Article by Sue Foster
Tides…
One of our most asked questions are about tides. What tide should we fish? When’s high or low tide? How long does it last? When does the tide come in? When does the tide go out? What’s the tide in a certain place in the bay? How long does it stay high?
The definition of tides, according Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on the internet: “The alternate rising and falling of the sea, usually twice in each lunar day at a particular place, due to the attraction of the moon and sun.”
There are usually two high and two low tides each day. Every 5 hours and 50 minutes the tide will change. If there is a “blank” in the tide table, it means there are 2 AM tides and only one PM tide, or there are 2 PM tides and only one AM tide. This may seem confusing but if you look at them closely, you will see that “blank” will be real close to midnight. For example, Oct. 24th on our Oyster Bay tide charts read that high tide is 5:36 AM and 5:59 PM. Low tide is 11:55 AM and there is a blank for low tide PM. That means that the PM low tide is around midnight. Since it is a few minutes after midnight, making it an AM tide on the following day, so they make a blank….
Most of the tide charts in our area are calculated from ocean tides and you have to convert them for the bay and inlet areas. You wouldn’t think it takes 2 hours for the tide to come into an inlet, but it does! So rule of thumb is to add 2 hours to the inlet tide to calculate the tides in the bay.
We always figure the Route 50 Bridge is a good landmark for adding 2 hours. The further up in the bay you are, the more you need to add to calculate the tides. Add about 2 ½ hours for the Thorofare. Add about 3 hours for Route 90. If you are way up there by Northside Park add around 3 to 3 1/2 hours. If you are in the Fenwick Ditch by Harpoon Hannas you may have to add 4 hours or more! The further away from the Inlet you get, the more the tidal flow may be affected by other things such as the wind.
The bay behind Assateague can be affected by other inlets, so this tide is actually a little earlier than the bay behind Ocean City. If you add about an hour to the tide table, you will have the tide for the bay behind Assateague.
“The tide chart says Isle of Wight on it! Isn’t that a bay tide?”
Many tide charts are figured by the ocean tides at the Isle of Wight Shoal, which is offshore in the ocean. It is a totally different place than the Isle of Wight Bay! This confuses people a lot!
The tide at the Inlet is about 2 hours earlier than the bay around the Route 50 Bridge. If you are sitting at the bulkhead at 2nd Street waiting for the incoming tide to slack up, you can run to the inlet and it will slack up earlier there. Many anglers work these tides and move around.
“How long does the tide stay low or high?”
Not very long! Slack tide only lasts about a half hour. That’s why it’s VERY IMPORTANT to get to your fishing location BEFORE the tide is at its peak. For example, on October 24th, the high tide is 5:36 AM. If you add two hours for the bay that means full high tide will be at 7:36 AM. Basic rule of thumb is to get out there and be fishing 2 to 3 hours before high tide and one to two hours after high tide. So if you are fishing the bay, you want to get up at the crack of dawn and be fishing by 5:30 AM. at the latest.
If you are flounder fishing in the bay in a boat, you’ll want to wait for the sun to come up so you can see, but if you are fishing a place like the Route 50 Bridge for flounder, stripers, blues and even tautog, get up there before light and you will probably have a good catch of whatever you are fishing for!
If you are surf fishing, high tide will be at 5:30 AM. so get out there as early as you can. You may miss the incoming tide, but will catch the first of the outgoing tide, which can be very good in the surf. The surf is always good in the early morning hours, no matter what the tide. If you are a surf fisherman, don’t let the tides rule your life. Dawn and dusk are always good.
“When is incoming tide? When is outgoing tide?”
OK, let’s look at October 24th again for an example. Peak high tide in the ocean or on the surf is 5:36 AM. That’s as high as it gets. Then it starts going out. In the bay, that time would be 7:36 AM. Between 5:36 AM (high tide) and 11:55 AM (low tide) the tide will be going “out.” We call that the “outgoing tide.” Between 11:66 AM (low tide) and 5:59 PM (high tide) the tide will be coming into the bays and we call this “incoming tide.” Between 5:59 PM (High Tide and Midnight (Low Tide) the tide will again be an “outgoing tide.”
Most anglers prefer an incoming tide because the water is cleaner and higher. If you are crabbing on one of the piers in the upper bays, the incoming tide is best because the water levels are higher. If you are surf fishing, the incoming tide usually has less troublesome crabs chewing on your bait. The Oceanic Pier usually has better fishing during the incoming tide than the outgoing tide.
However, there are two parts of the outgoing tide that are good. The beginning of the outgoing tide is always good for flounder, stripers, tautog or just about anything. When is the beginning of the outgoing tide? Find peak high tide on the tide chart. For example, on Oct 24th, that would be either 5:36 AM. or 5:59 PM. (add two hours for the bay). At that time the tide is as high as it can get. When it starts moving out we call this the “beginning of the outgoing.” This is usually a very good tide, but may only last about an hour before the water gets dirty.
OK, the other part of the outgoing tide that is good is the “last of the outgoing.” That’s the tide where it is still moving out but is getting very close to low tide. So get the tide chart out. Oct 24th, for example, low tide is at 11:55 AM. So figure an hour before that time, around 10:55 AM. should get you the last of the outgoing tide. In the spring and fall, water temperatures are the warmest on this tide. Especially important when fishing for flounder or tautog.
The other part of tides that you have to understand, is that tide charts will never be precise and “on the nose.” They are a “guide” and that is all. Wind can force a tide in sooner or hold it in longer. Always go fishing earlier so you don’t miss the tide. And if it’s a pretty day, just go fishing!
Hope it helps… good fishing!
Sue Foster is an outdoor writer and co-owner of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Tackle in Fenwick, DE.
