Tides

Unless you've fished the bottom beats for seatrout and salmon you'll have been able to ignore the tide. In all sea fishing an understanding of the tide is vital.

A complete tidal cycle runs through two high tides and two low tides in about 25 hours. Each day the tides will be roughly an hour later than those of the previous day, but they vary considerably. Tidal patterns repeat in a two week cycle.

For a few days around the new moon and again at full moon there will be 'spring' tides, the high tides will be higher and the low tides will be lower than average. Around half-moon there will be 'neap' tides that are much weaker than usual.

Buy a tide-table for the area in which you fish, if you go to a different area you'll need a different table. Local papers often give the tides for the next couple of days, but they're no use in planning ahead. The table will give the predicted time ( usually G.M.T. ) and height ( in metres ) of each high and low tide. Note the heights of the tides. In some places the neap tide may only rise a little over a foot, and springs about eight feet, in others the neaps will be over 13 feet, and springs may rise 40 feet. BEWARE!

The rising tide must be treated with respect. Getting stuck in estuary mud, or breaking an ankle on rocks at low tide are potentially lethal. A high tide may force you back against the base of a cliff where larger waves might smash you against jagged stone, or descending rocks pepper your skull. A falling tide may generate savage currents that can sweep the unwary wader off their feet and carry them out to sea in moments.

Use the rule of twelfths as a rough guide. Divide the amount by which the tide will rise by twelve. In the first hour after low water the tide will rise one twelfth, in the second hour another two twelfths, in the third and fourth hours by three twelfths each, the fifth hour two twelfths, and the rest in the last hour to high water. The falling tide follows the same pattern. If you are going to get into trouble it will probably happen in the middle two hours of the tide when half the rise occurs.

All this is good general advice, but there are huge local variations, especially in shallow water and estuaries.

Be sensible: If you're going anywhere off the beaten track, ask ( and take ) advice locally, and leave word of where you'll be. Reduce the danger by going with a friend.

There are other advantages to understanding tides. If the fish start to feed at 3pm on Saturday, expect them again at 4pm on Sunday. Don't go back next week, the tides will be wrong. Go back a fortnight later and the pattern should repeat itself.

Distorted tides

Large expanses of shallow water, narrow entrances, and other bottlenecks distort the tides.

High tide may be a few minutes later than on the open coast.

The tide falls fast for a couple of hours, then remains low, or drops slowly, for a long time.

The rise is delayed and then happens quickly.

I know a place where the tide falls and stands for ten hours, and then rises in two. Published tide tables refer to the open coast, they are generally accurate. You will have to ask locally about tidal variations in restricted waters.