[richard labounty jr]

Easterly breezes do the exact opposite of sw they blow the gulf stream closer to the beach pushing warm surface water in.This is when you want to look for spanish,kings,mahi, and cobes.The cobes and spanish will be right near the beach just outside the breakers usually in 20 feet or less of water.The kings and mahi can be as close as 5 to 8 miles but 10 to 12 is more likely. Any tidelines and or temp breaks outside of 5 miles is a good place to start.Wrecks and humps(bottom depth changes) are good places to look.#1 they create an adverse current...#2 they attract baitfish looking for shelter from the predators....#3 lots of big lazy fish like either the shade or the slower current behind them....#4 they may just start or be on the edge of a temperature stage...

One thing to remeber though is a little east wind makes the ocean snotty and it can be miserable quick.Prolonged or forcasted wind from the east can be very dangerous if you dont pay close attention....I have been out of OI at 36 miles per hour and came back in at less then 9 miles per hour...It went from slick calm with a glassy appearance to 13 footers by the time we got back in.....

So in the spring a light or moderate NE wind will warm and clean up the water...So if you get a hard SW and then a light NE wind you get a really hard edge.Bingo spring time action....All the little fellas like menhaden,threadfins,spot and croakers suddenly have no place to hide so the blues who were searching in the dirty water now have unobsturcted maylays..As well as the amberjacks,jack crevelle,cobia and the king macs(usually larger when this happens)

Now when it continues to blow the surf pounds the beach and you get dirty water again making it easier for the little guys to hide and move up to the next inlet, but as it begins to change the litttle guys go scrambling inside the inlets for shelter...

So inside is good wether the wind blows hard from either direction.Finding the tide change and the right wind so that the current is moving but is not pumping like mad....Outside is good for bottom dwellers but just not fishable at all on stiff northeasterly breezes...Flounder tend to bite better at OI when the water is a little cleaner....but can be caught at anytime.....


Drum are liable to show at anytime the water is dirty or the wind is blowing or the waves are big.....sw being better in the spring and Ne being better in the fall.....


I hope this helps a little.......

 

[Steve F]

Richard, have you ever though about writing a book on how to fish the Outer Banks, it would be a # 1 seller. Another great article on the fishing in North Carolina Outer Banks. All by the way Richard, I'll be your proofreader just in case you make a few mistakes. [grin]

 

[DP]

RICHARD,
You're right about the wind. I was watching the weather channel Sat morning and saw that the winds was due east. I grabbed my little bros Carolina Skiff and ran to the inlet. When I got there the birds and the bait were working the east side of the bridge. So I dropped some drone spoons over but nothing. I trolled around to the north side and headed towards Bodie Is Light.
The birds and bait were everywere, in a line about 300 yds wide and stretched as far north as I could see. They were the smaller sized manheaden and the terns, pelicans, and gulls were tearing them up. I started to catch some small blues, but I got into some spanish around the hole just north of the light house. I had them all to my self and there were no other boats around. I tossed back about 20 spanish and 10 blues that were undersized. I ended up with about 10 legal spanish and 4 legal blues. Then they just quit bitting or moved north. They loved the gold drone spoons, I caught the most on that one spoon. Had a blast by myself and got a good suntan. All in all a good day. I am sure the SW wind yesterday and today have moved them away.
Steve is right, you should write a book.

DP
"Harvey's Hookers"
222 Aquasport

 

[hardhead]

"One thing to remeber though is a little east wind makes the ocean snotty and it can be miserable quick.Prolonged or forcasted wind from the east can be very dangerous if you dont pay close attention....I have been out of OI at 36 miles per hour and came back in at less then 9 miles per hour...It went from slick calm with a glassy appearance to 13 footers by the time we got back in..... "

more true words were never spoken...
Wes

 

[SANFLEA]

i can agree with the wind change ,, sunday the water was 78 in kitty hawk and monday 67,,, fishing was no good after that !

 

[DirtyFrank]

these posts are great!!!

ditto on the wind comments, the ocean side got real cold last week, no swimming, saw a sign that said code 5 shrinkage alert!

we tried to get out Wed on my boat in the sound but got soaked and beat up by the bridges to roanoke, bite offs from what I suppose were trout were the only action we had.

kinda sucked cause the wind blew like that all week, boat sat in the driveway most of the time. saving grace was the limit of dolphin and citation tuna we caught on a charter out of OI.

Can't wait to go back.[excited][excited]