Article by Capt. Erik Pannone
Whether you are planning a trip to the near shore wrecks or running to one of our offshore canyons in the Northeast, SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping® can save you time, fuel, and take some of the guess work out of the equation, all while keeping you aware of the current and impending weather conditions directly on your navigational display.
With today’s rising fuel prices and seemingly strange weather patterns, making it more difficult for smaller center consoles to get offshore, the advantage of having SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping with live weather overlay is a worthy investment. I run my 27cc Sea Hunt Game Fish out of Indian River, Delaware from April – October, targeting everything from seabass, tile fish, dolphin, tuna, and swords. I run twin Lowrance HDS12 carbon units combined with 3G radar and the SiriusXM Fish Mapping with the weather overlay.
The included weather features allow you to see well past your onboard radar’s range. There have been many days where I have decided to spend a couple extra hours offshore because I could see exactly where and determine when the weather would arrive. Whether you’re operating a sport fisher or a smaller center console, this information will allow you the best odds to catch fish while staying safe and comfortable.
The discussion the day prior to leaving the ramp always includes the questions: Where are we heading? Does anybody have a SST (sea surface temperature) image? Even when contacting friends and looking at fishing reports from days past, it seems like there is always conflicting information. I hold 180 gallons of fuel and cruise at around 28mph loaded down. This means that I can reach the Norfolk Canyon up to the Wilmington Canyon trolling all day and still have enough reserve fuel if the fishing is hot, or unexpected weather arises and I need to alter course. Making a big move, however, after deciding on a specific canyon to troll isn’t always possible due to fuel consumption and time. That’s why it’s important to make the best educated guess the first time, and this is where I turn to the satellite based SiriusXM Marine Fish Mapping and weather services.
I check several fishing features prior to deciding on where to head for the day to increase the crew’s chances of filling the fish box. As soon as I check that the weather window looks good, I move on to the more specific Fish Mapping features. Sea surface temperature Fronts alongside upwellings and downwellings are major factors in finding the most promising water to start the day. Between the upwellings and downwellings you can find those magical rips full of life. Next, I look at the fishing recommendations along with the plankton fronts for the species I plan to target that day. Plankton are a primary source of food for small bait fish which, in turn, attracts the larger game fish. Plankton fronts are shown with green contour lines with a number 2, 3 or 4 listed along each contour line that represent the Plankton’s front strength in a given area. Combining the sea surface temperature (SST), and plankton fronts will give you the best chances to hear the drag screaming off the reel. There is a learning curve to reading and interpreting this information, however, you can find numerous tutorials on SiriusXM Marine’s Video library (www.siriusxm.com/marinelibrary ) explaining each feature in detail.
It is important to remember that the fishing recommendations are based off scientific data (water conditions) instead of catch reports. In my experiences, these recommendations follow the water patterns that I’m looking at most of the time. On several occasions, I have often found myself far away from the fleet cheering as the lines fly out of the release clips based on the decisions made to follow the SiriusXM information, and not the dock talk. In the end, SiriusXM Marine is another tool, like your fish finder, that can turn an already good day into a memory of a lifetime.
If you want to increase your chances, go to www.siriusxm.com/marine
Good luck… Keep that tip up and lines tight! §
Capt. Erik Pannone,
Good Company Fishing Team
