At least in Mass! Down the backside in particular....mung, seals, and fire/plankton the worst.....no matter where I go it seems at least one of them is there making things difficult! When I do find clean fishable water.....the fish don't co-operate!:mad: Fished all night Thursday......first beach had mung bad, second had clean water and no fish and the third had Fire in the water which made everything you dragged through the water glow like it was radioactive!:wall: The seals are patrolling the beaches keeping many fish outside the casting zone! They are what is fouling up the fishing down the Cape as far as I am concerened.....:af: there are more seals down there this year than I have ever seen x 3!:smash:

Anyone else having it tough?:bc:

Originally posted by BigFish
At least in Mass! Down the backside in particular....mung, seals, and fire/plankton the worst.....no matter where I go it seems at least one of them is there making things difficult! When I do find clean fishable water.....the fish don't co-operate!:mad: Fished all night Thursday......first beach had mung bad, second had clean water and no fish and the third had Fire in the water which made everything you dragged through the water glow like it was radioactive!:wall: The seals are patrolling the beaches keeping many fish outside the casting zone! They are what is fouling up the fishing down the Cape as far as I am concerened.....:af: there are more seals down there this year than I have ever seen x 3!:smash:

Anyone else having it tough?:bc:


You need to get a BOAT Sand boy!!!:laughs:

i don't have even a fraction of the knowlege and experience that most guys have on this board, but i do feel like i've been putting my time in. been going out at least 4 times a week and hitting multiple places every time out and most times have been a skunk recently, except for a few blues and schoolies at dawn or dusk. starting to really get frustrating. :smash:

my arms are sore:D

Blues at sunrise were the only thing that kinda saved my night! Where are all the bass? Even the little ones are not around!:mad:

Keep your boat Ron, ain't nuthin' like haulin' in a biggie from the sand......nuthin'!:uhuh: ;)

Yeah Eben, I hear the fishing in Rhody has been awesome....but the rocky areas up here are producing well also! Just the sand is not bringin' them in!:huh:


Eben....put the baby down once in awhile and your arms won't be so sore!:D

Go west young man.:smokin: :walk:

Originally posted by BigFish
Blues at sunrise were the only thing that kinda saved my night! Where are all the bass? Even the little ones are not around!:mad:

Keep your boat Ron, ain't nuthin' like haulin' in a biggie from the sand......nuthin'!:uhuh: ;)

Atleast get a cayack to drop you're bait where the fish are;)

At this point I will try anything....Rappin' Mikey is probably slammin' them right now!:happy:

BF
think estuaries :D
or learn the ditch
or learn bayide beaches

Originally posted by BigFish
Yeah Eben, I hear the fishing in Rhody has been awesome....but the rocky areas up here are producing well also! Just the sand is not bringin' them in!:huh:


Eben....put the baby down once in awhile and your arms won't be so sore!:D

Actually the word on the street is that narragansett(where i fish mostly) is pretty desolate. I've heard some good things about other places in RI but for some reason Gansett is slooooow. My little rugrat slept though the night last night and at 5 a.m. I was amped and ready to fish. I went out to a point that produces some good bass in the fall months and had bass rolling in front of me, on the sides of me, and behind me... truely a beautiful sunrise moment..
Nothing was huge, by best was 34" but I was using light tackle and a yellow'Digger' metallip...

when you cant fish every day or even once a week, even a schoolie feels awesome.

... and when you do happen to hook up finally, a damn seal takes your fish and your plug with it:af:

:drool: Good for you Eben....nice you got out!

Gawd I wish my arms were sore!:(

KarlF....I would rather stick needles under my fingernails than fish the canal! (I just don't like it!) Bayside is slow also! Down the backside the bay side has a very short window of opportunity, I tried it and no luck, mostly blues!:smash:

Originally posted by Raider Ronnie
You need to get a BOAT Sand boy!!!:laughs:

Thats right, the fishing has been great down there this year:D

Like every year, things will be different. Just need to adapt to the conditions at hand(and get a boat):-)

I would not say it has been a horrible year so far yet for me......over all poundage might be down a little...but numbers running a bout the same....we will see in a month or so when it's all over

I'll agree with you Big Fish. Although I haven't been out as much as I want, when I do get out..it hasn't been good. I'm hoping for a decent fall or this will be my worst year since I started fishing for Stripers.:af:

Slingah....how has the fishing down the backside been for you? :confused: Outside of that one night we got into them good you are telling me it has been a good year for you down there?:rolleyes:

some seasons are awsome some seasons suck but getting rid of those seals would help

The season is far from over hang in there!!

I am hangin' Duke41....all seasons are good but this one is on the low end of memorable (except for one great night):happy:

the season has been good to me upuntill a few weeks ago...

for the amount of time I've spent down there I'd say it's been good....I think I've only been down 3 times...you have spent alot more time down there than me
Local on the other hand has been fairly normal.....plenty of fish

Been crappy for me...
finnaly fished more than 5 miles from my house and we found small keepers and schoolies.. before that I hadnt had a bass in almost 2 weeks... my worst midseason stretch of the year.....:af:

This year has been OK for me from shore, nothing special and nothing real bad...

Key seems to be moving and as mentioned before versatility...

When fishing I am moving a lot fishing different types of structure and with different techniquse...

average fish over the last month is 36" and enough 18-20 lb fish to keep me alert

Been very up and down for me. Not much consistancy.Some nights are great and others are garbage.

I don't really ever leave the island and that's probably part of the reason why its been inconsistant for me.

Last night could've been good.I hooked into a bass between 15-20lbs and it got off as I was getting it up on the beach. That's twice this week!What a bummer they would've been my 1st keepers in awhile.

I've had a decent year, no big fish, but plenty of fish, the bass seem very aggressive this year. I have seen many jumping out of the water hitting my lure, keepers too. 90% of my fish this year have been on teasers,

Cape has been very tough, as you stated, thank God for Rhode Island :D :D johnny

I've got a tee time around noon tomorrow, need to keep my head still and swing through:). Damn wind and waves are going to keep me shore bound, so I'm going for a 4 hour walk and hit the little white ball around. I'm not concerned, in a few months I'll be catching them by the hundreds.

I agree with Ron!! Get a boat!! :laughs:

This has been my first season in Rhody and I'm pretty happy. Working rocks pretty hard, kindof spotty had 4-5 really good and alot of skunkers. I need to scope a couple more spots, right now I only have 3 night time rocks.

Gansett has been more productive for me. Alot of schoolies, one place I walk to I can catch 4-5 shorts every evening. Takes about 50 fish to get a keeper though. I've did good at the Naval Station until the blues moved in.

My biggest fish this year about 20 lbs, still trying to beat my SF bay record of 26. Lost one fish that was at least 30 lbs. First year here, I think I did alright. Happy with my tecniqes, because I change them and I got 2 more years to perfect.

I hate Bluefish, but they are fun to catch on the way to work or at lunchtime.

:D BigFish you gotta learn to be more versatile. Frank Woolner told me a long time ago that in order to enjoy this fishery to it's fullest you had to learn and master all the ways there are to take bass. That means jigging the canal, fly fishing. trolling tubes and worms etc., etc.,. I love surfcasting more than anyone. I was on the beach in P-Town Friday night but I was firmly at my fav spot on the canal at daybreak today. You gotta give up the notion that the sand is the only place worthy of your efforts. There are bass somewhere in the mood at all times. If the beach goes dry then break out the canal stuff or fire up the skiff and go chasing them on the flats. Life is too short to waste time when there are fish to be caught. Expand your horizons bubba. Look at me this week, P-town Monday night, Sandwich Tuesday night, Fishers Island New York Wednesday, Thursday no fish cause it was my anniversary, Friday morning on the canal ( big hit) Friday night Race Point Surf, this morning on the canal. Try it my friend you might just like it!:btu:

Its been pretty consistant for me besides 2-3 weeks in july. All of august and so far in sept i did really great with ussally a 20lb + fish every trip if not more.

According to last year's log, we are off pretty significantly. Granted I am not fishing as much, but have yet to see any birds working bait like last year on the ocean side. Have heard reports of birds working in Salem harbor, but can't confirm. Numbers down, but have two 30 #s so can't complain. Still would like to get a shot at what BM likes to call the stupid fishing though...

Like Flap says.there's many ways to skin a cat.This yr so far I have 7 fish over 30 lbs.3 on jigs to 39# 3 on plugs an one on a live pogie.Plus another couple I released in the high 20#- 30 lb range.All from terra firma.Most from NJ.:D the land of twinkies.

IMO it is just starting. I think it may go a little later this year (I hope) I have not seen the big fish move in yet. A couple but no big schools. Bones and albies are good this year. Plenty of bait around...IMO we just need the condtions to be a bit more favorable and it will all click. The water temp peaked last week or so and is now dropping. Fall came in full force yesterday. I think by Wed the bass bite will pick up. IMO The fall fish alarm went off last night with that weather blew thru.
I have to say so far the fall surf scene is weak with smaller thin fish being taken but I am optimistic.

keep at it.

This is the year that you really have to work for quality fish. I have been fishing from Narraganset to Warch Hill. I hit at least 3 spots a night or until I find the fish.
I think it is pointless to stay in one place and wait for the fish to come by. Now I don't leave fish to find fish but I will keep moving until I find them. I also don't restrict myself to one method. Although I don't chunk or throw bait, I do throw live eels. I'll switch to swimmers if the eels don't work and needlefish mixed in. I stay away from jigs as the RI coast is murder on jigs because of all the structure.
It's more like hunting than fishing but if you want to hook up you gotta move around this year. For whatever reason, the fish have not staged in one area yet. Could be that the bait has been scarce and what there is has been transient.

From the days I have fished, I have seen a lot of bait and shad, but very few stripers. Then again, I didnt get out as much as I wanted so don't go by what I say..ugh the girlfriend..
:smash:

Well, being a fresh water fisher and new to the salt...I guess i'm (brackish)... I have read alot and talked to alot of people, learned several different tech's,etc. I put in 5-6 nights/early mornings a week, all pretty local. I have caught my share of keepahs, shorts and too many blues. I am having good luck slingin eels early mornings/before light in currents and structure. I have had some luck top water late night as the bait fish are on top. I am learning my plug tech, puttin in my time. So I can't say how it compares to other years. I love the sand, and standin up to your (-) (-) in surf and gettin one top water makes me wanna scream like a girl...I am hooked on it, and I will get better-I hope...Trying to meet a few people locally that like the salt as much as I and are night owls ain't easy...But I'll keep on tryin......
p.s. Macojoe- Made up 2 of thoose "cool eel buckets" and they are sweeeeeet...:uhuh:

I just did a week on the backside beaches at the cape...The only place I saw seals was at head of the meadow. And they were actively feeding on small bass. I put in alot of hours in, and yes the fishing was slow compared to past few seasons. I had fish every night but one, and I stuck some real good fish that night. Biggest fish of the week was my buddies 35lber. I had 4-6 fish a night. There were small windows , 1 1/2 hour windows to be exact on opposite tides. There was alot of action during those windows. I had the worst hookup ratio this season, maybe 1 out of 5 and lost some real good fish. The mung was bad, however there was clean water to be found, fished strictly eels...