[Soundfisher]

I know we all look for bird action to help us determine where we may find a feeding frenzy.

But when there are no birds, what do you look for? What are the visible determining factors?

It's certainly easy to spot a Bunker school flopping on top of the water, but what do you look for when things aren't so easy to see?

Let's hear it!

Soundfisher

 

[Crazy-Al]

Soundfisher... Great question!

If there are no birds around? I generally look for Structure, cuts, pockets, rips, dropoffs, water change and bait!

"Crazy" Alberto
[email protected]

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

Ditto with Al. Especially about the rips. There are a few bars that we can almost always find fish at, on the drop off from a shallow bar on an ebb tide.

 

[611906]

Hey guys----I ain't saying this to score points with the guy. But I gotta say it---I've fished with over a hundred guys in my life----ain't NONE of them able to see what Al can see in the water at night. He freakin' amazes me sometimes.

Anyway---smooch time over and my nose is white again---I like to fish current, and I watch the water. Look at how it moves---look for little eddies, little places where it backwashes due to opposing current flow caused by a downtide obstruction. As the bottom shallows under it, water has to accelerate--you'll get a burble like a mini-rip right over the shallow or obstruction, and downtide of that, it usually deepens a bit. That's one prime spot to seek out in an inlet. It's easy to spot rips like those off the jetty tips at Moriches and Shinney---finding structure at a place like Jones sometimes takes a closer eye.

Unless you fish in a place with a lot of artificial light, you won't necessarily see birds at night, or see fish breaking. You might hear them in calm water, but sound carries well across the water, and often you'll have no idea where the fish you heard broke, unless it's close. But, no matter how dark---you can see the water and how it's moving.

 

[617538]

heres a good one an old pro taught me when you fish any tidal rivers on the north shore.Look in the trees along the bank if the ospreys are thier on an incoming tide theres fish if not fish outside.Always works.