So I told you so!!!!:deadhorse:
It has come to pass that there are few if any decent fish left in the surf.


No one cared until it happened. I know the boat guys are still getting fish but every report I am getting from the shore guys is terrible.

I’ve been wondering if there was anyway to give all the 24” (+-) fish a pass ... from what I gather there are an extraordinary amount of them up and down the coast... maybe if they where allowed to live their life out they’d rejuvenate the species....

Respectfully submitted! Sunday afternoon rocket scientist,,,,

Been a really tough go to this from the surf hit it pretty hard for the last couple month with a few guys from this site and there hasnt been one night that was worth wasting sleep all night for zero fish. I haven’t seen anything anywhere close to 20#’s. It it’s not for lack of effort or location. Fished cutty for three nights on the new moon in June even that was a bust. If you don’t think the stocks are in trouble then you clearly haven’t fished long enough to understand the downfall. Took two of nephews out for lmb Friday in wmass I hope someday the striper stocks increase again so they can have a shot at a fishery I once remember
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Well at least we’re seeing plenty of smaller ones. That gives us some reason to hope. I mean, during the moratorium there was almost nothing out there at all. Still, it’s hard to see S-B fishing like it was around 2000 any time in the next few years.
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[QUOTE=piemma;1197268]So I told you so!!!!:deadhorse:
It has come to pass that there are few if any decent fish left in the surf.
No one cared until it happened. I know the boat guys are still getting fish but every report I am getting from the shore guys is terrible.

Please understand that, when the Fall Season arrives, that there will be, once again, a million pounds less striped bass, from the commercial fishery greed fleet, pounding these fish on the bunker schools from Boston to Billingsgate.

Why is this? Because the commercial fishery industry and individuals involved enjoy and arrogate onto themselves, a carve out, special access to the resource that you and I do not have-- 15 fish harvest days; no slot size restrictions to preserve a breeder class of fish; circle hook exemptions; a "temporary" reprieve so a commercial can bypass selling to a licensed fish dealer/wholesaler, and "sell direct"--bypassing all monitoring and accountability; etc. You show me a commercial striped bass fisherman, and I will show you greed.

I saw this coming in 2006
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And sadly it won’t get better until those who are making money off of the fish stop making money off of them due to the fact that they can’t catch any more.
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And sadly it won’t get better until those who are making money off of the fish stop making money off of them due to the fact that they can’t catch any more.
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And what about all the poachers?

It's not all commercials fault. Although they are an easy target.
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And what about all the poachers?

It's not all commercials fault. Although they are an easy target.
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The poachers are a like Antifa. They exist but their impact is over stated in the reduction of the stock also is the argument's that recreational fishers take more fish .. this year I've caught more fish over 35 in then under ....but like it was mentioned the comms have no slot ,,, and the quota if met 1mil pounds all the fish are 35 in and larger here's some context a 35 in bass takes 10 years a 44in is 15 year took reach this size and they are under pressure along the most of the coast

Ny comms are 28 35 in. Nj and Connecticut seem to have no comm season? Ri now closed. But fish traps no limit min size 26in.

So we now have pogies you can walk on and no bass under most of them and a federal government who sees the environment and its fishery as fast money with sustainability seen as a liberal and environmental terrorism..

Still dont know how or why people eat bass with so many better choices flavor and texture which are easier to catch? But what do I know I am one voice in a sea of voices

The poachers are a like Antifa. They exist but their impact is over stated in the reduction of the stock also is the argument's that recreational fishers take more fish .. this year I've caught more fish over 35 in then under ....but like it was mentioned the comms have no slot ,,, and the quota if met 1mil pounds all the fish are 35 in and larger here's some context a 35 in bass takes 10 years a 44in is 15 year took reach this size and they are under pressure along the most of the coast

Ny comms are 28 35 in. Nj and Connecticut seem to have no comm season? Ri now closed. But fish traps no limit min size 26in.

So we now have pogies you can walk on and no bass under most of them and a federal government who sees the environment and its fishery as fast money with sustainability seen as a liberal and environmental terrorism..

Still dont know how or why people eat bass with so many better choices flavor and texture which are easier to catch? But what do I know I am one voice in a sea of voices


Never seen ANTIFA. Seen ALOT of poaching... Poaching that is NOT figured into the non-commercial kill.

Always easier to look at the other group than within your own. (BTW I've been saying the stocks were in trouble longer than even Eben).

I'd personally love to see bass no-kill, and areas OFF LIMITS to recs/commercials.
I'd love to see the rules enforced to a greater degree.
I'd love for people fishing the EEZ to get their boats confisgated.

The poachers are a like Antifa. They exist but their impact is over stated in the reduction of the stock also is the argument's that recreational fishers take more fish .. this year I've caught more fish over 35 in then under ....but like it was mentioned the comms have no slot ,,, and the quota if met 1mil pounds all the fish are 35 in and larger here's some context a 35 in bass takes 10 years a 44in is 15 year took reach this size and they are under pressure along the most of the coast

Ny comms are 28 35 in. Nj and Connecticut seem to have no comm season? Ri now closed. But fish traps no limit min size 26in.

So we now have pogies you can walk on and no bass under most of them and a federal government who sees the environment and its fishery as fast money with sustainability seen as a liberal and environmental terrorism..

Still dont know how or why people eat bass with so many better choices flavor and texture which are easier to catch? But what do I know I am one voice in a sea of voices


Well, poachers are known to stir sh!t up for petty self serving needs and lack of being held as a child, so there is that :yawn:

Short versions and have been saying for 20 years. Everyone, every group, needs to cut back (and yes get the poachers) drastically

Nobody listened to us years many years ago....

I almost hated to start this thread but it's not one or two guys telling me about the lack of fish, it's a Ton of guys.

It's not the Rec, poachers, comms., it's everyone because no one wants to declare the species a Game Fish. You do that, the stocks recover. You don't then the end is in sight.

I almost hated to start this thread but it's not one or two guys telling me about the lack of fish, it's a Ton of guys.

It's not the Rec, poachers, comms., it's everyone because no one wants to declare the species a Game Fish. You do that, the stocks recover. You don't then the end is in sight.

Provided It's ZERO possesion for everyone I am in agreement.

Provided It's ZERO possesion for everyone I am in agreement.

Joe, no intentional Catch and release. No charters for SB for 2 to 3 years and then Game Fish status. Strictly C&R. A no Kill Fish, period!!!

Good plan Paul which will sadly never happen, anyone with a brain and who has striper fished since the moratorium, has seen this gradual decline and it accelerating in recent years. Don’t know if there is a correlation between the advent of Facebook and the like, but internet hero’s have probably contributed greatly to easy large kill spots like the canal being raped at prime times.

I almost hated to start this thread but it's not one or two guys telling me about the lack of fish, it's a Ton of guys.

It's not the Rec, poachers, comms., it's everyone because no one wants to declare the species a Game Fish. You do that, the stocks recover. You don't then the end is in sight.

the sea robin bite is pretty good :laugha:

i'm not bass fishing this season, they need to be left alone for a bit. theres plenty of other options for me, fluking is more fun anyway

What disgusts me most is the MA EPOs flagrant refusal to do there jobs when it comes to the foreigner poaching epidemic at the canal. Every night for the past 6 weeks the same Asian and Brazilian groups that the EPOs got called on every night last year, are running over slot fish to their vehicles or vehicles that will meet them EVERY night....same exact spots as last year...with no threat of being caught. At least last year the EPOs were so fired up to catch a white comm guy that they would occasionally be out at night. And when they somehow accidentally catch one, they let them off. What a crock of #^&#^&#^&#^&. They should be ashamed of themselves. As Bill would say...Do your job

I fish almost exclusively on BI and I along with others saw the change in 2004 and by 2007 I knew it was getting bad. I too agree that striped bass does not taste as great as so many other fish. It is all about how you cook it and what sauce you cover it in. The shore fisherman is screwed. Too little too late with the current regs.
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Back during the moratorium it was one fish at 36”. That meant you could go all year without a keeper.
I’m not sure if that’s the way to go now. I mean, it took close to 15 years for the stocks to recover the last time. Hope it won’t take that long this time; I’ll be too old to ‘yak for ‘em then.
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This time last year I ate bass twice a week.

I haven’t kept one this year.
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I’ve been wondering if there was anyway to give all the 24” (+-) fish a pass ... from what I gather there are an extraordinary amount of them up and down the coast... maybe if they where allowed to live their life out they’d rejuvenate the species....

Respectfully submitted! Sunday afternoon rocket scientist,,,,

Ugh, those two footers are worse then when the YED’s followed Clammer around in the early 2000’s.

I went out this morning all camoed up and Jesus, they were everywhere!

There was so much junk in the water I couldn’t get one crank in before I got fouled.
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I admit that I’m a pretty lousy fisherman, but I fish with some guys that know how to catch big fish. This year has been the worst year for size and numbers so far and it’s not even close to other years that we considered bad. Fishing still beats sitting at home on the couch and watching tv though.
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Maybe the bass got the Rona ?
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Maybe the bass got the Rona ?
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There’s no Rona, silly. Democrat hoax.
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Back during the moratorium it was one fish at 36”. That meant you could go all year without a keeper.
I’m not sure if that’s the way to go now. I mean, it took close to 15 years for the stocks to recover the last time. Hope it won’t take that long this time; I’ll be too old to ‘yak for ‘em then.
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I fished before during and after the moratorium. It did take 15 years to recover but it will not recover this time without drastic measures that no one wants enacted.

Far too many guys have the mentality of " well if I don't catch it and eat it, someone else is going to anyways... so it might as well be me".

And so it goes until you can't scrape another fish outta the ocean.

Surfcasting is something I looked forward to sharing with my sons... they are just about getting old enough, and its dead.

There’s no Rona, silly. Democrat hoax.
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For a minute there I thought you said there is no roni.🤭

For a minute there I thought you said there is no roni.🤭

Hehehe.

That #^&#^&#^&#^& would suck.
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They’re done.
Too easy to annihilate.
Find something else.
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Gamefish status. Plain and simple.
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What's sad about this is that a lot of people on this board are starting
to get old. We remember the moratorium years when there wasn't any thing to fish for (I mean, we didn't even bother to try for stripers back then; we caught 'em occasionally while fishing for bluefish.) But if things go the way they did the last time, a substantial number of folks here (including me) may never see decent striper fishing again in our lifetimes. A truly unique fishing resource squandered again, and we will all regret it for whatever fishing years we have left.

&&the saga continues to the next generation :hang:

Well there is at least one 20-30 lber left in the Westport River, as at high noon right in the middle of the channel coming back in from a morning on my friends boat, this striper was attempting to finish off a 1-2 lb tog. Crazy watching this tog swimming in circles on top with this striper attempting to get a good bite on it. Flat calm made it easy to sit and watch the show until boat traffic pushed them down where I suspect that tog was lunch. Odd to see a large feeding mid day right in the middle of a heavily used channel, but I guess when you really want a tog snack, you make exceptions.

Had the grandkids out a couple dats ago,,,, one of the scup throw backs floundered around the boat for a while,,,, just long enough to get slammed by a big one,,,, never gets old

look at the history of striped bass, this is nothing new,there have been ups and downs since the colonial days.the good news is that with a lack of large fish the egomaniac hunters of large will become a thing of the past,and those of us who love to fish for the sake of fishing can do it in peace

Stripers pulled from the 2020 MV Derby. Last time was 1985-1992.

In 1993, then-Derby President Ed Jerome wrote, “The Derby Committee is proud to have played an influential role in the recovery of the striped bass. When we excluded the striper from our tournament in 1985, it may have been only symbolic, but it sent a message to sportfishing contests and enthusiasts that without a good management plan, this treasured resource would be no more. It was not easy for us at the time, but today’s recovery of the striped bass has made it all worthwhile.”

Yeah, checked their web site. They showed the decline numerically.
In 2002 (my personal peak striper year) they weighed in 800 fish. Last
year it was only 146, more than a 4/5 reduction. This about mirrors
what most people are seeing. Shows clearly that the time for serious
action is well past.

Stripers pulled from the 2020 MV Derby. Last time was 1985-1992.

In 1993, then-Derby President Ed Jerome wrote, “The Derby Committee is proud to have played an influential role in the recovery of the striped bass. When we excluded the striper from our tournament in 1985, it may have been only symbolic, but it sent a message to sportfishing contests and enthusiasts that without a good management plan, this treasured resource would be no more. It was not easy for us at the time, but today’s recovery of the striped bass has made it all worthwhile.”

When low to mid 30# fish started winning the shore division, the writing should have been on the wall. This is locking the barn door after the horses got out.

What's sad about this is that a lot of people on this board are starting
to get old. We remember the moratorium years when there wasn't any thing to fish for (I mean, we didn't even bother to try for stripers back then; we caught 'em occasionally while fishing for bluefish.) But if things go the way they did the last time, a substantial number of folks here (including me) may never see decent striper fishing again in our lifetimes. A truly unique fishing resource squandered again, and we will all regret it for whatever fishing years we have left.

Don’t count me out yet, you old bastard!

It’s kinda crazy, but I remember them being everywhere, then nowhere, then kinda everywhere, and boom! They were everywhere, again.

I ate a lot of bass. Never sold one, but Christ, I ate a lot of those big girls.

I haven’t kept a single bass this year.
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When low to mid 30# fish started winning the shore division, the writing should have been on the wall. This is locking the barn door after the horses got out.

Judging by the first 5 or so years they added bass back into the Derby, the 90s must have been a pretty awesome time to surf fish over there.

At eighty two I've seen some great bass fishen.
Ive seen every one add there two cents to try and fix bass fishen
No one seems to mention seals. There are 30,000 seals eating every day.30,000 seals catching and eating more than one fish since they love the livers.
The embayment's have been wiped out of every type of feed that seals feed on.
Just think,If we thin out the seals then everything can live.
This is not conservation with all these seals.

They sure did a number on Monomoy. Remember catching keepers in that beautiful rip on the beach beside the Chatham lighthouse in 2002.
A few years later, forget it.
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At eighty two I've seen some great bass fishen.
Ive seen every one add there two cents to try and fix bass fishen
No one seems to mention seals. There are 30,000 seals eating every day.30,000 seals catching and eating more than one fish since they love the livers.
The embayment's have been wiped out of every type of feed that seals feed on.
Just think,If we thin out the seals then everything can live.
This is not conservation with all these seals.
Exactly. Think about all of the species you would get throwing out sand eels in the middle of the day off of Race Point. I remember when the skates and dog fish moved in you couldn’t even dunk bait. We would get flat fish too. All sorts of sculpin. Stripers and or blues every morning at the hump without a doubt. Other then bass coming in at night, you don’t see any of this anymore. Either those fish adapted to stay off shore, and or the seals wiped out the class of fish that had it in their gene pool to feed in close to shore. Probably a combination of both IMHO.
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Exactly. Think about all of the species you would get throwing out sand eels in the middle of the day off of Race Point. I remember when the skates and dog fish moved in you couldn’t even dunk bait. We would get flat fish too. All sorts of sculpin. Stripers and or blues every morning at the hump without a doubt. Other then bass coming in at night, you don’t see any of this anymore. Either those fish adapted to stay off shore, and or the seals wiped out the class of fish that had it in their gene pool to feed in close to shore. Probably a combination of both IMHO.
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I catch sculpin like crazy, dude.

Most people are scared trying to unhook them.

Pansy Bastards!
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[QUOTE=RickBomba;1198340]I catch sculpin like crazy, dude.

Most people are scared trying to unhook them.

Pansy Bastards!
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I’m talking outer Cape and from the shore. Everybody knows boat sculpin don’t count bro
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[QUOTE=RickBomba;1198340]I catch sculpin like crazy, dude.

Most people are scared trying to unhook them.

Pansy Bastards!
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I’m talking outer Cape and from the shore. Everybody knows boat sculpin don’t count bro
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Boat sculpin only don’t count if you’re too much of a Sally to unhook them.

Lotsa Sally’s out there...or Karens that helped them get out on the water, too.

Wish we had a mom that would have made it OK in our lives not to work and dream for boating.

Rich
White
Boys
I
Mean
Their
Girls
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I’m just being too much of a #^&#^&#^&#^&head, right now.

We could be looking for beachside bungalows, if we knew how to kiss Karen the right way...
But then again, people like you and I gotsta work for a living.

Muah!
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[QUOTE=Rappin Mikey;1198344]

Boat sculpin only don’t count if you’re too much of a Sally to unhook them.

Lotsa Sally’s out there...or Karens that helped them get out on the water, too.

Wish we had a mom that would have made it OK in our lives not to work and dream for boating.

Rich
White
Boys
I
Mean
Their
Girls
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Go to bed

Can’t wait till tax cuts get revoked.

Our kids need more subsidies.

I mean, #^&#^&#^&#^&, if you fought for your tax cuts, then I’d say to deserve it.

I deserve a 32 foot Cc.
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Judging by the first 5 or so years they added bass back into the Derby, the 90s must have been a pretty awesome time to surf fish over there.

First year was for plaques only, no cash prizes, and they weren't eligible for the Grand. It was 50s across the board 1st to 4th.

Even after they became eligible for the Grand, there were no daily or weekly prizes. I caught a lot of high 30s/low 40s that I released because there was no point to weighing them in.

At eighty two I've seen some great bass fishen.
Ive seen every one add there two cents to try and fix bass fishen
No one seems to mention seals. There are 30,000 seals eating every day.30,000 seals catching and eating more than one fish since they love the livers.
The embayment's have been wiped out of every type of feed that seals feed on.
Just think,If we thin out the seals then everything can live.
This is not conservation with all these seals.

There was a time in the 1990s when there was an entire population of resident fish from South Jersey to Maine, and even into the Maritimes. Hudson fish and Chesapeake below the Cape. They're gone, too. Those were the mainstays in Rhody. Human greed killed more bass than seals ever could. But they contributed as well.

30,000 seals?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/after-fatal-great-white-shark-attack-in-maine-debate-intensifies-over-culling-seals/ar-BB17Id5Q

"Skomal said the estimated 250,000 seals now swimming in the Northeastern U.S. are a 25-fold increase from a low in the 1980s, when seal populations were estimated at just 10,000 animals."