Tides

Tides play an important role in the behavior and feeding activity of fish, especially those inhabiting nearshore areas. Baitfish and crustaceans follow tidal flow up into the mangroves to seek food and refuge from their predators. Gamefish follow and intercept their prey in the passes, the creeks and the shoreline edges. Fishermen need to be familiar with the tides in order to be where the gamefish are and to navigate nearshore without grounding.

A good written resource for tide information is "The 1997 Florida Sportsman Tide Atlas" by Wickstrom Publishers. It shows the current month's high and low tides for Florida; when they occur and their relative water depth. Knowledgeable fishermen study these data to determine when the fish are apt to be actively feeding and where the fish will be located. Keep in mind, however, that these estimates are based solely on the relative positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth; they can be significantly affected by wind and atmospheric pressure.

Marco Island tide data can be derived by using the data for the St. Marks River and subtracting 1 hour 4 minutes from the high tide data, and subtracting 1 hour 8 minutes from the low tide data. Coastal Naples tide data can be derived by subtracting 1 hour 59 minutes from the high tide data and subtracting 2 hours 4 minutes from the low tide data. To view the St. Marks tide chart, CLICK HERE.

For the current on-line Marine Weather Forecast CLICK HERE.