Uptide or downtide

[glennk]

Ive uptided with Paul a few times and before that with my mate on his coble. Have to admit that downtide was always as succesful as up. However there was the odd occasion - usually when tide flow was strongest that the only place to catch was uptide. I also noted that bait is a big factor. I never worked out a pattern but there are days when if you dont have the right bait you dont get a bite. Somedays its worm, sometimes its squid, sometimes just mussel and I found in the spring of the year (April) only peeler will do.

[Guest CJS2]

Interesting to read the various thoughts on uptide fishing. I have fished from my own boat for 20 years, the first was a 16ft Alaska, through 22ft, 28ft and now 35ft. There have been no noticeable difference in number of fish caught related to boat size, ie., others were catching more, I would be so bold and say that one has often out fished smaller boat in the same area, much to their disgust on occasions.

 

Hull design is far more important, for instance an Aquabell 33 is a very easy hull to drive through the water as opposed to a Lochin of similar size, both great sea boats, semi displacement hulls, to achieve equivalent speeds a much larger engine will be required in the Lochin, This is my personal observation over a number of years of building a love affair with boats, boat watching.

 

One of the premier skippers in our area changed his hi-speed 35 footer and reverted back to his steady old 8 knot displacement boat, because the careful records kept showed that the fast newer boat was 20% down on catch rate, like for like, on a weekly basis. As everything was the same, the only variable was hull design.

 

So there is much more to hull disturbance than size, my own boat for those that dont know is a 35ft round bilge Cygnus commercial hull, weighs in at 13 tones and is driven at up to 8-9 knots by nothing more than a 90hp diesel. Very easy hull, we catch our share, and because of her design she sits quietly at anchor, no slap or bang associated with high speed craft.

 

May I suggest there is far more to this than meets the eye, shallow water and a noisy hull no-matter what it size and the need for uptiding is high, a quiet displacement hull 16 foot Orkey has been mentioned, far less likely to cause a disturbance and there for the catch rate could be better. But the bigger boat with an equally quiet sea kindly hull may be even better as it will move about even less? This is assuming there are no 20st fairies stomping about on board either.

 

The question was 'Uptideing'. My boats have always been easy hulls, although a recent craft which I only kept for two years may have been a problem as described above and I did not realise it? Back to the question, I have to say that as fish have become smaller in my area, fishing down tide has become more productive. I still use boat casting and appropriate tackle, but casting 'down tide' at anchor is very effective. One often puts three rods out, one uptide, one across the tide and one cast down tide, the down tide rod with a plain 5-7oz lead according to tide flow. By the end of the session two rods are normally down tide and one is across the tide. The cross tide rod often having been long taken in, three rods down tide can get to knitting, not recommended.

 

Conclusion? Casting down tide, on a quiet boat is as good as it gets. Even in the shallowest of water, I have marks at only 10ft, still the down tide theory applies, cod to 10lbs on that mark, Bass in the summer.

 

Uptide, downtide, perhaps the boat hull shape has more affect that we have thought before??? By the way, the above are only my experiances and observations, nothing to do with right or wrong way of doing things, just in case any one has ideas

 

Cliff

Edited October 10, 2006 by CJS2

[Guest challenge]

What an interesting thread.

Hope we can use a bit of this advice this winter darlick?

[darlick]

What an interesting thread.

Hope we can use a bit of this advice this winter darlick?

We should do john with all that time you will have .

[Bennythe BAITfish]

Uptiding is not much use if the water is over 600ft deep

 

[sam-cox]

Couldnt tell you mate, I know nothing about up tide or boat casting! Sorry

[darlick]

Uptiding is not much use if the water is over 600ft deep

 

[/quoteBait fish if the water is 600 ft deep its not fishing mate its like pulling a sack of spuds up bay bank

[Ken Davison South Wales]

I have never fished uptide from a boat, I have always preferred using a lead which just holds the bottom when bounced quietly down tide, trotting without a float It seems to work quite well in water from shallow to around 150'.

 

When fishing fast running channels from the shore I uptide to keep the lead at the required distance from the shore stopping it swinging back to the edge of the channel, again it seems to work.

[darlick]

Interesting to read the various thoughts on uptide fishing. I have fished from my own boat for 20 years, the first was a 16ft Alaska, through 22ft, 28ft and now 35ft. There have been no noticeable difference in number of fish caught related to boat size, ie., others were catching more, I would be so bold and say that one has often out fished smaller boat in the same area, much to their disgust on occasions.

 

Hull design is far more important, for instance an Aquabell 33 is a very easy hull to drive through the water as opposed to a Lochin of similar size, both great sea boats, semi displacement hulls, to achieve equivalent speeds a much larger engine will be required in the Lochin, This is my personal observation over a number of years of building a love affair with boats, boat watching.

 

One of the premier skippers in our area changed his hi-speed 35 footer and reverted back to his steady old 8 knot displacement boat, because the careful records kept showed that the fast newer boat was 20% down on catch rate, like for like, on a weekly basis. As everything was the same, the only variable was hull design.

 

So there is much more to hull disturbance than size, my own boat for those that dont know is a 35ft round bilge Cygnus commercial hull, weighs in at 13 tones and is driven at up to 8-9 knots by nothing more than a 90hp diesel. Very easy hull, we catch our share, and because of her design she sits quietly at anchor, no slap or bang associated with high speed craft.

 

May I suggest there is far more to this than meets the eye, shallow water and a noisy hull no-matter what it size and the need for uptiding is high, a quiet displacement hull 16 foot Orkey has been mentioned, far less likely to cause a disturbance and there for the catch rate could be better. But the bigger boat with an equally quiet sea kindly hull may be even better as it will move about even less? This is assuming there are no 20st fairies stomping about on board either.

 

The question was 'Uptideing'. My boats have always been easy hulls, although a recent craft which I only kept for two years may have been a problem as described above and I did not realise it? Back to the question, I have to say that as fish have become smaller in my area, fishing down tide has become more productive. I still use boat casting and appropriate tackle, but casting 'down tide' at anchor is very effective. One often puts three rods out, one uptide, one across the tide and one cast down tide, the down tide rod with a plain 5-7oz lead according to tide flow. By the end of the session two rods are normally down tide and one is across the tide. The cross tide rod often having been long taken in, three rods down tide can get to knitting, not recommended.

 

Conclusion? Casting down tide, on a quiet boat is as good as it gets. Even in the shallowest of water, I have marks at only 10ft, still the down tide theory applies, cod to 10lbs on that mark, Bass in the summer.

 

Uptide, downtide, perhaps the boat hull shape has more affect that we have thought before??? By the way, the above are only my experiances and observations, nothing to do with right or wrong way of doing things, just in case any one has ideas

 

Cliff

Cliff i have fished an awfull lot in very shallow water and the boat noise thing can ruin your day like i said i have a longliner 9.9hp fourstoke motor very quiet setup when fishing shallow i go round the mark insead of up it . i have a mate who has a eighteen foot wilson flyer with a seventy hp force motor he has many times come roaring up to me shot up the mark and the fishing has stoped instantly, time to move, told him loads of times he just laughs bless him,the stealth mode is the way to go in shallow water thanks for your comments tight lines

[big_cod]

Andrew have you tryed the secret crab baits yet they are dynamite mate for uptiding and will take all the big fish.