Whats happened to our prevailing winds? I can't remember a year like it . The southwesterlies we are supposed to get upon our shorelines have been practically non-existent .
The constant off-shore northerlies and northeasterlies have hampered fishing all around the south coast. Match angling has become chronic with 3 or 4 tiddlers winning competitions and even less in some cases!
Bass angling has been patchy and a little uncomfortable in the biting wind, I long for some warmth to lift the spirits.
We'll get over the below-par fishing as soon as the weather improves, its the poor conditions for stock recruitment that I find most disappointing.
If we keep getting this wind direction at this time of year , we could find it having a negative impact on various species including bass.
A lot of the bass in the Cork area seem to have spawned already this season. Instead of warm southwesterlies gently blowing the fertilised eggs towards the shore and into harbours , lagoons and estuaries, where good nursery conditions for the growth of basslings are found , we have a situation where practically the whole of the spring has seen blustery offshore winds driving everything out to sea.
What the survival chances of a bass egg floating miles off the Mizen Head are, I don't know ? My guess is none or very little. Especially given the distance offshore that they might be bobbing about in these 50 kilometres an hour winds.
I'm no scientist but I don't think 2012 is going to be remembered as a successful breeding year .
Lets hope this doesn't become a regular pattern , looking at Windguru and other sites is almost becoming painful.
My prediction in the last post came true as Derek Kenrick a member of WCAD made the Irish International team that will be competing in Holland later this year.
He was a member of the 2010 team that won gold so will be a valuable member of this group.
This years team looks strong and will be more than capable of having a say in the event , good luck to all those involved .
Very interesting post Danny ..I must say I've never really thought about the impact of the wind on the breeding bass let's hope it improves over the next couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jay, yes thats my understanding of the process.A major factor, along with temperature, in creating a good year class or a poor one. We just had a very mild winter so hopefully that will balance things out a bit, some onshore breezes wouldn't go amiss though.
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