The weather and its effects on the sea conditions should weigh heavily on your surf decisions.
Notes from my log: September 19th, ‘22. “The point”. Three hours before high slack, one into the drop, 1930-2330 hours. Moon: last quarter, waning. Falling pressure, moderate to low, sporadic squalls throughout the tide. No evident bait, reports of peanuts and mullet in the local area. Wind N to NE, shifting from 8-10 mph. to 10-15 mph. throughout the session. Surf conditions moderate, growing to heavy. Moderate sweep on incoming. Water cooling with the season, less bioluminescence on the incoming than last week. Worked needles, darters, bucktails. Lost two bucks to that ledge along the SW of the cove. One fish night, 30-pound class, landed at slack along the inner corner. Needle, countdown drop and pop it over the ledge. She took it on the drift over the shallow structure closer to shore.
Scribbled notes, the product of an over-caffeinated mind, jotted in the briny stew of exhaustion and the fever of a running season. Detailing a seemingly incongruous set of environmental factors. Wind headings and surf condition, moon phase, bait presence, barometric readings and weather reports. Recollections in time of tides, long past.
Consistent success in the surf is not a simple formula. The powerful and ever-evolving environmental conditions of New England’s coastlines demand attention and consideration from the surfcaster looking to capitalize on a productive bite or the chance at a trophy striped bass. Understanding the weather and the dynamic patterns it can create and then effectively adapting to meet the conditions can help a surfcaster consistently target these windows of increased opportunity.
Fish Behavior
Fish, predator and prey species alike, have evolved a finely tuned array of sensory abilities to recognize and adapt to shifting patterns within their environment. Predatory species like the striped bass are particularly susceptible to weather patterns as they stage in ambush or move from cover to actively feed in response to changes in their environment.
Barometric Pressure
Barometric pressure is one such element with a seemingly startling impact on fish behavior and yet is all too often overlooked by surfcasters concerned with other more immediately perceivable factors. Simply put, barometric pressure is the measurement of atmospheric air pressure, typically measured in units of atmosphere. At sea level a normal barometric pressure is around 29.9 Hg or one atmosphere. A high or rising barometer is usually associated with steady and clear weather, bright skies and favorable conditions while a falling barometer indicates a storm front and its associated foul weather.
It’s thought that fish may be able to sense a trend in a rising or falling barometric pressure through their swim bladder or via other sensory means. Fish species that frequent the surf and the shallow waters of our coastline are particularly receptive of these shifts, either in direct response to the pressure system or in relation to the related weather factors.
As far as the ardent surfcaster is concerned, the specific biological and atmospheric science is not nearly as important as the easily notable and relatively predictable correlation between barometric pressure shifts and the behavior of fish in the surf. A common theory within the surfcasting community holds that striped bass feed more actively under low pressure, stormy conditions and often become finicky and difficult to target during stable high pressure systems. My own anecdotal experiences tend to back this up. It’s certainly true that many of my most memorable and productive tides have occurred during violently snotty conditions as the bass feed heavily in the white water on disorientated and scattered baitfish.
Calm & Clear
The beachgoers’ daytime dream, clear conditions and stable weather. Gulls wheel overhead, coasting on the gentle thermals of a slight southwest breeze as a soft, still air hangs over the hazy expanse of the sunlit ocean. Though idyllic, these “bluebird” days, as the locals call them, can create a frustrating pattern for surfcasters.
High pressure, fair weather systems are marked by gentle surf, clear skies and light, usually stable wind patterns. During the summer months these patterns can drag into long and stagnant intervals of tough fishing. Warming air temperatures subsequently warm the shallow coastal waters. Without the influence of wind and wash the surf can become poorly oxygenated and devoid of bait. Predatory species tend to leave their shallow water haunts during these periods, feeding less frequently and staging in deeper and cooler waters.
Successfully working these patterns requires dedication. This is the “grind” frequently mentioned, when good bites are few and far between and surfcasters speak in hushed and disheartened tones in the heat of the summer night. I approach these tides with a ‘one shot, one fish’ mindset. Rather than hopping spots in the hopes of discovering a bite I look for certain keys that are likely to hold fish and then work through an often silent tide, waiting for those short windows when the larger fish will feed.
Patterning A Spot
Searching out likely locations in proximity to cooler nearshore waters becomes my primary focus. Outflows and rip lines, jetties and deep contours in the bottom become the staging grounds of bass during these periods. The process of dialing those windows in, during which they will leave the deeper water to feed, requires dedication. Timing the tides and understanding how tidal influenced water movement circulates warmer and cooler water throughout a spot can be critical to success.
One productive warm weather spot I began to work several seasons back is a perfect example of this correlation of factors. Here a deep water channel is positioned just down the coastline from a shallow, stacked boulder field. The parallel sweep of a ripline running the coast intersects the field, flushing in water and bait. On an outgoing tide, warm water fills the boulder field. On the turn the incoming, the ripline pulls in cooler water from the adjacent offshore channel, flooding the field. Over the course of a roughly six-hour tide cycle the warm water is slowly displaced by this cool sweep and fish that had spent the tide staged in the channel now begin to move into the shallow structure to feed. Coming to understand this short window around high slack has produced many good fish for me in a spot that might otherwise seem devoid of life.
I try to capitalize on these moments, working baits low and slow to target those finicky fish picking away at local forage near the bottom. Live eels are consistently excellent baits during summer and the beginning of fall, as are appropriately weighted bucktails and large paddletail plastics. I’ll often work my retrieve on a countdown to consistently present my offering into that strike zone just above the bottom.
Of course every spot will set up somewhat differently as will the patterns of the local fish. Surfcasters looking to develop a spot and exploit these magical moments in an otherwise difficult weather pattern will do well to log their trips, successful or otherwise, to build a comprehensive understanding of the local patterns.
Before The Storm
“Barometer Soup” is the title of a decades-old Jimmy Buffett album. The term bounced around my mind on the late evening drive into the spot. A brisk wind wicked against the shoreline as the last rays of the sun struggled to remain above the horizon. The low clouds of a rapidly graying sky encroached, settling the surface of the ocean into a restless twilight. Very few scenarios excite my fever for the surf like the impending approach of a coastal storm system. In the days and hours before a blow, these pre-storm conditions can produce some of the best fishing of the season.
These dramatic shifts often occur later in the season, amplified by the warm waters of the summer and the cooling weather patterns of the New England fall. Tropical storms following current lines up the coast and stiff northeast systems bear down and batter the shorelines, exciting fish activity. These fronts often coincide with the excellent fishing of the “fall run”.
Unlike the sudden approach of a quick summer squall these systems will often build in intensity over the course of several days, giving fish the time to acclimate to this change in weather. A falling barometer and the gradually building effects of wind, rain and surf conditions act as a signal to predatory species. During these periods, bass – sensing the shift – will begin to drop out of their staging patterns in preparation to actively feed on storm disoriented bait.
Storm Conditions
The New England surfcaster might well be described in equal parts, hardy and foolhardy. As the storm builds in intensity these traits become evident in those casters who work through the heart of our often tumultuous coastal storms. Heavy winds buffet the shoreline as the wave sets crush against shallow inshore structure in an unpredictable tirade of white water and foam.
Surfcasters fishing through these challenging conditions require heavy gear to effectively work the storm. I personally favor a parabolically robust 11-foot Lamiglas 132-1M, paired with a sealed reel like the Van Staal VS 250 that I’ve fished for years in some of the harshest conditions. An outfit like this has the power to turn a sizable bass against the rough surf and storm-influenced rips and is also perfectly suited to toss my typical “big weather” rotation of plugs and jigs.
Packing The Bag
Plug selection is a dynamic consideration. Location, weather conditions, prevalent bait patterns and fish behavior all have to be taken into account. Nevertheless, during rough weather bites, certain staple baits consistently find their way into my plug bag rotation. Bottle plugs like the classic Gibbs and its plastic counterpart the Super Strike Little Neck Swimmer are reliable performers in these adverse conditions. Bottles bite into big surf and heavy current, swimming true under conditions that would roll out and foul a classic darter or metal lip.
Heavy Needlefish like the 3-ounce “red eye” Superstrike needlefish allow a surf angler to punch casts through a stiff headwind. Rounding out this rotation I’ll carry along a selection of bucktails in different weights, head shapes and hair densities to adapt to the constantly shifting conditions of the surf.
Storm Strategy
Arguably more important than the gear selection is a solid plan to approach a storm scenario. In the dark of the night, the storm-tossed surf can appear as an unapproachable maelstrom of wind and white water. As the system progresses, the surf will often become dirty and difficult to fish. Mung as it’s colloquially termed by surfcasters is the clinging clumps of reddish hair-like weed so often pushed against coastlines and beaches during rough onshore blows. This debris is known for ensnaring lines, fouling hooks and often making a clean presentation next to impossible.
Small forage species also suffer in these turbulent conditions, becoming disoriented and breaking from their schools. Sheltered from the worst effects of the storm, leeward shorelines and coves, boulder fields and the bases of jetties and breachways trap and hold these baitfish and offer anglers a clean and unimpeded presentation. Predatory species also take advantage of these comparatively protected waters. While it is certainly possible to find trophy fish actively feeding in the wash, large bass are opportunistic ambush predators by nature, these fish will typically attempt to feed while expending as little energy as possible in the process.
In the white water bass can often be found holding close to structure. I like to break down a likely spot working the storm tossed surf with a targeted approach. Instead of blindly working the water, I target casts at specific pockets of calmer water, the lee side of a boulder or washed over bar. These natural “breaks” in the wash and sweep create a refuge from the worst effects of sweep and wash, while offering predators a controlled environment to feed from.
Of all the angling opportunities available to us in the Northeast, the surf is unique. Few other experiences place the caster in such an exposed position, in touch with the power of the ocean and the natural cycles of the surf. Adjusting to the patterns of the weather and seeking out those windows of increased opportunity is an integral aspect of the surfcaster’s experience.
