How to Use Birds to Locate Fish

SEPTEMBER 2020

Why Find The Birds?

The most intense and exciting fishing experience is when you can cast into a frenzied school of feeding fish. When an angler can cast into an active feeding school of fish, large fish can be caught on every cast. These predator fish attack schools of bait and are actively feeding on the surface.

While this fishing opportunity is primarily available in saltwater, it can also be seen in larger lakes where actively feeding fish push schools of prey fish to the surface.

Finding the Fish

There are two ways to find the frenzied school of feeding fish. The first is finding birds who dive and feed along with the predatory fish. The birds can be visible for the angler from a longer distance than any surface disturbance on the water itself. The second is to find boats that are gathered in the area and are taking advantage of the action.

Finding the birds is a fantastic way to find feeding fish as birds have evolved with sharp senses to find and feed on fish. They can see for miles to find feeding fish. Birds have been used in Asia to actively hunt fish for over 1,000 years. See this article from Wikipedia on Cormorant fishing. There are many species of birds that feed on fish including: Cormorants, Frigates, Gulls, Ospreys, Kingfishers, Pelicans, Eagles among others.

The other way to find the fish is to find the boats (and birds) that have congregated tightly on a spot. This typically means they have found the feeding school of fish and this can be very productive.

Tools to Find the Boats, Birds, Fish

There are 4 main tools that an angler can use to find these actively feeding schools of fish. These include: your eyes, binoculars, radar and sometimes your boat radio.

Your Eyes

Finding the birds and fish with the naked eye is the simplest method can be quite effective if the school is not too far away. Typically, an angler can see birds and fish feeding from ½ to 1 mile away. It is best to use polarized glasses and focus on movements just above the water.

Binoculars

Binoculars can be used to scan birds and fish schools that are further away. It is harder to focus with binoculars, but you can often see 1-2 miles away if the air is clear and the waves are light.

Radar

Boat radar is an effective method to find birds and fish that are up to 5 miles away. The ability for radar to find birds depends on the speed of the array, the gain, and the range of the radar unit. Some of the newer boat radars have specific “bird modes” that adjust the settings to optimize the ability to locate birds. If your radar does not have this function you can start by trying these basic settings to locate birds although you have to tune these to the characteristics of different radar units.

Radar Mode:

Use the “Bird Mode” if available. Some radars have a specific Bird Mode designed to detect the small, fast-moving targets typical of birds.

Gain:

Increase the gain setting. Birds are small targets, so higher gain settings help to enhance their visibility. Be cautious not to set it too high to avoid excessive noise.

Sea Clutter:

Reduce the sea clutter setting. Sea clutter can mask the presence of birds, especially when they are flying low over the water.

Rain Clutter:

Adjust the rain clutter setting to minimize interference from rain, which can obscure the radar’s ability to detect birds.

Range:

Use a short to medium range. Birds are typically detected within a few miles, so setting the range to 3-6 nautical miles can help focus the radar on the area where birds are likely to be.

Echo Trails:

Enable echo trails to help visualize movement patterns. This can make it easier to identify the direction in which birds (and potentially fish) are moving.

Raymarine E-Series

Rain Clutter – 0
Sea Surface – 0
Gain – 65%

Furuno NavNet

Rain Clutter – 0
Sea Clutter between 50 and 60
Gain to manual 100%

Radio

You can sometimes listen to the radio and hear boat captains excitedly brag that they have found an active school of fish although many times they will actually minimize radio contact to keep the spot a secret.

How to Approach the School

Once the school of fish is found, it is important to understand how to approach it to fish most effectively. Do not run at full speed into the middle of the school. This will spook the fish and drive them away before you have even started fishing.

Examine the school and decide if the fish are moving in a specific direction. If it is it is best to anticipate that movement and position your boat to the side of and ahead of the school for maximum fishing advantage.

As a captain you need to keep locational awareness. Be alert of other boats and keep a safe distance. With frenzied fishing action it is easy to lose track of what is happening around you.

Summary

Finding the birds and fishing the feeding blitz is the most exciting and productive fishing ever. With these tips you can be successful in finding great fishing opportunities.

Please send pictures of your fishing success. You can contact me by email at [email protected].

Tight lines … Captain P.