How to Fish under Birds Picking

Is there anything better than driving your boat around then looking up and seeing a large group of seagulls attacking the surface of the water? The odds are finally in your favor as the fish are making themselves visible.  All you have to do is not mess it up, follow these steps and your success rate under birds will go through the roof.

You should always position your boat directly upwind of the group of birds. I usually cut my big motor off and put my trolling motor in about 75 Yards from where the action is. The next step is what I believe is the most important. First off, no one should be fishing as nothing good can come from casting when you are approaching your target. Secondly your boat should be moving at about half speed. You are watching the birds and the surface of the water very intensely. You are trying to determine what kind of fish are under the birds and what direction the fish are moving. If there are one or two royal terns in the group of seagulls (the terns) will basically do that job for you as far as where your fish are heading and all you have to do is watch that tern. His senses just seem to be greater than the average laughing gull and will beat them to the forage every time.

You will also be watching for what kind of splashes are coming from the water. If you’re just seeing rings in the water then you know that it is shrimp jumping.  If it looks like little flicks in the water or the water is moving in little ruffled waters then it is pogies or a bait fish with a little size to them. If it looks like rain then it is very small minnows and you should probably move on. If you are hearing suction sounds you are in business or seeing small explosions with no ripples coming off of it be sure to cast right at those as that is how trout feed on the surface. If the blow ups are slightly more violent and you can see a slight orange tent in the water it’s redfish. Often with redfish they will come out of the water a little bit showing their head or tail.  If the water is flying everywhere and there is a lot of splashing that is typically trash fish of some sort like bluefish, ladyfish, jacks, or mackerel. If you are just seeing a white shadow and can’t really tell what it is, it’s gafftops. Leave immediately if it’s gafftops, it is not worth it.

Now that you have collected all the information you can, as quietly as you can get the boat turned to the side and point the trolling motor in the direction that the fish are heading and your anglers can begin to cast.  The fish are typically feeding so there is no special retrieve necessary. Most of the time I just reel it back in, because you aren’t looking for big ones at this point. You are trying to catch a cheap limit. If it gets overwhelming just point your trolling motor up wind and pull off the fish, make your adjustments and simply slide back into position. When you’re finished or the fish go down, always troll away from where you think the school is, because they can come right back up if they are not spooked.

When you fish birds correctly it can be one of the most efficient ways to catch a quick limit. Fishing birds can be very intense, because it is nonstop action for the duration of the fish feeding. Go slow, take your time, collect the information, and take advantage of the feeding frenzy! And remember there is no such thing as sharing birds…find your own group!