NDBC Buoy Data and Salmon/Tuna Fishing

Yesterday I started thinking about tuna trips off the Oregon Coast. I checked the NDBC Buoy data for Station 46097, about 11 miles out from Newport (https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46097).

The current surface water temperature is 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Kind chilly I thought....I then looked at the NDBC graph function that allows users to review the past three days of observations.

I then went down a rabbit hole of data crunching. I downloaded observations from the previous three years (2018, 2019, 2020) and compiled observations from the current year (2021) into a quick Excel database.... ran several pivot tables (thank you grad school).... and put together a neat chart that shows an interesting story...

The surface water temperature is very cyclical during the summer months. Sharp rises and sharp drops. With regular cycles. But I noticed that this year has generally been cooler than previous years....

I did some quick regression on my 2021 salmon success catch rate with the water surface temperature peaks.... I thought it correlated fairly well.... Obviously, warmer the water, better the bite.....

I can predict from the chart that water surface temperature will likely peak again in the next week.... but I think that looking at the general weather forecast could tell the same story. The strong north winds are going to die down and stop the upwelling situation.

Also, I noticed from the previous two years that late September holds warmer water for a longer time, meaning that the cycle was flatter.... I may try to book a tuna trip in mid/late September this year... my previous tuna charter trips have been early August and they never produced alot of fish.

The catch of "exotics", yellowtail, dorado, and even striped marlin happens, usually September is when you hear about it.
Your data correlates with that.
There's an old discussion on Ifish, tuna 12 miles from Depoe.
I wonder what your temps data would show

Then Sharktober rolls around and they dispose of any rando species that aren't supposed to be here (and a few that are).

Winds from the north also blow in cooler waters.  Last two years we were plagued with north winds.  2019 was a banner year for tuna off the coast. 

I am searching for Tuna on Saturday.

You going to do a trip like Tinman on Ifish?
56 miles in wherry.

Waverunner

Very nice