Is this the begining of the end? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

steve · 07-23-2008, 04:14 PM

RIJimmy- I think the bunker in Gansett bay has alot to do with the surf fishing or lack there of along the narraganstt shoreline. Oh, and if you want some doom and gloom reports on striper fishing, talk to surf guys who fish Rhody's south shore, bass fishing stinks down there and has been for the last couple of years. It is not even a consideration for my surf trips anymore, not even in the fabulous fall. Also, I talk to a fishing writer every week so as to give a surf report for my area for a prominent weekly saltwater magazine. He tells me that most of the surf reports from Ct. to Maine have generally been poor for the past 6 weeks. He believes there is a real problem.

Rockport24 · 07-23-2008, 04:22 PM

ya know it would be nice if there were fish everywhere (both on and off shore, up and down the coast) but was it ever really like that? Even in the so called "Glory Days" (I'm not being flip at all here, I'm a relative newbie just wondering)

steve · 07-23-2008, 04:32 PM

It was much more consistent then, then it is now, believe me. Case in point- Looking and comparing logs for 1998/2008 seasons - month of april- 212 bass. 2008- so far- 143 fish.. 1998- June- 14 trips- 62 bass-- 2008- 15 trips- 13 bass. Biggest bass in June 1998- 41 pounds. Biggest bass this jUNE,'08- 18 pounds. and so on.....

Flaptail · 07-23-2008, 04:41 PM

Flap is lucky and gratefull the fish came this far this year and last.

And also very very lucky and gratefull to have four very close friends who network, keep thier mouths shut and go where no man goes and take me along with them as I take them with me. They are the best fishermen I ever knew in trems of combination of skill, determination and never quitting. Optimism is a central bonding trait.

One thing noticed also is that people stop fishing in the season too early be it the call afield to hunt or the cold I don't know but they do finish way too early in my opinion. Maybe they are just plain beat from the whole trip and had enough. Thankfully I can never have enough.

steve · 07-23-2008, 04:45 PM

Thats what keeps me going. If there's one fish left, I'll try to catch 'em

Clammer · 07-23-2008, 05:12 PM

IMO
the bass have been on a numbers decline since the second they lifted the morot %$%$%$%$;sp'
I know 3 schoolie monsters that choose to target schoolies ;;

ME >>> have had the worse schoolie year since we we forceed to fish large /late 70,s or early 80.s

Denis >.from this site >>>>> had a great spring >>>>> but his schoolies were from 24" tp 40 " >>n ow he,s catching nothing :;

Got Stripers Is still doing his magic jigging >>>>>>>all his fish are 26" to 33"

I never thought I,d be saying or doing this ...but to schoolie fish In Narragansett bay /right now // with plugs, lures, jigs, ;
casting /not deep trolling >>>Is the worse I,ve seen in 2 least 20 years ;;
If someone told me that at this day & time of my life /I,d be flukin & scuppin ;; I would have told them they were f #$%^&*( nuts ;;
But I havn,t seen or caught a 10 - 22 " bass since around the end of May ::

But add this to the riddle >>>>>>> the winter fishing just gets better & better .with more descent fish & numbers >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they leave in April ... I,d bet that many of those are on the end of Steve,s rod & the guys to the north & east of RI ><><><>

steve · 07-23-2008, 05:24 PM

Right on Clammer. If someone told me that I would be freshwater fishing daily and struggling to catch stripers in june and july when I have gone surf fishing, I would have said they were nuts. Then again, everything changes.

Brian L · 07-24-2008, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve

RIJimmy- I think the bunker in Gansett bay has alot to do with the surf fishing or lack there of along the narraganstt shoreline. Oh, and if you want some doom and gloom reports on striper fishing, talk to surf guys who fish Rhody's south shore, bass fishing stinks down there and has been for the last couple of years. It is not even a consideration for my surf trips anymore, not even in the fabulous fall. Also, I talk to a fishing writer every week so as to give a surf report for my area for a prominent weekly saltwater magazine. He tells me that most of the surf reports from Ct. to Maine have generally been poor for the past 6 weeks. He believes there is a real problem.

I believe boat guys on the south shore would tell you something completely different. It's been a very consistantly good season out there for us, Steve. I'd say it's been good for the last three years, too, with this year being the best of the three. I've not seen fishing like 2000 and 2001, but I think it's more because I'm not out there nearly as much as I was in those years. Fall is always tougher out there by boat(at least during the day), as the blues show up and are hard to fish through, and I can't always get out there on windy days in my 18 ft'er, so I can't comment on the fall fishing as much. I do prefer Jun-July over the fall out there by boat, but most beach guys say they like the fall there better.

I'm tending to agree that bait is more offshore, since I've seen tons of fish nearly everytime I've been out in the boat this year. It was slow early in the year, but I believe that was water temp related more than anything. Water was cool until June. Unless I've been very lucky, SoCo's been very good by boat since early June, Steve.

I agree with Backbeach and think overall that we could be getting a bit Chicken Little here. The fisheries management is different, as is the management of the spawning grounds vs. the last decline. From reading here, it just seems as if the fish are in different areas than usual.