Every species has a temperature range where it actively feeds. Yellowfin like 70-78°F water; bluefin prefer cooler 58-68°F; sailfish want 74-82°F. SST is the single most heavily-weighted input for offshore species. Gaussian falloff: in-range = full credit, edges get partial credit, way out = zero.

The boundary between cold and warm water — what fishermen call a "color line" or "the wall" — concentrates baitfish, which attracts predators. We measure the temperature gradient and treat sharp breaks as a strong signal for pelagics. In the bite breakdown this shows as Temperature break.

Where a temperature break, color edge, ocean-current shear, and satellite sea-surface height (SSH) features stack together — the same convergence ROFFS and Hiltons chart for tuna. On the bite map this shows up as Front convergence in the breakdown; toggle Front Convergence (SSH) under Ocean Data to see the underlying eddies and breaks. Magenta lines mark the strongest SSH edges near your port.

Depth determines what's possible — yellowfin won't be in 30 ft of water no matter how warm it is. Each species has preferred depth bands. On US coasts we score against NOAA CUDEM (BlueTopo, ~3 m); elsewhere ETOPO fills in. Flexible species like bluefin have multiple bands (shallow shelf for NC fall blitz, deeper canyon water for summer giants, Gulf canyons for Apr-Jun spawners). Offshore pelagics are also held to blue water: the map keeps tuna and billfish out on the shelf edge and beyond instead of lighting up the inner shelf just because the surface is warm. And deep bottom species like golden tilefish are scored on an estimated bottom temperature for their depth — not the warm surface — so they correctly show up over deep structure (e.g. Norfolk Canyon) year-round.

Indicates how green the water is, which drives the food chain. Inshore species like clean coastal water with some chlorophyll; offshore pelagics want clear blue water (low chlorophyll). Color edges between green and blue water often hold the most fish.

Falling pressure (storm approaching) often triggers active feeding. Stable high pressure can shut down the bite. We factor in the recent 24-hour pressure trend.

Major and minor solunar feeding windows are calculated from the moon's position. For inshore species especially, tide stage matters a lot — most inshore action happens on a moving tide. Moon phase itself is also weighted: new and full moons drive stronger tides and more aggressive nighttime feeding for many inshore species.

Wind affects boat positioning, surface chop, and how bait stacks against structure. Different species have different wind preferences. Recent weather changes (a front passing through) can also trigger or kill the bite.

Every species has known seasonal patterns by region. Striped bass run south to NC in winter and back to MA in summer. Tuna show up in mid-Atlantic canyons starting in late spring. Tarpon migration runs Florida → Carolinas → Chesapeake on a known schedule. Latitude-shifted seasons account for the same species running 4-6 weeks later as you move north. Crucially, season and range now act as a gate: if a species is out of season or simply outside its real range for your area (for example, blackfin tuna far north of their Gulf-Stream grounds), the map suppresses it and the breakdown flags it with high confidence — rather than lighting up spots where the fish wouldn't actually be.

Recent fishing reports for a species near a location bump up scores in that area. Reports decay with an ~8-hour half-life — a 2-hour-old report carries full weight, yesterday's much less. Reports that include a port (matched within ~24–90 nm of that port) move the Bite Map; posts without a usable port show in the forum but do not shift scores. Recency uses the date fished when provided.