I fish out of Golden Meadow area@Catfish Lake Marsh/Bayou Blue area&I've found out if its high tide between 6-10 am&like 1.2-1.6 or more then fishin will be good

Thanks, jls.So your saying as the tide is coming in its better?

If you look at a tide chart you'll see the rise and fall of the tide and at what times this is taking place . Some places you can catch good on an incoming tide and some not . But usually it's best in most places on a falling tide .

When you look at the chart just make sure your looking at the same area your fishing , because the high and low tides are different in different areas .

Thanks, Choupic!!

Tryig to make a trip to Grand Isle Soon. Last time I went it was horrible caught 5 fish in two days!! Not including CATFISH !! I just want it to be a good day.

But thanks for the information guys. Everything is noted!!

Sometimes nobody catches good on the whole island all weekend . Sometimes the wind and weather is bad . Ive had my share of blank trips . If all else fails and the fish aren't biting you may be able to catch crabs in the surf . But if the way your fishing isn't working , stop and ask around . There is a lot of people who will give some pointers and maybe turn you on to a hot spot .
Good luck to y'all

If you look in your area new paper i know here in Baton Rouge the Advocate wil tell day to day tides in area from Grans Isle and few more

Thanks guys. ALL your comments are very helpful!

There's a lot to consider. Here are some tidbits:

1) Best tide range: 0.8 ft-1.6 ft. Less, too little water movement, fish may not feed (best to target passes which naturally have currents). greater than 1.6 ft, tide can be too strong (fish open bays, avoid passes). Best fishing is between high and low tide, especially when the movement just begins.

2) One+hr rule. Tides occur one hour later each day.

3) Neap tides (no tide movement) occur twice a month. Then, the 1+ hour rule starts over (the tides 'flip')

4) Spring and summer, incoming tide in morning; Fall and winter, falling tide in morning

5) Onshore wind, tides above normal; offshore winds, tides below normal

6) Onshore wind plus low pressure, tides way above normal; offshore wind plus high pressure, tide way below normal

7) Tides occur later in the marsh than offshore. Knowing this provides some useful strategy. For example, if the tide slows down in Pete's Lagoon in the Biloxi Marsh, you can run 5 miles out to Christmas Camp on the edge, and the tide has probably already switched.

8) In summer and winter, largest tide range is with the full moon and new moon; neap tide is with the half moons. This rule is opposite in the fall and spring. If you know the moon phase, you pretty much know the tide range. This rule goes out the window as the seasons transition, though.

This is all general stuff and exceptions occur, so its always best to consult a tide table and the tide gauges (NOAA and USGS) and also consiedr weatehr conditions, but they are handy rule of thumbs.

Dr spot can you explain why we have more incoming tides in the am during spring than winter and why more outgoing tides in the am during fall and winter ?

I don't have a degree in anything except hard knocks ! Lol but it was always to my understanding that it takes the moon 28 days to orbit the earth . And the whole time the earth is spinning causing day and night while orbiting the sun . Now if the moon passes earth at a slightly different time each day , how is it possible to have more incoming tides in the mornings in summer than winter ?

Thanks, man! Sounds like you know a thing or two. I'm just trying to become a better fisherman. I fish onshore a lot. I have no boat so fishing is a little tough for me. But I have limited out on reds and specs before just standing on a pier (lucky) Ha-ha. Just trying to increase my chances everytime I go. Thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated!!!

High tide occurs when the ocean bulge from the moon's gravity passes over. The bottom line for the semi-annual switch obviously is the seasons. Because of the earth's tilt, this peak passes during the day in spring and summer in the northern Gulf, and at night in the cold season.

This is very specific to our region because the Gulf is a somewhat closed basin. We only get one high and one low tide per day (called a diurnal tide). Most places around the world get two high tides and two low tides per day (either a semidiurnal or mixed tide), and a much larger range, too.

Here is a good site for those wanting details on tides:

http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/tides.htm

while some of this is reading knowledge, there is nothing like spending time on the water and picking up on the subtle stuff, plus asking locals/guides questions.