Rock Fishing - Reading The Weather Forecast

[VietGod]

Hi all, I'm a little confused about how to read the forecast swell conditions by the BOM. Perhaps someone can clarify it for me.

If the intent was to do some rock fishing tomorrow morning, what sort of swell is safe to fish in? Obviously different rock platforms behave different but my question is in general situations.

For example tomorrow morning 10/3/07, www.coastalwatch.com.au predict a maximum of 2.5 feet swells, whereas www.bom.gov.au predicts 2-3 metre swells for the Illawarra Coast. Give that it'll be low tide also in the morning, will 2-3 metre swells be safe to fish in?

Please offer some knowledge if you have experience in reading the conditions.

Thanks.

[netic]

Mate it will more then likely not be the best conditions to fish a rock platform on.....

Back when i use to rock fish anything more then 2 metres meant the waves/swell could take me too so i didnt go

[jrzila]

yeah with the southerly predicted at 20-30 knots, it would be very dangerous tomorrow.

tie yourself to a rock or wear a life jacket

[VietGod]

Hey thanks for the prompt reply guys, I'll give it a miss in that case and sleep in.

[Frantic]

It really depends on the platform you wish to fish , i fish on a headland where if the southerly was

up i could easily fish the spots on the northern side ,and vica versa ,there was even a spot where

ive fished in 3 to 4 metre seas but was very much protected by about 100 tonnes of rock.It really

depends on the spot.You really wont know unless you go,you will at least know what its like in different

conditions and if it looks dangerous dont put your own safety at risk.Knowledge and experience is the

key. Keep safe.

craig

[trentski]

Just remember that the ocean is a powerful force and will eat you alive if you get complacent, always keep one eye on the waves. I have seen some silly things on the rocks (seen people fishing on cabbage weed in thongs ) and common sense will go along way. If you plan to fish dangerous rocks then get the right gear - cleats, light waterproof clothes, ropes, floatation, etc and don't fish alone.

Whenever I used to rock fish I always fished from dry rocks but even then I have seen some freak waves come in. Just remember that no fish - not even the biggest kingfish in the world is worth losing your life.

[RockHoppin]

Hey thanks for the prompt reply guys, I'll give it a miss in that case and sleep in.

Hey mate, generally you wouldnt want to be fishing a swell more than 1.5m. Even that can be a little rough depending on where you're fishing. A 2-3m swell is best avoided. I've caught some whopping bags in rough weather but only ever make the effort to fish these conditions off a high safe ledge with the wind working in my favour - otherwise its not worth getting out of bed.

[etay]

I am not sure what coastal watch defines as swell, but I think they have a different definition than BOM. BOM measures total swell as the total height between the bottom and the top of the swell, whereas coastalwatch is more for the surfies, so they define it as the height relative to land, ie 1/2 the TOTAL swell. Hence, coastalwatch is always about 1/2 the reading of BOM.

I usually go by BOM, as it tells me the direction too. If fishing a NE platform, 1.5m SE swell is the most I will fish. 1.5m NE is dangerous though. I've seen people do it, but that's when the waves start coming over the edge.