We are struggling this yr.At best I had 3 30's by this time last yr 2 where fishing an one was a blitz fish.Which is fishing but a hell of a lot easier.The 2 big spring storms messed up the bay.It's still not right.. I think that the storms flushed alot of our quality Hudson river holdovers out..`
The Chess bay fish are here.I love em with the purple stripe..
The boat guys are beatin the snot out of em.
Lots of mid to high40's an a few 50's..
I think I have to go fire up the engine..
The winds an weather patterns have not been condusive to bringin the bait an the fish in at the same time.The other night in 10 ft waves we watched em (Bunkers) getting pounded just out of range.There is still time.We should have the right winds this week.
BTW,On the OTW contest.. We have a lot of guys that have filled out the board these fish won't hold up..U guys have more quality numbers which will matter in the end..NICE JOB..

Pete is right on In one aspect.I can't tell ya how many times the boat guys have told me they had em in 7 ft of water.I chased that chiken a ton of times.Two big boat tournaments where taken right off the beach 300 yds off some hard structure.Large fish.high forties.We have no shot at em..It's frustrating when u come off a all nighter an glass a boat just off shore to watch em boat large..
have a 19 fter w/ 115 i just don't have the desire..
I'm a surf junky..I'll save the boat for when I can't do it anymore..

I have a boat and I love to surfcast. I just need time to fish. I don't care how I fish I just want the chance. CuttyHunk did not reviel her secrets to me last week so I think it's time to hit Boston Harbor and my best T&W spots.

All the things we won't do serve to lessen our chances....
I talked to somebody who fishes from a boat, but they don't like to go "way up" in the bay where there are turds floating and the scenery is less than bucolic - the guy said he knew there were big fish in the upper bay, but he did not want to spend his free time there...
The guys whose primary objective is big fish divorce themselves from the sentimentality of purists - they pursue trophy bass by whatever means is most effective.
Some of us won't do the live eel thing; some of us are surf only, fly fishing only, some people won’t fish in a crowd, some won’t fish the bay, etc, etc. There's nothing wrong with be a purist, but there is a downside that needs to be accepted - the price of purism.

Right on the money Joe, I started flyfishing again, first time out with the wand yesterday and did better than I ever did with sluggos, I think I am a better fly fisherman than plug guy, I didn't really realize that until yesterday flaoting across white sand and gin clear water and I was able to tempt a 23 pound bass in the middle of a hundred schoolies to take the fly before they got to it. I fly fished only for stripers for 11 years, yesterday I realized how much I loved it and missed it. I put down the flyrod becuase after that 11 years 32 pounds was the biggest bass I could muster. Now I realize that was a real accomplishment given the size of the fly and the tippet strength.

Big bass guys target them with live and dead bait because that is what has always been the ticket to success and, like you say care not so much for where and when in most cases as long as the rsults come. Some people fish seeking the beautiful places and size of the quarry is not as important as the time and place. Some, like myself, scorn live and dead bait for the challenge of having a big fish take a piece of wood or plastic that I made come alive through my hands and extended through to the rod. Whatever method you choose, plugs only, fly fishing, wire line jigging or live or dead bait there is an art to them all and the most important thing is that you enjoy whatever method you choose regardless of the result and if that big slob comes along and eats your chunk, your fly or your plug it only adds to the total experience. Fishing is supposed to be fun first and foremost, how often we forget that.

great point bill

access is one issue in the bay

if access was as easy in the bay as it is in other places, things would be a lot easier

no problem pete


things were tough for two weeks...three to four nights a week..with the skunk...that has not happened in a long time

took a look back at what I was doing, where I was fishing and made a change

being adaptable in the surf is half the battle, the other half is access

That makes me wonder what the numbers are .. I bet the shore guys ,way out number the boat guys in the tourney . I'll never argue skills, a shore guy vs a boat guy ,, I've done a boulder drift down a shore line with Numbskull . If you don't know what your doing, you'll be swimming ..

[QUOTE=Back Beach;500428]that's not even fair to say. that's an at least $4000+ ""adjustment"" just to gt the ""adjustment"" in the water. having a boat is not an adjustment, it's a luxury. one that many guys cant afford. to say surf guys aren't serious about results because of that is a pretty bold statement. i MIGHT get out on a boat :drool: next weekend and couldn't be more excited. especially after spending almost 200 hours fishing and hiking to spots in the past two weeks. with no results. i have tried just about everything in my arsenal to avail. despite knowing what the local fish are feeding on. any way.. buying a new rod and reel and some new baits or whatever is an adjustment. getting a boat is in a completely different ball park.

i'll be honest, as a guy who has always been land locked, i think boats are cheating. and would i cheat if i could? hell yes! and plan on hopefully doing just that this year.

Boat fishing ain't as easy as some make it out to be.There is a vast ocean out there.Takes a lifetime to learn..If u think the surf can be tough to break down there's way more access to water in a boat..Some guys don't take the time to break down area's a little at a time.They are to impatient they just zoom all over the place.Basically ending up where everyone else is.Just look for the floatilla on any weekend..For some reason most guys don't go at night..We have a great fishery here in NJ that only has 2 or 3 guys on it every night.
Thats Why Bill N basically a new boater, is so stoked to fish with a guy Like Capt Jim White.
Here is a guys with a ton of experience.He has paid his dues just like any good surf guy..
Between him an Clammer it is no wonder Bill has taken to the floating world of fishing so easily.Add to that his ability to catch fish an the results are palin to see.
I have friends, new boat guys invite me out all the time. I almost always decline.After they hit the one or to tricks they have they are clueless.An ask me what I think..An then we end up in the floatilla..
I have a boat,While I barely use it. I have surf/fishing skills that help me to make the adjustment.I have had some success.Sometimes My head hurts from all the possiblities..I certainly don't consider it cheating.It's a big ocean that takes time to learn.While it is easier to land a big fish in a boat.U still have to hook em..

GonnaCatch,
Please be careful how you use the quotes. Your last post and the quote attributed to me was incorrect.
Thanks,
DZ

Wait a second here now, you misquoted me and then pinned it on DZ. :rocketem:
What I did say is certain guys are serious about results, regardless of the method used. This means they would do whatever is necessary to put them in the best position to meet their goals.
The experienced, accomplished surfcaster realizes that even though there may be many fish about, it doesn't equate to them catching. The reasons could be countless. When you choose to commit yourself fully to shore fishing, your inherent understanding should be that you will come up empty handed many nights, even when your boat fishing brethren are bailing fish just out of casting range.

so far ive been out boat fishin a couple of time with a couple of keeper bass and some nice bug blues goin into the chest. nothin big comin from the shore for me either and i would much rather be catchin my fish from the shore than from the boat, but thats just me. i find it much more relaxing and rewarding to get my catch from the shore knowing that i am limiting myself with what i am able to do.

From shore or boat, sometimes you have to be flexible and be willing to try something different. A boat affords you more mobility to find fish, but it still takes skill (and luck) to catch them. I've been out when there were a bunch of boats (including commercial guys) wire-lining and no one was getting anything. A guy 50 yards away up on shore was throwing plugs in broad daylight and was cleaning up with big fish. I threw on a popper and bam, on with a big keeper. I was marking fish on the bottom in deep water, but they would only hit up on top. If the guy on shore wasn't there, I'm pretty sure I would have gone home empty handed.

sorry bout that erased the wrong quote..

i realize that. but that's not fair to say they are more serious about results. if i could dish out the cash for it i would. i just CAN'T. i am hoping to get out on a boat at least once this year (my first time fishing from one)i am pretty damned serious about results. back when money for fishing was plentiful (from like 6yrs to 16yrs old) i had probably spent over $2000 on tackle. that's quite a bit for a kid trying to catch that monster bass. as you know when you get a bit older money isn't so freely spent. or else i would be on MY boat right now. and let's face it like with shore fishermen, there are guys out on boats fishing and catching huge fish who couldn't care less. they just have a boat and some rods. and if they get bored enough go fishing instead of just cruising around. to say one group is more serious than the other isn't fair.
what is true, is guys with boats have a distinct advantage over shore guys. take away fish finders and just have so they have to base where the fish are with their own brains. they still have an advantage in..if the spot isn't producing they can move to the next one much faster much easier. (in 99% of the cases). for instance yesterday my main spots were elbow to elbow. i am all set with that. so then it was time to figure out where the fish were, and when they weren't there move. i spent almost as much time driving as i did fishing. had i had a boat. it would have taken a total of 15mins to move to all of the spots. but instead took almost an hour of driving and an hour of walking and setting up.

Granted, getting a boat and becoming an inshore bass fisherman is expensive, but it ain't the impossible dream.

It is what is. The guy who, at the end of his life, drops dead in front of the biggest pile of big fish is the best trophy bass angler. The glory goes to the man in the arena.