I bet i know what it is.:D

Doesn't matter u don't need no tricks.Ur problem is time.A few nights a week from 8-11 is kinda like fishing tourtue to me.Some nights I'm just warming up at 11.
I know havin a little one is cooll an u wouldn't give it up for anything.But just imagine u where the NIB.
Or better yet before u know it the little man will be right by ur side.
probably outfishin ya also.Then maybe momma will let ya's stay out late.Heck she'll probably encourage it.:D

you know mw all to well T.. its tough having a bed time. :(

we shall not speak of the trick :hihi:

I have to say that having someone teach you what to do and, tides, wind, and different spots and how to fish them shortens your learning curve, when you start on your own and have to lear everything from scratch it takes years longer and although a big fish will come just by chance it will happen. fish the same five spots keep a log and keep track of everything.
I am going to be stalking Nebe this year

U may watch him like a peepin tom
but u will never go where i have with him...

:eek: :eek:

I think there are 2 parts to the questions. I think more people do catch 30's now, due to advanced technology like braid. fish before that, were broken off. However, I think those ar ethe guys that get 1 every couple of years or that will be their largest ever.

I think in the most important thing you need to do in order to catch fish over 30, you need to fish alot of hours in the middle of th night where you can't rely on seeing stucture, current etc, but you learn to feel it. And in those hours, understand spots pretty intimately to understand the patterns in how the fish relate to that spot. As with anything, the guys with the most hours spent fishing, usually have the most large fish. This is a pretty generic answer, but i think it holds true. There will always be things like NJ's june bunker fishing where you can pencil popper 30's with little knowledge, but those aren't always the guys that can get a 30 in th middle of the summer or when fishing is slow in the fall when no one else can get fish. And sometimes, its just luck.

I also think there are alot of fish caught, that nobody ever hears about.

NIB; that is a scary, scary thought... Brokeback NJ anyone...???

Some people have 'it' some don't

My father and I go bassin, the scales might tip towards me a bit just based on number of trips/year right now... but we go blackfishing and I usually get smoked like I'm tunafishin in a trout stream...

WoW Charlie U got jokes.:D
Face It Deep Inside
U wanna be like THE NIB
:hihi:

I use my real name to Make My Point Clear.
Tony G Don't play that game.:poke:
Tog can be Mutha's.
Sometimes ur the hero sometimes ur the goat.
IMO a way more difficult gamefish to catch than Bass.

Havnt been around much lately but have a couple thoughts about this. To get 30# and 40# fish you have to play the game probability.

-Putting in the time is important, but it has to be in the right place as well. Finding the right water will increase your odds as well as what you use for lures/bait.
-Yes, people do catch big fish on plugs, but big fish will come much more frequent on bait.
-Large bass spend 99% of their time on the bottom- forget about dannys, bombers and surface lures.
-Theres always someone to argue, "in the past we caught large fish on a particular lure" This is true but I guarantee that the guy who is not posting on this board that fished back in the day caught 100 times the amount of big fish on eels or other bait. Eels ruled back then from the surf, same as they do now.
-Forget teasers- yea I know, guys do catch large on them, but your probability is pretty low. If a 60 pounder is eating sea robins and flounder, why would it chase after a 2" piece of bucktail?
-Large fish do come in close to shore in numbers, but the probability is very low... if they come in large numbers we all would be catching them all the time.
-Most fisherman exagerate them amount of large fish they catch.
-Most fisherman exagerate the number of true trophy fish that break them off.
-There are very small windows of oppurtunity, but numbers of large fish move through during these windows. When you find a window at any time of the season its better to fish that window for as long as its open rather than fish every weekend no matter what the conditions are.
-The best fisherman hunt alone. Another good fisherman fishing near you can cut down your odds.
-Try to limit yourself to to amount of water you cover in a year, and think logically about.
-Trophy hunting is a misearble experience as far as catching goes because 99% of the time you're not going to catch a 40#er. Most go many, many years before they get a 40. The smart ones/sharpies learn how to make this happen more frequent.
-Once you have things working toward your advantage, there is no reason to change. There are many ways to get the job done, whether its with a lamiglass, allstar, vanstall or mitchell 300. Pluses and minuses to each.

Yeah, I've had a few beers so you're going to get an even longer then normal post tonight...

Last year was one of my best seasons in the surf, and it was probably no coincidence that it occured in a year I moved closer to the water. I used to have to drive 45 minutes to get to good striper water. I moved both to get closer to work and have a shorter commute and of course, to fish.

I have fished Newport for a while now and have found more then a few spots that have a fairly brief window of productivity. Being nearby allows me to fish that productive hour or two and then go to bed or shift to another spot as it approaches its window of productivity.

I think efficiency is very important on the water. Fishing non-stop or just simply all the time is pointless if you're not fishing when the fish are there. Sounds obvious but I think we are all guilty of it too often. I also think we spread ourselves too thin and maybe we should work harder at mastering fewer places rather then just learning a little bit about a lot of places so that we can learn those producitvity windows. I spent a lot of time in the past covering the RI coast trying new spots hoping to intercept some good action. I never really learned anything important other then how to get to all the spots until I slowed down and fished fewer spots more often.

Stats which were revealing for me this past year for 30#+ fish I caught from shore:

*3 out of 5 30#+ fish were on surface swimmers. Dannys and AJ's. Good sized plugs. The 2 others were on needles. I'm sure this is mostly because those are the plug I like to fish. I didn't fish eels much last year, not sure why though.

*3 out of 5 came from the same place, same tide, and they were probably sitting on the same rock, in different months. This might be the most important stat, I'm not sure. Same 20x20 area, 3 fish over 30, different months. We'll see if there's a repeat this year.

*3 of the fish came on nights I only fished for about 2 hours and then went to bed.


Eben mentioned Goosefish. Goosefish is one of my favorite people to talk about stripers with because when you hear him talk about fishing and spots you can tell he's a real student of striper fishing. He knows the cuts, depths, and rocks intimately at his spots. I've never asked, but I bet he knows particular rocks that he catches quality bass off of.

Going further back as a kid I was a freshwater bass fisherman since I grew up on a bass pond and I fished almost ebvery day there wasn't ice on the pond. Largemouth are very spot sensitive. 3 of my biggest largemouths all came from the same spot in one pond, at one time of the year. When I fished that pond I ALWAYS watched the depthfinder as I drove around in a small boat. It's been almost 15 years since I fished that pond but I can still picture EVERY square foot of the bottom of that pond in my mind and recall where and when for all my big fish.

There is much more to spots then just the spot. Time, and much more importantly efficient time, on the water is all important. The gear you use and lures you throw take a back seat to knowing where the fish are and when. Sometimes specifically where the fish are.

Good points Rizzo and Pete. Two things that stand out are fishing the spots you know well, and stay near the bottom/strike zone as long as possible. A cape legend once told me "fish the f!#!$%!@N bottom for large." This doesn't mean drowning bait, it simply means fish near the bottom regardless of what you are throwing whether it be plugs or bait. Some large will come on top, but I'll take my chances near the bottom,bottom, bottom 99 out of 100 times.

Pete, Goosefish is more of a student of angling as opposed to striper fishing- right now he is focosing in on smallmouth- he just took a 4.5 sight fishing......
He only fishes 4 or 5 spots tops and knows the structure like the back of his hand. I have taken him to a few of my spots and i can always sense his aprehention if he doesnt know how deep the water is, or where the dropoffs or boulders are.. infact, last season i found myself pointing out places i wanted to take him into in advance so he could go over his charts ahead of time. Hes a damn good teacher though... he has taught me lots and lots of things i never would have dreamed of alone.

I figured I'd bump this up for fall, it is worth reviewing.

I already met my goals for the season, and much of what members posted on this thread was the reason.

Thanks Krisp, this is a very good thread. I bumped it up a notch this year with little to show for it. Much of the challenges noted above are the same for me.
I have been fishing salt and fresh since I was a little kid, very comfortable with all the basics. Became a nightime strper fisherman about 6 years ago. My Dad did very well fishing RI surf up until 1994, then moved to Florida. So he was an excellent source of info and guidance. He was the best fisherman I have ever known, multiple 30s, 40s, and 50s. All that said, I have never caught a bass larger than 26 lbs. I fish hard, 99% of the time alone and always at night. I use eels mostly then plugs, jigs and sluggos/surf hogs.
By fishing alone, I hardly learn anything new. I dont know, what I dont know. I have been exploring new areas and sometimes getting into fsih. My biggest drawback is that I only fish 1-2 nights a week. I wish I was learning more when I was out there. I am sure I am repeating my mistakes.

I think the following:

1) Fish in "big fish" spots.

2) Fish "big fish" bait, lures, whatever. You will not get a 30 on a crippled herring. Yeah, I know someone will say that they knew someone who did. By and large, it's not a "big fish" lure. A Habs Needle or a Danny or a live Bunker or a live Eel, well, those are "big fish" baits.

3) Fish "big fish" hours. You will have a better chance getting a big fish at 3 in the morning than 3 in the afternoon.

4) Fish for "big fish". Throw conventional. Figure out where you will land a 30+ before your first cast. Crawl the rocks where no one else does. Doesn't need to be private, just tough to get to.

5) Finally, fish "big fish" moon and tides. Dark side of the moon, certain tides at certain places and certain weather conditions.

There is a spot in RI that a few of us know about that if the following is in place, there will be 30# fish taken.
Dark side of the moon
Overcast
High tide at midnight or so
NE wind at 15 to 20 or more
Throw live eels.
I have caught over 2 dozen 30+ pound fish at this one spot in these conditions. A guy I use to fish with and I had 10 fish over 30 in 1, 3 hour stretch on a night in these conditions. Nasty spot with bubble weed, black rocks, big water and "BIG FISH".

Does this mean you are quitting for the year? I haven't met my Krispy quota yet, so I am going to keep fishing. :musc:

Krispy, what's your breakdown % as far as bait caught versus artificial caught?

Not quittin, just upping the goal. Looking for a 40 before the season ends :D
over 30#s this year 6 on eels, 1 on a Jr Atom (imho the best big fish metal lip swimmer)
Add 2 more unconfirmed over 30's on eels if ya feelin' generous

There are plenty of 30 pound fish out there... bigger ones too. Krispy.. why do you think no one is catching them?? I think it's just seems that way because the only one who still posts pics is #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& :scream: :wave:. We take pics for articles and memories and once in a while for the board..We learned that the HARD way. :)

What has hurt my numbers this year is being out of work and barely finding enough side work to pay my bills. Had and have plenty of time just can't afford the gas and it adds up quick putting in the time and being mobile and putting in the miles. Gotta be responsible and take care of whats important first. Lucky if I get out once a week, got a couple of decent ones this year but nothing like when I was getting out 5-6 nights a week. That's what it takes to have a pulse of what is going on in the surf. Gotta put in your time to know where they are, are they holding there or moving on if so where, know what bait is around and where it is. That and as mentioned where to go based on conditions and environmental factors that make spots productive at certain times.

It's fall, I need to get out and fish. Anyone in the West Warwick area mind hooking up a brother and getting me out to save my sanity.

I said most ;) Just following what I read online by others

Generous? Show me the slips :poke:

How about tonight? :call:

U have to be lucky enough, like me to have the big fish intercept the big baits.Like they did here in NJ.This has been going on for 5 yrs now but this yr was off the charts.
Not lots of skill the fish where there to be caught.I coached this 16 yr old kid through the fight an pulled a 40 on the beach for him one mornin.
I had a yr that most good guys don't do in a lifetime..

Careful what you ask of him. I posed this question to him one night and he lifted up his skirt! :eek5:

Cause he loves the attention when u guys torture him..:scream: There's no shortage of big fish around as far as I can tell. just gotta know where to look I guess,,:eyes:

Great point Dave! Your right there are plenty of guys cacthing multiple 30lb fish...to me that size is no longer a benchmark of anything...certainly not a big deal anymore..a 40lb fish, yes but 30lb fish are now the new 20lb fish there are loads of them around....I have no idea why he would think no one is catching them? And I also know you have had your share:hihi: I post pictures to start controversy:rotf3: Good or bad at least people talk!! Its to bad, you should post your pics dave,, what the heck is wrong around here?? Let people post there pic!!

If that were true youd stop posting lame pics of 30s Steve birddogs for you :jump:
From reading these boards, the majority of members are not sticking multiple 30s per season. Good for you if you are :poke: Some threads arent about what your doing, its helping each other become better fishermen. "Good or bad at least people talk!!" If you so intently need people to talk about you, call some reports in to the papers, then call a therapist :sick:

I would post pics but I can't.
30's aren't exactly 20's...
I think what #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& calls controversy some might call conversation.
I enjoy it.

Krispy, lighten up, Read some of my posts from the past, I try and tell people what I do...its not to hard to figure out...Find rocks ....toss eels....All I am saying is that from what I hear and see there are many 30lb fish weighed in at the local tackle shops and it just becomes routine.....Like in the past many 18-20lb fish where weighed in, you become numb to it and its not a big deal to see one anymore....after awhile you thearize that there must be a lot of them around...

As for the last part there , it was a joke but, you are right! I need a threapist bad! and I am a SMF! :hihi:

I have not fished hard in a couple of seasons due to my daughter and the house. What I believe is going on, is that we as a society tend to be a lazy society, and becase of that many are fishing the easiest places to access, fishing the first thing out of their bag rather than taking the time to get eels, pogies, etc.. The better fish I have caught have all come from places where there was a good walk involved to get to the spot, the spot all had rocky structure, none of the fish came on anything smaller than a 2+ oz danny, a 5oz jig and rubber combo, eels, pogie chunks, and live bait. Because of this I am sure many are limiting themselves to a certain size fish based on the structure they are fishing and the kind of fishing they are doing. I hope to fish a bit this October, but that depends on many things, but the nights I fish will be places, and methods where I have traditionally caught good fish, using methods that have worked for me. Since becoming a member here I have fished with some who I consider hardcore, and some of the best fishermen in the Northeast, either directly learning from them, or indirectly by fishing with others who have learned from them. I am a better fisherman today because of it.

Thanks to those people, I am sure you know who you are.

I agree, everyone wants to fall out of there car and bang a large , doesnt work that way. Also you are right, I feel bad for the people who scoff at either eels , or bait (as long as its fresh) there is no better way to a cow then live bait or fresh chunked bait.Those guys the other night on cutty who banged all the 40lb fish, did so on eels....for every 40 cought on a plug, there will be several caught on some form of live or fresh bait

No doubt. Use the freakin eels for chrissakes, its like a free pass at times. Some of the other things mentioned earlier have held up too, and always will.My ten largest fish this year have come from two spots. My five largest have all come from the same spot, roughly on the same part of the tide, all on eels, but in four different months(may-aug). I was discussing this with someone yesterday and we agreed that you need to stick with one or two spots that will produce large, take the occasional skunking like a man, and you will get your rewards. If you feel like you need to catch fish every time you fish to maintain your manhood:musc:, then targeting the biggest fish(from shore) is probably not for you if you can't handle the failures associated with it. At times, I'm a tremendous slouch in terms of catching fish, but it usually pays off at the end of the season. Still working on my "Krispy" quota though.

I know a lot of people that fish hard and dont get 30lbers. Im one of them. All nighters, rough surf, scouting areas, etc. My biggest drawback is the time I have to committ.
Looking at this thread, and I hope nonne takes this as insult, but it seems the people that regualrly catch large fish, have some sort of "network" that keeps its pulse on the where the best areas to focus on are. In this thread slone, there are so many personal references among the people that are catching. I dont thinks thats a bad thing, but I do think that adds to people's success.
I think saying fish a rocky area at night w/ eels and you'll go large is not accurate. I've been doing that for years, in places I know big fish have been caught in the past. Maybe I just suck, but I try very hard.

It's not just fishing HARD. It's fishing often. I fish good water as hard as the next guy. HOWEVER, I only get out 2-3 times a week. My cances of catching large are only 30-40% that of guys that can and do go out 5-7 nights a week. I know this, it's just a fact. You want large? dedicate yourself to it or have luck on you side (Or both).

I agree 100%

Ok... Case in point... here's a 30(ish) (I had no scale) fish I caught last night 45"... prob 28-32 pounds.... After this post went up.. I made it my goal to take a 30 last night... :laugha:

RIJimmy, you are so right. Alot, I believe the majority, of people fish very hard, doing alot of the right things w/o the consistent success of large fish (or avg fish, depending which heros you want to believe). What are some of the most important factors fishermen should be focusing on when searching bigger fish?

Thanks for adding absolutely nothing to this thread :uhuh:

The "network" you speak of doesn't exist for me... and I'm not trying cto say that I'm anywhere near a sharpie... here's the problem with that theory. Once in a while I do get some privy info, and I'm not stupid... I go. But I think the best advice is not to chase reports... and we all do it, but so Joe Babeets has been taking good fish 2 nights in a row at "phantom beach"... you go running over there on the 3rd night you have 2 strikes against you already... now maybe they'll be there again and you'll, as Billy says, Hone 'em. But I'd say if you get 20 reports like that you might find good fish twice. You're much better off to map out 6 locations that fish well on different tides/winds etc... and hit them religiously for the season. If you do your homework you're gonna catch big fish... I promise, for someone who can't stay on them night after night... it does get a little harder... but knowing when NOT to go is just as important as knowing when to go.

:btu:

I dont have teh answer, but can tell you what I dont have or dont do
This assumes fsihing productive water with eels at night

1. Spend 4-5 nights/week fishing a handful of spots, in all tides/conditions
2. Establish relationships with like minded fisherman (see 1 above) who can share success and lessons learned. get a "pulse" on fish movements
3. Learn from your mistakes and success

Those are my thoughts.

NOt sure I understand that statement but I know you have a history making little sense so I'll just take it as that?? :gf: