Birds are for the birds.

[Got Stripers]

I read enough threads to know that too many people rely on birds to locate fish, would you do if there where no such thing as birds? Yeah they are nice when you stumble onto them and they are diving over working fish, but I think it's a big mistake to rely on birds to find fish. Think structure, think edges, think current breaks, think channel edges and breaklines, muscle beds, kelp and other nice places to offer bait some security. Then turn off your damn fish ID, crank up the sensitivity and find the fish you have been idling over all morning long. Note where in the water column they are holding and adjust your presentation accordingly. Birds are nice, but you won't learn much about fishing if you rely on them too much.

[JohnR]

I hear too often "Birds, birds, birds" but fishing at night most of the time, I'm not actively looking for them so it doesn't factor in as much during the day times I fish from shore or when I fish from a boat (cept for NarBay in September )...

I like being able to look at the wind and current, a chart and saying that "if I were a fish, this is where I'd want to be"... More often success than not too... I think we should move this one to the main board...

[Got Stripers]

Yes master, make it so.

[chris L]

birds always poop on ya ! I dont rely on birds at all . I fish mostly at night and they are hard to see at night . Birds do get the blood pumping when I see them working bait . But I dont rely on them . Im looking more for the currents , bars and structure . I also dont fish out of a boat anymore so birds mean all that much less to me . Bob is right find the fish for yourself and ye shall be rewarded .

[Saltheart]

Depends on where and when. In the daytime , in the fall , on a featureless beach , the terns are you best clue. At night in June , I never look for birds. Certain times of the year the birds are definitely on bait but unless you are hunting bait , they do you no good since often there are no stripers with the bait.

Now when the birds are a good clue like in the daytime fall run , don't nescessarilly fish the center of the fish pod the birds found for you. fish behind it (they drift along) and deep.

[Billybob]

I almost always fish from a boat, and I always have a plan to fish a certain rip, or ledge, or reef where the fish should be hanging. But one thing's for sure, when I see birds working , I'm off like a prom dress. When I spot em it's " o.k. everybody up" , the heart starts pumping and I just have to check it out. My absolute favorite way to catch fish is pluggin on top, to visibly feeding fish.I may not stay too long depending on the size of the fish, but I just HAVE to go. I guess I like birds.

[schoolie monster]

I agree and disagree.

I completely agree and admitted in my latest "reports" post that I need to fish more structure rather than spending too much time searching for active fish. And certainly bigger fish are more prone to relate to structure rather than busting bait out in open water.

But where I disagree, is that you can learn from searching for birds. In a couple months, I've found birds in and around the same areas many times which tells me that those fish are resident to that area. I can then refer to my charts and use my graph to locate nearby structure that probably holds those fish when they aren't harassing bait up top.

For someone in their second year fishing from the boat (really first as my alum didn't have much range), this is a great help and a heck of alot of fun. I love getting into a mess of diving birds and busting fish. I get more excited during those few minutes of chaos than fishing structure.

But I know the key to long term consistent success is keying into structure... shelves, rocks, rips, flats, etc. that regularly draw fish in. I also suspect that the topwater blitzes tail off during the summer months and that my focus should shift a bit as the fish spread out a bit.

PS... I talk alot about searching in my report posts 'cause my idea of those posts is to help everyone track locations and movements of fish, not to give away spots. I still fish several areas for their structure whether there are fish up top or not, and when I get fish there, I post the general area. I'm still a fisherman (in other words, I can give info without giving too much info).

[Fisherwoman]

AAAAAAHHHHHH the Birds, well I have a couple of different situations I have seen lately that relate to the birds.

Last week while fishing outside the harbor there were a ton of birds and believe me a ton of fish under them.

Mostly if we are out on the water and just leaving the dock, we will look for birds on our run out of the river and if they are up we will plug a while and usually do pretty good. In Boston Harbor for instance there is a tremendous amout of structure to hold fish and alot of strong moving current. Alot of bass will be in consistant area's and hold up there for most of the season. Examples, over by the airport, In front of Castle Island, Quincy Bay, Dorchester bay, and sometimes up in Nahant or possably around Nutt Island pier. Just to name a few, and in these place the birds are usually a sign that these resident fish are on the feed. and Most of the time, that would be at 1st light or at sundown as the summer gets hotter.

When you go outside the Harbor, there is alot of water, and 90 % of the time if you see birds working, there are fish under them.

On another note. We have many area's we fish strickly because of the structure and current and wind in specific places based on tides also, you will find as the season progresses and the temperatures get hotter in the months of July and August that you will have to learn some of the area's because you probably won't experience much bird activity when the feeding frenzie slows down. But come September and October & November, look out baby!!! The feedbag will be on!!!!

Yesterday I saw mid day a few birds working over near Spectical Island, but they weren't really diving hard like they were going after pushed up bait. Sometimes what you will see, like yesterday, are birds working over a weed line being carried by the current or tide that is carrying small tiny bait hiding in the weeds and grass. The more time you put on the water the more you will experience this and it can really play with you. SO if you find yourself in one of these situations make a few casts if the fish are there, and they are on the feed, you should know it pretty much right away. If not not stay there and waste your day!!!!!

[schoolie monster]

The other thing about chasin' birds is that while its working it is a blast, but when they ain't up, there's nothing you can do and you're pretty helpless if that's your only option.

I come from a freshwater bass and trout background. It was all structure based for bass, current based for trout. And even when things were slow, if you worked hard, kept hitting trees, docks, weedlines, rip-rap, etc you'd pick up fish and have some success. Or with trout, sooner or later, if you kept hitting holes and riffles and eddies, you'd find a couple active fish.

At least if you can pound some structure or a rip, you feel like you are doing something other than just running around.

But honestly, its been a trap this spring, 'cause those fish have been there. Until this weekend, I found good action up top each trip out, so to me, it was worth the search 'n destroy strategy.

If its time to change up my strategy a bit, that's fine. That's one of the reasons I put the trolling motor on and bought a plastic boat... I'll feel pretty comfortable gettin' up close and personal with those rocks.

[Scotch Bonnet]

Like Schoolie and Billybob, I can't resist a good bird-bait melee. I remember being aboard the Drifter(charter) heading out to SW Ledge and passing right by a HUGE school of fish, bait and birds. Didn't even stop for a few casts. I thought -we're going right by ALL the fish at BI. We were all bug eyed going by this action and Rich just laughed -"schoolies!!". Got to SW Ledge and hit big fish all morning. But still can't resist it to this day.