Follow The Birds To The Fish.

[Clayton Will]

When you see schooling fish with birds on them get up close and cast into the frey. Good fishing.

[Mitch f]

Yep, it's a great striper tactic.

[exiledguide]

Way back when, before bass boats and all of the electronics, I always carried binoculars to spot any surface disturbances whenever we would see birds on the water. I actually reached for mine the last time on the water ............when I got home I found they are now a backyard birwatching tool I have to get another.......It also lets you see what is on the docks

[fishinwrench]

That bird biz might work for offshore stripers and for locating baitfish on very large bodies of water, but on our lakes where shad are basically everywhere the location of those birds don't mean squat.

Actually most freshwater gamefish are hardwired to spook when a bird flys over their head. The last thing I want is a flock of gulls circling an area where I'm fishing.

[Feathers and Fins]

That bird biz might work for offshore stripers and for locating baitfish on very large bodies of water, but on our lakes where shad are basically everywhere the location of those birds don't mean squat.

Actually most freshwater gamefish are hardwired to spook when a bird flys over their head. The last thing I want is a flock of gulls circling an area where I'm fishing.

Wrench i 100% disagree with you, I even posted it last year on here about following the birds on Beaver to catch stripers, I have done it for years From Cali to Florida, You have to know which birds to follow. Following birds ( the right ones ) can produce an exciting day of fishing. When the shad are everyplace the birds will show you which school is being preyed on by aggressive feeding fish from crappie to stripers.

[laker67]

I am sure this tactic works in alot of places, but like wrench says, not so much at loz. Our shad are everywhere and the birds are everywhere as well. Plus the fact, we do not have seagull year round. Although they came early this year, in september. Normally they arrive in october and stay through early april. I am out on the dock alot, and I have never witnessed fish, birds, and shad in the same place, at the same time. I know what you all are talking about, because I see it on those offshore fishing shows. F and F said you had to follow the right birds, which means they must have pelicans or something else as well. And judging from some of Fand F striper reports, I would say it works very well for him indeed.

[Bird Watcher]

Hence my name. Actually, I agree with both Wrench and F&F

I watch the pace of the feeding birds. If it's steady and prolonged, they are probably just working bait. That doesn't exclude the presence of game fish, it just doen't necessarily confirm it. If they go in frantic bursts of feeding with a lot of waiting in between, those birds are probably keying on a nearby school of predatory fish that keep bringing schools of bait to the surface.

That's my .02.

[Feathers and Fins]

I actually ignore Pelicans and Seagulls, You want to concentrate on Tearns, those are the ones in freshwater that will be on active fish. Pelicans tend to fly till they see bait then power dive into it, Seagulls will pick off left overs floating but typically its after a feeding has happened. Terns on the other hand are right there in the middle of things and will stay above the balled bait being pushed by fish from below.

Also you have to know how the birds act, if you just see them milling around dipping from time to time they are taking oppertunity of stupid baitfish near the surface normally they will be attacking wit hthe sun behind them so its an out of the sun attack. This is usually a few birds just flying around. When you see larger groups diving in one are from all direction into a single point of attack you will know there is actively feeding fish below them because it is those fish pushing the bait into a tight ball and the birds attacking it.

But its the terns that are the best indication in freshwater of very active fish,

[Bird Watcher]

I guess every body of water is different. There are times of the year when Herons and egrets tell me more about the predatory fish than any type of gull or tern, but then there are times of the year when the gulls tell me where I need to be, but again I look more at how they are behaving. Some days I'll sit with my binocs and look at birds in all directions before I start the boat and head off, But I'm looking for frantic, concentrated bird feeding. What species tends to matter less to me. That being said, I don't think I've ever fished around Pelicans although there are usually large flocks of them on grand this time of year.

[Feathers and Fins]

Here is a fun story about Pelicans and Seagulls, The guys on the Piers in Cali and Florida whould put a squid on the rail of the pier and let the birds grab it and fly off ( no weight hook hidden well inside ) they would let the line spool out untill the bait was about where they wanted it then flip then just flick the rod pulling the bait enough to make the bird drop it. Great way to get bait out to where the fish were and creative.

In the Ocean you would be suprised how many guys will go sit 3 miles off the Beach and turn on the radar and scan for birds, a concentrated blip and all the sudden it looked like a PT Boat attack from ww2 movies.