Fly fishing in the saltwater is all about finding the right conditions to fish. Water temperature, current flow, tides and water clarity are as important as important as choosing the correct fly. A more obvious and sometimes over looked indicator when looking for productive fishing waters is the presence of birdlife.
In the sport of fishing there many visual indications that fish are “on the bite.” One of the best signs and easiest and most reliable to identify is bird activity.
Many of today’s anglers rely on electronics and digital gadgetry to locate fish and to pinpoint productive fishing areas. But perhaps best and least expensive fish locator is your eyesight’s ability to spot birds’ working the fishing grounds.
Some species of birds are better indicators than others, and you don’t have to be an ornithologist to recognize the better ones; however, a basic knowledge of the bird kingdom will do. Let’s look at the birds and how they rate in priority and importance to successful fish finding.
- Terns: the best fish-locating bird. Terns work very diligently in searching for baitfish. If you spot them “picking” and “fluttering” in an area it’s a good sign that game fish are working baitfish, very often flying ahead of a school of game fish, picking up bait fish that have been pushed to the surface.
- Pelicans: The Big Daddies of the sea-bird world. Though not as agile and as swift as the tern, the pelican will tell you where the main body of baitfish and game are. Pelicans will dive with abandon into the center of a bait ball, filling their mouth with innumerable baitfish. Pelicans, by habit, will not allow a bait-ball to relocate too far from them. So if you spot a pelican positioned on the water, you can be sure that bait and game fish are close at hand.
- Gulls: The scavengers of the sea. Seagulls are opportunistic feeders that will feed on everything from popcorn to anchovies. Their presence is a good sign there are bait fish about but they can hoodwink even the best fisherman by their diving on anything they can eat and that includes EVERYTHING from plastic bottle caps to sardines. So, be careful when turning to gulls to find fish.
Relying on nature’s true fish finders and less on electronic gadgetry can be an ally in your search for fish.
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