# Water Temp. = Fewer Pier Fish?



## gaffy (Sep 24, 2008)

The fishing has been way down this summer from last year off Navarre Pier. Fewer baitfish, hard tails, yellow tails, Spanish, kings, even ladyfish schools. 

Any ideas? Water temperatures, current changes, oil spill hitting bottom of food chain, etc., etc.? Any ideas? (This is not about politics, it is about fewer fish.)

Are other piers noticing this?

Thanks, Gaffy


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## cheesegrits (Sep 18, 2013)

I think its from all the rain in the spring.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

It has been an off year for sure. Im in my third year running offshore kayak charters, fourth year fishing HARD in my kayak offshore of Navarre and by hard I mean 100+ days a year offshore. Down year for sure starting from the bottom up. This is the first year that during snapper season I brought frozen bait every day. Usually once the bait shows up I can always count on catching bait for my clients, not always the case this year.

The fall pelagic run was great while it lasted with more sails caught and seen then ever before, but other then that its been tough.

Why? Wish I could tell you. Water temps peaked around 86-87 degrees. Ive seen it higher in years past. Also we had a BIG turn over in late June. The water temp dropped 10-15 degrees nearly over night which brought in more cobia for a couple of weeks (at least that I noticed). The water went from the mid 80s to the low to mid 70s, it was crazy and it took a couple of weeks to rebound.

Who knows, lets just hope next year is better.


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## gaffy (Sep 24, 2008)

Thanks guys. A diver just told me it was only 67 degrees at 100 feet and that was way cold. Not sure exactly where he was.


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## gaffy (Sep 24, 2008)

Fish are in trouble: I had posted about the relative absence of fish this year. Now, I want to follow it up with a very disturbing story of levels of fish. Nah, I'm not political on this -- just worried. Don't know that anything can be done if we are over the "tipping Point." And this story is about Cod in the Atlantic, but the point remains:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/opinion/where-have-all-the-cod-gone.html?_r=0

My mother used to say "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything." I respect that, up to a point. I am going to research this mess we are leaving for our kids.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have the best New Year Ever!

Gaffy


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Fish shortage from being over fished.
Can't you tell by all the rediculous fishing regulations we have now.
There aren't many fish left to catch anymore...


.


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

gaffy said:


> Thanks guys. A diver just told me it was only 67 degrees at 100 feet and that was way cold. Not sure exactly where he was.


Its always 70 degrees at 100 ft year round. Lots of fish off the beach this year say 1/2 mile out or more. Pensacola bch pier has stank for 2 years now. I blame some of it on re nourishment. There's a 3 rd bar way out say a 1/2 mile or so. The majority of fish stay out past it especially on out going tides. I dont see it getting any better anytime soon. We just have to save those poor high Rises & Condos from loosing beach front at any cost to anyone else or anything.:thumbdown:


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## jackedup (Jan 17, 2008)

Yeah and I heard through the grapevine that the SRIA will be dredgeing P-cola beach during April. Looks like Navarre piers gonna be crowded this spring...


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## T-Boy (Jun 15, 2009)

Fished the Panama City piers all of October for the 6th year in a row. Last October and 2 weeks in May was the worst Spanish bite I have seen on the piers. Most blame it on the heavy rains and bay water dumping fresh/dirty water into the gulf.

We took our boat out about 700 yards past the pier and caught all the cigs and herring you wanted. Very few cigs at the piers except for the short occasional period.

Kings and Spanish were mostly out in 40 to 45 feet with the bait. We even caught a couple of Maui. 

I feel the fresh water content close to the shore hurt to a degree but who knows.


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## gaffy (Sep 24, 2008)

I have been reading about "Dead Zones." The classic dead zone is an area with little oxygen in the water for sea life to breathe. 

http://science.time.com/2013/06/19/...ico-dead-zone-could-be-the-biggest-on-record/

It turned out that the 2013 dead zone was not the worst ever measured -- not to be as bad as predicted in the above article: "The dead zone that has formed in the Gulf of Mexico this summer (2013) is smaller than predicted, but is still larger than average, spanning an area roughly the size of Connecticut." 

(But, I read that The Gulf has had five years in a row of larger than usual dead zones.)

My thoughts: These dead zones "may" not get to deeper waters out into the Gulf. One article said 70 feet, as did a couple of our posters above. One article says it's tough for a crab to swim out to a 40 to 70 foot depth to get a breathe of air -- even tougher for other sea life -- (I never saw an oyster swim!) 

It makes sense to me (what do I know?) that our 20+ inches of rain contributed in the local area. It sure did goof up the near coastal water. 

Many questions remain: Does the dead zone reach the Pensacola area? (Wikipedia has a map which shows a yearly Dead Zone from East Texas to Tampa and below -- also, on the Atlantic side, from Florida up to Maryland. 

What was the effect, if any, of the oil spill and chemicals poured on it? The Gov. never did make the chemical company or BP disclose the toxins in Corexit. The EPA writes in this article that 8 different dispersants, including Corexit -- now get this -- are less toxic than PURE WTI CRUDE! 

And the EPA "urged" the company not to use any more dispersant than absolutely required. The EPA studied the "mystic shrimp" species for a couple years and then quit testing all together. Perhaps, colleges are still conducting studies? Here's that article and a link to many others from the EPA:

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants-testing.html 

Other questions: Why are farmers in the Midwest subsidized to grow more corn to make ethanol, thus producing more fertilizer wastes? (You sure got me on that one???) 

And all the other reasons good people can think of such as over-fishing, over-building, dredging out canals in development areas, good old manufacturing discharges, etc. 

Again, I'm not trying to be political here. I juss wanna catch some fish this coming year! 

Best wishes, Gaffy


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

gaffy said:


> I have been reading about "Dead Zones." The classic dead zone is an area with little oxygen in the water for sea life to breathe.
> 
> http://science.time.com/2013/06/19/...ico-dead-zone-could-be-the-biggest-on-record/
> 
> ...


 The way the fishing on the beaches has been i the last few years, Good Luck.


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## KingCrab (Apr 29, 2012)

gaffy said:


> I have been reading about "Dead Zones." The classic dead zone is an area with little oxygen in the water for sea life to breathe.
> 
> http://science.time.com/2013/06/19/...ico-dead-zone-could-be-the-biggest-on-record/
> 
> ...


 double post


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