Island Free Press ...Fishing

Good anglers try to take advantage of every opportunity that might enable them to catch a fish. They are also keen observers and are constantly aware of what’s going on around them.

When you first get on the water, whether on the beach or in a boat, get “in the zone” and start to look for fish. Move your eyes around the horizon and occasionally stop and fix them on a specific location. Is that a school of baitfish swimming near the top?

Try to recognize different baitfish. Many have their own specific characteristics. Menhaden travel in densely packed schools, with single fish occasionally flipping or popping on the surface. The school may move around slightly, but will generally stay in one area.

Mullet are always on the move, and you may see one or more jump completely out of the water every few seconds. If the water is clear, you may see them "flashing" as their shiny scales reflect sunlight through the water.

Silversides rarely jump, but schools of them often swim along the beach at the water's edge. If a school of fish suddenly erupts in a panicked shower, something (probably a fish) is under them, and the fish are jumping to escape from being eaten.

Sometimes, fish will show themselves. Bluefish are famous for chasing baitfish up on the beach during a "blitz" or showing their backs and tails on the surface as they slash through the school. Other species, such as Spanish mackerel and striped bass, may display similar behavior. Spanish often jump several feet into the air as they chase after fleeing bait. Stripers will corral bait into tight schools and display many of the aggressive feeding characteristics of hungry bluefish.

Polarized sunglasses are invaluable for seeing "into" the water. They cut out the surface glare and can make a world of difference when you're looking for fish.

Gulls and terns can help you find the fish. They may be going crazy, hundreds of them hitting the water above a school of feeding fish. Or you might see only a few birds picking at the water, erratically changing their direction of flight from time to time, as though they were being guided by some unseen force. Humans don't have this "bird's eye" view, but a high flying gull can easily see a fish just below the surface, chasing through a school of baitfish.

Other signs of fish may not be obvious. When fish are feeding, they chew up their prey into pieces, and the oily leftovers may float to the surface. This fish oil will show as a slick spot on the surface.

These "slicks" could be circular or be distorted by wind and currents. These same winds and currents could move the slick several yards away from the main body of fish. Try casting or trolling directly under the slick. If that tactic doesn't produce, move gradually upwind or upcurrent until you find the fish, which may be holding at any depth.

Feeding fish or an abundance of baitfish can also produce a noticeable smell, probably created by the fish oil and body fluids that the fish give off. The first time I told my wife I could smell bluefish as we approached the beach I knew she thought I was crazy. No argument on the “crazy” comment, but as soon as we drove over the beach access ramp, the bait and the blues were having a party right in the wash. Some folks will say the smell is like cut melons, but I think it's a distinctive fishy, salty smell.

The willingness of fish to feed may depend on water clarity. Surfcasters are attached to the beach, but boating anglers can move into the color of water they feel will produce fish, or away from water that doesn't look promising.

Water color may change for several different reasons. A falling tide will pull the dirty, sound water out of the inlets and into the clear ocean. Along the ocean beach, a strong land breeze may muddy the water for several hundred yards out from the shoreline, but clear water will usually be found relatively close to the beach unless the weather has been rough for several days.

Further offshore, the boundary between the warm Gulf Stream water and the cooler slope water is usually marked by a very distinct color change. Experienced fishermen will work the water along the edge of these changes. Predator fish may be lurking in the cloudy water, poised to dart out into the clear water as hapless baitfish swim by.

Some fish, such as Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, and flounder prefer clear water. Bottom feeding spot, croakers, and sea mullet are happy in the stirred up, muddy water. Rarely will all of these fish be found in identical water color.

The visible boundary created on the surface by a color change can also mean a change in water temperature between the two bodies of water. A temperature change is not visible, but experienced boaters keep an eye on their temperature gauge. In predominantly cold water, a warm water eddy may be holding fish, or a pocket of cool water in bathtub-like temperatures could do the same.

Water temperature may also vary by several degrees within the water column. Typically the water temperature decreases as you descend vertically, but there may be a band of water, called a thermocline, that is cooler than the water above and below it. This pocket of cooler water may also hold fish, particularly during the summer months when the ocean water is fairly warm.

Looking for fish involves more than seeing. It's smelling, sensing, thinking, and simply being aware. Maximizing all of your opportunities can turn a fair day on the water into an outstanding fishing experience.

(Joe Malat lives in Nags Head and is a professional outdoor writer and book author, and he operates the Outer Banks Surf Fishing Schools. He writes about saltwater fishing along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and is published regularly in national and regional magazines. To order his books, or request information about the Outer Banks Surf Fishing Schools, visit Joe’s web site at: www.joemalat.com.)