Chlorophyll Charts - Fishing Forecast

Hilton's Realtime Navigator is a fish forecasting service that employs satellite data to indicate the levels of chlorophyll for the eastern Pacific regions of Central America, Mexico and North America, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Western Atlantic. This In The Spread fishing video features Thomas Hilton demonstrating how to use the Hilton's platform to read the charts his service provides. The questions every fisherman has is where are the fish, where do I need to go to catch fish. In many cases, these are million dollar questions. Whether you are a commercial fishing operation, a tournament team or a weekend warrior, it all comes down to finding productive fishing grounds. One key to this equation is the level of chlorophyll. The ideal levels for different species vary and are also directly impacted by sea surface temperature (SST). I will not bore you with the details, as the relationships between chlorophyll, SST, larvae, adult baitfish and big game species vary. Tom Hilton will be happy to discuss these relationships with you, if you have questions. What the hell is chlorophyll and how do I know the right levels? Chlorophyll in the water is produced by phytoplankton and its concentration is what builds to basis of the oceanic food chain. Small baitfish feed on phytoplankton and small pelagic fishes feed on these baitfish. The presence of phytoplankton often results in larger fish moving into an area for food. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, wahoo exist where the food exists. The typical challenge for fishermen is to identify a fruitful fishing ground at any given time. Based on the relationship amongst chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton and food chain of pelagic fishes, it can be suggested that waters with high levels of chlorophyll may indicate a more favorable fishing ground. Thus, using charts that show chlorophyll concentrations may help to narrow down the fishing ground search and be useful to your fishing.