The best time to fish: ebb and flood tide windows
Ask any old-school Arab fisherman "when should I go?" and you'll get one answer: "an hour after the tide turns." That's not folklore — there's real physics and fish behavior behind it, and it's exactly the rule the tool's "best time" card is built on.
What are ebb and flood windows?
An ebb window is the period after the water reaches high tide and starts dropping. A flood window is the period after it reaches low tide and starts rising again. In both cases there's real current moving — not still water.
Why 1 to 3 hours, specifically?
- The first hour: the current is still building up speed; fish are just starting to notice the movement.
- Hours 1–3: the current is at its strongest. That movement stirs up sand and rock, flushing out shrimp, worms and small creatures that were buried — turning the seabed into an open buffet for baitfish, which in turn pulls in the bigger predators chasing them.
- After hour 3: the current slows down and the opportunity fades gradually until the next tide turn.
It doesn't apply the same everywhere
This rule is very strong on coasts with a real, pronounced tide — the Gulf, Oman, Mauritania, Atlantic Morocco. On coasts like the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the tide is weak and wind-driven rather than moon-driven, so the rule alone isn't enough — there the tool instead relies on the "golden window," which combines sunrise, sunset and solunar periods.
How to use it in the tool
Open any fishing spot and the day summary at the top lists every ebb and flood window for that day, in time order, each with its expected score. The one with the highest score and a ★ is the single best window of the day — if you can only go once, go then.
Note: this rule is an estimate from a harmonic tide model and assumes normal conditions (no storm or sudden pressure change). Always check the local weather bulletin before heading out.