Reef Casting: best time?

While reef-wading and casting this past week in Mauritius, I was getting
conflicting advice from folks. Some said it was better to reef cast during
HIGH tide, as the big fish were coming in over the reef to feed. However,
since I was wade-casting, that meant the high tide had pushed me back to the
shore and it was very hard to cast over the deeper water.

On the other hand, some folks advised me to reef cast during LOW tide, as I
could wade out in place to the reef face and cast out into the deeps.
However, folks also said that the big fish would not be near the reef face
at that time, as they feed nearshore during high tides.

The third advice I got was to fish during RISING tides, as the big fish were
coming in and I could reach them with my casts as I retreated. However the
rising tide also meant I could get stranded on a rock when my escape route
got flooded.

The fourth advice I got was fish during DROPPING tides, as I would not get
stranded and I could get at the bigger fish who were still over the reef.
However, they had already fed and were headed out to sea, so they would not
take a fly easily.

So I ask you, what phase of the tide is the best for wade casting on a reef?

--riverman

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 17:45:35 +0100, "riverman"
wrote:

While reef-wading and casting this past week in Mauritius, I was getting
conflicting advice from folks.

Get a SOT kayak and just fish where the fish are. g I think
generally, though, that fishing from shallow water next to deeper
water you are better off as the tide begins to rise, then move back
towards shore as the tide rises.
--
Charlie...

"riverman" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
SNIP
So I ask you, what phase of the tide is the best for wade casting on a
reef?

--riverman



I have only fished reefs in cold water, not all that many recently either,
and mostly from a boat, so my experience is old, and severely limited with
regard to your particular circumstances, but when to fish usually depends
more on the location and conditions, than on any fixed rule of thumb.

While it is true that some predators move in with the tide, looking for easy
pickings, there will always be some activity around reefs. Nearly all
predatory fish love structure, and it pays off to find out where the deep
channels etc are at low tide as well. Fish the drop-offs, but be careful, it
is easy to take one step too many. It is also very easy, and extremely
dangerous wade fishing reefs on a rising tide. One can get cut off very
quickly indeed. This is bad enough in cold waters, in tropical waters it
might be a lot worse. I would wear a PFD in any case, and carry some shark
repellent.

A boat is a lot safer for doing such things. Even a canoe or similar is
batter than wading. You will need a good anchor, and be carefull in tide
rips, ( Ooops, forgot you are a canoe man!). Oh well, you know what I mean.

Some fish have particular feeding times, often twice a day, and outside
these times, it is very difficult to tempt them at all. These times may or
may not coincide with a rising or falling tide. In cold water at least, we
always tried to fish two hours of rising tide, the peak of the tide of
course, and two hours back. Although you may catch fish at any state of the
tide, these were always the most successful times for us.

One trick which is very common in Australia, and a few other places, is to
use "Berley" or "rubby dubby" on a rising tide. Place a sack of fish offal
etc somewhere which seems tactically opportune, and fish this area as the
tide is coming in. Anchor the sack. If you can´t get offal etc, then use
tins of catfood. One may also use an anchored "Washing up liquid bottle"
with holes in it. This may be thrown to promising areas. Concentrate on
areas which connect directly to the open sea, as opposed to "lagoons" and
the like. If you are wading, then beware of larger predatory fish like
sharks etc.

Practically all the people I have met and talked to about this, ( I recently
watched a brilliant slide show presentation on fishing in Las Roques), say
that you must strip your flies ( mostly baitfish imitations of course) very
fast indeed.

Don´t know whether this will be of much help to you, but do let us know how
you get on.

TL
MC

One of the general practices for wading here is to fish the change of the
tide. My experience is that slack tides are down periods. The period just
before and just after a high tide seem productive if you can hit them.

I also try to go at low tides and look for large fish in holding pools and
in channels that hold water at low tide. Our tidal change is only about
2 -3 feet on this coast but even so, it is important to avoid being trapped
by rising water. I tend to limit my wading to about waist deep even in high
tide periods. It is far too easy to step into a hole.

Another benefit to low tides and falling tides is that the larger
predators, the ones that can make a meal of us, are further away in deeper
water or are more easily seen if they are present.

Can you ask the local folks when they recommend?

--
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Dark Star

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm