Can someone give a Terrafin Tutorial?

[Jason S]

Can someone take some time and maybe write a nice terrafin tutorial on how to use it?

What views? What to look for? How to compare Clorofill to SST's?

Anything else we new guys should look for to find fishy water?

[Pilar]

I already did this and have presented it several times. It's a power point and just an outline with graphics.

What are your questions?

[Jason S]

Which charts are the ones to use to get the best overview of the temperatures. I just started playing with it today. I get the basics of what kind of temps and you are looking for breaks but how does the Chlorofil relate to this. I get the blue water green water thing with blue being the sterile water and green being rich water. But numbers of chlorofil does this relate to.

I guess what I don't know really is how do I use this data to give me a starting point for a place to fish or am I just over thinking it. Is too much data a bad thing?

[Pilar]

JasonS ... what part of the state do you live in? I'm in Corvallis.

This is a fairly complicated topic. Here's the basics.

We have a summer weather pattern that drives and sustains our fish populations offshore. This phenomena is called upwelling and is caused by a strong N to NW wind that persists for days. We are doing it right now in fact.

There are large scale currents (think circling the pacific in a clockwise motion) that bring clear blue and warm water to our coast every summer. The TUNA! like the clear water and come with the current. The upwelling produces a current also but it also makes the water murky and cold. This gives plankton what they need and they grow and create vast amounts of food for baitfish. This in turn creates vast amounts of baitfish. The TUNA! feed at these convergence zones here and elsewhere in the world where they occur. The simple one liner is the fish are at the breaks.

The upwelling currents push offshore and south while the California current pushes south. Where they meet you will often find 'breaks' either in color, clarity and or temperature. What you see if you study an entire summer of images is that the 'dirty' water and clear water often form a line along the same general shape. It may move in or out with the changes in currents but it persists all summer. This shape closely tracks the drop off at the edge of the continental slope. In general this is closest to the beach off PC and swoops out to the SW as you go south. The line tracks between the 100 fathom and 200 fathom curves. Many of our favorite fishing spots coincide with seamounts that lie along this line.

Think of giant rocks on the bottom of a slow moving river. They create boils and swirls in the current that are visible on the surface. Fish hang out near the swirls.

The California current is the river, the seamounts like the Banana bank, stonewall bank, heceta bank, Area 61, the twin seamounts off PC, Mount Crossley are the giant boulders.

Here's some images. Find the line and you will find the fish.

[fishtales]

Jason, generally speaking you want 60 degree water and the cleaner the break the better. Then if possible find a Clorofill shot that is again generally speaking, less than 1 and lay that over your temp break. If the two line up with each other then that is where I would start fishing. These are just my thoughts, others may have a different approach. We do however usally catch fish when they are there to be caught. There are no absolutes just play with it because as soon as you think you have it figured out you will get humbled.
FT

[Pilar]

Here's some chlorophyll shots for the same week. They only get one satellite run on the clorophyll daily so you have a much lower chance of getting a good picture. The SST shots come from any of 5 different passes and different birds. So the dates do not match exactly.

But you can see the line develop. The chlorophyll is a direct representation of the amount of plankton. Blue color means clear water free of plankton. Notice how the blue areas fog up as the wind drives the upwelling and the plankton 'blooms'.

[Pilar]

And now currents.

This week was a wind event just like this year. At the end of the week we had jet sleds stacking tuna at the banana bank. So the line was pushed inshore after the wind stopped.

Look for a repeat of this pattern in the near future.

[Jason S]

Very well explained. I am actually in Washinton away from the coast on the Puget Sound and Straits. Bremerotn/Port Orchard area.

We have been looking at fishing the Depoe bay area mainly because it seems like a nice little port but are afirly flexible. Main thing is I am willing to drive to where the fish are and am fairly mobile as we cab over camp it and tow the boat.

This weekend looks shot which I guess we were spoiled the last couple years. Last year the boat was new and I did not have all the gear I felt nessesary to venture off shore nor the confidence in my new boat. I am on tha smaller side and have to pick my days which is why we decided to stay mobile. Plans are for where ever the fish are.

Now if we can just get some weather. Nice calm seas. Seems everyone is ready to hit them. Wonder how I tell my wife I all ready have 4 ft envy and wishes. She'll kill me I promised this boat would last me 10 years.

[Oceanpro220]

Could you post the websites of the SST's and other data charts. I have found some NOAA SST's but they are not as detailed as the one you have shown.
Our plans are to try Depoe Bay this year, between August 10-19. Being from Salt Lake City, Utah we don't have the luxury of choosing the day based on the weather, we just hope for the best.
Last year we fished LaPush WA and had some good tuna action. Only went out one day because we caught 26 with five going over 30 pounds and that was all the tuna we could use for the year. I'd be interested in keeping in touch with some others going out since my buddy boat won't be with me this year.

Doug