Canyon Sea Anchor Sizing Model
Great Bay, Little Egg Inlet
Long Beach Island Oceanfront
There is nothing carved in stone as to what weather/wind is best for a particular kind of fishing. A good measure of luck is always involved, in just being at the right place at the right time. There are a few rules of thumb that do apply. We'll cover a couple of them here.
NE winds: From the boat, NE is NOT our friend here in the Great Bay, LE Inlet area. The reasonable 5-10kt NE is bearable, if a little choppy, but anything heavier than that and you are looking at some rough seas. Often the small craft advisories for our area are associated with NE winds. However, for surf fishing on LBI this is generally ideal, as it stirs things on the bottom up a bit and thus improves the striped bass activity. Even in the bay or the Mullica River this can improve fishing activity, especially if the NE weather lingers. The Nor'easters mean higher than usual tides, which allow the fish to get at bait resources that they normally can't reach.
N-S-SE-E winds: are the most favorable. A mild wind is preferred (10-15kt) in order to get a decent drift going if fishing for flounder or striped bass. Too little wind and the boat comes to a halt. 15-20kt winds create a need to slow the boat down a bit as the bait either will not hold bottom or passes by the fish too quickly, so keep a sea anchor of appropriate size for your boat on hand for the occasion (see chart at the bottom of the page).
25kt+ is generally a small craft advisory and rough conditions regardless of wind direction.
We try to keep all sizes in stock
Anchor
Size
Boat Size
CPSA18
18"
12'-14'
CPSA24
24"
14'-17'
CPSA30
30"
17'-23'
CPSA36
36"
23'-27'
CPSA46
46"
27' and up
Weather conditions and how they affect the fish: White Perch and Striped Bass are more active during the daytime if the weather is overcast and/or rainy. In contrast, fluke (summer flounder), winter flounder, kingfish, blowfish and porgies are best on the bright, sunny days.
Notably, many fish will often go off the bite during and immediately following a strong storm. Most species do not see very well when the bottom is extremely stirred up. So expect the day after a big storm to be a bit on the light side for catching fish.
RELATED LINKS:
Wind/Weather Page