Plenty of sea vegetation and sea animals will tell the angler that fish are likely to feed there during the incoming tide. For these reasons many anglers prefer to go down to sea during spring tide.  For the angler, spring tide lasts 7 days full moon / new moon, as well as the 3 days before and after. On the first of the seven days low tide is not as low as is the case from second day onwards.

TIDES

It is important that a saltwater fisherman should have a tide table in his fishing bag.  This can be obtainable at tackle shops and certain petrol stations. In the tide table the angler will find the time of high tide and low tide for every day, as well as the phases of the moon which indicate when it is spring tide or neap tide.

Every angler should have a basic understanding of the functioning of tides.  Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the the moon. High water and low water each occur twice a day (24 hours). High and low water occur 30 – 45 minutes later each day.

It takes the moon 28 days to complete its elliptical orbit around the earth. Sometimes during this orbit the moon is nearer to the earth than other times and the gravitational pull on the sea differs accordingly. During such an orbit of the moon, four important phases of the moon occur namely : full moon, first quarter, new moon and last quarter. During this period spring tides occur twice, with full moon and a fortnight later with new moon. On these occasions low tide is very low and high tide very high. During first quarter (neap tide) and last quarter (neap tide) the difference between high and low tide is small. First and last quarter occur between full moon and new moon. Special spring tides occur during March and September, due to the equinoxes on 21 March and 22 September every year, when the combined gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the sea is very strong. You will now find exceptionally low and high tides. Consequently, bait and seafood can easily be collected.

WIND

Also influences tides and when a south-easter blows it causes a very low tide. One disadvantage of spring tide is that the sea tends to develop undercurrents and a “back wash”, more so than during neap tide. Tides also influence the feeding habits of fish. Most fish are more active with the incoming tide. In the case of galjoen, for example, you will certainly get more pickups as the water becomes more lively and foamy during the incoming tide. During high tide you are likely to catch the galjoen close to the shore. Shad also prefer high tide. Anglers fishing for kob know that the hour before and after high tide is a prime time. These are not hard and fast rules and fish may be caught at low tide, incoming tide, high tide or outgoing tide.

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What importance do the tides have for the angler?

Tides should certainly be taken into consideration when the angler plans a fishing trip. Some spots are mainly fished during high tide and others during low tide. Because of the extra low water during spring tide the angler can easily obtain bait like red-bait, octopus, crabs etc. He can also fish at spots which are not accessible during neap tide. Furthermore,  the inter tidal zone can be thoroughly investigated.