#Mixed semidiurnal tide graph how to

If your rods are rigged for a weak tide then you may have to spend time retying heavier tackle. You certainly don't want to show up to your first fishing spot only to discover the water is moving the opposite direction or is falling harder than what you have planned. When the water is low and is subject to hard winds, it can become dirty.ĭirty water is generally bad for fishing speckled trout and makes sighting for redfish very difficult. Of course, water levels can dictate how clean water may or may not be. Some places that were previously navigable may no longer be as a result of a low tide. We must know how water moves through the marsh so we know where navigable water is. This means that conditions are constantly changing therefore influencing an already temperamental species of fish: speckled trout. Why must we know how water moves through the marsh?Īs mentioned in Feeling the Pulse of the Marsh, the waters of southeast Louisiana are a living, breathing thing that are subject to the flow and ebb of the tide. In this article I will answer those questions and clarify what is arguably the most important knowledge of the marsh to possess: mastery of the tide. You are always told that you need moving water when fishing for speckled trout, but nobody really ever tells you why or what it looks like. That fishing trip and others taught me a lot about tide and how water moves. When I caught fish before it was on a rising tide. If I had given it some thought (and eventually did) I would have realized that spot was no good to fish on a falling tide. I just figured I had found a 'good spot'. It really pained me because I had crushed the trout there before but without really knowing why. I ended a long day with 18 speckled trout which, by Louisiana standards, is kind of a let down. The rest of the day went on something like that, catching trout here and there. I kept casting at the same spot, hoping for another strike. But instead of watching the cork go under I just watched it sit there. I hurriedly put him away into the ice chest and cast back out. Nothing happened, so I waited a little longer. Like an addict looking to get his fix, I quickly anchored off the boat and started tossing a popping cork with a Berkley Gulp shrimp in New Penny. I took a left into the MRGO and rushed to a point trout had been caught the week before. Those fish ran my life and today I was going to get a shot at them.Īfter what seemed like an eternity I finally reached the end of the Spoil Canal. I was by myself and would have to play my cards safely to avoid getting stuck in one.ĭespite this, the thing at the forefront of my mind was not thunderstorms, nor women, partying, cars or anything else most young men concern their time with. The early morning night twilight started to glow, allowing me to see distant thunderheads flashing through the eerie green of the 14's.Ĭurious things they are, because they are so beautiful and grand, but spawn water spouts, blinding rain and devastating lightning. Turn after turn came and went as GnarTooth worked her way down the canal, avoiding underwater obstructions and shallow water. Any fish activity betrayed by a splash would be easily seen. The wind was flat calm and I knew today would be a great day to see tidelines wrapping around points. Balmy summer air whipped over me as the two stroke screamed down the Spoil Canal. Leaving the no-wake zone, he donned the goggles and got on plane. He did have an advantage though: a pair of PVS-14 night vision goggles and a lot of experience using them. His desire to pursue speckled trout had to be satiated and taking the risk of running in the dark alone was worth it. The young man hit the water early to beat the weekend crowd. The boat, a 15ft flatboat with a 50hp outboard, was slow and ungainly. Glancing at his watch, the time was 4:43AM.

#Mixed semidiurnal tide graph how to

Knowing how to fish tides in Louisiana enables anglers to consistently catch speckled trout and redfish.īreton Sound Marina wasn't even open yet and he had already left the dock in the pitch black of night.