Northerlies do they really effect the fishing?

[MOZ]

With northerlies predicted for the next few days I just thought I'd pose the question.

I have heard it's no good fishing in Northerly winds, what are your thoughts/experiences?

MOZ

[gunna]

The Seaway area simply shuts down in a northerly. The old man has fished it weekly for over 20 years and won't put the boat in in a northerly. Learned the hard way over many fishless trips.

[TonyM]

Wind direction (amongst many other things) does affect fishing.

The tricky bit is that it depends on the location as to what wind is best/worst to fish in. Certainly here in Hervey Bay a Northerly generally isn't a popular one for fishing.

If you experiment though you can generally find some spots that aren't affected as badly, and if you're chasing Barra well bring on the Northerlies please

[krazyfisher]

yes bring on the northerly winds i have had the best fishing days in a northerly but never a westerly

[caloundra]

I would have agree'd about northerly's a few months back, but we have bagged out on snapper a few times with a northerly lately I think there are alot of other factors that affect it more

Daniel

[finding_time]

the big problem with northerlies are in my opinion are that the current generally runs south and if the wind blows from the north, drifting is very difficult as you are racing along even with a droug out. southerly winds tend to hold you against the current and by increasing you lead fishing is easy . Caught fish in notherlies ,southerlies ,westerlies, easterlies doesn't seem to matter to much to me

A pro fisher i know swears that just before a southerly buster comes through and its starting to get a bit wild out there the fish really start to go on the chew.

Ian

[mackmauler]

doesnt seem to make any difference to me.

[bignick]

I've found that a gentle Northeasterly seabreeze below 10 knots can be OK at times in some spots, but if it's howling, forget it. Anything Northerly or Northwesterly is a complete waste of time; in my opinion, you might as well pour your petrol down the drain. I have seen it where that first puff of N/NE wind just shuts the fish down completely, and that's when it's time to bail out and head for home. As someone has already stated, you just drift way too fast anyway, and the sea turns to a washing machine.

Cheers,
NICK.

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

The wind certainly affects the fishing, but it affects those fishing even more. Im my opinion, fish are more reliant on tide, moon etc as when you get into the depths the wind above becomes less important. So I believe anyway.

Cheers
Dave

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

spanish mackerel, barra, harbour fingermark,mangrove jack, big ooglies (cod), NORTHERLY, NE or NW..................... chew chew , bite bite, run, jump, peel, zing, whack , thump, etc.
but the most governing factors i feel are tidal, also lunar etc, especially for the salt environments.
and a very negative element of fishing can be "OUR MINDS".
"Can't Catch 'Em In The Lounge Room"
Block out the mental aspects of feeling cold/wet/tired/hot etc and it is suprising how much better we can focus on a job!
Johnny M
i've got a 'fishing excuse shirt', it seems we always come up with a reason why we never caught anything.

[Cheech]

Always enjoy your different perspective on things.....

[rando]

Ive had poor results in northerlies. IMO its because you get a northerly when a high is moving away to the east and the barometer is falling. Around the southest a high or rising barometer always seems to produce better fishing. This is just an impreesion I have developed, as I'm too undisiplined to keep a diary . maybe some of you folk who keep records can tell us from hard evidence.
rando

[SeaSaw]

I think Rando is on the money. Don't look at the wind direction look at the barometer and how the pressure systems are moving across the area. I have had great catches in strong northerlies, but with a high barometer still. Generally in SE QLD when the northerlies have been blowing for a few days, the baromter is getting low and this does seem to affect the bite. The start of northerlies, when the barometer is still high doesn't seem to make any difference.

All this is a bit of a generalisation. There are many exceptions where good catches have come on a low barometer and poor catches on a high one, so there is no exact answer. If anyone ever works it out, don't tell anyone as it will make it too easy to catch fish.

In the end these factors don't stop me from going fishing and giving it a go. ;) :)

Cheers

Mark

[Franco]

Well I think we can see from the varied opinions that it totally depends on where you're fishing, what you're fishing for, at what stage of the day or tide you're fishing, and what time of the year it is.

Never give up. #If you're off ..... GO FISHING till you work it out!

I remember for 2 years thinking northerlies on the Gold Coast was great for Jacks but crap for any other fishing. #Then one day with the worst possible conditions for flathead fishing (or so I thought ....NW 25kn for 3 days straight, brown water, and high tide in the late arvo) we sussed out an area and technique that scored us 7 flathead over 70cm in less than an hour. #Since that day I've successfully targeted flathead in these conditions and now look forward to them!! #And we've often found similar results with other species I used to write off in northerlies; both in the estuary and offshore.

Never give up!!.........!!

[houndog]

don"t even bother, as soon as Northerlies kick in, fishing seems to shut down.
Oh except for one species! Jewies Man, I fish one particular area and it does matter at all when it comes to catching Jewies Man. Ausfishers, going Beach fishing next week and guess what, Jewies are on the Menu.