Low Tides of Summer

I had a great question from member Sfulp about why tides are lower in the summer even with a full moon. I’ll do my best to explain this and hope you can learn something. 

First, is the earths position from the sun, which in summer is farther away. With less gravitational pull it results in weak tidal ranges. They’re weaker during the last quarter moon after the full moon and first quarter moon after a new moon. 

Second, we’ve had strong southeast winds the past two weeks. Since tides are wind driven in the Upper Laguna. Water is blown into Baffin or the west side of the ULM and the water drops on the east side. If they’re straight south, water is blown north into Corpus Christi Bay. 

Third, is high pressure settling over the coast like this weekend. The increased pressure squeezes down on the atmosphere, which further pushes water out of the bays. Also, you’ll notice there’s hardly any clouds and temperatures soar. During low pressure, it’s the opposite as the atmosphere lifts up. Combined with southeast winds, water is allowed to move back into the bay. Cloud cover, chances of rain, and though it’s still hot, temperatures can be cooler by 2 or 3 degrees.

Fishing Thermoclines During Summer

If you've been wading recently, you've likely encountered colder pockets of water near the bottom. This transition layer between the warm surface water and cool, dense water below is called a thermocline. For example, if the surface water temperatures are 88 degrees, the layer below can be two to three degrees cooler. 

During the hottest parts of the day, fish gather along ledges and drop-offs to escape the heat, holding close to the bottom where it’s cooler. Here, they conserve energy and won't chase down their prey aggressively unless it’s within close range. Knowing this, slowly working soft plastics on the bottom will produce strikes from trout, redfish, and flounder.