Currents
N E WS
WARM WEATHER MEANS WINTER SMALLIES ARE SCATTERED AND FEEDING AGGRESSIVELY. JEFF LITTLE ISN’T SEEING SNOW, FROZEN WATER OR
BIG SMALLMOUTH IN DEEP RIVER HOLES. PHOTO: JEFF LITTLE
EL NINO AND YOU WARM WATER IN THE PACIFIC AFFECTS FISHING IN YOUR BACKYARD
Schools of big yellowtail breeze the California coast in unprecedented numbers. Smallmouth bass are swarming the shallows late into winter. Huge striped bass lurk in backwater tributaries where they’ve never been seen before. Big Gulf-Coast trout have disappeared. It may seem like the opening scenes of an apocalypse movie, but this film has a happy ending for many anglers. El Nino is a weather pattern sparked by warm water temperatures in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The butterfly effect carries across North America producing warmer and wetter weather. For some anglers, it’s a boon. For others, not so much. The most obvious beneficiary are southern California coastal anglers.
Jackson Kayaks pro and San Diego guide, Jim Sammons (www.kayak4fish. com) says anglers are catching offshore fish close to shore. “I’ve caught blue- fin and yellowfin tuna for the first time in 25 years,” he marvels. Other anglers reported wahoo and billfish encounters. That hasn’t happened since 1998, the last time California experienced El Nino. “And yellowtail fishing continues to be the best ever,” Sammons crows. Even East Coast striped bass are affected by warm water and lots of rain. Ocean Kayak pro and Southeast Virginia local “Kayak” Kevin Whitley (
www.kayakkevin.com) has noticed better fishing for big bass this winter. “We’ve had to change where we fish for them,” he says. Instead of finding big bass in the lower Chesapeake, Whitley has discovered the fish hanging out in bay tributaries. “The warm water slows down the migration,” he says. New Jersey pro Richie Moschella (
www.thereeldealfishingshow.com) has been enjoying great late season bite of big largemouth bass. “In the last week
16 PADDLING MAGAZINE
of January, I caught three bass over four pounds,” he brags. Moschella is con- vinced the water temps have the fish feeding more aggressively. “After the polar vortex we had last winter, fish and fishermen are enjoying the warm weather,” he says. Moschella was catching bass into late January on chatter- baits. “I even saw my friend catch a bass on top water,” Moschella marvels. Gulf Coast anglers, who wait for cool weather to congregate big sea trout in deep holes, instad steady rain and stubborn southerly winds have scat- tered the big fish. “The trout have moved into the marshes like usual, but they are not schooled up,” explains Louisiana guide Casey Brunning (www.
hookn1.com). The fish are smaller, too. “This time of year, a 22-inch trout should weigh over four pounds,” he says. With the warmer weather, Brun- ning says a similar sized fish barely breaks three pounds. The warmer weather conditions associated with El Nino have frustrated
smallmouth anglers, too. Wilderness pro Jeff Little (www.tightlinejunkie-
journal.com) has noticed strange winter behavior. “I’m finding small fish in the usual deep holes away from current,” Little explains, “but the bigger fish are still spread out in the shallow areas.” Forecasts have el Nino lasting at least through the winter and into early
spring. “I don’t see anyone suffering from cabin fever this winter,” Richie Moschella predicts. California pro, Jim Sammons pokes fun at anglers new to kayak fishing. “Anyone who started fishing this year,” he laughs, “will be in for a big shock when conditions return to normal.”
Ric Burnley is the editor of Kayak Angler magazine.
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