3 Simple Ways To Tell Which Tide Fishes Best

This past week I was fortunate to connect with a couple nice schools of striped bass while fishing from shore. You can learn more about those experiences by checking out these two Cape Cod fishing reports from this week:

• Cape Cod Fishing Report June 17 | A Perfect Night On The Beach (Part 1)
• A Perfect Night On The Beach (Part 2)

After publishing those two reports I received several emails asking about tides and how to determine which tides will fish best at a particular beach, bay, harbor, cove or estuary.

Some folks thought that high tide was always the best tide for fishing. Others thought low was best. The truth is that the best tide for fishing varies, depending on where you are fishing.

One beach or bay might fish best at high tide, while another close by is better towards low. In this post I am going to do my best to share with you 3 simple ways to tell which tide fishes best at a particular location.

1)  Is There A Gradual Slope To The Beach, Or A Sharp Vertical Slope?

Some beaches on Cape Cod, like the one in the above photo, have a very gradual slope to them. Others, like the below photo, have a vertical slant.

By observing the slope of the beach, you can help determine which tide may fish best.

For most gradually sloped beaches, I like to fish during the lower stages of the tide, because I can walk out onto the flats and sandbars, and cast into the troughs and holes not accessible during the higher stages of the tide.

For most vertically sloped beaches, I like to fish during the higher stages of the tide, because bass will often cruise along the shoreline of vertically sloped beaches,sometimes incredibly close to shore, when the tide is high.

2)  Which Stage Of The Tide Offers The Best Feeding Opportunity?

Stripers will often move around and feed in specific ways and areas, according to the stage of the tide. If you can figure out which tide presents bass with the most ideal feeding opportunity, you will instantly increase your odds of success.

For example, in one spot where I like to fish, bass will wait outside of an inlet, until the incoming tide rises high enough for them to flood into the estuary. As soon as the water level reaches a specific height, the fish literally swim by my feet, up into the estuary.

At another location I like to fish, bass take advantage of bait that becomes trapped in troughs and holes during low tide. As soon as the water level rises, the bait disperses, making it more productive to fish these holes during the low.

To figure out which tide offers the best feeding opportunity, use common sense and try to think like a predator. Take a look around at the structure, and imagine what conditions and tide would create the easiest feeding opportunity for a striper.

3)  What Tide Makes Fishing Easiest For You As The Angler?

A certain tide may turn on the bite, but it's no use for you as the angler, if you cannot reach those fish due to the stage of the tide. This is especially true when fishing from shore.

For example, fishing the below boulder field from shore at low tide is an absolute nightmare. The slippery seaweed and rocks makes moving around very difficult, and arduous.

Yet at high tide, a slippery boulder field may be completely covered with water, which makes fishing much easier.

Same goes for sandbars and sand flats. If you have trouble walking long distances, then you definitely do not want to try fishing at dead low tide, when open water could be a mile away.

You'll save yourself a lot of headaches if you take this tip into consideration when planning a trip. There's nothing worse than putting in a ton of effort and time to reach a spot, just to realize that you won't be able to fish it until the tide turns, which could be hours away!

What do you think? Let me know by commenting below.

Tight lines and take care,

Ryan