KEY TAKEAWAYS: FLY FISHING SALTWATER AND TIDES
The sun’s and the moon’s gravitational pull determine the type of tide.The new moon and the full moon coincide with the
spring tides.In between the new moon and the full moon, we have the
neap tides.There are two spring tides and two neap tides per 28-day cycle.Spring tides have lower lows and higher highs: greater variance between low and high.Neap tides are more uniform but lower in general: lesser variance between low and high.There is a huge amount of variables that will affect tide size on a given day or time period: wind, geography, topography of the bottom of the water, nearby bodies of water, weather, and deflection.Deflection is the distance an area is away from where the water filters in.You can have two lows and two highs in places like the Bahamas, so the particular type of tide is happening twice a day at times.Places like the Yucatan can have wide variance in types of tides because of other external factors. Because of this, you need to consider the tide patterns of a given destination before you plan your trip.Tides are hugely important when it comes to fish species. Certain species, like permit and giant trevally, prefer deeper water while bonefish often prefer shallow flats, so you want to be at your destination when these conditions are present.Scott has some really telling examples in the podcast about specific species and destinations and how tides affect them.
LINKS AND RESOURCES FOR THE PODCAST
Angling Destinations
Fly Paper: Scott’s blog
scott@anglingdestinations.com
Angling Destinations on Facebook
Scott’s article on bonefish and tides
Nautical software (No longer available)
Helpful site on everything having to do with tides