Striper Watch for Next Week

Favorable conditions are coming in the next week that could impact the start of our striper season.  As of right now, I know of no stripers that have been taken along the oceanfront, and I know a good number of fishermen who have tried.  That could all change in the next week.  A warm-up is coming starting tomorrow, and we should see several days in a row with temperatures in the sixties.  More importantly, the wind will shift to south and southwest for several days.  The southwest wind generally drives warm water northward and causes a big upswing in surface water temperatures. Right now NOAA lists the water temperature (site:  http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports_screens/nbscreen.shtml )at just a cold 41 degrees off Newport and a few degrees warmer in most locations in the Bay.  Lastly, the new moon is on April 10.  That moon phase tends to bring exceptionally high and low tides which cause a lot of water movement, something stripers just love. So, if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on next week as the start.  We'll see.