VESTAL TIDE watch and Eldrige improve your chances!!!!

[STRIPER LOU]

Hi all, been using the Vestal tide watch for a while now and the Eldridge for eons! I'm always questioned about it at the dock. A good friend of mine who was into sailing introduced me to it years ago. The Eldridge tide book goes for $15/20 and I don't always buy one every year.(only good for 1 yr) Sometimes you can just go to the local library and copy some info. At the beginning of the season I'll set the Vestal to a tide chart on the internet, but that's usually the last time I do it that way. I like to reset it on the water at a specific time and place and the tide as I see it. It will get reset hundreds of times throughout the season. Tide charts are only approximates but are absolutely important. Always keep a logbook. The Eldridge is indispensable.  Example in the picture. It doesn't mean that an incoming tide at a certain place runs only to the west but other things influence the tides direction. As seen in the example some flow directions are completely opposite. Islands, rocks, different depths all play a part. Looking at the flow direction may make you troll in another direction. Fish almost always face into the current. Why not increase your odds by going in the right direction for a particular spot most of the time. Ever notice when your trolling, fish may hit better in one direction rather than the other? If you plan on making a trip you might consider looking at the Eldridge and in conjunction with your tide watch which may help you make a decision as to where your going to fish. Moon phases also play an important role as to tide flow directions.

There are a lot of other things to take into consideration too. I have an area that I'll fish if low tide coincides with a very early morning time. First off, for me, a half to 1 hr before sunrise is what I call magic hour. I do catch fish at lots of other times but for me this time is the absolute best. Also this area is about 50ft. deep at high tide. With the method I fish with, low tide  makes it easier to get to the bottom and into the strike zone.


I hear it all the time, this guy is lucky or has a fish magnet on the bottom of the boat!!!! I look at it this way ...... Its 80% skill and 20% luck. Look into this and you might be surprised. There's also a website called Landfall. Worth a look! Good luck!
.....................Lou

[mike1010]

Lou, you are so right.  The tide we experience at a particular spot is only loosely related to what the charts say.