Best Times for Saltwater

& Freshwater Fishing

When to Fish

VARIABLE WEATHER PATTERNS

Wind

Fronts

Cloud Cover

Rain

SALT WATER AND TIDES

Saltwater Tides

Brachish Water Tides

Planning Ahead

There is a widespread tendency to think of fishing as an older person’s pursuit, and a hobby from a bygone age. In some people’s minds, it is hard to tally the idea of fishing as a hobby with using the internet for entertainment and information. However, this is a total misconception. For one thing, there are far more “old-style” hobbies which have websites devoted to them, and for another, as an exchange of information the Internet is peerless. Having the web available to you when you are looking for a heads-up on fishing technique will always be helpful.

There are several specialised fishing sites on the Internet, and they take many forms. Some take the approach of a travelog, noting experiences of an angler who spends time visiting different locations and reporting back on which were good and which simply were not. There are other sites which are specifically informational, and still others which are more social than anything else. Usually these will be forums or message boards, and these can be the best place to look if you wish to ask questions.

If you have concerns over whether you are using the right bait, are looking to buy a better rod but want one that suits the waters you are fishing in, or are looking for a decent location in which to fish, then there is plenty on the Internet for you to check out. You’d be surprised what you can find and some of the information you get will be highly beneficial.

It is surprising how few people actually eat the fish that they catch. For many people, hooking and landing a fish is all they want, and when they unhook the – still living – fish, they will return it to the body of water. This may not strike everyone as logical – “if you are humanitarian enough to not want to kill the fish, why are you putting a hook in its mouth”, they will demand. But for some people the thrill of the challenge is enough, and there is no need to go any further.

However, if you do intend to eat the fish you catch, you should be sure what kind of fish live in the body of water you plan to fish. It may be that the available species are not really the kind of fish you want to eat. It is true that everyone has different tastes, but there is no doubt that some tastes are so “out there” that most people will not consider it to be worth the effort of acquiring them. If you can find nearby a fishing location with a fair supply of the kind of fish that you want to eat, then it is all the better for you.

If you are going to eat the fish you catch, it is probably also worth reading up on how to prepare them for cooking. The fish that you hook will not be ready for eating, by a long way, and needs to be cleaned and filleted before you can even think about putting it in your mouth.

Many people travel far and wide to find the best spot to fish. Many others don’t care so much about the best spot, but want to try fishing in as many different places as they can manage. But everyone who enjoys fishing has their own spot which they return to time and again. Where it is does not matter so much – it could be a quiet spot you found by accident, it could be the first place you went to with your father when he was teaching you to fish, or any number of other locations and reasons. The fact remains that we all have our patch.

As humans we are very drawn to the significance of signposts. Not literal signposts, but rather times, places and things which have a deeper meaning for us. Our wedding anniversary, our home town, our lucky rabbit’s foot, whatever they may be, these items have a connection for us which means that we don’t forget them, and which we will always recognize them when we see them or when they happen. Your favorite fishing spot has the same effect.

The interesting thing about this is that the favored spot may not be one where we were especially successful. We may have landed more and bigger fish in other places, and the place we love may be entirely imperfect. But when push comes to shove, and we need a trip to get our spirits up, it will be there that we return. Surely you have a favorite spot? If you don’t, you will one day.

When you do something, you want to do it well. It is a natural human attitude – to feel that your experience of something will be improved the better you are at it. and for most people, this is certainly the case. This is why people spend a lot of money on fishing equipment. Some will spend a great deal on something that they don’t even end up using very much. The reason for their doing so is that there is a lot of equipment out there that will enable you to improve your game. When that’s at stake, people will be prepared to push the boat out (pardon the accidental and awful pun).

Good fishing equipment does not need to be expensive, but there is no doubt that some financial outlay will be rewarded with more sophisticated equipment. If you know what you are looking for, then you will be able to find a lot of different variations on the theme – and then comes the time for the comparison shop. Comparison shopping has become hugely popular in recent years as a way of finding the best deal on any product. Not just the best price, but the best value. How well does it do what it does, and is it worth the $10 extra they are asking for? Ask the Internet.

People who know about fishing equipment will often congregate on forums with fishing as their theme. Visit a few of these forums and canvass opinion before going and spending your cash.

There are perhaps more fishermen and anglers in the world than there are practitioners of any other sporting pursuit. There are many reasons for this – the peace and quiet that it offers; the fact that you can, ordinarily, eat what you catch; even, in some people’s view, the return to a sort of “hunter-gatherer” mentality. Whatever the reason for going, though, one thing that never ceases to surprise people is how far a committed angler will go on a fishing trip. There are perfectly good streams and rivers in this country, they will argue. Why go half way round the world?

The same people would probably not ask the world’s great botanists and naturalists why they go to Kenya to see tigers or to Norway to see the handsome forests which are there. People like to go fishing in different locations because it provides different fish, different climates, and different experiences. You might just as well ask why people go to foreign countries on holiday. There is a big world out there, and a lot to see. And there are many fish to be caught.

There are also a number of hot spots on the planet where fishing will be rewarded with a more exotic catch, a challenge in terms of landing the larger fish that you catch, or a more peaceful location to cast your line. Whatever your reason for going, there really is a wide range of choice out there, and if you are planning a fishing holiday you should certainly consider spreading your wings somewhat.

The skiing fraternity seem to many people as though they have a monopoly on post-hobby fun. In fact, there is a French word – après-ski – which is used to describe a social scene which is present in nigh-on every ski resort in the world. In practice, it generally means drinking a lot of schnapps and dancing to incredibly loud music. Although fishing is perhaps less of an intensely energetic pursuit than skiing, the fishing fraternity still don’t so too badly for an evening’s entertainment.

If you go on a fishing trip, you will usually be located in a fairly rural setting. Although this may not play in most people’s minds, into something which could be considered the height of social enjoyment, it is more or less a rule that every fishing village or small town will have at least one bar which serves good, hearty food and enough beer to sink a small navy. This is something that makes a fishing trip worthwhile even for some of the less committed anglers in your group.

It may be that you don’t want to go out after your afternoon’s work. There is no harm to this, either, and it may be that you will prefer to return to your accommodation and set to preparing the fish you have caught for an evening meal. This is one of the most enjoyable things about fishing – knowing that you have caught and prepared what you are eating. It brings out something primal in a person, which satisfies an urge.

Among the most popular kinds of fishing, the sedate afternoon on the riverbank has to be one of the most enduring. For many people it is fishing the way it should be. Quiet, usually fairly isolated and relaxing, with only a few people there. There are many reasons why this is a good way to enjoy fishing. For one thing, the optimum conditions for fishing necessitate a certain amount of quiet. If things are too noisy, then fish are likely to avoid the area. If there are too many people there, then any fish who do stick around will be spoiled for choice over which bait to take.

But apart from the fact that it provides a better chance of catching something, the isolation of a quiet riverbank has other benefits for an afternoon’s fishing. We’ve all been Christmas shopping during a December weekend. It takes a very strong and determined person to do that and not come home feeling like they want to roll up into a ball and start sucking on their thumb. This is not something that you want from a fishing expedition, which should after all be sedate and pleasant.

Sitting on a riverbank is also pretty much as close as you can get to nature. There is nature flowing right in front of you, hopefully with a lot of nature swimming around in it. There is nature beneath your feet, and there should be some more behind you – riverbanks tend to be close to trees, in most cases. It really is one of the most relaxing pursuits that you can indulge in.

There is a popular running joke which is used to gently mock fishermen. It essentially runs that a fisherman who shows off his catch looks apologetic at its relatively small size, and says to their audience “you should have seen the one that got away. It was huge.” Commonly, this joke is expanded upon by the unfortunate angler spreading their arms wide, to demonstrate the length of the fish which, by the fourth telling of the story, has begun to rival Moby Dick in terms of size.

There is a grain of truth in the stereotype, but no more so than that which exists for any hobby. You will always find at least one golfer in any club that you walk into who shows you, by means of putting their thumb and forefinger very close together, how close they were to getting a hole in one. The keen amateur soccer player will talk of a goal they scored which, when they originally hit it, was about ten yards out. By the time they have finished talking about it, they’ll be saying how they were somewhere around the halfway line.

This kind of bravado exists anywhere where there is competition. It is mostly self-mocking in any case, where people jokingly plead with you to believe that they are so good at what they do that they can achieve feats that are beyond the reach of a mere mortal. And frankly, it is what makes most hobbies so much fun. We’d be nowhere without our boasts.