What are your favorite tides to fish?

I know that this is a open ended question depending on location and species targeted but, Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite tides to fish let's say in the bay or on the ocean? With my limited time because of work and family for the last 10 yrs, I concentrated on fishing for stripers on the last 3 hrs of the incoming tide however, fishing moving tides was key too. However I've since have realized that there's something to be said about outgoing tides and even slack tides! Which tides are your favorites?

Here in Humboldt bay i have always prefered incoming tide. But I have found that if you know where good holes are it is worth fishing them at low tide. I have had holes pay off better at low tide than high.

I tend to favor weekend tides.   

I prefer the incoming, but as long as the waters moving it will work for me and the fishies.  Slack water means slack fishing.

-beenfishin

Thanks Guys. I concur with you all....especially the weekend tides.

weekend tides and weak tides in general are what work for me.....big tidal flows mean fast moving kayaks in the ocean= lure not kept vertical and on the bottom.

in the bay it means dirtier water.

now i'm talking like a 5ft max and a 3ft. minimum = measurement of total tidal change

DIDiMAKEsense?

FisHunter,
yes you made absolute sense. I've really gotten aggressive about what tides I fish. Otherwise I feel that I'm really wasting time because, dirty or murky water, lack of natural presentation with bait; lack of proper presentation with lures. Thanks for the feedback.

now i'm talking like a 5ft max and a 3ft. minimum = measurement of total tidal change

Still trying to understand this... 

Is this a good tide then?

For Santa Cruz, from http://www.saltwatertides.com/cgi-local/california.cgi

Day        High      Tide   Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon
           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

Saturday the 22nd:
Sa  22     Low  12:36 AM     1.5   5:55 AM     Set  2:22 AM     
     22     High   6:12 AM      3.7   8:15 PM    Rise  2:59 PM
     22     Low  12:14 PM      0.6
     22     High   7:05 PM      5.0

And this a Bad Tide?

Tuesday the 25th
Tu  25     Low   3:28 AM    -0.6   5:53 AM     Set  3:57 AM     
     25     High   9:56 AM     3.5   8:17 PM     Rise  6:24 PM
     25     Low   2:33 PM     1.9
     25     High   9:00 PM     5.9

the top one is good.

the bottom one is good too.

a bad tide would look like this:
Hightide 6am @ 6ft
Lowtide 12noon @ -0.5ft  = water and baitfish moving too fast= fish hunker'd down


or hightide 6am @ 3ft
    lowtide 12noon @ 2ft  =  water not moving at all = fish lazy&sleeping? 

this is what i've experienced in the 2 full seasons of keeping records.= kinda geeky, but it pays off.

the top one is good.

the bottom one is good too.

a bad tide would look like this:
Hightide 6am @ 6ft
Lowtide 12noon @ -0.5ft  = water and baitfish moving too fast= fish hunker'd down


or hightide 6am @ 3ft
    lowtide 12noon @ 2ft  =  water not moving at all = fish lazy&sleeping? 

this is what i've experienced in the 2 full seasons of keeping records.= kinda geeky, but it pays off.

some guides get year tide books and highlight the good and cross out the bad so they can book clients accordingly. you want some decent movement. think of it as a food tread mill..current means bait flowing past a hungry fish's mouth. (not too fast and not too slow, said goldylocks)

Alright, now I'm going to throw in what about moon rising and moon setting or the solar/lunar phases. I am reading about this in some fishing publications, and from the sound of it, rock solid information supporting the effects of the moon overhead in Major periods or below in minor periods while in conjunction with the tide is what really makes the difference.  I've included a couple of links to help to figure it all out. Mike

http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx
http://www.alfredny.biz/sportsmen/solunar-moon-phase-chart.htm
http://www.fintalk.com/resources/moons/lunar.html

fav tide to fish is a huge flood out here in pittsburg

Alright, now I'm going to throw in what about moon rising and moon setting or the solar/lunar phases. I am reading about this in some fishing publications, and from the sound of it, rock solid information supporting the effects of the moon overhead in Major periods or below in minor periods while in conjunction with the tide is what really makes the difference.  I've included a couple of links to help to figure it all out. Mike

http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx
http://www.alfredny.biz/sportsmen/solunar-moon-phase-chart.htm
http://www.fintalk.com/resources/moons/lunar.html

solsrf1,

Have come across this concept before but did not really give it a bother? Maybe it's time to.
What's your experience with it?

superd270