We are back with our week 50 synopsis for the Northern Gulf. There was a good blue marlin bite happening in the MS Canyon last week and we anticipate the conditions there to stay strong this week.
We have seen some changes in the fishing conditions this week and we are forecasting an above average week if you are able to go 60+ miles or fishing the MS Canyon rigs. Unfortunately, this time of the year and the dropping temperatures moves fish further offshore in search of warmer waters and more plentiful bait.
SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE
If you select the single shot from this week that is not covered by clouds you will be on WED Dec 13, 2023 08:30 UTC. We scaled this image from a low of 64 to a high of 80 to get the picture. There is a giant block of cloud cover to the east, but you can make inferences from the temperatures in the west side and see that there is a push of 73* water over near the yellow gravel, Oriskany, and pretty close into Pensacola Beach.
This time of the year we look for these warmer water temps, so anything above 73 is where we would start our search.
ALTIMETRY
The altimetry this week tells a great story. There is a textbook upwelling forming to the southeast if you need an idea for what one of these looks like solo. There are two great areas near the MS Canyon Rigs as well as a decent area that also correlates with the warmer push of water from our SST chart. The idea here is that the more yellow/orange/red you see, then that area is not being replenished of nutrients that start the life cycle of pelagics. The more green to blue you get are great areas to focus your efforts in.
CURRENTS
The current charts are still showing a nice current line pushing slightly west of the squiggles and through the eastern fads. This is a great location if you can find a structure where the current is. There are also the western-moving current lines near the MS canyon that should be a decent area to be fishing.
CHLOROPHYLL
There is also not much to write home about in the SST shot from today as it is covered up by clouds. You will see the 7 day aggregated SST shot below, which shows that the majority of the gulf is still in blended blue/green water.
