The current storm that has lashed the coast for days will leave a changed fishery. If the water temperature drops more than one or two degrees, the fish will be off their feed until they adjust to the cooler temperatures. Bottom fish, like sea bass and flounder, will have been tossed around by the strong currents and big waves, so they may take a day or two to settle down. The sea bass bite after Hurricane Dorian was red hot, so it pays to go out and take a chance.

The strong northeast wind may keep bait such as mullet and bunker trapped in tidal creeks and bays until we get a west wind that will move them out. This may be the time to fish the beach or the Inlet to take advantage of the presence of migrating bait. Getting offshore is always a challenge in the fall, but tuna could show up in good numbers from the inshore lumps to the canyons. The northeast wind may blow warm water as far west as the inshore lumps, so the long run to the deep may not be needed.

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