Washbourne and Murray Tables

[Finished Business]

"These tables are for use with the Current Atlas: Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia (published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service), and make it easier to use by providing pre-computed tables of chart numbers for any given date and time."

Save you some money and view this site:

http://www.epiphyte.ca/proj/currents

Does anyone know if these tables cover the mid, and upper island area of the West Coast?

Would like to use this info for targeting halibut (as advised by the seminar gurus), but I don't fish on the south Island too often.

If these aren't them, can someone link or direct me to the tables for WCVI?

(you have to buy the CHS tides and currents book to use these charts with)

Thanks,

FB

 

[Theb55]

They cover from Cortez to Nanoose Harbour but not north of there. You don't really have much variance day to day or hour to hour. SCVI is VERY DIFFERENT.

 

[juandesooka]

Good question, follow it up with one of my own.

There's all kinds of current generator sites/software out there that generate current tables and graphic charts. For example:
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tides...f+Juan+de+Fuca+Entrance%2C+Washington+Current

Is there any magic to these Murray Tables, beyond what's given above ... for free, calculated on demand, and with a nice easy to read graphic?

Or same question for the current charts built into nobletec or chartplotter software. Or the cool little current program LastChance recommended years ago ... you put the cursor on your location on the map, it tells you the currents estimated for that specific location.

Are these Murray tables needed?

 

[Shepnoir]

Trevor (Trotac) and I were talking about this yesterday, as I have never used Murray's tables and didn't quite pick up what they were putting down in reference to Murray tables at the seminar. (I always used the graph as shown in juandesooka's chart above with success). He said the Murray tables are a more accurate way of determining specific areas currents.... say Constance vs Albert Head on the SVI. Given I've fished this area successfully for a long time I will stick to what I know, but would advise those new to anchoring in JDF straight to learn these areas in conjunction with Murray tables as it is easy enough to get in trouble down here with some speedy currents in certain locations.

So are they needed? Well If you are new to an area, yes. I think it is a good idea. But the wife does call me Mr. Safety.

By the way the table above in Juan's post would not be accurate in the Victoria area, as that is a West JDF current graph. Look for an east JDF current for Victoria:

http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tides...Strait+%28East%29%2C+British+Columbia+Current

 

[TheSookesOfHazzard]

Are Murray Tables needed? Absolutely. No question about it.

Since water movement follows patterns, you only have to buy the current atlas once. You purchase the monthly tables every year and each day and hour in the table corresponds to a specific page of the atlas, which shows you the direct and speeds of currents for that hour.

Especially Halibut fishing, where you are often anchored, currents are what matters. Not the tides. People often get confused over this, as did I, but the SVOP course I took cleared it up. Basically, because of all the islands around here that block water movement, currents can act differently than the tides. In big open water, currents go the direction of the tide, as there are uninhibited. However, in places like the strait, even though the tide may have changed from a flood to an ebb, there is water that was restricted in its flow around obstacles that is still flooding. Your computer generated tide chart may show "slack" water at a specific point, but more often that currents can still be speeding around you.

Sure, the material ain't free, but if I'm gonna dedicate the day to Hali fishing, with gas, gear, and other money invested, I wanna know for damn sure that my bait is gonna get to the bottom and not halfway to Japan. To back up my point, Trevor at Trotac told me he doesn't even bother looking at a tide chart anymore, just the current atlas. Again, this kind of stuff is more important for stationary fishing (ie; Halibut) as the water needs to be moving slow enough for your gear to get to the bottom and not drag. Obviously with Salmon fishing, if the current is aggressive you just troll with it or tack against it.

So next time you plan a Hali fishing trip, don't just go online, look for the high and low points, and go. Buy the current atlas. Use it religiously. Just do it. Hell, I use it every time I go on the water for anything.

P.S. Hope this helps. As a new guy to this forum I don't know if this material has already been covered in other threads, so sorry if I'm preaching to the choir!

 

[Whole in the Water]

"These tables are for use with the Current Atlas: Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia (published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service), and make it easier to use by providing pre-computed tables of chart numbers for any given date and time."

Save you some money and view this site:

http://www.epiphyte.ca/proj/currents

Does anyone know if these tables cover the mid, and upper island area of the West Coast?

Would like to use this info for targeting halibut (as advised by the seminar gurus), but I don't fish on the south Island too often.

If these aren't them, can someone link or direct me to the tables for WCVI?

(you have to buy the CHS tides and currents book to use these charts with)

Thanks,

FB

Thanks for the link FB! You just saved me about $80 bucks as the annual table supplement sells for $8 and you've got 8 years worth posted there.

 

[TheSookesOfHazzard]

"These tables are for use with the Current Atlas: Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia (published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service), and make it easier to use by providing pre-computed tables of chart numbers for any given date and time."

Save you some money and view this site:

http://www.epiphyte.ca/proj/currents

Does anyone know if these tables cover the mid, and upper island area of the West Coast?

Would like to use this info for targeting halibut (as advised by the seminar gurus), but I don't fish on the south Island too often.

If these aren't them, can someone link or direct me to the tables for WCVI?

(you have to buy the CHS tides and currents book to use these charts with)

Thanks,

FB

Ha, seems like I missed the point of your post! Thanks for the resource. Anyways, the point I was trying to make is to use some sort of current table over simple tide charts. Too many guys assume that the tide change is gonna equal non-moving water.

 

[Evenweight]

Here's a tip make a log out of the current atlas

mark on the atlas where you get your fish. mark the page that coresponds to the time on that day when you caught your fish. Then next time that page comes up in Murrays (or others) tables you will know wher you have had success at that predicted flow.

For example if you caught yor fish on March 5th at 10am mark the spot on page 16. Next time that page comes up as an optionyou have an idea where to fish.


hope this helps.

Richard

 

[Saxe Point]

Interesting to compare the tables from that web site with my Murray's Tables. Some similarities in predictions, but also some differences. Probably good to have both and Murray's doesn't exactly break the bank. The fellow with the free web site tables says, I think correctly, "never rely on them as your only information about currents (this is actually good advice for any use of the Current Atlas, since it can be way off for places with strong currents)." More info is better than less. Has anyone done a general comparison of Murray's and Washburne's Tables? Anyone prefer one to the other and why?

 

[profisher]

I use Murray's because of their simplicity and I have found them to be reliably accurate. You are right once you buy the main atlas the yearly tables are cheap. My atlas is getting fairly beat up from all the years of use.

 

[beemer]

finally a fishing thread!! lots of good info here. thanks guys

 

[reelfast]

i have to agree, tide tables are of limited utility in and around the strait. another fisherman pointed this out to me some years ago reminding me the water does not simply move in and out but is impacted by the various islands and submerged bars. looking at current flow is all i do now when planning my time on the water.

 

[Fisher Down]

I found these after the Halibut Seminar. http://dive.bc.ca/tideviewdownload.html
They seem good I guess; All I have to do is figure out what they mean...

F D

 

[TelStar26]

I was googling just this subject this morning when I can across a link to this thread, Perfect!

But anyway, Just to recap:

Would I be correct to assume theres only two local current meters activly running(24-7) in the sooke area? All current prediction sites and apps ive seen use these current stations or meters. I know theres lots more closer to victoira too.
1. Race Rocks,
2. Juan De Fuca Strait East.

Race rocks current meters location is obvious, and the Juan De Fuca Easts current meter is in the middle of the straight off race rocks.

Yesterday when I was out at about 6PM fishing the sooke bluffs Race Rocks was showing a current of about 4.4Knts
Yesterday also at 6PM Juan De Fuca East was showing a current of about 1.4Knts
That makes sence assuming the water will be moving slower way out in the open(Juan De Fuca East), and speeding up passing through race rocks.

At 6pm last night off the bluffs the current was pushing somewhere in the 2-2.5knt range. (hard to know for sure with my windage)

So I suppose what the murrays current atlas would do is give me a current prediction specifically for the sooke bluffs.
Im going down to the boat this moring, Im going to check the murrays currant atlas for last night at 6pm off the bluffs and it SHOULD......show a current prediction of aprox 2-2.5 knt.

Does this all sound correct?

 

[Last Chance]

Go to www.dive.bc.ca and download tideview 2050, it does free Murray tables for anywhere. I love it.

 

[reelfast]

if you have a smart phone, of any flavor, there are really great current and tide apps available for free.

 

[fish stalker]

oh man

System requirements for TideView/Navigator
l Intel based computer running Microsoft Windows 3.X, 95, 98 or NT.
l Approx 9Mb of disk space for all regions, about 2.5Mb per region. Approx 700kb of available
memory.
l A floating point processor is optional, but will make TideView run about 6 times as fast. For
printing, any Windows supported printer.