Effect of tides on spearfishing

The tides make a big difference inshore where I hunt, but that is primarily because they dramatically affect the visibility and my ability to find and hold position on the small wrecks. I don't know if the fish care much, except that they seem to stay inside the wrecks a little more when the tide is still.

As a fisherman, the tides have played a major role in how, when and where I fish. Now that I'm learning to spearfish, I'm finding that it does'nt matter to the fish what the tide is doing because they dont have to be hungry for me to catch them. I am, however, having a hard time learning to watch the tide to ensure the best clearity when diving. I can't get it right.
Also, do certian fish only move when the tides are in particular phases?
I'm excited about this thread because this is something I'm not good with. Hopefully some of you more experienced spearos can give good insite.

Nic

Over here (Tampa area), gag grouper tend to face into the current, either in the sand upcurrent of structure or in the structure on the upcurrent side. When the flounder are in, they tend to be in the same general area - close to the structure on upcurrent side. The rest of the reef fish don't seem to care. On big structure, if you have a school of baitfish hanging deep, the gags are usually right under them. Best bet is to drop on the downcurrent side, and crawl towards them. Our currents are usually pretty mild, especially compared to southeast Florida, so it's no big deal to drop 30 or 40 feet behind where you expect the fish to be and crawl or swim upcurrent to where them.

The best way to blow up a spot is to approach from the upcurrent side, where all the gags are watching you come in.

As far as nearshore visibility over here, it depends on more than just the tides. Summertime, the Bay is usually very murky from algae. So outgoing tides are usually dirtier. Except if we have a lot of rain, the algae can die off and after a few days for the mud to clear out, and the inshore visilbity can be better on an outgoing tide. Wintertime, the Bay is usually cleaner than nearshore, so outgoing tides tend to be a little better visibility wise.

Only place tides matter is where they can cause an effect. Places like the intracoastal, bays, inlets, beach.

I've been diving close to the inlets to see if I have better chance to catch fish since everywhere else I try is lacking in fish. Reefs come alive when the tide is going out.

Normally i see more fish when there is a nice current going .

On a high incoming tide, baitfish come rushing in to feed on the new available nutrients - all the big fish move shallower as well. This is true for the beaches. You won't find crap near the beach on an outgoing tide. I know this from fishing.

get pulled in from the deeper water...the theory i always heard, which supports Clark's, is that the sun can heat the surface of the deeper water which pulls the plankton and such up the water column during the low tide and as the tide rises, the micro food is pulled into the shallows.

i also heard this too from beach fishermen.

if you are near an inlet however you can slay on an outgoing tide

It's a theory I've had for a while. Not exactly sure the specifics, but this is how I think it works: on an outgoing tide, the majority of the water is that canal dark brown dirty oil-infested stagnant water. Not too many fish live in this water, and I don't blame them, there's probably not too much oxygen in there. A fact to know is that cooler water holds more oxygen. On an incoming tide, fresh, nutrient-rich cooler water from the gulf stream gets pushed in from offshore. There's gotta be plankton in here as well. If you've ever watched a school of pilchards on an incoming tide, they're actually feeding. When they move up in the water, they open their mouths. They're doing something. They gotta be feeding on something in the water.

Plus, the incoming tide either encourages or forces the bait near the beach, and raises the water levels by up to 4 feet. Places where there wasn't 2 inches of water now can have 4 feet above the sand. The bigger predators move in shallower to feed on the baitfish that moved in close.

Off Hillsboro inlet, on an outgoing tide, you'll have to fish 200 to 350 feet out to catch a wahoo. But on an incoming tide, you can catch that same wahoo in 80 feet, because all the baitfish and bonitas moved in closer.

Anything that gets the big fish closer to the shore is a win for me!

Quote from Roberto Reyes

Normally i see more fish when there is a nice current going .

For me off shore it has been the same...no current, no pelagic game fish with one exception.... local Cali Blue Fin tuna. on a dozen dives over the years I have had the small Blue Fin swim along a wall with a deep drop off on a slack tide as I swam for the boat to change spots. The Island is 60 miles off the coast and the currents at my point can be like a river at times some times wind driven.

Terry Maas's book Blue Water Hunting has a great section on currents.

Cheers, Don

What I have noticed during the summer in the bahamas, is that inshore diving...between the outer islands of the abacos and the barrier reef that sorrounds them...is that during an incoming tide the ocean brings cooler water and the fish seem to be more active. I can feel the thermoclines brought in by the ocean water and focus on searching in that area.