Until bass start talking, we can only imagine what they are thinking.

What does this image tell you?

What do you think the bass is thinking/feeling?

What kind of conditions do you think prevailed that day, and why?

How big do you think this striper is?

What method would you use to catch it, and why?

This is but one frame from video and I'll be posting more to show the sequence of events that transpired.

For now:

WhaZZ Up with this squidhound?

http://fisheye.striped-bass.com/images/feb/whatbassthinking.jpg

His feelings:

"Lonely and suicidal"

His thoughts:

"I can't belive this place doesn't serve blooberries!"

His Age:

"Another Teeanger for Generation-X"

The bass, being female, may be thinking:

1. Do I look fat in this outfit?

2. Why is it you never want to talk about YOUR feelings?

3. We never talk at all anymore.

4. Needlefish, needlefish, needlefish! I am so tired of needlefish!

And lastly:

5. I DON'T KNOW WHY I CARE SO MUCH - YOU NEVER NOTICE ANYWAY!

Oops, gotta go get the roses for Valentines or else! :smash:

Boy, I really wish Fishpart would chuck me an eel

Seriously, I would love to know more. It would make my nights out a little less lonely if you know what I mean.

His dorsal fin is flared up and he is on alert. Probably because he sees you.

FISHEYE , what you do give the BASS a fat lip:D

I think she is wondering . Where is my buddy Chris , he usually tosses me an eel .

Shes looking for a pink needlefish to match the squid shes been eating .

I also think since today is valentines day shes looking for some seaweed from her lover .

18-20# of alert striper , This fish is going to burst in a second , out of camera range .

Damn Hemmorhoids!!! :mad: :mad:


OK - really:

1. That bass do actually put their dorsal up underwater - all aquarium stripers I've seen swim dorsal retracted...

2. Not a clue but happy that the Pats won?? Well with the dorsal up maybe on edge because of the unknown (like you taking pics) or a predator nearby (unlikely but possible) - about to feed on something perhaps?

3. Some but not excessive sediment in the water so near the whitewash but not terribly turbulent their now...

4. Looks like a racer in the high 30 inch range - maybe 39 inches but light, maybe 21 pounds - doesn't look like a bucket mouth

5. Go deep - that's where the fish is...

I know if I were a lazy cow I'ld be lookin for lobsters, or tautog. Wish I was a lazy cow all of a sudden!

I'll play.

This image tells me this fish is active. He/she looks alert and ready to rock.

Food... food... food.

I'd say its windy, 'cause the visibility is poor and there seems to be alot of stuff churned up. Of course, I've never been down there, so that may actually be clear for New England waters.

That fish looks to be low to mid- 30" range.

Method? One of Got Stripers' jerkbait rigs, 'cause he's down in the structure and I'm hoping Bob gives me a free bag of his new plastics. Seriously, I like plastic and need to get it down to the fish.

Disclaimer: Unless its dark because its actually night in which case I would be using an eel.

"18 million bass out here and this guy is pointing his camera at me!?!?!I wish I was a shark right now. I'd bite his butt hard."

What does this image tell you?

The fish is very alert, either because of your presence or maybe because she is already on the prowl and actively feeding.

What do you think the bass is thinking/feeling?

Thinking, what suddenly they have phd's, I'm not going to give them that much credit. Feeling is something else, maybe due to the time, the conditions or the time since her last meel, maybe instincts have her feeling it's time for some food.

What kind of conditions do you think prevailed that day, and why?

That's a tough one, because that question for Boston Harbor and Minot Ledge would be two different answers because of the prevalent water clarity to start with. It's either a big surf day due to current wind conditions or past conditions. If its surf the water is clouding because of the turbulence and suspended sand and stuff. Around my ledges, the turbulence would be due more to airation affect the waves have on the rocks and the wash.

How big do you think this striper is?

I'd say that fish is between 25-30 lbs, skinny but I'd bet it's in that range.

What method would you use to catch it, and why?

As soon as that fish saw my 5-1/2 inch split tail doing it's dealth spiral between twitches, it would be all over but the catching. If I had tinker mackeral or live bunker (yeah right :(), that would be my preferred method. Slowly stroll those babys behind my trolling motor, 2/0 treble through the nostrals and a stinger just ahead of the tail if the baits big enough.

Last frame would be me giving her a kiss before I set her free :).

1 Wow can't believe that guy let me go!

2 what the heck was that I ate anyway a HABS?

3 Glade I was born in the catch and release age!

4 What did it say on that boat GBOUTDOORS I'm going to stay away from that one and those Habs from now on!;)

Some very interesting observations so far.

I think Crafty is going to send her a Valentines Day card in the hopes that she pays him a visit this spring.

Tattoo is obviously still in blooberry-land and there may be no return for the young lad…at least until the bass arrive.

Slipknot apparently knows when a bass has an erection…at least one of the dorsal variety.

Habs, as a custom plug maker, is always focused on the biting end of the beast…it does seem to bear the scar from a previous encounter of the treble kind.

JohnR, suggests that the fish is suffering from “The Grapes of Wrath” and maybe that’s why she’s not smiling.

Saltheart is routing for the sharks to get me! Oh my!

Fishpart wants it to deep throat his eel.

Goose wants to get down and deep with the lazy cows, tog and lobsters.

Schoolie says plastic is the way to go and he wants some of Bob’s famous plastic creations. Perhaps a little C-4 would blow that baby away.

ChrisL, I know you’re a squidhound too and them pink needles and squid poppers are great when they are on the hunt for calamari.

GotStripes is correct when he claims my comment “What is this bass thinking” is a blatant anthropomorphism. I realize that you shouldn’t assign emotion or thought patterns to animals or objects which are incapable of achieving such dimensions…but I find myself doing it all the time with Tattoo and Habs :D :D :D This time let’s call it artistic license, after all, I did say thinking/feeling.

I'll wait for a few more replies and then I'll relate where I saw this fish and what the conditions were.

Mike

We have to assign intelligence to fish.

Otherwise what does that say about our intelligence when we fail to outfox them?

If we don't catch anything, we can't admit that they weren't there... that would be saying we can't find the fish.

"we were on fish" or "we marked alot of fish" are common phrases rarely followed by "and we caught # fish".

So, if we make fish smart and give them spiritual status, we can't be blamed on those rare days that we get SKUNKED!

Fish_Eye:

I must repeat -

TATTOO IS NOT AN ANIMAL!

HE IS A HUMAN BEING!

:cheers:

One freak show and my reputation is ruined.

i thought the bass was laughing at the line forming at the end of the wall and thinking "ohh, look, another needlefish...that's original."

Nah, Tattoo, I wouldn't say that.

Now, if me and the Iron Man had gotten those dollar bills out of our pockets and rushed the stage before you hurried off...

THEN your reputation would be ruined :D.

Crafty,

I sent you an e-mail earlier. Did you check out Joe Cartoon yet?

Did the little critter remind you of Iron Mike in any way?

Mike

Fish_Eye -

Check yer PM's -

No, I didn't receive the email, thanks to Cox, but I'm dyin' to see the cartoon. :laughs:

Chuck,

Before you watch the cartoon, be sure to drain the bladder!!!!

TRUST ME!

Oh man, what a hoot :laughs:

Boy, some of those characters were eerily familiar....

But the pugnacious little gerbil didn't threaten to SEND HIM TO HELL!

I'm gonna have to see that one a coupla more times. LMAO!!!

length= high 30 inch range
weight= 20-22lbs

I would catch the thing with a Yo-Yo'ed pogie. I would use that method because it works better than any other method if you have a decent amount of water.

She sort of looks P.O'd to me. ;)

Yep , it looks Po'ed to me too. :)

What does this image tell you? .....it tells me a Striper was either curious about "WHAT" you were....or was daring enough to venture in close due to some snacks that may have been hanging around you or the area. I don't think it was just released, due to the color of the water...I think it would be a lighter shade of green, due to the depth.

What do you think the bass is thinking/feeling? ....I think he's thinking/feeling....."I'm hungry.....I'm nervous.....I'm hungry.....I'm nervous..."...:D....but definately ALERT!!!...READY TO RUN, AT A SECONDS NOTICE!!

What kind of conditions do you think prevailed that day, and why? ......Ok....obviously its during daylight hours....which aside from structure nearby, the "clarity" issue could also be due to traffic..ie: boats (diving in the afternoon, near a boat highway, drastically effects visibility)....and I don't think Mr. Lap. walked into any surflike conditions...it's probably the water surge/current along with the structure around the area causing the visability issues....the color of the water tells me its probably N.E. waters....

How big do you think this striper is? ....Size is always a problem with some fisher(people):rolleyes: ....but size underwater, is completely different...I would not try to spear this fish....I'd be afraid he was way too close to being short...so I'm guessing...28" give or take a couple...maybe 10 or 11#s. IF THAT!

What method would you use to catch it, and why? .....LOCAL LIVE BAIT!!.....BECAUSE THATS THE BEST!!...


so when do we get the answers???.....:D

...and if the LIVE BAIT didn't work.......:D


I try YOUR old method.....:laughs:

Stripers thinkin: I hope those bubbles aren't coming from where I think they're coming from....

I laughed my a$$ off when I saw the picture, then started crying with your comment Krispy. Thanks you two for sending me into the weekend laughing.

Its been a long week.

Conditions:
Early morning, Narragansett, RI
Water had been kicked up by a moderate chop
Fair amount of suspended weed in the water
Typical greenish coloration of Narragansett Bay in summer

Depth:
10 – 12’

Fish:
30 - 34” 12 to 14 pounds

Behavior:
I was glued to the bottom and as motionless as possible. There was a slight push and pull from a moderate surge. This bass cruised in fast and hot, yet managed to put the brakes on, just a few feet from my camera. Instinct triggered the “fight or flight” response and the dorsal fin went up in an instant…a quick beat of its tail and it was gone.

Fishing Technique:
Live squid would not last long
Jig tipped with squid strip might work
Bucktail deceiver or squid fly

Schoolie, Bloo and Krispy,
Those are not my bubbles…I hold my breath…not only when I’m diving, but especially when I’m in the same room as Habs.

http://fisheye.striped-bass.com/images/feb/answerbass.jpg

Geez, poor old Habs is takin' a beating here...:smash:

Crafty, Hab prides himself in his room clearing ability. It's good to be king. No soup for him, 2 years!

Mike

...:D....Fish_Eye.....the bubbles those fellas were talking about, are not the hold yer breath type.....:eek: .....

....there the kind that seep up thru your Wetsuit...:laughs:

Bloo,

10 4 on the methane...that's Habs specialty...got cabbage...he does!

Mike

:drool:

Here I float brokenhearted.
Came to eat and never got started
Just when I thought it was mealtime today
A bunch of little schoolies scare the pogies away

So I think I'll hang around just a little while longer
To see if John Redmond will throw me a conger
Or maybe squidmama will put down the wine
And set me up on something which to dine............ :D



It is better to have fished and lost than never to have fished at all. "me"

Has this "HAB'S GUY" ever dimmed lights?????


.....I didn't stink so.....:D