Sprinter … When Old Man Winter Just Can’t Let It Go

Dela-weather, whether you like it or not.  If you haven’t heard, we may have snow this weekend.  Sussex county might get spared, but the north could see a good blanketing.  Old Man winter just won’t let go this year.  Now we are in  a new season … Sprinter.    Old Man Winter … “Look … I am sorry, but I just want a shot at these bluefish and if I kick it with some more snow I can stay and chill on the beach.  I am tired of winter fishing, I want that spring action too! ”    Dude, we get it, but you really need to exit the building gracefully. Your time is over for the season.  We will see you in again November, let it go.

The long-range forecast looks much better with this being the last major cold snap.  Fingers crossed.  We just need the water to keep warming up and we will see much better action.  There are fish here, but the conditions to get to them are not great.  Right snotty would be a great description for this coming weekend.  Heavy waves and wind will make fishing a chore.  Watch high tide at the beach if you do drive on, it could get a little ugly in a few spots.  You can catch but you need to put in some time, or you will get lucky and get slammed with killer action.  You don’t know unless you go.

The good news, this is striped bass weather.  Despite the winds will be out of the south-west and then the north.  This is the weather the bigger predators like to feed, it disorients their food (bait fish) and jams them up on structure and pockets.  The bait fish can get pushed into an area or move to get away from the storm surge.  For a large fish that can swim strong, it makes for easy pickings.

The water temperatures are starting to slowly increase, but the ocean is still in the low forties.  The bays are warming up faster, especially the inland bays.  Masseys Landing hit fifty-two degrees the other day at low tide in the ditch.  Cold rain or snow will change that this weekend, but it doesn’t take long for the inland bays to warm back up, the dark mud bottom, clear water, and sunlight act like a heater.

By mid-week it will start to warm up again, isn’t that always how it works out on the weekends?

Fish On!

Rich King

NWS Weather for the week …

Tide Indian River Inlet …

Buoy 44009 conditions …     

Conditions at 44009 as of (8:50 am EDT) 1250 GMT on 04/05/2018:

.Station 44009 (LLNR 168) – DELAWARE BAY 26 NM Southeast of Cape May, NJ
	Wind Direction (WDIR):	WNW ( 300 deg true )
	Wind Speed (WSPD):	17.5 kts
	Wind Gust (GST):	19.4 kts
	Wave Height (WVHT):	3.6 ft
	Dominant Wave Period (DPD):	5 sec
	Average Period (APD):	4.4 sec
	Mean Wave Direction (MWD):	NNW ( 337 deg true )
	Atmospheric Pressure (PRES):	30.17 in
	Pressure Tendency (PTDY):	+0.07 in ( Rising )
	Air Temperature (ATMP):	37.9 °F
	Water Temperature (WTMP):	42.4 °F
	Dew Point (DEWP):	22.6 °F
	Wind Chill (CHILL):	27.7 °F
	Wind Speed at 10 meters (WSPD10M):	17.5 kts
	Wind Speed at 20 meters (WSPD20M):	19.4 kts

NOAA Marine Forecast …      

SYNOPSIS FOR THE COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK NJ TO FENWICK
ISLAND DE AND FOR DELAWARE BAY…

High pressure over the Ohio Valley will move east across our area
through tonight. A warm front attached to low pressure over Canada
will cross the area late tonight and early Friday. This will be
followed by a cold front Friday night. Low pressure will move along
this front on Saturday and bring rain and snow to the region. High
pressure will return for Sunday and Sunday night. Another
disturbance will affect the area early next week.

Coastal waters from Cape May NJ to Cape Henlopen DE out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island DE out 20 nm-
603 AM EDT Thu Apr 5 2018

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON

TODAY
NW winds 15 to 20 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt this
afternoon. Gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft, subsiding to 3 to
4 ft this afternoon. Swell mainly from the S with a dominant
period of 8 seconds.

TONIGHT
W winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming S in the late evening and
early morning, then increasing to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas 2 ft or
less. Swell mainly from the S with a dominant period of
8 seconds.

FRI
S winds 15 to 20 kt, increasing to 20 to 25 kt with gusts
up to 30 kt in the late morning and early afternoon, then
becoming SW 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt late. Seas 2 ft or
less, then 4 to 6 ft early in the morning. Swell mainly from the
E with a dominant period of 8 seconds.

FRI NIGHT
SW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt,
becoming W 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt in the late evening
and overnight. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Swell mainly from the S with a
dominant period of 8 seconds. A chance of rain.

SAT
N winds 10 to 15 kt, increasing to 15 to 20 kt in the
afternoon. Gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Rain.

SAT NIGHT
N winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Seas
3 to 5 ft. Rain, mainly in the evening.

SUN
NW winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. A chance of rain in
the morning.

SUN NIGHT
NW winds 15 to 20 kt, becoming N 10 to 15 kt after
midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft.

MON
NW winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming SW in the afternoon. Seas
around 3 ft. A chance of rain.

MON NIGHT
S winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. A chance of
rain.