Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    In my younger days, I made it a practice to hit the water as soon as
    possible after a major storm. The time this practice nearly killed me
    put a real damper on my exploratory spirit, though, so my observations
    are a couple years old.
    
    Anyway, the fish (and everything else that can move, including mussels)
    vacate the shallow water (<100 feet) until things settle back down,
    which can take more than a week of calm weather. Even then, the rocks
    are scoured of sessile creatures, and there is very little semblance of
    "normality" for a long time, sometimes as long as a whole seasonal
    cycle.
    
    This, of course, relates specifically to rocky sections of the coast.
    Sandbars (beaches) are a completely different story, and I've never
    bothered to look them over underwater. I would assume that they return
    to their former state rather quickly, having been relatively barren
    from the beginning. If you're interested in cheap and easy chowder
    fodder, go to a beach immediately after a major storm, especially a
    beach with rocks nearby. You'll find all manner of mussel, clam,
    lobster, and crab stranded on shore, just waiting to feed either you or
    the sea gulls.
    
    John H-C

    If you were in West Palm Beach Florida area you simple strap yourself
    to one of the post on the Boynton Beach Inlet Jetty pier and go
    fishing for sharks and Bluefish.
    
    There is a sea wall in front of you that will break most of the force
    of the waves, the sharks are driven very close to the shore line and
    you can have a great day fishing.
    
    
    

    Today's newspaper (Worc.T&G seeemed to indicate that fishing had slowed
    down this week, despite the great pre-storm weather we're having. The
    only fish that seemed to be improving we're that sightings of bluefin
    tuna have substantially increased....
    So has anyone in the Southeast tried that method (.2?) of straping
    yourself to the pier, etc. lately ? I enjoy fishing but that certainly
    seems to add a new dimension of excitement to the catch...How do you
    get 'em of the hook ? or out of the water ? Think I'll stick to fair
    weather fishing - I'm getting too old for "sport" fishing ;^)

    Rule of thumb for fresh water at least is that fishing activity peaks
    at the front edge of a storm and then deteriorates badly afterwards.
    Water turbidity seems to be the culprit. 
    
    Last spring on Champlain towards the end of a so-so day, a storm
    appeared on the horizon. We motored into a cove that looked good, but
    so far had produced only one or two fish. All of a sudden all hell
    broke loose. Both of us were catching fish on every single cast - pike,
    pickeral. and LM Bass. The strikes were fast, hard and vicious. This
    went on for exactly one hour to the minute. Then the skies opened for a
    wind whipped penetrating rain - fishing stopped cold - nothing - nada -
    . The next day dawned clear, quiet and warm. We hit the water at
    7:00AM - didn't land our first fish until after 5PM - that evening was
    OK, but it was at the end of one long loooooooooong day.
    
    Later in the summer I beat a cold front down to my pond; bagged a
    pickeral and four bass in the 45 minutes leading up to the rains -
    again, the fish stopped. 
    
    What I've taken from this experience is that working the water ahead of
    fronts is exciting; next day, sleep in - there's no hurry to launch. 
    
    BTW - that hour on Champlain is an hour I'll never forget - it was wild
    and tremendous fun.  
                                                               

    I'll second that. It's something I learned a long time ago and it works
    even better if your a hunter. If you happen to be in Pennsylvania or
    New York or anywere there happens to be a large deer population and you
    know there is a front coming in just take a ride around the fields and
    watch. Animals and fish feed heavily before storms. There internal 
    barometers are telling them that a storm front is a coming and its
    time to eat Now!!!
    
    I especially use fronts for Small Mouths. I had a day last year that
    I will never duplicate. I was out another guy and we were each in
    seperate boats. We knew there was a storm approaching and we met to
    talk about what to do. While talking we were chucking some Pop R's when
    all hell broke loose. We were wacking Smallie after smallie they had
    turned on and were ravenous. It lasted until it started to rain and
    then died out.
    
    Please remember.......Use your common sense. Bertha is no small storm
    and the Merrimack is no babbling stream. No fish is worth drowning or
    getting barbecued by lighting for!!! A large storm like this can out
    of the blue reenergize back into a full blown hurricane.
    
    FWIW
    Bob M�

<    Please remember.......Use your common sense. Bertha is no small storm
<    and the Merrimack is no babbling stream. No fish is worth drowning or
<    getting barbecued by lighting for!!! A large storm like this can out
<    of the blue reenergize back into a full blown hurricane.
    
   Bertha looks a whole lot better from the south side than she did from the
west (if you catch my drift...)

Al Whitman
Ft. Myers, FL

    
    Hi,
    
    The only thing i can add to this is during a stay in Florida down on
    the keys, we got caught in one hell of a storm.  We had a boat on hire
    for a week, the first two days being the best fishing I have ever had. 
    The storm hit on the 3rd day so we could not fish, back out on the 4th
    day and we never got a bite and the rest of the week was not much
    better.  I never realy thought as to why untill reading these replys. 
    This was back in 90.
    
    I would like to return to the States this year and would like to try
    your coarse fishing, any ideas for the best areas and times.  Im from
    scotland and my particular favorite is Pike fishing.
    
    Pat

    	Maybe it loses something in the translation, but what does "coarse
    fishing" mean ?
    
    	Ray

    It means "fishing for coarse fish" - meaning "non-traditional game
    fish". The latter include the likes of salmonids, the former include
    the likes of carp, etc...

    
    
    It actually means, river and lake fishing here.  Trout, salmon, pike
    etc.  

    Depends on where you want/have to visit. Highly recommend Lake Ontario
    and/or Lake Champlain both are in upstate New York. Or Lake Winnepesake
    (sp?) in New Hampshire. All are big lakes offering a wide variety of
    fishing with or without guides. In Massachusetts, there are many ponds
    not far from Digital sites (ex. Chauncy, South Pond, Lake
    Quinsigamond,Webster lake, Brimfield Reservoir,Comet Pond, Quabog
    (North Pond) which have variety, including pike, lakers and salmon.
    Good luck!