I am curious to hear what other peoples expectations are for a good year… Having spent a lot of time reading these forums over the last few years it seems like a lot of people have been unhappy with their results which leads to a negative view of the fishery.

I have only been at this for around 8 or 9 years so I don’t have a lot of perspective on how good it might have been back when… The first few years I had very limited success, I didn’t know anyone else who was into surfcasting so tried to learn as much as I could from books/forums but it was a slow process. For the last 5 or 6 years my results have definitely improved but because I have learned so much in the same period of time I feel like the improvement is due at least in part to me fishing a little bit smarter and not necessarily due to there being more fish around.

Overall 2011 was a pretty good year for me, not quite as good as 2010 but overall I can’t complain about the results, at least not based on my limited experience. This brings me back to the question of what others would consider to be a good year.

Dreadfull fall. Good spring overall. West coast summer.

I stopped keeping a log about 7 years ago because it was so depressing. I knew I was getting better because I was doing as well or better than people I was fishing around, but my numbers dropped significantly year after year. Especially during the spring run in the rivers out here in Western MA. I used to catch on average about 7 fish each morning before work. Now if I catch three, I consider that a good morning. Hopefully this yoy count is good newws for the future.

Poor but do to multiple factors not including the fish.

had a fair spring then it dropped dead,was hoping for a good nov. to save poor season but it has'nt happened.worse fishing season for me in 15 years.

I have had to change my expectations...no longer do I expect to catch 40+# bass from the beach on a regular basis like the early 80's...it just does not happen as often as it use to. Did the hard core surf thing for a loong time...it is just not as much fun anymore. Lots of reasons... poor fishery management, low inshore bait populations in many areas, Internet exploitation of prime locations, access issues, etc.
I now do a lot of boat fishing and fish for other species. It is easier and more enjoyable. I caught a lot of different fish this year and chalk it up as a successful season. I had a lot of fun with many different anglers. Fished from LI to Outer Cape inshore and way offshore and everyplace in between. Made a few trips to the tropics. Put plenty of time on the water this season and loved it.
(BTW, I only went bass fishing a handful of times and quickly realized this is becoming a dead fishery, can't say they were not warned about it.)

Open your eyes...go fish for other species and go fish other locations. NE is over fished and will be eventually wiped out and then the panic will begin.

Wanna have a good day on the water? Take a young kid squid fishing at night or go sea bass fishing or even light tackle blue fishing. Keep it simple everyone will go home with big smiles and lots of good memories.
Busting your hump to catch a big fish that isn't there is simply not fun.

I have had to change my expectations...no longer do I expect to catch 40+# bass from the beach on a regular basis like the early 80's...it just does not happen as often as it use to. Did the hard core surf thing for a loong time...it is just not as much fun anymore. Lots of reasons... poor fishery management, low inshore bait populations in many areas, Internet exploitation of prime locations, access issues, etc.
I now do a lot of boat fishing and fish for other species. It is easier and more enjoyable. I caught a lot of different fish this year and chalk it up as a successful season. I had a lot of fun with many different anglers. Fished from LI to Outer Cape inshore and way offshore and everyplace in between. Made a few trips to the tropics. Put plenty of time on the water this season and loved it.
(BTW, I only went bass fishing a handful of times and quickly realized this is becoming a dead fishery, can't say they were not warned about it.)

Open your eyes...go fish for other species and go fish other locations. NE is over fished and will be eventually wiped out and then the panic will begin.

Wanna have a good day on the water? Take a young kid squid fishing at night or go sea bass fishing or even light tackle blue fishing. Keep it simple everyone will go home with big smiles and lots of good memories.
Busting your hump to catch a big fish that isn't there is simply not fun.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I had a consistant year. Did not get into the big blitzes of years
past but more like hectic flurries.
Overall I did well with a lot of smaller fish on the fly rod.
The Canal provided a couple good days but nothing big.
There wern't as many fish this year.
I do remember the early 80s and by comparison
this was a good year.

Tight Lines.......

This was a below average year. Maybe i just didnt get the pattern down like it did last year. I had a pretty good spring, up until july. Nothing too big but a lot of fish consistently. The summer sucked, but a lot of that was the lack of time on the water. The fall wasnt much better. I had a few good nights but nothing large. My average fish was in the high teens low 20's. The fall was frustrating for me since there was a lot of bait in the areas i fished with very few fish on them. Then a week on block with a real lack of bait and some tough fishing, probably spent about 60 hours casting and it was slow but steady. I give the season a C-, below average but a few good days.

A good year is in the eyes of the angler living it. To have the incentive to go out with a good chance of catching fish is a good part of it.Size can be an issue but the fight of a fish is a great feeling.Years back there was a very good chance of a trophy fish at least a few times during a season 30 to 40plus lbs.Schoolies were a regular an gave good hope for the next season.for some of us 20 to 30 plus lb fish were regular on bait or plugs.Spots all had a chance of giving you a nice nights fishing to include a lost fish that felt like the fish of a lifetime.At times you lucked out and even landed one. For some that may be a 20 plus lber for others it meant breaking the 50lb mark.a good season meant learning a new technic or how to use a different plug that turned on some sweet fish.Best of all it meant meeting a new fishing buddy and having some great memories to share with that angler and others.All in all it meant dreams for the next season to share and enjoy.Ron

Well put ron, it isnt all about the catching. I did get to fish with a few new guys and try a few new spots. Always good memories and lessons learned.

I had a good season, for reasons other than catching. I've only been seriously fishing the surf for about 5 years. The past 3 years I;ve been lucky enough to be laid off in the Fall, I got paid to fish A LOT! This year I have a new daughter and have been lucky to get out once a week. Those three years brought my learning curve way down. The fishing was no where near what it was the last few years and that forced me to look for new spots.I learned how to fish different structures and places, better yet, where some spots are and how to get to them. I met and fished with some great guys. I landed my PB and found my dragon. Hooking that dragon was the highlight of my year, just knowing that the big fish are still there keeps me going back. After this mornings blitz, it ain't done yet!

I fished just as hard as last year... (I keep a very accurate log) This year my #'s are slightly down as far as keepers are concerned. Last year was pretty good as far as 30#+ fish goes... this year forget it.

Also, block was much less productive for me this year compared to last... but that's just me.

You pulled some nice fish this year J... Especially when it counted (MS!)

i typically judge a season based on expectations, which are typically based on past experiences.

season usually starts mid may for me up here and if I get decent, consistant numbers and a few fish over 20 lbs through the end of june i'm happy. anything over 30 is a big bonus.

end of june and july are usually pretty tough as the mackeral seem to keep the bass away from the surf. typically scale back efforts abit then and concentrate on trying to get out for a few choice tides. anything decent during this time is appreciated, but just getting fish keeps me pretty happy.

mid august through september is when the big fish usually show. i'm happy with consistant numbers of decent fish, with a few big girls sprinkled in on the better tides/moons.

october i take what I can get up this way, or head down south.

by these standards, this wasn't my best season by a long shot, but it didn't suck either. I missed some of the better tides due to weather and/or being a dad. I think fact that the weather sucked on most my usual big fish tides/moons had the most to do with my lack of bigger fish this year, along with the fact that the big bait stuck around off shore longer than usual - i like hungry desperate fish that are grubbing around for whatever they can find better than happy well fed ones.

I had a great spring. I can't say to much about the summer because I didn't get out as much as I would of liked to have, but I did notice the fish were not in there ususal spots which made it a little challenging. And the same goes for the fall. I thought things would heat up but instead they turned out pretty crappy. I did manage to get a couple nice bass and overall really can't complain. There's always next season...Hopefully

Fantastic year in the boat and at the Canal. Lousy at the Block but hell, you can't hit them all the time. Overall. Best year since maybe 2006.

Ranks up in the top 10 years for me. Best year ever 77 and 78. Worse 82 thru 87. In the top 10: 92 thru 96 especially from The Back.

. . In the top 10: 92 thru 96 especially from The Back.


OHHH! those mid 90's.....94-95 an the winner was 96...they were big fish and lots of them....then they were gone.