DROPPING TIDE RELATION TO CURRENT SPEED

[dannyplug1]

I fish a bunch of outlets in the fall.  I usually hit fish during dropping tides at night.  My question is is there any way to know when the flow is at its maximum?  Or does the flow go down at a constant rate. Hope my question makes sense.  Thanks Charlie.

[Robert Yacoub]

5 hours ago, dannyplug1 said:

I fish a bunch of outlets in the fall.  I usually hit fish during dropping tides at night.  My question is is there any way to know when the flow is at its maximum?  Or does the flow go down at a constant rate. Hope my question makes sense.  Thanks Charlie.

Outgoing Current peaks between the high and low slack. Find a tide app that tells you slack and peak current times. You may have to triangulate time for your location

[chisler]

13 hours ago, dannyplug1 said:

I fish a bunch of outlets in the fall.  I usually hit fish during dropping tides at night.  My question is is there any way to know when the flow is at its maximum?  Or does the flow go down at a constant rate. Hope my question makes sense.  Thanks Charlie.

The question makes sense.

The above post about flow being fastest on a ebbing tide is true.

 

I think however, you are looking for a bit more detailed explanation.  Like maybe' when during the ebbing tide would the flow be greatest?'   

I don't think you can actually pinpoint this without an actual measurement or a hydrology study.  But some things to think about:. Tides slack, then either start to flood, or ebb; in doing such the start of each cycle gets started at a slow rate ( varies at specific locations). So you can reasonably conclude that the middle of an ebbing tide will be the period that a certain outflow location would experience it's greatest volume.  - edit (below to include for simplicity) since the cross section for simplicity  sake is constant .. it's also the greatest velocity.  

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by chisler

[SC]

Eldridge Tide and Pilot - published continuously for almost 150 years. The flow is not constant 

Edited September 26, 2022 by SC

[Inshore]

There’s an app for that….

 

Navionics Boating.

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Inshore

[Robert Yacoub]

4 hours ago, chisler said:

The question makes sense.

The above post about flow being fastest on a ebbing tide is true.

 

I think however, you are looking for a bit more detailed explanation.  Like maybe' when during the ebbing tide would the flow be greatest?'   

I don't think you can actually pinpoint this without an actual measurement or a hydrology study.  But some things to think about:. Tides slack, then either start to flood, or ebb; in doing such the start of each cycle gets started at a slow rate ( varies at specific locations). So you can reasonably conclude that the middle of an ebbing tide will be the period that a certain outflow location would experience it's greatest volume.  - edit (below to include for simplicity) since the cross section for simplicity  sake is constant .. it's also the greatest velocity.  

 

 

 

Yes well fleshed out. Basically, flow starts after slack, slowly picks up speed to a peak about middle of time between last slack (hi or lo) and next slack, then slows down again nearing next slack. The tricky thing for many people a tide chart is the difference between a high tide or low tide and a slack period. So the if a place experiences high tide at 12:00 that means the water is at its highest point. But that does NOT necessarily mean it the current has stopped flowing in. Because there could be a large area of back bay still filling in, you can have a high tide with up to hours of more incoming current at a particular point. Case in point Fire Island inlet. Same can be true of outgoing current and low tide. This is spot specific depending on the geography of an area. So the key things to look at in a tide app are high and low tides AND slack and peak currents. The only way to really know how an area behaves is to go and observe but the tide app/chart is obviously a way to start. Then observe how it matches reality. Better yet bring a rod and some lures or weights before you fish to see how what you’re throwing will behave in various parts of the tide cycle. I know it’s a lot of work. But that’s homework. Have fun! 

[toolguy73]

I fish the back bays in Cape May County.

 

The tide app (Tide Charts) I use is set up to show the tide cycles as waves. To me, the lines making up the curve at the wave peaks and valleys indicate current speed. The rising or falling slope of the lines indicate moving water, while the peaks and valleys indicate slowing or no current. Moon tides have steep lines. This app is very accurate for where I fish. 

 

I used to fish the Delaware Bay And the the currents didn't coincide with the tide times. Current always lagged the tide height. TOTW was they only way to figure that out.

[aquaholic23]

Tides Near Me. They have a map view but also a search function for various locations and the ability to favorite locations. Very useful app I found that shows ebbs, floods, slacks as well as high and low tides in separate categories. It does show speeds of the currents that match well with moon cycles. Where I am with different inlets and canals it's nice to check when the high and low tides are then compare it with the currents. It will give other locations that might be under a bridge for currents which is also useful since there is a delay between the bridge and inlet mouth depending on distance. 
 

Its been productive when going to a spot and knowing a rough estimate of slack rather than having to guess since water is still flowing at high/low. Also makes logging easier since I can get better time stamps for catching, usually at the change from slack to moving water (at least for me). Hope this helps! 

[GarbageFish]

Lot of Long Island guys throwing out free advice lol.

 

3 hours after slack is unfishable 3oz bucktail 20mph at some spots