Guides

Plain-language guides to tides, slack water, and solunar theory, for anyone who plans a day around the water.

• What is slack water, and how long does it last?

  The calm at the turn of the tide, and why anglers watch for it.

• How to read a tide chart

  Read a tide curve, datum, and high and low times in under a minute.

• Solunar theory explained

  Major and minor feeding periods, and what the moon phase means.

• The best tide for fishing

  Why the moving water around the turn beats slack, and how to time it.

• Surf and tide timing

  How tide, swell, and wind line up for a session, and which tide your break likes.

• The best time of day to fish

  Dawn, dusk, tide turns, and solunar periods, and how to stack them.

• Fishing by moon phase

  What the moon really changes about the bite, and what is just lore.

• Barometric pressure and fishing

  Falling, rising, and steady pressure, fronts, and how to track the trend.

• What is a king tide?

  The year's highest tides, when they come, and how to enjoy them safely.

• Tide vs current

  Height versus horizontal flow, and why slack can lag the printed high.

• Tide datums explained

  MLLW, MSL, chart depth math, and why a negative tide is not a mistake.

• Minus tides, clamming, and tidepooling

  Plan a low-tide walk, dig the flats, and beat the incoming tide back.

• The best tide for surf fishing

  Scout the beach at low, find troughs and cuts, then fish the push.

• Wind, swell, and tide for boaters

  Wind against tide, inlet timing at slack, and stacking the forecasts.

• Spring vs neap tides

  The fortnightly range cycle and what big and small tides mean for you.

• Grunion run schedule

  Why the runs follow the spring tides, when the season peaks, and how to watch one.