Thread: Surf Question

Can anyone tell me what the two lines extending from the beach are in this picture? They appear to form a "V" in the surf near the beach, where there also appears to be some turbulence and/or a rip.

This is the most interesting thing that I see, in a new stretch of beach that I will be fishing tomorrow. I've been working on reading the surf, but this one has me stumped.



I hope that it's large enough to interpret. It's the best that I could seem to capture off of a "condocam".

Any input would be genuinely appreciated.

Looks like a wind shift.

You've got several things going on there actually.
In a light breeze (especially an offshore breeze) the manner in which the light air movements affect the water's surface can vary a lot.
The broad 'slick' zone in the foreground is a 'wind shadow' from the condo out of the picture to the right blocking the breeze from reaching the water along that stretch of beach.
In fact there is another 'wind shadow' visible a ways farther down the beach from another condo.
Between them is a darker area where the deflected breeze around the buildings actually funnels the breeze and increases it slightly.
The long v-shaped slicks are probably a function of something going on in the water, like a slight current or wake from a boat.

The small roundish patchy slick spots near the beach are the most interesting to me (as a fisherman).
They are likely 'fish slicks' caused by leftover oils rising to the surface (and spreading out) from feeding fish.

That's where I would throw a lure ;-)

This image also shows 'wind shadows', but the sun is a little higher allowing for a better look at what is going on under the water (on bottom).
It shows the beach sandbars (points at arrows) where fish would likely feed on during incoming tides, and the darker spots are 'holes' (Xs) or (beach troughs).
These are where bait (and fish) seek refuge and good fishing is to be had at the breaks in the bar along their outer edge, especially during a falling tide.

Such subtleties are crucial in locating spots to fish along miles of mundane shoreline and even more critical on calm days such as this.

Hope this helps!