Anyone have the actual final score from this weekends MS surfclub
challenge? From what I have heard, ZERO striped bass (36" minimum requirement) were turned in, and the largest bluefish entered weighed 1.87 pounds.

Close to 80 anglers, fishing spots they know really well, for 2 days and nights in mid october, for a few bluefish smaller than bunker and mostly schoolies.

I take no pleasure in saying the results are not surprising, and I'm sure the reasons and theories will come pouring in... But before anyone blames the recent wind storm, lets remember that the most epic MS tournaments were usually during the nastiest weather.

I did not participate in the tournament, although I did fish that night in some of my best spots, and all I found were schoolies.

Too late to worry about it now. Those large fish have been killed and there is a long empty gap in the pipeline. But cheer up. You can still buy a boat, fish BI in the summer, and kill what few large fish are left. And even better, all those schoolies are going to grow up (maybe, the 2011 YOY class doesn't seem to be doing so well) and in 10-12 years everybody can race to kill them too.

Newport had a good year for bass. A great year actually. There are respected charter captains who had their first good year in close to a decade that were talking,acting,killing as though theirs is the typical bass fishery. Too bad... they better learn that their future is in sea bass charters.
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that’s pretty effing grim. did most of my bass trips this year at BI, did great at night on large. the point judith fleet took a lot of keepers out there this summer, a lot.
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Won't be long until the BI fish are gone...Methinks most end up being sold illegally on the black market or otherwise ( out of state comm anglers ). Don't think for a second that they all are consumed by the anglers who caught them. Coastwide gamefish status now!

Won't be long until the BI fish are gone...Methinks most end up being sold illegally on the black market or otherwise ( out of state comm anglers ). Don't think for a second that they all are consumed by the anglers who caught them. Coastwide gamefish status now!

EXACTLY but no one is listening. I have been preaching Gamefish status for 10 years. No one want to hear it. Every time I put it up here, on FB, write an article that gets published, I talk about FL and what they did with Tarpon and Snook. The typical response is "but there are no tarpon or Snook in VA, or MD, or DE". Well, so what???

If we gave the Stripers Game Fish Status all the Eastern Seaboard would benefit from a world class fishery in 5 or 10 years.

Won't be long until the BI fish are gone...

Coastwide gamefish status now!

Yup, that may be one of the few (or the last) strain of SB left.

Lousy results for a tourney of full of dedicated, knowledgeable fisherman at a prime time.

Yup, that may be one of the few (or the last) strain of SB left.

Lousy results for a tourney of full of dedicated, knowledgeable fisherman at a prime time.

why is BI still healthy do you think, plenty of people fishing out there?
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and the largest bluefish entered weighed 1.87 pounds.



don't know whether to laugh or cry :D

Between the warming oceans, the growing world population wanting fish for the table and overfishing, it’s a downward spiral for many species.
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The technology of the predator has overwhelmed the prey.
They’ll be selling veggie based fish sticks soon.
And the neophytes will think it’s the bomb.
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Won't be long until the BI fish are gone...Methinks most end up being sold illegally on the black market or otherwise ( out of state comm anglers ). Don't think for a second that they all are consumed by the anglers who caught them. Coastwide gamefish status now!

That is happening. Im pretty sure state fisheries understand this issue and nothing is being done. The lack of fish in the quota in Ma is also being caught in RI. Easy steam and big payoff.
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If people would just start eating more pork the striper population would take care of itself. Duh.

Bacon makes everything better
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Have not kept a striper since 2006 I am proud to say. Treat them like the valuable gamefish they are. Fishing was not that great in Newport for me. Fished Mackerel and the reef. Have not seen a acres large bluefish blitz since the early 2000's. Last fall on a certain day I encountered schoolie blitz's all the way from Newport Harbor to the Navy Pier off of Prudence. Gave me hope for the future. Hopefully a couple made it back for this year.

Don't know why the stocks are crashing could be a many things commercial, recreational, lack of bait, ocean warming, seals, not real sure, but I think we can all agree unless we take action our grandkids will be fishing for seabass or worse.

Have not kept a striper since 2006 I am proud to say. Treat them like the valuable gamefish they are. Fishing was not that great in Newport for me. Fished Mackerel and the reef. Have not seen a acres large bluefish blitz since the early 2000's. Last fall on a certain day I encountered schoolie blitz's all the way from Newport Harbor to the Navy Pier off of Prudence. Gave me hope for the future. Hopefully a couple made it back for this year.

Don't know why the stocks are crashing could be a many things commercial, recreational, lack of bait, ocean warming, seals, not real sure, but I think we can all agree unless we take action our grandkids will be fishing for seabass or worse.
Duke, it's actually not that complicated. There are too many fishermen killing too many large fish. Anything over 28" is killed by the current group of newbies so the bio-mass doesn't have a chance to breed for the most part.
That coupled with the wholesale slaughter that has taken place in the Canal, the SW Ledge off the Block, Maryland, VA, and NC in the winter and you can see why the stocks are dwindling quickly. Our grandkids will have nothing to fish for with stripes.

[QUOTE=piemma;1178038
That coupled with the wholesale slaughter that has taken place in the Canal, the SW Ledge off the Block, Maryland, VA, and NC in the winter and you can see why the stocks are dwindling quickly. Our grandkids will have nothing to fish for with stripes.[/QUOTE]

Paul, you left out NY and NJ...lol.Check out the regional reports of OTW online. Party boats with 80 people doing multiple trips per day. Plus most are fishing over the line. And, NJ can still keep 2...3 with a bonus tag...20-50#ers.

Paul, you left out NY and NJ...lol.Check out the regional reports of OTW online. Party boats with 80 people doing multiple trips per day. Plus most are fishing over the line. And, NJ can still keep 2...3 with a bonus tag...20-50#ers.

You are so right Tony. We will never see what we had years ago. It will not come back, in my opinion. Just too much pressure everywhere, social media, cell phones, internet. Just too many obstacles for the striped ones to survive.
I hope and pray I'm wrong but unless there are drastic measures taken, they are doomed.