Is anyone getting affected by the strong currents of late?
Submitted by Decella on Sat, 2009-04-25 09:44
I was wondering how other fella's are being affected by the strong Northerly currents aroung at the moment. Whilst fishing on Friday I saw the current line as I was heading out. As I crossed it I started loosing definition on my sounder and could not set a drift up as at one stage the boat stared rotating with current. Do you think that strong currents affect sounding signals.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Yes, but only while diving.
Yes, but only while diving. Up top the boat wasn't even moving and it was glassy, down below it was like a washing machine - very bad for craying.
Blank Cheque
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 28/03/09
Last Sunday I was 28 nm off
Last Sunday
I was 28 nm off mand in 80mts and things were a little messey,the drift was unusal to the point that it was basicly not there at all but the lines were running out to the south. No wind but the boat was very very slowely drifting back east. Picked this up once pulling up alongside a pot to a spot check what was going on.
Had no trouble holding bottom with lightweights.
Its a bit late to head home early.
Its a little late to head home early
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Decella
what you just experienced was a eddie from the Leeuwin current, I got the info off of the net about the L/current and apparently eddies form (you can see them on the current map that is on the net, think I got it off of the weather site) and they look like washing machines, your boat goes here, there and everywhere. Bob's experienced it on the Bank out of Leeman, very eerie feeling he reckons, been right on the tide line and whirlie water one side then drift into calm water,
We've just come back from being up in Leeman for the last 4 weeks and the current was absolutely terrible, couldn't hook a dhuie (even with 4lb sinkers on the winches) all we caught was whiskery sharks. It was if a big trawler had gone through with a gigantic net and scooped up all the fish, very unusal indeed especially as Bob has some fantastic ground in the 42metre plus and nothing, we were drifting at 1.7knots even with the sea anchor in. Then the wind come up on the third day and stopped our drift (bloody no drift) pulled in the sea anchor and still just pickers, no big suck suck on the occie.
But at least we did get out bag of crays within the first two weeks, then pulled the pots in. The crayfisherman are still all out deep (as of the 23/4/09) and every second float is under water for the last three weeks, apparently when we left they were just coming up. Damn strong current thats all I can say.
As far as your sounder, its never effected Bobs sounder (Furuno) even in the eddie I described.
Regards
SPEWIE LEWIE .. Ginger Tablets Rock
Cockburn Power Boat Member
Ginger Tablets Rock
Blank Cheque
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 28/03/09
Hey Roberta Would you have
Hey Roberta
Would you have the web address for that site handy??
Its a bit late to head home early.
Its a little late to head home early
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Borbos got the address very interesting site to read etc
SPEWIE LEWIE .. Ginger Tablets Rock
Cockburn Power Boat Member
Ginger Tablets Rock
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
I went into Beaurue of Meterology (Perth) and then
typed in Leeuwin Current (top right hand of the screen) and you get your links from there, had a blonde moment just remembered how I went in, I also think I was in the CSIRO site as well, if you find search type in the leeuwin current, I found it it one of these sites and printed off the info for Bob
SPEWIE LEWIE .. Ginger Tablets Rock
Cockburn Power Boat Member
Ginger Tablets Rock
Borbs
Posts: 30
Date Joined: 04/07/07
Web Link
Have a look at this one. Give temps as well.
http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/web_point/
Borbs
Blank Cheque
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 28/03/09
Thanks Borbs Very
Thanks Borbs
Very interesting site.
One would like to think that the days of pushing 20 nm out and not hold bottom are over.
Its a bit late to head home early.
Its a little late to head home early
train
Posts: 102
Date Joined: 09/03/09
yeah, last 3 trips off lanno
yeah, last 3 trips off lanno the drift has been opposite to the wind and have really struggled even to lose bait to the pickers. not sure what else to put it down to, other than currents. also on the 3 trips, ive caught at least one shark and others fishing the area have caught more sharks than normal.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Train we only caught sharks as well in the last 4 weeks
went to Leeman on the 25/3 and came home on the 24/4 and everybody was saying how they only lost bait to pickers (good pickers rata tat) Didn't bother going to the bank as if the current was roaring in 42 metres what the hell would it be like in 90 metres. As I said earlier none of Bob's spots fired up. The pro fisherman that we know in Leeman said plenty of fish on the bank but his equipment was really getting tested as well. The beaches where no go very high tide, couldn't drive on the beaches and some were dirty water from the weed washed up in heaps even past Nobby Head
SPEWIE LEWIE .. Ginger Tablets Rock
Cockburn Power Boat Member
Ginger Tablets Rock