So I'm at the ditch yesterday.
No one around my friend and I , it's slow where we are. Lo and behold I hook up a small bass about 36 inches on a pencil. 5 minutes later I'm surrounded by googans on bikes. The kid next to me is wearing a blue tooth and telling his pals the bit is happening at pole whatever.
God ! We are talking one hit , one small fish and it's "On ".
Is this the new reality of the way to fish today ?
The same applies to boat fishing the last few weeks. Hook a fish off the race to high head and 15 boats damn near torpedo you to get in on the only school of small bass in ccb ! I would never ever bunk in on somebody hooking up, good for you I'll get my own, thanks !
Going back to ninja fishing and golf.

same happens or at least it use to in newport and soco beaches in the fall, 15-30 guys standing around not fishing waiting to see something happen.

best part was we show up (3 of us) gear up and walk down to the beach, 3 cast in my buddy slams a 28lb fish on a danny, never seen so many grown men go running for the beach so fast, ended up being the only fish of the day.

That's one of the nice things up here. Too hard for people to sit back n watch. you aint doin the cell phone thing up here an if you don't use corkers it's no picnic. Stood across from some bait fishermen an flyrodders this am. Had fish on swimmers an pencils. No bibies but was fun. They were fishless.From them to me was 11 miles. LOL

Kayak fishing is where its at for me right now.......I hate crowds of idiots!!!:uhuh:

That sucks Bob. The new reality though. Can't fight it. It isn't going back unfortunately. At least we can say we got to enjoy the way it was.
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That's how it's been for years ... I can remember one fall day about 10-11 years ago, early November, it was a windy cold morning, on a boat around Fisher's Island/Watch Hill area ... not much action that particular morning from a top water feed, but fish were around ... but took a break in a cove protected from the wind ... was eating lunch or a snack ... put a rod into the side rod holder ... some googans see me holding the rod from about a quarter or half mile off (not sure if they were using binoculars) come charging into the cove I was in happily sitting in the sun warming up and eating my food, relaxing ... they come full bore in with their motors on ... I stood up and asked why they were charging me ... the looked at each other and left ...

.... the next morning, over off the North Fork of Long Island, the wind and water calmed down and the temps warmed a bit ... there is a particular pocket where the current goes opposite of the surrounding tide and current and the fish hold there, very unassuming spot but very productive, like to fish it when no one's around (or did then when I had access to the bigger boat) ... started working the area, not much happening that morning, a few smaller fish ... then moved over a bit where there's a nice reef off this island, and a good current, fish hold between the reef and island and it's easy to drift on the outside of the small reef (which doesn't show very often) but I can cast far enough to reach the shore ... start throwing toward the shore and second cast, a different boat comes charging out of no where and runs in between me and the shore ... I was hoping they'd hit the reef, but not sure if they did ... so I started casting my plugs at their boat and was able to hit the side once ... they didn't notice much ...

... at that time, I wished I had a bazooka, would have used it twice that weekend ...

There's a new "group" down there that uses no courtesy .
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There's a new "group" down there that uses no courtesy .
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Yup…If you have to call yourself a "canal rat" than you really ain't one. That term has been around for a long time and used to describe guys that put in work. Now it's trying to be trademarked and cashed in on. Sad really….

LOL Yup. Funny part is that I never see any of them when i'm fishin the dark on the ditch. They must be affraid to walk the rocks and work for their fish. Can't see that far so the cell phones are useless LOL

One of those #^&#^&#^&#^&ers got the #^&#^&#^&#^& kicked out of them not too long ago. So I heard….:devil2:

Classic. You've got 50 guys looking for someone to catch something so that one of those 50 can have a shot at posting a pic on FB so the other 49 can stroke him? WTF is the matter with them. Seriously?
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it's time to tie off to a fire brick
and toss it out there when no ones
lookin....then squeal like a stuck pig
like you have an 80 lb record breaker
until every tom #^&#^&#^&#^& and harry is there
making sure someone else is there to
film the whole production for you tube. lol

That sucks Bob. The new reality though. Can't fight it. It isn't going back unfortunately. At least we can say we got to enjoy the way it was.
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Maybe a little "lack of fish" time will help them... I wish there were a way to get the word out that striped bass were impossible to catch and they taste horrible...
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One of those #^&#^&#^&#^&ers got the #^&#^&#^&#^& kicked out of them not too long ago. So I heard….:devil2:
I was wondering how long it would take for something like that to happen.:claps::claps::claps::claps:

Yup…If you have to call yourself a "canal rat" than you really ain't one. That term has been around for a long time and used to describe guys that put in work. Now it's trying to be trademarked and cashed in on. Sad really….

yep


"trademarked"? pathetic really pathetic

are you serious

I don't know if there is a solution to the rudeness, setting them straight when you get mugged is in order though.

Raven, if I am down there in daylight again, I'll hook a plastic bag on and let the line go out, put on a show for them and see how they react.

Classic. You've got 50 guys looking for someone to catch something so that one of those 50 can have a shot at posting a pic on FB so the other 49 can stroke him? WTF is the matter with them. Seriously?
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Speaking of Facebook, I just called out some guy who posted a pic of him with a 50 & 60 he just killed. I'm sure there will be repercussions.

You can get the same fish mounted from measurements and a pic. Sad part is though we create the enviornment to kill a fish to prove it's real as all those doubtin thomas types that won't accept a pic as real. we do it all the time on this site an others are worse.

Capeside fishing this spot from 2 a.m. on. About 6:30 am this kid fishing with a few friends a couple of poles down thought I must have the hot spot, although he saw no fish caught by me. Either way he thought there was more than enough room to fish next to me. Sneakers on, standing halfway down the rocks and cast about thirty feet. Thats the best his rod would let him cast. I am sorry he did not have better equipment, but its not up to me to outfit the squatter. I make my usual cast over his line, and while I am retrieving he did wait before casting again. He got sick of that after about twenty minutes. Not sure if he is a member of that "group", but he left finally. There was far more room where he was originally. I fear though that this is occuring far more with me, because I am older and starting to show my age somewhat. Silly them if they think that, really. I can be a real prick when I have to be still.

I did annoy a young fellow riding to my spot inadvertantly. He didn't like how bright my headlamp was, and said so. I almost ran over a guy dozing half on the grass and half on the road a week before. I told him poo happens and thats the way it goes. He said something, which I didn't hear. What are you supposed to do run people down. Some people walk that time of the morning dressed in very dark clothes.

it's time to tie off to a fire brick
and toss it out there when no ones
lookin....then squeal like a stuck pig
like you have an 80 lb record breaker
until every tom #^&#^&#^&#^& and harry is there
making sure someone else is there to
film the whole production for you tube. lol

And after they all show up drooling at the chance to catch and keep whatever they can, pull the brick, turn to them and say "Smile fools, you've been Googan'd" and laugh as sarcastically as you can as they shuffle of to whatever bush they were lurking in.

If these lazy internet angling "zero-heros" get "googan'd enough they might give up and go back to molesting small animals and stroking themselves while watching Bonanza reruns!

That sucks Bob. The new reality though. Can't fight it. It isn't going back unfortunately. At least we can say we got to enjoy the way it was.
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Yes P. I remember going way back when a bunch of guys would hang out at a Diner all day waiting for the taxi cab driver in the area to alert them to fish on a CB. Now with cell phones it's a thousand times worse.
In a lot of ways I hate technology. (:

.

In a lot of ways I hate technology. (:

.

I couldn't agree more Dave. Just seeing how addicted kids are to their phones nowadays, my daughter included, irritates the heck out me. They don't know any different though. Some adults are just as bad but the kids have Incorporated it into the fabric of their lives
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This kind of stuff has been around a long time just in a different mode. But much easier now with modern communication.

On Block in 1985 we had a group of RI guys we all referred to as "the white coats" because they all wore white rain slickers. They would park their camper at the base of the bluff near SW point just a mere 20 steps from the water. One of them would watch the crowd fishing the bar at night while the others slept. The lookout would watch for neck lights - if he saw anyone hookup they would all come scurrying out of the buggy like rats. None of the regulars liked them. The NY gang were smart and were used to that sort of thing at Montauk - they told everyone on the bar not to use their lights when landing fish. That seemed to work and I know the white coats missed more that a few good bites. It was my first lesson in surf stealth.

Used to keep a blinking red led light on my dog when I fished the back beaches at night...learned quick not to do that anymore !
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Used to keep a blinking red led light on my dog when I fished the back beaches at night...learned quick not to do that anymore !
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Maybe you should have had your dog run up and down the beach while you fished in peace.
Nothing would be satisfying than sending these "fly-by-night" "so-called" anglers on an all night snipe hunt, chasing imaginary stripers up and down the beach, canal, shore...where ever!

Now I don't want to sound like I have a gripe against newbies, heck I was one once, but I didn't hang around like a vulture waiting for someone else to do the legwork for me. I did my time, paid my dues and give fellow anglers their space if they should find fish.
I will impart what wisdom I have learned to beginners, even sharing basic tackle and techniques in the process, but I also temper that with warnings of patience, respect and accountability.

Unfortunately these "claim jumping" lurkers don't warrant such considerations.

I noticed the same thing last week when I was there. Having the access road right there makes things easier for that to happen. I noticed the same kid ride by me about 5 times Thurs. Unfortunately for him, his timing wasn't good and he was elsewhere when we caught fish.

I actually praised the guys down (up?) from us who didn't move when we were catching and the fish never took a step closer to us.

Funny, but sometimes I would take my camera out and take a few flash pictures in the wee hours at a spot I had no intention to fish and then move on down the beach aways .....just to be a jerk....
can't help myself sometimes ! 😃
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Saw my first cell phone fish call at West Chop some time in the mid eighties when they first came out. Guy who generally just fished for albies from Weymouth, drove a red volvo, with a yak on top, got a call from a buddy in Menemsha about fish and off he went. Remember thinking someday I'll have one of those.
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Funny, but sometimes I would take my camera out and take a few flash pictures in the wee hours at a spot I had no intention to fish and then move on down the beach aways .....just to be a jerk....
can't help myself sometimes ! ��
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Funny stuff. I remember Lanny and Tony C standing around with the Emilo crew in the parking lot and giving all kinds of false info. "oh yeah, we killed at Coast Guard last night or, 2/3 down and High Head lit up.
There'd be 10 trucks at those spots and we'd be at the Second Rip crushing large.

Funny stuff. I remember Lanny and Tony C standing around with the Emilo crew in the parking lot and giving all kinds of false info. "oh yeah, we killed at Coat Guard last night or, 2/3 down and High Head lit up.
There'd be 10 trucks at those spots and we'd be at the Second Rip crushing large.

Ahhh - the art of the deception. Man is that fun. Old school!

DZ

Was at a B & T store coincidentally when The Fisherman rag called in for a report. We were just slinging the BS off the wall...in print next issue.
Fun !
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Was at a B & T store coincidentally when The Fisherman rag called in for a report. We were just slinging the BS off the wall...in print next issue.
Fun !
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:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

LOL Done the same. hard part for me is I've always been too damn hyper to watch n wait for someone to get a call. So i just kept casting. How's that go -you can't catch a fish if you don't have a line or bait in the water. CAST CAST CAST CAST CAST. LOL I bet my value per lb of fish caught is in the 1,000,000 between time money n effort LOL. AHHH the heck with it time to go fishing. might meet another good freind or find a free beer or 2 LOL

it's time to tie off to a fire brick
and toss it out there when no ones
lookin....then squeal like a stuck pig
like you have an 80 lb record breaker
until every tom #^&#^&#^&#^& and harry is there
making sure someone else is there to
film the whole production for you tube. lol

A good popcorn blitz can be fun to watch. Dump in a bag, the birds go nuts, and watch the guys tear down the road on their cruisers. Good YouTube fodder, too.
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Don't forget the thumbtacks
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A good popcorn blitz can be fun to watch. Dump in a bag, the birds go nuts, and watch the guys tear down the road on their cruisers. Good YouTube fodder, too.
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Yes! love the popcorn/potatochip/chexmix blitz. we've pulled that one on the boat several times...

Yes! love the popcorn/potatochip/chexmix blitz. we've pulled that one on the boat several times...

You guys are sick....and geniuses!!

Nothiong like a little disinformation to weed out the slackers, cliam-jumpers, and fair-weather anglers that want you to do the work so they can reap the benefits.

I gotta keep that in mind for a cheap fun show on the water.
(Used to do that to people on the beach, by throwing french fries around their blanket while they sunbathed.)

Yes! love the popcorn/potatochip/chexmix blitz. we've pulled that one on the boat several times...

The Epic Brenton point popcorn blitz

We used to have movie night the night before fluke fishing, we always made waaaaay too much popcorn. Dump it at the start of your drift in the dead zone and watch them race to it as you're a good distance away.

Potato chips work well too.
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Those curly orange things too

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best thing in the world when chasing albies in a crowd

this is crazy chit guys - does RoyL need to travel with the freakin secret service now or what? :D

A former neighbor of mine fished the same stretch of beach all of his life (he's in his 40's) and I swear he doesn't know any of his spots because when I went with him, he literally just parked and watched his friend fish. Friend didn't hook up so he moved further and fished with a crowd of about 8 people already going. He literally just follows the crowds. Since I was a guest I couldn't say anything to the guy but his karma caught him and he got skunked while I repeatedly hooked up along with the friend he watched before 20 feet away.

I have to avoid the inlet during the summer due to all the types of people mentioned above. Also, the attitudes of many people are terrible. Got many dirty looks by the surf rats because I beat them to their spots on the beach a good half hour before they showed up (I scout my spots at low tide during the day, sorry these forums taught me well!) and having only the time to fish on the weekends already makes me fall into the "weekend warrior" category in their minds even though I don't fish from dusk to dawn. If I could fish every day, I would. Knowing the fishing hierarchy we have, I move out of respect, say "good evening" to not cause a cardiac, and keep to myself. People who just read that, remember that sentence and protocol, it will save you a beating and you might just hear a friendly grunt which is the most you'll get out of a rat unless you know them (it's a good thing).

Although, I am an absolute menace when it comes to people who chase lights, birds, and crowds. My light gets used very often even if I'm not hooked up, for some reason the birds come to me (I might just look like a potato chip since I wear my dirty yellow raincoat regardless of the weather (save for it being hotter than hell), and hooking into fish away from the crowd they formed making their heads turn since they get bored easily. One time I hooked a fish, released it, the crowd came to me. I moved (this is on the beach on foot, no vehicle) further down, hooked up again, they followed me again. Must have been a good 3 or 4 times. I never said a word but eventually they lost patience and gave up. Started to form up in the parking lot and talked up a storm. Once some of the people who followed me saw me, they stopped talking and gave me the stink eye....I wasn't aware my passion was a contest.

Still my most hated maneuver is when there is a school of fish feeding you get the group of insert the blank's on a boat that drive right on top of the school causing the fish to scatter and kill the bite while asking how big do the fish need to be to keep and how many are allowed to be kept.

Yes! love the popcorn/potatochip/chexmix blitz. we've pulled that one on the boat several times...

Works pretty well if you launch it from the fish pier on the Canal. :grins:

Kayak fishing is where its at for me right now.......I hate crowds of idiots!!!:uhuh:

I have not been to the canal once since getting into kayak fishing. Of course if I feel the need to climb over rocks I do have a spot. Anytime Larry.

this is crazy chit guys - does RoyL need to travel with the freakin secret service now or what? :D

He does have his bicycle posse, so I'd say he's covered.
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Fishing has always been the same. One caveman sees another grab a fish and his whole tribe is down there. They just didn't have phones.

This was a great read.
I had forgotten about the "Popcorn Blitz"

I don't fish the Canal anymore (Got too Old to deal with the rocks).
I still pull in at some of the Spots after I fish a Beach just to see what is going on.

I see these Yahoos on their bikes stop and cast over peoples heads from the Service road on a regular basis. That would not have happened years ago. If you were dumb enough to do that, you would probably have your plug cut off.

There are things you just don't do, like "Tug On Supermans Cape" or
"Spit into the wind".

Have a good day..........

ps. The fish in the picture was RELEASED......

I am going to try a popcorn blitz. Wouldn't that make a cool time lapse go pro video? I fished the canal once last year when it was light out and a few times after dark. I would much prefer to plug a rocky shoreline and catch a fish or two than deal with the frustration of the canal on a good tide on the weekend even if it means catching 20 20lbers,30lbers, well 40lbers i can deal with the frustration i guess.

I am all with Stripermainiac Cast cast cast cast. When I put 3 hours of fishing in at the ditch or any where It means 2 hours line in the water exorcise. Maybe the one fish will come by, but I have the best shot at it if am the one casting. It is called fishing not sitting and waiting for a phone call or to see someone else catch.

I haven't spent much time at the canal this year, but in the past, the only people who have mugged me were my friends. Except for one drunk who threw a bottle down near me, but I don't think he knew we were there.

Hay Mike.......where's Justin when you need him. He's great for popcorn.

Fish still has a hook in its mouth and its being held up for a picture on instagram...

My old man calls it instafag