Spring came a week early this year in the northern Gulf. This past week we have seen some beautiful weather as the air and sea temperatures begin to rise. We got a great report from the FADS of an abundance of blackfin and even a blue marlin getting caught there this past weekend. As we move west it is easy to see why Louisiana is one of the top spots for catching wahoo, and a lot of them! If you scroll through your instagram or facebook we can guarantee you will see a board of wahoo that will almost make you want to run 5 hours on a 31 contender in 3ft chop.
Sea surface temp
The best shot that we got this week came on Thursday the 14th. We are seeing the sea surface temperature continue to rise with pockets of 74-76 degree water popping up near the FADs as well as a large pocket sitting on top of the double nipple. It’s crucial at this time of year to keep a sharp eye on your water temperature while trolling open water or even structure. 1 degree or even half of a degree can make all the difference in the world to pelagics.
Altimetry
The Altimetry this week is showing that the upwelling we focused on last weekend in the MS Cannon is in fact pushing to the north east. An area of interest that we will be keeping an eye on is the double nipple as we are hoping that the upwelling will continue to push this direction. As was mentioned last week it is a great time of year to troll the “highways” between the upwelling and downwellings.
Currents
The currents this week have stayed pretty consistent, however, the strong currents that we were seeing to the east by the Squiggles have slowed down. An area that has caught our eye is over by that upwelling that we previously mentioned in the MS Canyon. We are seeing strong currents just south west of the former Independence Hub location that seem to be working their way up to the Appomattox and neighboring rigs.
Chlorophyll
The Chlorophyll charts this week are still showing a majority of the Gulf being covered in blended blue/green water. As we mentioned last week, this water is still conducive to catching nice fish, so there is nothing on here that is screaming to avoid. There is a pocket of blue water just south of the double nipple that we are going to keep an eye on, as this pocket can very well push east and cover up the western FADS. Unfortunately the blue water push that we saw at the squiggles last week was short lived just like the currents in that area.
