Watching the birds

[RiverBoy]

How much attention do you guys pay attention to birds? I know a lot of old-timers pay a lot of attention to gulls etc. as they are great indicators to bait balls, which are obviously great indicators of salmon location. in this day of technology, GPS, I tend to spend a lot more time looking at my fishfinder. I'm trying to make a conscious effort to watch the birds more, but my problem is I don't know what, or if all the birds out there are feeding on bait. Those little black birds that kind of look like a duck, are they diving for bait? What are your thoughts on the matter? Thanks in advance for the excellent advice as usual!

 

[TheHurtLocker]

I always watch for birds and where they are. It's another tool to use.

 

[spring fever]

I pay a lot of attention to birds-I never pass up a gaggle-I feel they are either feeding or waiting for the bait to appear. Lots of different types of birds -of course-deep divers capable of going down and getting bait and then the normal type of gull who basically gets surface feed. If I am not getting any hits and I see the normal gulls tending to all fly in one direction -I tend to alter course to that direction. Birds are not infallible-sometimes gulls are just feeding in a tide line or on garbage. Nothing more thrilling than fishing in an actively feeding bunch of birds-no guarantee-you have to figure what they are feeding on -depth and how to use this info. Like all fishing-it is another piece of the puzzle but in conjunction with a sounder, plotter they can be a very valuable aid

 

[Rum Buddies]

agree, nothing like seeing 50 gulls diving on a bait ball as you troll past.

One thing I see is a lot of guys getting all excited and plowing through the bait ball, scaring all the birds and scattering the bait. Instead try trolling the edges of the bait ball, so it stays in tact - the salmon are outside the ball, not in the middle.

 

[Aces]

The birds are a huge indicator but also what kind of birds determines what they are feeding on

 

[Chum Bucket]

Birds usually don't disappoint.


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