Cool Ocean Maps, Real-Time

[SamFamAustin]

The modelers over at NOAA have some really cool stuff such as ocean temps, current, salinity, height, mixing, and movement over at:
http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/ofs/products3d_hurr.shtml

Fishermen usually like a little more accuracy but products such as these (there are several more) are FREE, and the custom stuff is quite expensive and not exactly "real time" or even daily.

Of course the Loop Current west of the Keys and the Gulf Stream are the most important features. But look just east of the Abacos and you see some unusual things - try the 200 meter web icons because that shows the drop-off such as right off Elbow. That's about 600 feet or 100 fathoms, where many swordfish and Big Eye Tuna live. Look for changes in current, temperature, and so forth. Interesting, no?
sammie

[Rock Steady]

Sammie, you are a denizen of the deep.
Thanks,

c

[DaGoose]

Good stuff Sammie...and it's free!

For whatever it's worth, I subscribe to a service called terrafin started locally. They provide daily water temp and chlorophyl charts. Annual fees are less than $100 with great coverage. They have a section just for Abaco. One of the neat features is the lat/lon display down to seconds as you place the cursor.

Not affilliated, just a customer.

Gotta get the boat ready for tomorrow.

Keep em tight,

Rick

[SamFamAustin]

Hey Rick,

wish I was there but we got at least two guys looking for Lady Swords off Abaco, so if you have a GIF image (without violating your license) or some numbers for the guys, well, they just might have a better drift fishing trip. If I know the recreational "balloon" fishermen, they'll drop 3-4 lines at various depths from 40 to 400 feet at night and make a drift with the wind, tide, and current. So the whole drift thang is knowing the drift, having some numbers, and watching for upwelling (chorophyll), temperature changes in the water column, and probably ... I dunno, smell. The cucumber smell is good, that's one trick I learned. I have no idea why that is ...

The waxing moon is good but some are superstitious about fishing on the Full Moon itself. This has been studied a bunch and largely discredited, although one study suggests that a bright Full Moon can slighly disrupt typical fishing behaviour because small marine organisms such as cephalopods migrate to the surface to feed then. To me that means the squid would feed closer to the surface. Hint, hint ...
sammie

[DaGoose]

Sammie,

Can't post the image. The chlorophyl (sp?) charts show real no breaks. SST temp images are best from 4/25 with a decent temp break of about 1.5 degrees with a rather skinny cold water pocket that drops and ends NE of Elbow.

As best I can describe:

Bottom edge 26 35.38 / 40.34

Inside (west) edge 26 40.55 / 76 49.71
Outside edge 26 45.52 / 76 41.94

Hopefully this helps somewhat.


Rick

[SamFamAustin]

Here it is East of Elbow at 26 40.55 / 76 49.71 (latitude and longitude, decimal minutes). That's a current edge and you'd hope to see a weedline. Good luck, bruddas.

Hopefuly Rick and I aren't sending you half way to Spain. An area NE of Spanish sure looks good too. I have to say, nobody has EVER published secret fishing numbers on this Forum though. Wahoo!

That's a primo first.
/sammie