Contributing Writer Mark Rackay
"Old Dead-Eye"
Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse, Colorado
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Fresh Water Tides
Living in the Florida Keys, our lives revolved around the tides. Flowing water from either incoming or outgoing tides determined where and when you should go fishing. Many anglers had a preference for incoming or outgoing, and it often was a heated dispute as to which one was better, but they all agreed that slack tide (no movement) was the worse.
It wasn’t just fishers who cared about the tides. The tides cause major fluctuations in the depth of water, and in an area like the keys, this made a big difference. Normal tides would raise or lower the depth 1 to 2 feet. When you have a cut or channel that is only 3 feet deep to start with, a low tide could put an end to all your forward motion. Sitting hard aground with a million-dollar yacht, looking like the SS Minnow, does not usually fit the “yacht club” image those people strive for.
Tides are very long waves that move across the world oceans. They are caused by the gravitational forces exerted on the earth by the moon, and to a lesser extent, the sun. When the highest point in the wave, or the crest, reaches a coast, the coast experiences a high tide. When the lowest point, or the trough, reaches a coast, the coast then experiences a low tide. As the earth spins, different areas of the planet face the moon, and this rotation causes the tides to cycle around the planet.
Tides on the ocean generally fluctuate between 2 and 6 feet. Some areas of the world experience much greater fluctuations. Normally, there are 2 high tides and 2 low tides each day, at roughly 6-hour intervals. Winds can alter tidal rises and falls, depending on the direction and velocity. Hurricane storm surges are an extreme example of how much wind can alter tidal levels. The highest tide in history was recorded at springs in Leaf Basin in Ungave Bay, Quebec, Canada, in 1953, measuring 54 ½ feet.
The oceans, being essentially one massive, connected body of water, have tides because they are so vast that they can be moved by gravity. Unlike the oceans, the tides do not occur in freshwater lakes and streams. Even the Great Lakes don’t experience tides because they just aren’t big enough. Well, maybe they do, but just smaller ones. Water levels in the Great Lakes are mostly affected by wind.
Wind creates a natural phenomenon called a seiche, a change in water level across the lake because of wind or atmospheric pressure. A seiche can last several hours at minimum, and up to 14 hours in the extreme. People often think this is a tide, but it is not. Wind can also cause meteotsunamis waves up to 10 feet in height, generated by wind or atmospheric pressure, lasting up to several hours.
The tides in the great Lakes do occur, but on a very small level. Water fluctuations generally are between 4 or 5 centimeters. Movement that low can often be overtaken by the winds, so the tides are usually not noticeable.
The moon affects the waters by fluctuating the levels, even to the minute amounts it moves freshwater, but the phases of the moon often affect fishing. Fish, both salt and freshwater, tend to come to the surface during the full moon cycle, mainly because the bright lunar light attracts them.
From many years of fishing both fresh and salt water, I have found that fishing is fair the week of the full moon, all the way to the actual day of full, but drops to a standstill for the week thereafter. This was especially evident during the tarpon seasons.
Fishing has always come back to life on the weeks of the New Moon. On the other hand, many species really become active on the full moon cycles, such as largemouth bass. Water insects and crawfish emerge in hordes during the full moon times. This can throw the bass into a feeding frenzy.
Tides are predictable and most coastal areas offer tide predictions. Predictions show the time of the high or low tide and how much the water is predicted to rise or fall. They are called predictions because nature can alter the times and depth with such things as wind.
Tides can affect hunters and fishers without a movement of freshwater. There is evidence that the action of the sun and the moon influence the activity of all living beings. The times of day in which living beings show greater activity are called the solunar periods.
There are available solunar tables for all parts of the country that can predict when the affects of high tide and low tide impact a region, even though the area is nowhere near the ocean. Hunters and fishers use these tables to determine the best days of the month and times of the day that fish and game will be most active, translating to the best time for you to hunt or catch. These tables show the time of the tides, sunrise, and sunset times, and offer windows of time when game will be most active.
Are the solunar tables accurate? Generally. Tides, for example, are affected by the topography of the coastline. The times can vary by as much as 20 minutes or more along the same stretch of the coast. It would be impossible for the tables to incorporate this into their predictions, so don’t set your watch by the tables as it is a guide only.
If you are still not convinced, try keeping a record of when you had the most fish or game activity during the day, and compare it with the charts later. Keep it up for several months and I think you will find these tables are quite accurate and helpful in the field.
The problem I found with the tide tables was that the best days of the month were always days that I had to work. My boss did not accept the “I feel sick” routine, so I always had to stay. That left weekends for hunting and fishing, but as luck would have it, the tables are showing weak tides for the weekend. Just my luck. At least I will have an excuse for not catching anything.
Mark Rackay
Mark Rackay is a columnist for the Montrose Daily Press, Delta County Independent, and several other newspapers, as well as a feature writer for several saltwater fishing magazines. He is an avid hunter and world class saltwater angler, who travels around the world in search of adventure and serves as a Director and Public Information Officer for the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse.
