Algae Bloom

[Wasabi]

Like I read on another thread, there seems to be always something in the way at the moment.

The uptiding season went almost belly up thanks to El Nino and the ongoing winds throughout the winter....

....then the fish went AWOL to go spawning and

....and now we have this damned algae bloom just when you don't need it.

Normally in May the codlings come well inshore and feed on crabs, mussels and especially small fish...

Now we have for the 3rd year in a row no clear waters to do the lovely spring cod-run inshore drift fishing....no visibility...

Give it another 3 weeks and the mackerels are in.

Reading the Whitby forums it seems that they suffer even more from the algae pest and catch next to nothing for weeks.

Even the wrecks seem to really switch off during the bloom ...I had incredibly unpredictable conditions in the last 4 weeks...on really good drifts and on really good wrecks (even when the (surface)water was clear) and we did not get a sniff.

Sometimes you then hit a particular corner of any wreck and nail it there.

It seems that the fish cluster more than at any other time of the year and one really needs to keep looking for them.

What are other skippers/ boat anglers experiences with the bloom...

any specific distances, depths, tides, methods, baits, colours that work better than others??

[j the kipper]

You never know?

Interesting report wasabi good read .

[Jimbob]

My feeling is that you need to turn off your special algae and seal magnet. A lethal combination!

[Wasabi]

My feeling is that you need to turn off your special algae and seal magnet. A lethal combination!

My algae and seal (and general bad luck) magnet is called Banana- James

[canman]

Whilst the algae bloom is there, just use big baits over the wrecks and inshore, and let the fish sniff it out.

[on the mark]

Like I read on another thread, there seems to be always something in the way at the moment.

The uptiding season went almost belly up thanks to El Nino and the ongoing winds throughout the winter....

....then the fish went AWOL to go spawning and

....and now we have this damned algae bloom just when you don't need it.

Normally in May the codlings come well inshore and feed on crabs, mussels and especially small fish...

Now we have for the 3rd year in a row no clear waters to do the lovely spring cod-run inshore drift fishing....no visibility...

Give it another 3 weeks and the mackerels are in.

Reading the Whitby forums it seems that they suffer even more from the algae pest and catch next to nothing for weeks.

Even the wrecks seem to really switch off during the bloom ...I had incredibly unpredictable conditions in the last 4 weeks...on really good drifts and on really good wrecks (even when the (surface)water was clear) and we did not get a sniff.

Sometimes you then hit a particular corner of any wreck and nail it there.

It seems that the fish cluster more than at any other time of the year and one really needs to keep looking for them.

What are other skippers/ boat anglers experiences with the bloom...

any specific distances, depths, tides, methods, baits, colours that work better than others??

The slumps been there every year that i know of but still caught fish on wrecks and hard ground, just how it is, some years it's there longer than others, just got to persevere.