The main body of the Gulf Stream has a sea surface temperature (sst) of 79° F east of Cape Hatteras and 75°F south east of Cape Cod. The more egg-shaped eddy southeast of Oceanographer Canyon is centered over 2000 fathoms near 67°20’W & 39°15’N and has 60°F water circulating in a clockwise direction. The more rounded eddy is centered southeast of the Hudson Canyon – east of the Toms Canyon centered near 71°00’W & 38°45’N and has 60°F- 62°F water circulating in a clockwise direction.
The Oceanographer eddy presently is not being fed by the Gulf Stream, but we anticipate that it will be interacting with the 75°F Gulf Stream water over the next several days which will likely result in a substantial increase in sst and will capture the fish that are swimming in the Gulf Stream now like bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, mahi, wahoo, and mako sharks. There is a filament of 60°F water that extends over the 500 fathom curve between Hydrographer Canyon to the area between Block Canyon and Atlantis Canyon. There appears to be an eddy forming south of Hydrographer Canyon, but the 61°F-62°F filament of water being pulled to Veatch Canyon is being pulled in both eastward and westward directions suggesting that this eddy is not likely to develop much further under the present divergent conditions.
The Hudson – Tom’s Canyon eddy is presently pulling a filament of blue 65°F Gulf Stream water and fish to its boundary. This is likely to continue for a few more days before it starts to interact with a snake-like meander in the Gulf Stream which will probably bring 70°F-79°F and additional fish to the eddy next week. There is 60°F water over the 1000 fathom curve from the Hudson Canyon to the Spencer Canyon. There is 67°F water over the 1000 fathom curve and 60°F over the 100 fathom curve east of Oregon Inlet. Southeast of Cape Hatteras there is 71°F water over the 100 fathom curve.
For the northern canyons these conditions suggest that there are tuna, swordfish and sharks almost over all the deeper sections of the canyon areas from Oceanographer Canyon to Wilmington Canyon, as well as, over the Poof Mans Canyon, Washington Canyon and Norfolk Canyon. It remains to be seen how much time the fish will spend in the cooler water over the main sections of these canyons.
The good news is that there are very favorable ocean circulation features offshore and if your boat is not ready to travel offshore and catch early season tuna, swordfish and mako sharks, then it is time you get ready.
