Solunar and Tide tables can prove to be useful companions as you venture through the waters of Texas. In theory, each of these tools has their own way of letting us know when it is prime time to hunt the fish. Through my own experiences, the tables are fairly effective, if you are able to learn how to combine their findings with other factors as well. Most anglers have at least heard of these tables, but only a few know how to use them effectively. Through this article, I hope to add a small gleam of light to this mystery so that you may begin to experiment and understand these tables.

Solunar Tables

Solunar tables are named for the two primary forces they use to determine hot fishing times, the “solar” and “lunar” gravitational pulls. They take into account the effects of the gravitational pulls from the sun and the moon together, but most tables focus more so on the moon. These tables are geared mainly for freshwater fishing, but can prove to be potent in saltwater when used in combination with the tide tables. There are four periods in each day that the solunar tables track, called “major” and “minor” periods. They are usually between one and a half and two hours in length, and their peaks just over six hours apart. These periods change times daily because they are based on a lunar day (which is about 24 hours, 50 minutes) rather than an earth day. This will cause each of the periods to occur slightly later each day. The major periods correspond to the theoretical time when fish and other creatures are most active during the day. The minor periods correspond to active times as well, but these are times when fish are only somewhat active. The “dead zones” of the day between the major and minor periods are supposedly just that…dead. The logic behind the designation of some period as major and others as minor deals with the position of the moon at the time and its corresponding pull on the earth. When the moon is directly overhead or underfoot, you will have a major period; if the moon is directly to either side, you will have a minor. In other words, when the moon’s pull is greatest, a major period is occurring. There are several formats that the solunar tables can be shown in. Some of the more common ways they can be shown are to show the full range of time when each period occurs (6:35am – 8:00am), show only the peak of each period (7:15am), or they may show only the time frame for the “best” major period of that particular day. The only trick is to know what form you are looking at before you decide when to fish. To this point, the tables seem pretty straight forward and easy to understand…now the catch.

The solunar tables make a very broad assumption: They assume that there are absolutely NO other factors that affect the fish’s activity. Any reasonably savvy angler knows that this is absolutely not the case. There are a great number of factors that can affect fish’s behavior. Rain, wind, changes in pressure, sunlight levels, length of the day, insect hatches, and a great deal of other factors can have a tremendous influence on our waterborne buddies. Regardless of this assumption, the tables do prove to be in line with the fish’s activity unless there is a major influence such as last week’s hurricane or a large storm.

The last and probably most important item to mention for solunar tables is that they are extremely LOCATION SPECIFIC. Each table that is produced is centered and reported to suit one location exactly. The angler must make the appropriate adjustments for any location other than the original location. This can usually be adjusted fairly easily with adjustment charts, included with most of the tables. If there is not an adjustment chart, a simple rule will apply: Adjust the time one minute for each 12 miles difference. Deduct one minute to the east. Add one minute to the west. Differences to the north and south do not affect the timing of the periods.

Tide Tables

Tide tables can be viewed as one of the most important tools in a saltwater fisherman’s arsenal of tools. These tables report to anglers the estimated times when daily tides reach their peak, whether the highest point of a high tide or the lowest point of a low tide. They seem somewhat mystical and confusing to the untrained eye, but with a small bit of insight can help tremendously to improve your fishing success. Like the periods charted in solunar tables, tides change because of the gravitational forces created by the sun and moon. Interestingly enough, the land also fluctuates in height as the moon and sun pass overhead, but at a much less significant level. The higher tides will actually follow the moon and sun as they travel around the earth, as the water forms a bulge under the force of gravity. This allows those with much more of a scientific knowledge than I have to accurately determine what level the coastal waters will be at at any given point in time.

Below is an illustration of a typical reading from one form of tide table.

Tide Example

Typical tide tables will represent, in some form or fashion three main items: the date, the time of the peak, and the depth of the water relative to the charted depth of the water. The last part is somewhat tricky. In plain English, if the table reads the height of the tide as “-0.80” as in this example, the tide will be 8/10 of a foot lower than the average depth of the water. If a flat is usually 3 feet deep, the depth should be about 2.2 feet at this peak. Easy enough to read once you know what to look for. There are a few other items to pay attention to.

Neap Tides

At some points in the year, you will experience Neap Tides and Spring Tides. Spring Tides do not necessarily occur in the Spring, as the name does not refer to the time of year when they occur. Rather, Spring Tides will occur at that point in the year when the moon and sun form a line with the earth as they all rotate harmoniously. This position causes the gravitational forces of the sun and moon to align, creating a greater overall force that causes the highest high tides and lowest low tides of the season. Neap tides on the other hand relate to the time of the year when the moon rotates perpendicular to the line formed by the sun and earth. This has the opposite effect, causing higher low tides and lower high tides.

Another phenomena that occurs will determine the number of tides in a day. There are two classifications for tides that relate to their timing: Diurnal Tides and Semi-Diurnal Tides. During a Diurnal Tide, there will be only one complete cycle during a days time, meaning one high tide and one low tide. At other times, Semi-Diurnal Tides will occur, creating two complete cycles (two highs and two lows) during the 24-hour period. This also relates to the position of the sun and moon relative to the earth.

Now that you have more scientific knowledge than you probably wanted, the question that remains is, “How the heck can this help me catch more fish?” The answer is simple. You can apply a few common rules to the tides to help determine when the most profitable times to fish will occur. First, fish will typically feed when the tide is moving, NOT at the peaks, when the water is relatively still. This is because the moving water moves bait, freshens and cools water, and can change salinity. I use “typically” in the rule because, like the solunar tables, the tide tables give you information about the tides alone, and disregard all other factors such as wind, currents, light conditions, salinity, water temperature and a list of other common influences. Our latest hurricane is a prime example. The mighty red drum may choose to feed throughout the day just before the storm arrives. Or, they may decide that suppertime is directly after the storm has passed and their home waters have cooled down and freshened. The point is that the tide tables are a good starting point. You must always pay attention to and experiment with other factors to determine exactly when that dinner bell will ring. Now, back to the rules. If you plan to fish on a rising tide, usually a couple of hours prior to a high tide’s peak, you should seek out shallower water that will fill with bait and cooler, fresher water with the tide. On the flip side, the third rule is that on a falling tide you should seek out drop offs, deeper channels, or deeper pockets in your favorite hole. With these simple yet powerful things in your mind, you can almost definitely improve your odds when trudging the salty landscape.

Once again, you must pay careful attention to what location the tide charts are referring to. Timing is critical if you are to use these charts to your advantage. Most of the tables will have an easy to use adjustment chart that will help you hone in on the “perfect” time to fish at any given location. Pay attention also to whether or not daylight savings time has been accounted for in the reports.

Tips

Now that you know how to read the tables and generally when to fish based on their reports, I will conclude with a few tips that I have learned personally or have had passed along.

Tides that occur at approximately 2 hours after sunrise or before sunset are ideal situations. This is because the water will tend to be moving as the sun is peeking over the horizon on its way up or down. This allows you to take advantage of a favorable influence that the tables disregard. This sets you up so that you can be in place to capture the water moving into and area and out of an area while you are fishing.

This timing also holds true to major or minor periods that occur at sunrise or sunset. Once again, let the other influences play in your favor.

Most of the solunar tables have some sort of indicator labeling the “best” days to fish. These are usually the days when the gravitational influence is at its greatest.

A good place to locate tide charts and/or solunar tables is in your favorite hunting or fishing magazine. You can also find a number of very useful web sites with information that can be customized to your location, eliminating the need to adjust the timing.

You will notice that days with either full or new moons will have a high tide peaking normally around sunrise. Like the first tip, it helps you to capture a prime fishing time, by letting the outside influences play in your favor.

Writing this last tip may land me in a rubber room, but has been a tried and true method that I use whenever I have the opportunity. Watch the COWS! This is a trick I learned while living on a ranch for several years. It was passed along by an old cowboy who loved to fish. After quite a while of processing this perceived foolishness, I gave it a try. What I found was that, oddly enough, cows and other forms of wildlife tend to follow a schedule that coincides with the major and minor periods of a day.

Below is a diagram that shows the typical activity of a cow during the day.

Cows and Tides

If you have cows in or around an area that you fish, pay attention to them. If they are lying close together, your luck will be greatly diminished. But, as the first few cows begin to hit their feet and spread apart to feed, you will notice a tremendous increase in your catch. They will eventually lay down in their spread formation and fishing will slow again. As they start to get up and move close together to feed, the fish will mysteriously begin to bite again. A few things to note. The day does not always begin with the cows lying close together, but they will follow the same sequence of events. The good part of this method is that it does account for the other factors of the world that the tables disregard. When you find yourself with nothing better to do and a slow day of fishing, try this one out and you will be amazed.

In our club’s latest initiative to uncloud the world of fishing, I am always open to topic suggestions for the educational snapshot at our meetings. If there is anything you would like to know more about, feel free to send me an e-mail with your suggestions ([email protected]). I will do all that I can to help clear up the sometimes complex world of fishing. I hope my feeble attempt to shed some light on the mysterious world of tide and solunar tables has been helpful to you. Now it is time to schedule your next trip, use your new found knowledge, and tighten your lines! Best of luck!