Where is my damn lyrics sheet for that "Cumbaya" song?:confused: I had them out just the other day.;)

Stripers are slammin' off the New Jersey coast.....you guys should all go there this weekend and give that spot a shot....let me know how you make out!:D

Jamaica bay is loaded...:rolleyes:

striperman, you don't have a clue. You say, if you want solitude, go back to bed.

Sorry friend, but that's what fishing is all about for alot of people. They want to get away from the crowds, the noise, etc. to enjoy a mountain stream, the crashing surf, take time to think.... we could take up mall shopping if we want crowds.

Some people just like to fish and don't care if there are a thousand people around... you will find them lined up at the big hole below the bridge where the stocking truck just dumped 200 trout.

But for those that hike up into the mountains, or fish the late shift when most people are in bed, or go north and fish with ice forming in your guides, are the first ones out alone on the beach in early spring and the last late in the fall, or in general, seek to get away from the average group, I think solitude and escape is a HUGE part of it. Maybe most of it.

Why do I launch at 4am in the summer... the fishing is better at dawn, sure... but there is a magic hour or two where the water is gold and I'm one of a handful of boats out on Boston Harbor. At that point, I feel like I've put some distance between me and the masses.

So do we want it all to our selves? Probably a little, would we rather someone come by the info honestly, through hard work and putting some time in... YES... because I think we learn some things during that process. We learn to respect the sport, respect the effort it takes to get there, and rather than receiving instant gratification, that person has earned their spot there. And they'll know how to participate appropriately.

AND... the other part you are missing is the whole access issue. As recreational fishermen numbers increase, access decreases. More and more, access is lost mostly because of a few people, yes, but lost regardless. And if there are a thousand people checking this site, and they each tell 5 people, and they tell 2... suddenly a spot is overwhelmed, locals get fed up, and up goes another, "TOWN STICKER REQUIRED" signs. Its reality.

AND... There are already plenty of magazines and books that will get anyone who reads them to some good spots, so AT LEAST CAN THEY READ THE BOOKS?? If someone is not at least willing to do that, than I would say they don't need to be out there anyway.

John, your a good man.
From day 1 all I wanted was to make people more aware, raise an eyebrow or 2, or maybe make someone laugh. I don't mind playing dumb or having people think I'm "different". I did it for a reason, I love fishing, alway have and always will. Maybe my approach is unconventional, maybe I made a few persons mad, irate or people think I'm "thick". That may be, but if I got 1 person to maybe think about something they might not have thought of, or think back on something that happened to them, so others can learn, or "open up" about how they feel about fishing, well, I can live with that.
I've had my posting ability removed, been call derogarory names, have had persons disagree with me... well, don't you think I know what will happen before I write something?
Alot of people didn't like my saltwater fishing licence post, alot of discussion there. some people didn't like all my "stupid question asking", still, alot of discussion there. Some were offended by my posts, saying they were "off base", still I got a response.
Fishing is a precious commodity. Striped bass were almost wiped out not that long ago. Now they are back and those that remember "how it used to be"...well things will never be "how it used to be".

I have my own spots and fry my own fish, is that so bad?

i will be the first person to admit that i ask a lot of question about spots, tides, presentations etc. some people on this board can attest to that. i don't know a fraction of the knowlegde that some here people have gained over their lifetimes. but i love fishing, period. i will do what it takes to learn a spot and then fish it until my arms fall off. i drive an hr from MA to fish rhody waters most of the time by myself, at least 3 times a week. i ask a lot of questions to great fisherman, hoping that they might help me along after seeing how dedicated i have become and how much time i put in. and then i go and fish my brains out. and i honestly don't want to learn by by just having someone tell me where, when, how, and why. i love the surf because of the challenge. some places i fish definetly can't handle the pressure of say 5 more people fishing there. there are over 2000 members on this site, if say a minute fraction of these people fished where i do the spot is ruined and so is my day/night of fishing. it is different when your fishing from a boat, you can cover more ground and move a lot faster. if you are going to share specific info please share it in a PM.

Good,...I found them buried under my "How to Win Friends and Influence People" book......gotta get around to reading that one of these days!:read: OK....here goes....ahem.....Cumbaya my Lord...Cumbayaaaaa.......Cumbayaaa my Lorrrd Cumbayaaaaa.....evryone join me in song!:D Cumbayaaaa my Lorrrd.....Cumbayaaaaaa:happy:

Striprman, in your quest to be different and ask the hard questions and make people think, you might help 1 person out, but why make your goal so low? You can help a lot more if you PARTICPATE in our community and stop going out of your way to punch holes in it. Your "posting ability" was not pulled (hence another page of drivel), the reason your ability to start new "threads" was restricted was so you wouldn't start 10 rediculous posts per day. You were driving the people you want to "help" flippin' bonkers :err: :uhoh: .

You almost hit the nail on the head when you said fishing today would not be like the good old days. It will never be the same but for a different reason than lack of fish. It will be because of lack of access. More open space is lost every year due to construction, town resolutions, anti-fishing groups exclusion zones, new property owners not being as friendly as the original people, people being pissed whan anglers or even teenagers move on to the beach in hordes. We have a responsibility to protect what we have for access and one big way to protect it, and maybe even get some back, is to not over populate a spot. If we don't, we all be bumping into each other in boats - be freikin "Oar Rage" or something out there. Maybe we're tiliting at windmills here and its a lost cause because of all the spot puking between the net, maggies, shows, papers, and books. Its probably too late now anyway, but damn we should as a community TRY to reverse the tide on access.

If you want to share everything, invite some people to fish with you and show them your "spots". But don't ruin a spot in your quest to be the Great Oracle of Keene Street.

From one of the greatest films of all time "Lighten Up, Francis"

:D Ohhh Lorrrd...Cumbayaaaaaa!:btu:

Was down at the Ditch this afternoon and decided to take a ride over to South Cape. Man they must have been giving away FREE stuff.......must have been 50 people there......and nobody catching squat:laughs: :laughs:

Cumbaya my Looord...Cumbayaaaaaa!:smash: