Is High Tide the Best Time to Go Fishing?

Is high tide really the best time to go fishing? I’ve heard it so many times from so many people – “Fish two hours before the high tide until 2 hours after the high tide.”

My honest opinion… it’s a load of crap. Sure, high tide is the best time to go fishing at some beaches at some times at certain tidal heights in certain conditions.

See what I mean? It’s way more complicated than just timing a session with a high tide. Luckily, I already wrote an article on factoring all the conditions in for planning a surf fishing session. If you’d like to read that article on what I think the best time to go surf fishing is, head on over to the link and feel free to ask me any questions when you’re through.

How High of a Tide is Good for Fishing?

This varies per beach because some locations don’t have enough beach to support a very high tide. But, assuming a beach can take a decently high tide, I don’t like tides that are higher than 6 feet. The higher a tide gets, the more the surf builds, and the stronger the surge tends to be. Surge alone can ruin an outing, but when you mix it in with seaweed, it’s game over.

In general, I like a high tide of around 4 to 5 feet. At these heights, I believe you receive all the benefits of a high tide (mentioned in this article about how tides affect fishing) with minimal detriments. Extreme high tides aren’t always a bad thing, there’s just a more likely chance that conditions get out of control.

If the Surf is Up, Low Tide is Better than High Tide

When the surf is up, as mentioned above, current and other factors can make for a really challenging session. If you’re stuck fishing a day when the surf is undesirably high, fish around the low tide. Ideally, fish around the lowest of the two low tides for that day.

A recent example occurred this weekend. We had an early morning low tide the last two mornings coupled with a surf prediction of 4-5 feet. I fished both mornings and both resulted in productive sessions. Today, the low tide was a -0.7 feet at 7:04 am. From 6 am to 9 am, conditions were quite favorable. I’d have called it 1-2 foot surf for that time period and then after 9 am, the surf built up rather quickly. By the time I left at 11am, it wasn’t worth fishing as the surf was a consistent 4-5 feet.

Low Tide Exposes More Structure

In the lure fishing community, low tide is typically considered the best time to go fishing. The surf lays down, the structure gets exposed, and the big fish are within casting range. Again, this varies per beach and will not always be the case, but I bring it up to combat the general acceptance of high tide being the best time to fish.

High Tide Shore Break

This is another observation I’ve made in recent outings. Different beaches have different terrain and many change throughout a year and even change year-to-year. Bottom line, the sand moves and sometimes a beach that doesn’t normally feature a shore break can turn into a shore break if the tide gets high enough.

Earlier, when I mentioned high tide, high surf, strong surge and seaweed, I noted that conditions could get out of hand rather quickly. Well, when you through a shore break in the mix, it usually amplifies the current x 2 and makes things even more difficult to deal with.

How to Combat Tough Conditions

On days when I experience conditions like these, I’ll do two things to combat the struggle. The first is to walk the beach until the shore break turns into a more gradual break. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Conditions can suck in one spot and just a couple hundred yards down, the beach could be much more gradual making for solid conditions.

The other thing to do is wait. Wait out the high tide and fish through the falling tide if you have the time. It’s important to not lose confidence when things get rough, especially if you know the tide will start to fall soon. In my experience, if surf height and current/seaweed are a problem on a rising tide, that tidal turn might be rough to start as all the seaweed gets pulled back out, but after that first hour of the falling tide, things tend to clear up nicely. Stick around and stay confident.

Conclusion: Learn How Tides Affect Fishing

In conclusion, high tide isn’t “the best time to go fishing”. It can be if all the other conditions line up. It can also be the worst time to go fishing. At the end of the day, tidal height/phase is an important factor, but so are all the others.

Put some time in and experience it for yourself as you learn how tides affect fishing. Every area is different and every angler comes up with their own theories and tactics for success in different situations. So get out their and experience it for yourself! I also finally released the terrible footage of my first white seabass from the surf so check it out below. Tight Lines, guys!