I've had a few "beverages".... so bear with me


who remembers when striper fishing was special? when there was some mystery and suspense involved? guys took the time to make their own plugs and flys and crept out onto a rock and actually had chance to connect with a decent fish?

now its baits and boats and plotting the locations of fish from internet reports.....

Larry Dahlberg talks about the "stages of fishing" when a person first just wants to catch a fish; then wants to catch a lot of fish: then catch a really big fish;
and lastly, they want to catch them THE WAY THEY WANT TO CATCH THEM. that's the part I miss. being able to go out and cast plugs or flys off a rocky point and catch a few fish. the mystery is gone the art of striper fishing seems to have gone away as the population has declined

anyone else miss the "mystery'?

A bit - maybe I am more cantankerous than I once was but the crowds and the attitudes are running hard against the solitude and camaraderie

seems like fun is gone out of fishing for bass for me- maybe I've just burned out from a lack of success. maybe I've been doing this for too long and need a new hobby (er whatever ya call this)

I miss seeing the fish- grabbing a bass' s jaw on a dark and taking a good look at the green-purple-bluish colors that shine in my headlamp.


maybe I need another beer

seems like fun is gone out of fishing for bass for me- maybe I've just burned out from a lack of success. maybe I've been doing this for too long and need a new hobby (er whatever ya call this)

I miss seeing the fish- grabbing a bass' s jaw on a dark and taking a good look at the green-purple-bluish colors that shine in my headlamp.


maybe I need another beer

...or maybe you should start golfing. Fishing is what you make of it. I have fished all my life and I'm 66. I STILL get excited when I'm going out.

For the most part I haven't changed .. Still want them on top and on plugs . I know this is wrong if you are targeting really large fish. Live bait rules,, but it's what I like .. That being said ,, when fishing the canal I always carry a snag hook ..
:uhuh:

I just took this up 4 years ago as I moved to CT. I have invested a lot of time and money. I do enjoy success, but I also enjoy the time spent in solitude, in watching others have success, and in catching, but like most of my passions, its the journey, not the catch. They are a great and handsome fish, but I am not bitter if I did not catch. I prefer to fish the surf, over the boat, but have done both. I have made many friends that share the same values in pursing this fine fish. The take of a fish on the surface we all live for.

Evolution is the short answer....the sport has evolved due to factors both in and out of our control...

for us older folks... Striped bass fishing was something that provided a pinnacle of enjoyment....at times frustrating other times rewarding... we put in long hours fishing and twice as many hours preparing... "scheming" and thinking about the next trip to the brine... when I began fishing, every fish over 16" was retained,boxed,iced and sold...the "old timers" rarely talked to the new guy's on the water... everyone fished from a 16' tin boat or the surf... there was no internet or chat rooms.. the chat room was the bench alongside the dock where the guy's gathered waiting for the sun to go down... one of my fondest memories was the evening I was invited to join them for a cup of coffee before "we" headed out...in my mind.. they had noticed my dedication and felt I now actually had something to contribute to the conversation.... the hard work mentality and "hands on" study has become a thing of the past...
it's a lot easier to look up fishing reports than it is to loose sleep ( and respect in the household) and beat yourself bloody and bruised finding where the fish are... we have done it to ourselves to some degree....as we age, we have less tolerance than we used to for " stupidity".. I myself have had several shouting matches with people for driving over fish ( and my lines) .. but sadly.. they just don't know any better.. it's easier to find the guy hooked up and mug him... after the latest incident when a boat actually rammed mine because I called him a dumb---, I confided in a friend that it just wasn't fun anymore ( sound familure)...all that being said... getting older just takes a toll on your body.. we remember the "good old days" and tend to remember the "good" more than the "bad"... striped bass are a cyclical fish... they always have been.... this spring was very slow around the Merrimack.. many things attributed to it... some of it is just buzzards luck...... no doubt there are fewer fish... and I have put forth less of an effort because I'd have to travel farther from the dock and work a little harder.. sometimes the wind and tide don't meet our expectations and we get frustrated.... 9 days ago, I hit an old haunt...the only ones there were a hand full of surf rats, willing to walk a long way to enjoy solitude, we fished the same water , shared theories on why so many fish congregated in that one spot and no where else as I turned my boat to deeper water so as not to disturb them.. we shared a respect for surf and boat and each other.. the way it SHOULD be ... together we enjoyed( 9 in a row) some of the best fishing in the last several years... just about every cast produced a fish 20 lb or better... 30 and 40 lbs were numerous...the best fish from the lot has been a 49 -14 ( weighed on a hand held digital before release).. my hands are hamburger .. my eyes slits my ..shoulder is killing me.. only got 6 fish last night, the bio mass has moved on.. but man was that FUN!

to me striper fishing has always been what you put in to it and what you make of it- you are the artist. it has always been meeting and dealing with the challenges presented. yeah the fishery is in trouble for sure, but Thoreau said it best "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."
also Dahlberg when talks about the "stages of fishing" he is spot on.

Evolution is the short answer....the sport has evolved due to factors both in and out of our control...

for us older folks... Striped bass fishing was something that provided a pinnacle of enjoyment....at times frustrating other times rewarding... we put in long hours fishing and twice as many hours preparing... "scheming" and thinking about the next trip to the brine... when I began fishing, every fish over 16" was retained,boxed,iced and sold...the "old timers" rarely talked to the new guy's on the water... everyone fished from a 16' tin boat or the surf... there was no internet or chat rooms.. the chat room was the bench alongside the dock where the guy's gathered waiting for the sun to go down... one of my fondest memories was the evening I was invited to join them for a cup of coffee before "we" headed out...in my mind.. they had noticed my dedication and felt I now actually had something to contribute to the conversation.... the hard work mentality and "hands on" study has become a thing of the past...
it's a lot easier to look up fishing reports than it is to loose sleep ( and respect in the household) and beat yourself bloody and bruised finding where the fish are... we have done it to ourselves to some degree....as we age, we have less tolerance than we used to for " stupidity".. I myself have had several shouting matches with people for driving over fish ( and my lines) .. but sadly.. they just don't know any better.. it's easier to find the guy hooked up and mug him... after the latest incident when a boat actually rammed mine because I called him a dumb---, I confided in a friend that it just wasn't fun anymore ( sound familure)...all that being said... getting older just takes a toll on your body.. we remember the "good old days" and tend to remember the "good" more than the "bad"... striped bass are a cyclical fish... they always have been.... this spring was very slow around the Merrimack.. many things attributed to it... some of it is just buzzards luck...... no doubt there are fewer fish... and I have put forth less of an effort because I'd have to travel farther from the dock and work a little harder.. sometimes the wind and tide don't meet our expectations and we get frustrated.... 9 days ago, I hit an old haunt...the only ones there were a hand full of surf rats, willing to walk a long way to enjoy solitude, we fished the same water , shared theories on why so many fish congregated in that one spot and no where else as I turned my boat to deeper water so as not to disturb them.. we shared a respect for surf and boat and each other.. the way it SHOULD be ... together we enjoyed( 9 in a row) some of the best fishing in the last several years... just about every cast produced a fish 20 lb or better... 30 and 40 lbs were numerous...the best fish from the lot has been a 49 -14 ( weighed on a hand held digital before release).. my hands are hamburger .. my eyes slits my ..shoulder is killing me.. only got 6 fish last night, the bio mass has moved on.. but man was that FUN!
^ Well said!
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To me it is about the hunt. The catching is fun but at this point hunting them down is what I like. I agree with the stages and I see all the stages out there when I am fishing. Crowds don't bother me that much as I have fished the canal for many years so I can usually handle crowds anywhere without much aggravation and that type of fishing makes being by myself or one friend way more enjoyable when I choose that type of fishing either by boat or shore. Sounds to me like you need a break and if your a fisherman you will get the itch again at some point.
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Fishing for me is first and foremost about solitude.......its about the people you meet, the people you fish with, the friends you make along the way. Its about all the amazing things you see along the way......whales, deer, ospreys, eagles, the bait and fish putting on a show even when you can't hook up! The beautiful sunrise on any morning.......the fire red of a sunset on any evening......a gorgeous star filled night, a full moon. Getting caught in a thunderstorm. Just enjoying each and every moment that comes your way......whether you catch fish or not......and then there are the moments when the fishing is marvelous! Thats the bonus for me.....catching the fish!:uhuh:

For me (and those who know me know this) I just fish my own lures! Catching fish....any fish on my own hand made wooden lures that I sweated and toiled over for so many hours......thats the way I like to catch fish! Sure if I fished eels more or bought the "flavor of the month" lure I might be able to catch the "40" that I dream about......but that is not what its about for me.......success by my own hand.....that is where the art lies for me.

All that said......I have not fished the canal much this season at all....or even the salt for that matter. The crowds and the bickering and the bull#^&#^&#^&#^&......it ruins it for me. I would rather walk a mile past busting 50 pounders with 100 guys all slaying them left and right....to find my piece of what I am looking for.....my way......how I want it!:fishin:

I work in the madhouse of the construction world.
I fish for serenity to calm my soul. If the fish are there it's a bonus.
I will never ever mob fish ! I'm dealing with that all week between the commute and job sites !
Nor does my ego need to be stroked with every fish I catch being facebooked. ( you would have to put a gun to my head to make me tweet or facebook )
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maybe I do need to go golfing. thats usually good for getting really mad at yourself......:smash:

its just been a tough year for me-

Golf= a nice walk ruined
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As a member of the "stage 4" club, I miss the frantic action I used to find in some of the popular spots.

Now I make it a point to try and use EVERY LURE in my tackle bag/box. Not just make a couple of casts and put it back, but learn how to fish it correctly to get the best results.

I surprise myself at how much I knew and how much I THOUGHT I knew! I find myself now learning that I have many favorite / go-to lures at the ready when the need arises.

Spinners, buzz baits, stick baits, surface lures, sub-surface lures, diving lures and a variety of sizes shapes and colors!

Now when someone sees all the lures in my bag, and they ask me "Do you really need all those lures?" I can tell them YES!

Sebilles, cell phones, and blitzes make anyone into an instant sharpie. :D

Bobber,
I too long for the days of discovery when everything I learned opened new doors and being a sponge to absorb everything “striper”. When my successes were savored and my defeats were crushing. A time when I spent all hours either fishing, thinking about fishing, reading about fishing, or setting the hook in my dreams. I sometimes see myself in the new generation of surf “hungries”. To be sure things have changed but this is after all the information age, it’s just how things are now. These times will be their “old days” eventually. But I still rekindle the spark occasionally, on certain nights it may be the aroma of the salt air, or the sound of the cobble receding after a wave. Sometimes it’s a solid take of a good fish that would have had my knees shaking 30 years ago but now there is no panic, if I lose, I lose. I suggest you look at other types of fishing where the learning process starts again. I did this two May’s ago in Key West. Standing on a bridge platform after dark, casting for the possibility of my largest fish, and then after an hour, hooking up to a freight train that made my past stripers seem tame. In a moment of time the sound of a refrigerator hitting the water, and a short time later my reel emptied of line. And once again I was transformed back to my youth, heart beating fast, knees weakened, and hands shaking as I attempted to thread a new spool of line through the guides. The mystery can still happen.

It really doesn't matter to me,I just want to fish. So ,I fish for what is there and I have no intention of whining over the lack of a certain species. Last year was not good for albies in my world, so I hope this year is better.
It already is...

Bobber,
I too long for the days of discovery when everything I learned opened new doors and being a sponge to absorb everything “striper”. When my successes were savored and my defeats were crushing. A time when I spent all hours either fishing, thinking about fishing, reading about fishing, or setting the hook in my dreams. I sometimes see myself in the new generation of surf “hungries”. To be sure things have changed but this is after all the information age, it’s just how things are now. These times will be their “old days” eventually. But I still rekindle the spark occasionally, on certain nights it may be the aroma of the salt air, or the sound of the cobble receding after a wave. Sometimes it’s a solid take of a good fish that would have had my knees shaking 30 years ago but now there is no panic, if I lose, I lose. I suggest you look at other types of fishing where the learning process starts again. I did this two May’s ago in Key West. Standing on a bridge platform after dark, casting for the possibility of my largest fish, and then after an hour, hooking up to a freight train that made my past stripers seem tame. In a moment of time the sound of a refrigerator hitting the water, and a short time later my reel emptied of line. And once again I was transformed back to my youth, heart beating fast, knees weakened, and hands shaking as I attempted to thread a new spool of line through the guides. The mystery can still happen.

Great post!
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A freind of mine has a saying- Don't stop a momment before the miracle- we all have our own interpretation of what we consider a miracle.
I still do it the way i always do. i catch some fish at times an get to meet some great people.LOL I think all us googens figure it out eventually. I've been fishin for 50 + yrs an still enjoy it. Just go out n fish. don't like the crowds avoid them. If you like them dive right in an have fun. It's fishing don't overcomplicate it.

maybe burn-out is really happening.

I just remember things being a lot more mysterious and adventurous. people used to tell me "you're crazy" all the time....I loved feeling the wag of the tail on storm jig swimming deep across the current, just knowing a sudden thump of a fish was imminent.


maybe I'm just getting old

maybe burn-out is really happening.

I just remember things being a lot more mysterious and adventurous. people used to tell me "you're crazy" all the time....I loved feeling the wag of the tail on storm jig swimming deep across the current, just knowing a sudden thump of a fish was imminent.


maybe I'm just getting old

Target blackfish from shore for a while. Change it up.
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Golf= a nice walk ruined
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Lmao well said Paul,BTW hope you're feeling better.

Rock you are right on que,technology has put most on a tail spin in the wrong direction. It seems that most people today are intitled for instant gratification because ,they have possession a Zeebass (or what ever)and the best stick out there,not to menton the blaber net has produced a better curve for the newbie on where and when to fish.

I was bit by the salt back in 94 when fishing for bass was tight and a bass had to be 3' or greater so it was more about strategy and time put in on the water.

As for the art in catching these fish which we love to fight ,we enjoy the prep work, & planning of new ground to haunt to try and produce better results for our efforts but most importantly most of us ly awake at night when we know we should be asleep but we are constantly reciteing in our heads,OK I packed the waders,ice pack is in the freezer, gas is in the tank, rain?!?no rain so no jacket, Bug spay....pack the korckers then it's on to possible senarieos of what ifs.will their be someone in my spot?where should I go if someone Is there?etc.....
It has not been lost in the passionate ones who hold it close to the cuff,but the true meaning hasn't been present in the ones who seek the 1,200 pounder who seeks recognition to the inerweb brethren.

Best of luck out there and enjoy it because our time here is limited...

For what it's worth.

5/0
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If nothing else, bobber's post brought a lot of good thought out into the open.

great thread .ThANKS :)

Bob - When the Albies get here, you'll feel rejuvenated.

I just enjoy fishing. Ive been on the water since i was born and thats what its about for me. A good day could be a 40+ or just some good seabass and fluking with freinds. this has been a weird season for Bass in my grounds, but it was a great early tog season, and seabass/fluke season. Also with some recent small pelagic reports I think were in for a great fall. Theres tons of bait to keep them here too.

As a newbie to surfcasting, I can tell you that for some, we care about it being an art. I may have grown up in this technology boom, but it doesn't envelop my life. I always bump into these 2 guys that are around my age (20's) that both work in tech for a major company. They are out there nightly doing it the same way most of you do. Talking to other fishermen, and slinging lures. I know it's hard to get a grasp that some of my generation are still in touch with the planet. With all the pop, celebrity garbage, and the true instant gratification from the constantly evolving tech. It serves it's own purpose and cannot make you catch fish. Being on the beach gets you to catch fish.

Golf = A waste of a perfectly good rifle range :)

disc golf is the shiznit
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I was joking I actually really enjoy golf just don't play much anymore.

Golf = A waste of a perfectly good rifle range :)


Think of all those ponds and the fish that get untouched except by us few that fish them at night .

Fishing for me is first and foremost about solitude.......its about the people you meet, the people you fish with, the friends you make along the way. Its about all the amazing things you see along the way......whales, deer, ospreys, eagles, the bait and fish putting on a show even when you can't hook up! The beautiful sunrise on any morning.......the fire red of a sunset on any evening......a gorgeous star filled night, a full moon. Getting caught in a thunderstorm. Just enjoying each and every moment that comes your way......whether you catch fish or not......and then there are the moments when the fishing is marvelous! Thats the bonus for me.....catching the fish!

All that said...... The crowds and the bickering and the bull#^&#^&#^&#^&......it ruins it for me. I would rather walk a mile past busting 25 pounders with 100 guys all slaying them left and right....to find my piece of what I am looking for.....my way......how I want it!

I agree totally Larry . Except I dont think I could truely walk by 50#ers being caught . But that is my one guilty pleasure or maybe 2nd or 3rd .
LOL

At times I stand at the water's edge in awe.
I have never been able to get over the beauty.
Day or night ,it makes no difference.

I was joking I actually really enjoy golf just don't play much anymore.

Golf is my other passion and frankly with fishing as it is lately, I get more enjoyment out of golf. For me it actually offers some of the same benefits, it's fresh air, it's exercise, much like learning patterns and locations for talking large, it's a challenge to get better each year. It's also got another thing in common with fishing, when the game is good its so much fun and when it slips away its so frustrating.

I was just talking to a friend about how one season I missed only 3 nights in the surf in august sept and October. Previous winter I tied 300 Leaders. One week I went through 100 eels but thats Before my children could walk. Past few years I have not been fishing that much but managed to put some time in this year. Not a lot to show for it fish wise but I cant wait to stand on a rock again after I have slept enough to rejuvenate from 8 hours or better throwing all night. Surf fishing is second only to my family. It is Gods creation.