Apart from choosing sea fishing lures, saltwater fishing reels or the right saltwater fishing rods you will definitely need to know about the tidal movements.
Saltwater or sea fishing does require some additional information that is not required when you fish fresh water. Estuary fishing can be considered saltwater as can the mouths of rivers.
What we are looking at is those areas affected by these tidal movements.
You will need to be aware of how much movement you are likely to get with the tide. This is important regardless of whether you fish from a boat, the rocks or the beach because the tides affect the fishes eating/hunting patterns and your access to the water.
Launching and retrieving a boat can be quite dangerous if there is significant wave action on an exposed ramp and impossible if the tide is too low to get the trailer deep enough to get the boat on. There is a risk of bogging the trailer or tow vehicle.
On the rocks there is a risk of being trapped by a rising tide, especially if the fish are biting and you leave your escape a bit late. Always plan your escape route before you begin fishing and keep your tackle in a manner which will enable you to grab it and run if need be.
You can have similar dangers when fishing from a beach if it is surrounded by high cliffs so the same rules as rock fishing apply, plan your escape route first and watch the tides. The tides can come up surprisingly fast if you are having fun catching fish. The “just one more” syndrome has drowned many fishermen in the past and will do so again, don’t let it be you or your fishing companions.
There is an excellent desktop tool to help you with planning your next fishing trip. It is a small program which can be customized for your local fishing area and will give you the tide times and heights for any day of the year. This is current information and, depending on how close the nearest tidal recording station is to your favored location, is accurate to within minutes and height. The best bit is that it is totally free. Download the Local Tides calculator here.
Whether you are looking to make your fishing trip safer or just to catch more fish this tool can help in the planning.
More information about saltwater fishing, rods, reels and sea fishing lures in the next post.