In summer time around the seaboard of Australia, the poor prawn has to run the gauntlet of many thousands of net-wielding families and hundreds of professional fishermen until it reaches the sanctuary of the open sea. Still, millions escape to grow into sexually mature adults to ensure that the stocks are replenished by the following year. Knowing the tides and the phase of the moon before we go prawning will help give a better angle on getting a feed of these delicious crustaceans. The shore-based fisherman always casts out as far as he can, looking forward to the day when he owns a boat so he can get right out there where the big fish are. This scenario is due to preconceived ideas of where the fish should be.
Fish are at different places at different times.
At certain stages and in certain conditions fish will come into shallow water, whilst at other times they will only be found out in the deep. To put this in perspective, just for a moment think of fish as people. Hypothetically if you were fishing for people you would target the main city centres between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday for maximum sport. Saturday and Sunday would prove fruitless. Constantly asking yourself questions like this will enable you to adapt to changes as well.