How you guys doing this season for striped bass?

Most of the guys I've spoken to who fish the Cape and Rhody are reporting a below-average year as far as striped bass catch rates and sizes. This is purely anectdotal.

Care to venture your observations on how well and maybe an explanation as to why? Conditions (WX, bait, temperatures, humidity, barometric pressure, moon phases, pH, salinity, sediment, weed, plankton, what you ate for breakfast, who's running for president, etc).

Are you hunting more/less hard, or have your priorities or methods changed? Also, would you mention geographies fished (Cape, Rhody, CT, Long Island, NJ, Mars, fifth dimension etc).

Thanks....

-WW

As you have heard, Ben, my priorities have been changed for now. And also I am still wanting my old fish back. I miss her. And the weather has been terrible. The cape is fine. Haba is too sloowww. At least I learned something while going out on a few trips myself. I haven't hunt hard.

up until my baby showed up, i couldnt believe the lack of bait for the bass to eat. Every bass that I gutted had zero fish in its belly....

hungry bass dont take up residence where theres no food, they move on....

And all I caught was scups!

I couldn't catch my butt with both hands this year. Either the fish are avoiding the beach or I forgot everything that I knew about catching.

Lack of bait, abundance of mung, and those 600 pound sea vermin, known as seals.
The schools are sitting about a mile off shore, feeding on squid and sand eels, boat guys been catching all they want.
Think about it, would you leave an all you can eat buffett of Prime Rib and Shrimp, to head inshore, run past the seals, and feed on popcorn?.... nope, didn't think so...
At least, that's my take on it. Wonder if anybody else has observed this, on the outer?

im with eben. the first time ive seen bait, sizeable bait,like stuff they forage on, (not those 1" minnows) in ABUNDANCE was today.

I'm down in both starts and Quality starts :hihi: compared to ANY time in since son was born. In those fewer starts I did have I've caught less and smaller fish then years passed.

As for actual fish caught this year - it's s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g massively for me. I have at least been able to fish with and meet some new people this year. :btu:

But the FALL RUN IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR BABY!!!! And seasons are made or broken in the next 2 months !!!!


:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

Karl, I think you've nailed it!

stripers down from previous years( so far ), bloos 'till your arms fall off.

I haven't fished that hard this year but when I have its been either twinkies or nothing..hopefully the fall run turns things around..

Way,way, way down from last year not even close maybe some guys are doing well but most of the guys I know think this year is way off from the last two years,just not enough bass to go around.

im glad at least some other people are goin through the same thing i am:)

twinks galore...

This is only my second season in the suds so i really dont have much to compare to , but i have no complaints. Last year i fished mostly during the day, so i really didnt get many bass till october. Only time i had trouble catching was from the second week of july till the beginning of august this year.Most of the fish have been pretty good sized 30-43 inches . Ive seen a decent amount of bait around. I have put a ton of time in also, all late night, mostly using eels, all in the Rhody surf.

I haven't fished nearly as much as I had hoped this season but it's been all shorts.

Tonight was a beautiful night. Short, short, short, short, hmmmmm still short, short, short, short, short, short, short, short, short...

-spence

What Karl said - :hs: - it's been tough from the rocks but the boat guys have had the upper hand so far....

Yeah, this year has definitely been below average - I have had a few good nites - and days - but boy, this season has been a whole lot like work, having to move around a lot and the scarcity of bigger bait - along with the fact that everything seemed to be a coupla weeks behind in showing up - has had pods moving in and out in short order. Unless ya count bloooofish....

July and August absolutely blew and it's been good in the past 4 or 5 years for me.....

Oh yeah...location....:smokin:

Mostly Southern New England :hihi:

Hey, WeeWee - sorry I missed ya, talked to Clamma Saturday (I think it was) but I was tied up - and it was also a case of no news is...well...no news :(

But it ain't over 'til it's over - hopefully we'll pull some kinda year outta this yet...

last year i had all the 18 - 20# bass i could handle in the surf. i was actually SICK of seeing them by the end of the season. the spring run was good for big fish, but not a lot of smaller stuff.

this year has been much different. the spring started off with some very good fish for me. many from 15 - 30#'s, but then died out in a flash. the surf scene came on strong. i have fished some very new water for me, and i have done pretty good. lots of fish up to 30#'s. overall, i have been happy with the season so far. the only complaint i have is the inconsistancy from night to night. this may be how it is in the new water i have fished, though. one night is dynamite, and the next two i get blanked. :huh:

I've already landed more and bigger fish from shore this year then I did all of last year. However, I got most of my numbers during the Spring when they were in my backyard.

:yak: :poke: :yak4: That says it all.

My spring season was way below expectations and comparably lower than the last 2 years.

End of June and begining of July were good for me unlike seasons past (not exactly sure why).

End of July & beginning of August were slow but the last few weeks, fishing has been much better in regards to quantity and quality (still don't have my 1st 30lb yet). This is mainly a result of fishing the Canal hard this year (one of my goals).

Although I mainly fish from shore, I do get the occassional invitation to fish from a boat (cousin's & boss'). These trips involve Monomoy, Truro and MV mainly and all times have been great.

Just got my boat in the water and have mainly fished from Quincy, Weymouth down to Duxbury, Plymouth with mixed results but no large fish, usually sub 30".

Hopefully the next 1.5-2 months are kind to us all or else it's going to be a looonngg winter.........

this only my second "serious" season fishing the surf but my numbers are way down from last year, and i've put in more time than ever this year....

Decent season for me.Lots of fish in the 20-30# range, but only 3 over. Can say I have lost at least 5 that would have been 30+, 2 of which would have been well over. May and June were ridiculus, but July and Aug it was tough to find the big girls who are usually around then.

I only fish for Bass in July and there was no shortage for me! I caught so many fish that I was begging to go home at the end of the day!!
That said I did think there were alot of smaller fish this year, and skinny!! Some fish 35 to 40 inches weighing only 15 pounds?
But tons of fish!!

Im buying a blue fin boat..............................
fish last night. the only thin they wanted was my yellow bomber i made.
hunt like a friggen pig untill You find them
i just woke up
fishing sucks cept when the 20 lb bass show up like last night

I agree with Karl F. I have seen a lot less bait this year than the last few years. From Weekapaug RI to Wells ME. When we get the chance to get out on our boat the fishing has been a lot better.

First year I have started to fish the night tides. Been to the canal a few times, no luck but I will with a little patience I will.
I have read and read everything I can find so I can get better. It is fun to drag people with me in the middle of the night to a beach on the cape or North Shore. It can only get better.

Alot of Rats and mucho Blues. Throw in some Sp. Macs and Alberts. Overall...Qty up, quality down...

Since baby#2 arrived in May, I have had limited ops to fish. Since I resumed hitting the surf in August, I had had some terrrific nights/mornings fishing. I saw so much bait I could not believe. Its weird because this is the opposite of what others are saying. Perhaps not because most times I fish, there are not many folks around.:p

First season of serious striper fishing so not much to compare it to, also always fishing from shore. Last week of May and the first two wekks of June and July landed some monsters, slowed some in August (didn't fish as much) getting plenty of keepers and getting skunked here and there.

I want to know who picked the Bloofish option. Could it be the one and only... :hihi: