The Ultimate Guide To Reading The Water

How to Read the Sea - Read the Water - Part 1

By “REEFMAN” in South Africa

SOURCES :

Part 1 http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=7396.msg108165#msg108165

Part 2 http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=7429.0

November 08, 2011

In order to increase your chances of catching fish, an angler needs to be able to "read
the water".

Studying and understanding the prevailing conditions will enable you to put your bait
or lure in the right place at the right time.

Sea conditions on our coastline vary greatly, so what is written here is designed as a
basic guide, to try improve our understanding of what's going on beneath the water
and why. Hopefully, it might help improve your skill and chances of catching fish.

Water Clarity and Temperature

Water clarity and Temperature affects our fishing noticeably.
Crystal clear (Gin) water is generally an indication of difficult fishing conditions.

Generally, cold water is crystal clear.

Due to prevailing winds, warmer surface water is pushed out to sea, to be replaced by
nutrient rich colder water from the depths. (More on this later.) This colder water is
normally crystal clear to start with, but being nutrient rich and filled with planktonic
microorganisms, after a day or 2 of being warmed by the sun and photosynthesis
taking place, these organisms will often form a plankton bloom, which then gives the
water that characteristic 'greenish/brown tinge' to it. This is often called 'water with
colour' in fishing terms, and is highly sought after, because schools of bait fish will
move in and readily feed on these blooms. These bait fish will be followed by
Predators.

Ginger beer water - Kob country!

WIND DIRECTION
How does this cold clear water move inshore?
The phenomenon is known as Eckman transport … Ekman transport, part of Ekman
motion theory first investigated in 1902 by Vagn Walfrid Ekman (for whom it is
named), is the term given for the 90 degree net transport of the surface layer of a
liquid (depth to which wind penetrates), due to wind forcings. The direction of
transport is dependent on the hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere this transport
is at a 90 degree angle to the right of the direction of the wind, and in the southern
hemisphere it occurs at a 90 degree angle to the left of the direction of the wind.

Basically what this means is that in the Southern Hemisphere, water will travel 90deg
to the LEFT of a prevailing wind.

In KZN, the North East wind blows down the coast parallel to the shore. What this then
does is push the Warm Surface water out to sea. The deeper colder water from deep
sea then comes in and replaces it....
This is the reason that fishing picks up after 2 days of a North East wind in KZN. The
cold water upwelling brings nutrients with it, which after a day or 2 of photosynthesis,
causes plankton blooms, which give the water 'colour'.

Similar principles can be applied in Cape waters... where the prevailing winds will
cause surface water to move to the left.

Oxygen Content of the water

On the opposite side of the spectrum... in KZN, a South-Westerly offshore wind keeps
the water warm, depleting the water of nutrients and also causing the Oxygen content
to drop. This makes the water clear again, and being depleted of Oxygen, causes fish
to become sluggish. The warmer the water, the less Oxygenated it becomes.

Remember that these are generalizations - what most often happens with the
prevailing winds. Note that there are always exceptions to these 'rules' because so
many other factors play an influencing role... eg. Barometer pressure, Wind strength
etc.

An example is that after a North East wind for a few days, the cold water has had a
chance to bloom nutrients, optimal for feeding. Then the front switches around and
the South Wester will blow warm water back inshore. This is optimal fishing time -
slightly warmer water with nutrients available. A steady SW wind for a few days
causes the nutrients to become depleted, oxygen content to drop and fishing then
becomes poor.

Another example - Warm water with a steady wind over it, creates a choppy sea, which
oxygenates the water - the environment suddenly becomes a lot more conducive to
fishing because of the induced oxygen in the water and more cover for prey and
predators alike. Predatory fish also have a lot more difficulty hunting in crystal clear,
flat, calm conditions. At times like this, they will definitely become a lot more active at
night than in the day.

It would stand to reason that if the water is calm, clean and with little movement, the
places that do have some movement or some white water would be the better option.

Conversely, if the sea is rough, there is lots of white water and generally fairly low
visibility conditions, the quieter water becomes the better option.
BAROMETER
Atmospheric pressure is a good prediction of weather
patterns.
Low pressure indicates stormy weather and the fish will go off the bite.

High pressure indicates fair weather and stable conditions... more chance of fish
feeding during these conditions.

More importantly, is the very beginning of a dropping barometer - Fish will feed before
an approaching storm or between the approaching fronts, or as the barometer rises
and falls through the course of the day.

On a rising barometer (after a storm) the fish will feed better too. In my experience, it's
when a Barometer starts to move that's important.

These are very basic, general guidelines, as there are always exceptions to the rule,
but generally speaking...

■ Rising Barometer: Fishing is Best

■Rapidly Fluctuating: Indication of good fishing (regardless of fluctuating up or

down).

■Static Barometer: Fishing is poor

■Falling Barometer: First part of fall is good fishing. After the fall continues for
several hours, the more the it goes down the poorer fishing will be.

■Unusually Low Barometer: Don’t bother as there is no fishing, because there will be
a big storm!
Surface action of the water.
SWELL
Far out to sea, winds blowing across vast sections of flat water cause the surface
water to produce a 'wind wave' - a wave of water that varies in size according to the
strength of the wind. These 'wind waves' continue to flow, even when the wind that
caused them has stopped, when they become known as 'swells'. These swells
continue to move until their energy dissipates.

Notice how a water molecule (red dot in the animation below), doesn't move
dramatically forward as one would think when a wave passes. Rather it moves in an
Orbital path, slowly moving forward with every cycle.

[Interestingly, Short waves, lose their energy much quicker than long waves, which
is why swells from distant storms are only long waves. (waves with periods larger
than 13 secs). These long swells lose half of their energy over a distance that varies
from over 20000 km (half the distance round the globe) to just over 2000 km! ]

When they are large enough, these long swells will reach the shoreline, with varying
results. Once formed, there is very little that a 'local' wind (near the shore) can do to
affect these swells, besides creating 'white horses' that appear on the crests of swells
and making for a choppy sea.

WAVES
Once these swells reach shallower water, or an obstruction beneath them (eg
sandbank, reef, pinnacle) they change in a number of ways.

As a swell approaches the coastline and comes into contact with the sea floor the
waves will start to slow down. The shallower the water becomes the slower they
move. As they slow down they have to squash together. (i.e. they shorten their wave
period.) This process results in increasing wave height. The steeper the sea floor
gradient the more pronounced the wave height will increase. The increase in wave
height begins to occur at depths of around one half of the wavelength.

As the wave moves into increasingly shallow water, the bottom of the wave
decreases speed. There comes a point where the top of the wave overtakes it and
starts to spill forward — the wave starts to break. In general a wave will start to break
when it reaches a water depth of 1.3 times the wave height.
Slope of Sea Floor
If you've read everything we have written up to this point, you know that it's the action
of the sea bed slowing the bottom part of the wave that causes the wave to break.

Gradual slope: A gently sloping approach causes the bottom of the wave to
drag and will result in the top of the wave prematurely overtaking the bottom resulting
in the wave breaking in deeper water. These crumbling waves won't be steep and will
lack punch.

Wave breaking on a Steep sloping sea floor: - a steep slope or a

reef. The swell approaches the Sandbank/reef at a greater speed, since it hasn't been
slowed down by any slope yet. From the diagram below it can be seen that the wave
"jacks up" due to the rapid change in depth creating a higher wave. The breaking
depth is reached much later than on the gently sloped bottom. The top of the wave
quickly overtakes the bottom and pitches forward. The waves created by the rapid
change in depth are much steeper and hollower ---> the wave tube is born!
Rapid depth change creates steep pitching waves - those big thunderer backline
waves so prevalent on the KZN North Coast. Behind those waves is much deeper
water!
What determines the slope of the Seabed?
It's quite important to understand how different slopes are formed.
Generally, the Southern parts of South Africa has fine sand, which is much more
resistant to Wave action than coarser sand, which is found in the Northern parts of
our Coastline. Coarser sand is more prone to being moved (due to the friction co-
efficient). Fine sandy beaches (Cape) generally makes for flatter gentler slopes into
the sea. The further North one goes, the more prevalent coarse-grained beaches
become and the deeper the drop-offs and the faster the slope on the beaches.

BEACHES
Beaches are made up of a series of troughs, channels and sand banks.
From the Intertidal zone (where the water washes up the beach) one would normally
find a drop-off or lip, forming a trough that runs parallel to the beach.
Beyond the trough is a Sandbank that separates the trough from the Open sea.
Somewhere along the trough, which can run for many km's, there is an opening or
channel that runs straight out to sea.

Troughs are notoriously poor at producing fish. Because the water in these troughs is
usually clear - this is not a good spot for Bait fish to hide! Bait fish will always look for
turbulent water, that provides bubbles and colour in which they can hide. These areas
are right next to Sandbanks, where the water run-off causes turbulence, sediment in
the water, good feeding characteristics for bait fish schools.
Predators prey on Baitfish using the element of surprise. They cannot hide
themselves in clear water/troughs. Predators will lurk and patrol on the edges of
structure like sandbanks, where they know the baitfish will be.
So although the deep water troughs on a beach look so inviting, there are very rarely
any fish in them, because there is no cover!

The spots to put your bait in - always look for "working water", the water running off a
sandbank or structure that creates white water or "foamies". The bubbles and
sediment in the water provide excellent cover for the little ones, with the Predators
utilizing this cover in smash and grab runs.
The sand bank at the back of the trough is broken by these channels leading out and
if it is a fine-grained beach that is gently sloping, there may be a series of two or three
such troughs and sand banks going seaward.
On a coarse-grained beach (KZN) one very seldom finds more than one trough and
one bank at the back. The water tends to be deeper in these troughs than on fine
grained beaches.
Looking from above....

The open sea channels are an excellent place to put your bait out. On either side of
the opening between 2 sandbanks is prime territiory - the bait fish will be there
feeding on the sediment, and the scent of your bait will call fish from beyond the
opening out to sea.

To summarize... a swell approaching a gradual sandbank will have a soft crumbling

wave. A swell approaching a steep sandbank will have a big dumper type wave. So we
now have a good idea of the depth of the water behind the Sandbank.

Once a wave has passed over the bank, watch carefully - it will reveal to you the slope
characteristics on the inside of the bank down into the trough!

A steep slope going into the trough will give you a very distinct cut-off between the
white water of the wave and the blue calmer water... (the Kob drop-off! ). This cut-
off line is often a couple of metres shoreward of the drop-off, in other words, if your
bait lands exactly on the line it is going to be a few metres into the deep water rather
than on the bank.
To land on the bank, one has to try to anticipate how strong the water is and how far it
is pushing the white water shore-ward and place your cast a few metres into the white.
The bigger the area is that the white water fades into the blue, the gentler the gradient
(no clear cut-off). One will notice here that the bigger the swirl or the foamy that
comes off the bank, the further it will extend white water shoreward and generally one
can assume that the fish will be spread over a bigger area on the inside of the bank.
What to look out for
Courtesy of Barry Wareham

The more water that comes in over the bank in the form of breaking and rolling waves,
the more the water piles up in the inside channel and the stronger the current will be
running out to sea in the holes on the side of the bank. It is very important to
remember this, particularly when fishing for smelling type fish as it is this current
going seaward that will bring big fish into the hole to look for the bait. Look for the
seaward rips, as this is the best chance you are going to get to pull big fish on smell.
The opening in between 2 sandbanks is the ideal spot to put a Slide bait or a big cast
bait out.

Fish feeding activity on beaches definitely increases when the tide starts to push
(Incoming tide). Quite often, once fish have fed successfully, they will move offshore
or move to a resting or holding area where they will bide their time until it is time to go
and search for a meal once more and again, this would generally coincide with an
incoming tide if on a beach.

Look for the deep drop-offs, particularly where there is a bit of a swirling action in the
water. Look for banks that are showing some soapy water with the odd breaking wave,
rather than water that is rolling all the time. Fish like to feed on these types of banks
and the takes are often quite dramatic. I mentioned above the holding or resting areas,
because on many occasions anglers successfully catch fish that are not feeding
aggressively and not eating the baits, particularly size wise, that they normally would.
Just like any animal, once they have fed, they are not inclined to take big bait, but will
often just suck up a tit-bit. When Kob are not feeding in the churn on the back of a
bank or on the shoreward dropoff, they can sometimes be found chilling in a hole and
will be tempted with a much smaller well-presented bait.

Isolated banks are brilliant, particularly if the water all around them is deep. There will
often be an abundance of fish on the edges if the bank is still too shallow, but they will
feed aggressively on the bank as soon as it is deep enough. The big predators too will
be found patrolling the deep water around the bank. These isolated banks are easily
identified by the calm water all around them, but waves lifting, breaking, rolling and
then fading into a swell, show one exactly where the bank is.
When you see sand lifting or churning, remember that all kinds of food items are
probably being exposed and fish hang around these areas. On the beaches that have
very fine sand, most fish are very tolerant of this fine sand and can often be caught in
it. On coarse-grained beaches however, the fish definitely avoid being in the churning
sand, but will definitely hunt around the edges.

RIPS AND SIDEWASH

Side currents and the effects of Longshore drift cause a sidewash. Generally if there
is a very strong side-wash on the beach continually in the same direction the whole
length of the beach, it is not a very good condition to fish in, as it is difficult to get a
sinker to hold. If there is absolutely no current, it is also not very conducive to good
angling, but at least one can still fish in it.

It is very important to be able to identify an outgoing current, sometimes referred to as

a 'Rip’. This normally intensifies on an outgoing tide, but can be quite obvious and
intense when seas are big.
The vast majority of fish that we target use their sense of smell extensively. Current
gets them homing in on your bait. Whenever you stand and watch the water it is
imperative that you work out which way the current is going and how strong it is.

Rips that go straight out to sea can pull fish from a long way off. Remembering that
wind will blow anything floating on the surface, one should always try to look for
things in the water, bits of weed, etc., that will give you an indication as to which way
and how fast the water is moving. Having established this, you can throw your bait to
the area that is going to make maximum use of the current. Should there already be
other baits in the water, you obviously need to position yours where it is the first one
the fish will come across when he comes homing in on the smell!
Generally when one looks down the length of a sandy beach, there are long curves
with fairly distinct points on the beach. Quite often there is a hole in the curve and a
bank on the point. Particularly on a low spring tide, these banks are often easy to walk
or wade onto and invariably the water on the other side of the bank is very deep. It is
also a feature that is very consistent in terms of producing fish. Always check out the
points on the beach and be there before the tide starts to push.

Very Important: Whenever you look down a beach, remember that what you see from
the side is often very misleading. Do not make an assessment looking left or right on
the beach. Try to get up high or else walk down the beach to the feature that you think
you are seeing. Take some time to watch and allow some sets to come through,
especially if the sea is calm. This will help you to better understand what lies beneath.
You will be amazed how often water that does not look good from the side, is in fact
really good when you get to it!

Hope this helps someone !

How to Read the Sea - Read the Water - Part 2
By “REEFMAN” in South Africa

November 10, 2011

Reading the Water - Part 2 - Rock fishing

Please read Part 1 first, this covers the basic principles of Water clarity, Temperature
and Wave action -
http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php/topic,7396.0.html

The key to catching fish on Rocky shores is to understand what lies beneath the
water. Water movement and currents are critical to understanding where fish will be.
The exciting thing about Rock fishing is that there is a huge variety of species and
sizes of fish, that are either resident 'reef' species or predators on the way through.

Obviously the same principles of Water clarity, colour, temperature and depth all need
to be taken into consideration when deciding where to put your bait. What becomes
more important when fishing rocks as opposed to beaches, are the formations
available, such as Deep water, Gullies, Points, holes and drop-offs. These are all
affected greatly by water currents, which are very important to identify and analyze.

Fish use the current not just to bring food to them and to get scent of potential prey,
but also to help bring oxygen over the gills and provide some buoyancy as they glide
or swim. The sort of places that are frequented by your bigger non-edible fish and
edible game fish tend to be quite different to those inhabited by the smaller edibles.

Before we go into those details, let's try understand a little about the Hydrodynamics
happening beneath the water surrounding rocky structures.
Consider a rock lying on the beach...

Water flowing around and over a Rock on a Sandy bottom produces Eddy currents,
potent little streams of water that erode away a deep gully all the way around the rock,
from about half way forwards. The picture above shows a little stone, but the same
principles apply to all obstructions in the water, including massive boulders,
pinnacles and rocky outcrops. Where the gully formed with a small stone are not
significant in depth, the gullys and troughs formed by a large rocky outcrop become
1-2m deep in places... these are perfect spots for Baitfish to take cover!
The Eddy currents extend toward the back of the obstruction/rock and reverse the
flow of water due to friction. This creates a small surface wave disturbance on the
shore side of the rock, forming white foamy water that generally moves shoreward
with the swell. The currents here behind the rock (shore side) are generally weak
compared to the main swell current, and the white water and bubbles created provide
the perfect hiding place and cover for baitfish!
The same thing happens with Rocks lying on a Rocky bed...

The softer eddy currents on the shoreside of the rock provide shelter for baitfish,
along with the white water and bubbles that go with it.

Bear these principles in mind as we study some of the formations:

Targetting Big fish/Predators

Rocky Outcrops/Points
Most Rocky outcrops that stick out to sea are a lot more productive than those that lie
flush with the coast. Points like these almost always produce a Rip current that runs
out to sea along one or more spots along the side of the outcrop. Obviously this
depends on the prevailing wind and tide etc, but generally, there will be a rip coming
off the side of a Rocky outcrop. The less movement in the water, the less productive a
point becomes. This current does not just provide a nice place to lie in, but it brings
all the smells and the food out to the big fish. It is crucial therefore, to identify the
currents surrounding a Rocky point, as putting your bait alongside a Rip current will
increase the chances of a catch dramatically.
A Rip current even in calm, placid conditions
And another example...

Water moving in a rip tends to look similar to a flowing river with obvious disturbance
visible on the surface.
Another good indication is that when a swell encounters a current going in the
opposite direction (backwash), it lifts a little higher than it normally would.
Yet another give away of a current is the scum line... where old foam is dragged out to
see on the current - forming a clear line with the centre of the current marked.
If the current is fairly strong, one can often see a Scum line on the surface of the
water.

In other places, the water on the one side will appear quite different to the water on
the other, either by colour or turbulence. This current line is almost always patrolled
by predators. These same fish will happily come in on the current as soon as they
detect the scent of bait in the water.

A current line often takes the form of a band of 'shiny water' - which can be quite
clearly seen if you look for it. Often this colour difeerence is associated with different
water temperatures, as in a Thermocline, where colder water and warmer water have
not had the chance to readily mix, due to one of the currents going faster than the
other.
Some examples of what a Current line looks like:
Out to sea...
Baby Brazen...
Brazen Head...
Mbolompo

Try cast into the current, which gets the smell message dispersed over a much
greater distance and also much faster, than if your bait was sitting in water with very
little current. Almost every point has a very distinct current next to it. Obviously,
certain points definitely tend to work better than others, especially in specific wind
conditions. This is as a result of the current that is generated under those conditions.
The more you look for the current and the Rip, the better you will get at finding it and
the more use you will make of it.
Deep water spots
On a good clear day, one can easily identify the dark patches of rock as opposed to
the much lighter sandy colours.

Most deep-water spots have a deeper water channel right up against the rocks with a
shallower bank further out. Beyond this bank it drops off and becomes deep again.

In clear water one will see that the water up against the rocks is darker because it is
deeper right where you are standing. This deeper water can sometimes be masked by
the white water running over it, but generally all drop-offs, cliffs, points and ledges
have a deep band of water found right at your feet - caused by the action of Eddy
currents over many years. From there, the colour gets lighter as one goes further out
(slightly shallower) and then goes darker again as the water gets deeper.
A good idea is to investigate your fishing area at low tide. Structure that would
otherwise be invisible at High tide, can now be seen... like isolated banks of rock,
isolated sand banks, churning water and sediment. These are all areas to be targetted.
Bait fish are always attracted to Structure in the water and baring in mind the
principles of Eddy Currents, these structures can be targetted. With Rocky structures,
accurate casting becomes necessary, failing which, much tackle will be lost.

We are blessed with some awesome Deep Water points in our country. Next time you
have the privilege of fishing one of these and targetting Big Eds and Inedibles, look
out for the Rips, look out for the Current and colour lines... your luck will improve!
Let's move on to targetting the smaller edibles...
There are many edible species that are caught along the rocky shores of our coast.
Most of these species are very specific in terms of their preferred structure or habitat.
It is not possible to discuss all the species and their habitats in this article, rather the
best approach is to decide what fish you are going to be targetting - study their
habitats and bait preference, then study the water and put your bait in the best place
possible.

Generally, calm, quiet, waters with deep, calm areas are not favoured by most fish.
Especially when the water is clear.

Smaller edibles prefer working water... water that is being churned up by wave action,
leaving a surface covered by white foamy water. This churning water has
sediment/food in it, at the same time providing lots of bubbles and white water as
cover while they feed. The calmer the sea, the harder it is to find working water or
some white water that is providing cover. There is nothing better than a moderately
strong sea as it starts showing you a lot of what lies beneath, which way the current is
going and where fish are most likely to be.
But when the sea gets "up" with strong surge and side-wash, things change for the
worse. Then, the quiet little gullies and protected bays become places that the fish
tend to congregate in.

Tides
Tides play a large role in determining when fish feed. Many species prefer feeding on
a pushing tide, (an incoming tide), where the higher waters make stucture more
accessible than would be possible at low tide. Swell Surge allows these fish to reach
normally inaccessible areas, like seaweed, rock organisms, molluscs and
invertebrates. When the surge retreats, the fish retreat with the swell and return to
their resting spots. With a good pair of Polaroid sunglasses, and careful observation,
one can often see these smaller fish surfing the swell as it surges in. This is
particularly evident on the Spring High tide.
Gullies
Gullies are often a great way of fishing for Pan-size edibles with ultra light tackle and
dropshot techniques.

Particularly when the sea is 'up', gullies, nooks and cranny's provide much needed
shelter for fish. Most of these gullies have a cave overhang on the seabed, where
wave action has eroded the bottom. These can be quite large, and are often perfect
spots for your Rock dwelling species like Rockcod, Snappers and Musselcrackers.
Other resident species of gullies and overhangs include Blacktail, Cave Bass,
Karanteen, Stone bream, Zebra's, among many others. They are also major Nursery
grounds for many species, and juvenile fish can often be found in these gullies in
their thousands.
Often you will find that as water enters the gully from the sides where a wave has
broken and rolled over the rocks, the gully fills up and needs to empty back into the
ocean. Try to find the place where the water is sucking or being pushed out of the
gully. This is normally identified by fairly turbulent type water - an ideal place for any
ambush predators. Also at this point you will find any other fish that are entering or
leaving the gully during their hunt for food. Where this water pours over the
surrounding rocks into the gully, you will also see a bit of white turbulent water and
those fish that are in the gully will definitely be keeping an eye open along that line
waiting for food to be brought to them.
Again it is always necessary to fish areas where there is colour in the water. Very
clear water, where you can see the bottom is not good. You will generally be wasting
your time.

Ledges
Many parts of our Coastline, particularly on the North Coast KZN, are characterized by
miles of flat ledges. A 20-50m rocky ledge that starts on the beach and protrudes out
to sea. Where the ledge meets the sea, there is always a steep drop off into relatively
deep water - this deep water forms a trough between the Ledges and a sandbank
further out. Waves break on the sandbank, then dissipate in the trough and then
smack into the Ledge with some force.
Applying our principles of Hydrodynamics... we know that right in front of the ledge,
the sand/rock will be scoured out on the seabed, to form an overhang/cave, which
gives the perfect conditions for Reef fish to inhabit.

Because there are many miles of similar looking ledges, one has to study the spots
and choose one that is different... one with working water and with colour.

These ledges can only be fished at low tide, since the ledge drop-off becomes fairly
dangerous to fish off at high tide, with breakers thundering into them. Spring low work
the best, in a moderate sea, where the swells cause turbulence at the edge of the
ledge with plenty working water and feeding opportunities.

The Sandbanks normally associated with these Ledges are usually within casting
distance, so one can change plan of attack to target some predators by putting a bait
out just short of, on top of, or over the sandbank.
Spinning with Poppers and Plugs also works well in the troughs off ledges. In this
case... find some working water covering the trough, cast your lure parallel to the
ledge and work it through the white water through to the other side. Numerous
Kingfish species can be landed using this method.

OK - that's a wrap. I hope this basic guide helps someone out there !