Kyle Shea photo
Tide Watches for Anglers
Looks like the tide’s still coming in.
Deneki Outdoors
Whether we’re poling the flats for bonefish, swinging for tidewater chinook, or waiting for that deep pull at ‘Lower Tidal’ on the Dean, a good understanding of the tide is pretty important where we fish.
Tides are on our mind all year long at our operations, and our guides are well aware that knowing the proper timing of the tides is really important to a smooth day of fishing. After all, nothing spoils good fishing like having to push the boat off the beach when the tide drops out!
Most anglers fishing in the salt or other tidally influenced waters refer to local tide charts for accurate tidal data. Tide charts are an invaluable tool for both the proper timing and height of a given tide, and no tidewater angler should be without one. However, one tool we’ve grown really fond of over the last couple years are tide watches – that’s right, wrist watches that also tell the timing of high and low tide.
Tide Watches – Ideal for Anglers
Tide watches have been around for quite some time, but surprisingly enough we haven’t seen too many on the fly fishing scene. Many of our guests have been blown away that such a watch exists however, so we thought it was time to share our little secret.
There are many great tide watches out there, most of which are marketed towards surfers and professional mariners. However, two models that we’ve had a lot of success with are the Timex Intelligent Quartz Tide Temp Compass Watch, and the Casio G-Shock 7900-1. Both work really well, look really cool, and have a whole bunch of really cool functions. But, as you could probably guess, the tide function is our favorite part. Simply set your watch to the correct tide for your location and never lose track again.
We think tide watches are a super handy tool for any angler who fishes where tide is concerned. In fact, your humble editor never takes his off!
Note: Keep in mind that neither of these watches will give you the height of the tide, but rather the timing of the high and low. Therefore, knowledge of the local geography is still extremely important whenever fishing in tidally influenced waters.
Originally published here.