Natural Signs

[Manx Fisher]

<font color='#810541'>OK guys - am feeling a bit guilty about hi-jacking the &#39;coalies&#39; thread which has now gone completely off topic … ooops. &nbsp;Gonna try making amends with this contribution :

I don&#39;t know about the rest of you, but I much prefer summer fishing to winter fishing, and at this time of year I tend to look forward to the prospect of the coming spring/summer. &nbsp;For me spring begins with a run of mackerel in mid-march, the exact timing of which changes from year to year, but can usually be predicted by watching other natural signs - the flowering of a particular type of bulb in my garden seems to tell me when I should start fishing for the early mackerel. &nbsp;Does anyone else use &#39;natural signposts&#39; or am I losing the plot completely </font>

<font color='#000080'>I wouldn&#39;t say you&#39;ve lost the plot at all&#33; Sounds like an interesting idea, the only one I really use is the presence of Cormorants etc. and sea conditions e.g. Mackerel go deep during rough water. I would bet there are plenty more signs - probably worth paying more attention to the environment&#33;</font>

[The Professor]

<font color='#000000'>Coarse fishermen frequently pack a thermometer.Worth checking the sea temperature ?.</font>

[The Professor]

<font color='#000000'>Look up uk sea temperatures on Google. Currently 8-10 deg.the surfers are well catered for regarding weather.also web cams at some resorts these days,also wave heights etc. </font>

<font color='#000080'>I would say sea temperature is one of the most fundamental factors. Wind chill and air temperature would bare very little on the actual temperature that the fish feel (and hence Jan/Feb being so cr*p&#33

Someone needs to have a web thermometer in the sea, especially in the irish sea near IOM&#33;&#33;</font>

[rukai]

<font color='#000000'>I personally tend to watch the gulls when i get to the beech I&#39;m fishing at. &nbsp;When their circling and diving I aim for that area....Sorry but I tend to fish year around with my mates..we miss November and December and some of Jan really but other than that......

I do listen for the Cocooo bird though, that&#39;s usually the sign for Spring fishing to start.

As to sea temperatures...can&#39;t do that where we go fishing we fish off a peir...interesting idea though</font>

<font color='#000080'>Gulls are a good indicator - especially for mackerel apparently, probably because their shoaling nature making them easy to spot in a group despite their iridescent camouflage&#33;

Checking google their are a few sites which can tell you the sea temp e.g.

http://cobs.pol.ac.uk/modl/metfcst/irst/latest.php

It&#39;s probably worth logging this data in a table for comparison, maybe someone can supply it already?

As for the Cuckoo, good point (also read point 10 about ladybirds etc):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/netnotes/a...662904,00.html

And on the theme of idicators, there is only a new project doing exactly that...
http://www.phenology.org.uk/springintoscience/</font>

[rukai]

<font color='#000000'>Interesting informational websites thanks for pointing them out for the rest of us.</font>

[Manx Fisher]

<font color='#810541'>Hondy - you really are spending too much time on the internet to find all those links &#33;&#33;&#33; &nbsp;Try less surfing and more fishing &nbsp;

Seriously tho - very good links, and even better - it proves I am not completely losing the plot, or if I am, I am not alone...

Still waiting for those bulbs to show in my garden, but have noticed certain &#39;forecasting trees&#39; have blosom beginning to show. &nbsp;I reckon about another 4 or 5 weeks in our part of the world until the first run of mackerel for the year.</font>

[freak]

<font color='#000000'>had reports of mackeral and plaice from portsmouth in the last 2 weeks</font>