace but coastal marsh and grass where the water is too low for the fish to feed).

Instructions

1

There are many sources of tidal information on the Internet for your area. The University of South Carolina hosts a Web site with this information (see Resources). You can obtain daily, weekly or monthly predictions for hundreds of sites along the coast in graphic or chart form. Chances are you won't be off more than 10 minutes from the predictions for the nearest site to your fishing area.

2

Use the nearest listed site that is on the bay side if you are fishing in a bay behind a long barrier island, such as Galveston or Padre Island in Texas. If you use a gulf side site, there can be up to a 1 1/2 hour difference even though it is closer to you. This is because the tidal flow must go around the ends of the barrier island to change the tide level in the bay.

3

The National Weather Service maintains a series of AM radio stations along the Gulf Coast that broadcast maritime weather and tidal forecasts 24 hours a day. These stations have a short range and you must be near the coast, but you should be able to pick up one of them. Put your radio on AM and scan the frequencies from 162.40 to 162.55. The weather information will come in handy as well. You can also go to their Web site for more information (see Resources.