Stormy weather weekend

[ronaultmtd]

Fall fishing is plagued by fickle weather- right now fishing is getting better everyday and will peak in late November and be good through most of the month December, weather permitting...I have been watching the fish weather daily and this weekend doesn't look good- a cut off low and a developing coastal low combine for a stormy pattern followed by major hurricane Matthew sometime next week...sound like a meteorologist but we have to be aware of the weather making our fishing plans and I know there is always some where you can fish no matter which way the wind is blowing- my deal is lightening...I am extremely allergic to electricity above 110 house current- got a good dose many years ago at Latimer Shoals Cobia fishing in a 24 foot cuddly cabin when a bolt of lightening hit about 100 yards away and lit us up like a Christmas tree...that was enough for me- don't want a second experience like that...so while I am impatient about getting out, I am cautious as well- and when my friends don't go I don't like kayak fishing alone after October 1st...water temps start dropping and unexpected/unplanned things always seem to happen...

Looking ahead- the massive influx of all this fresh rain water into Chesapeake Bay has to have an effect on the fish- my thoughts are that it will hasten the fall migration patterns and bring a fresh group of the northern stripers into the Bay while flushing the salinity levels below the tolerance levels of the black drum and salt water visitors we have seen in the last month or so...the speckled trout will undoubtably be in their fall patterns and the big bull reds will head south to the mouth of the bay...

[Fishinfool]

Ron,

The water temps at the Thomas Point Light have dropped 7-8 degrees just in one week! They are down to 72 degrees, which is prime time for Rocktober.

But as you say, the weather is fickle. You'd have to be pretty hearty to be out in this mist/rain/wind.

Here is the link to the Thomas Pt weather station:

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/mobile/stat...?station=tplm2

[ronaultmtd]

Might be able to sneak in a Sunday afternoon trip to sheltered creeks- gotta watch the radar, though...

[J.A. Veil]

Ron -

I was chased off the water Wed morning by thunder and lightning that was not in the morning forecast. It is scary to think that my head and any graphite rods are the highest objects around. I was relieved to return to the launch and get in my vehicle.

I fished both Fri and Sat in the rain. On Fri I had mist/light drizzle for the entire three hours. I caught plenty of fish. Today I started with light drizzle, but had two periods of heavy downpours. The bite had been good until the first downpour, then it shut off. After the first downpour, I gradually started catching fish again, then the bite stopped with the second downpour. I called it quits after 2.5 hours.

I caught over 40 stripers on each of the days. Yesterday's catch had a larger average size and a few keeper sized fish. Today, when it was not raining hard, the bite was aggressive (24 stripers in the first hour) but most of the fish were small (12" to 15") with just a few reaching 19". I did manage to troll up a small bluefish and a perch today.

Here is a theory based on minimal evidence. When the water is calm and then a heavy rainstorm arrives, the noise and vibration made by millions of rain drops plopping hard into the water may disrupt the fishes' ability to find prey. I am interested in other theories on this point.

I hope that tropical storm Matthew does not mess up our fishing.

[ronaultmtd]

Yeah, John- you are getting out in the weather that I mostly stay home and look out the windows at- tomorrow looks do able...might get in a few hours chasing specks down south- wouldn't mind getting a keeper striper or two...but the main target fish is speckled trout-

[Mark]

Undoubtedly, heavy raindrops make noise which sends vibrations throughout the water column which very likely distorts information fish glean from their lateral lines. Also, there is likely a fear/fleeing factor involved in relatively shallow water where surface noise generated by a pounding rain sends the fish to deeper water where they feel safer.

On the other hand soon after a heavy rain water levels generally rise increasing areas that hold fish in a given location. The rain also washes terrestrial insects and other unfortunate creatures into the water creating a smorgasbord of new things for fish to eat. When I was a little kid I loved to head to the local stream after a rain because the fish always seemed to be more active. But if I waited too long after the rain, the water was a muddy mess which was not good for fishing.