Ok The way that I am seeing this trend is just like deer season when we have a big crop of acorns evrybody claims the deer herd is down as it is harder hunting because they do not need to move as much. That seems to be what the general census about the bass and I would have to kind of believe that also as there is a ton of bait around not just pogies either lots of other baits. I will sit back and see how the next years unfold. Steve I appreciate the way you keep a log of your fishing activity as that was exactly what I had posted about. I just hope all the post on both sites that have been popping up make the rest of the fisherman think a little before they keep a certain amount of fish. I know it has helped me make better decisions since I got back into striper fishing this year and will defianetly reflect my decisions in the future.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Dr3

not to jump off track
 

but i think it's partly weather related

because now it seems

we have the big wet,,,

or monsoon season in july

weeks of rain....

that's a definite change....

it's related or in there some where...:rolleyes:

I just think the sheer numbers of newer recreational anglers who feel the need to kill every big fish they catch.Cause they have not done it before,is a good enough reason..When you get a few under your belt you start to realize the beauty of putting em back.
I am not sure the fishery can withstand the pressure it takes in this state an many others to the south of here when the big fish ball up an make themselves so readily available

Agreed! When so many people that have ZERO respect for the bass can snag/drop/kill, it's NOT a good thing!

I hesitate to post on these threads since most of you will forget more than I'll ever know about bass, but I have a therory to propose. The lack of schoolies in RI seems to be a concern and one that most agree on. If you analyze the posts on this thread and other reports from this year, here is what I see and if you focus purely on the data, I think its obvious.
Fact - More bluefish that ever in Narr. Bay
Fact - They showed up very early and have not left.
Fact - Flap says there are plenty of schoolies where he fishes
Fact - Flap says he only caught 4 bluefish this year.

See where I am going with this? Lots of bluefish, no schoolies, lack of bluefish, schoolies present. We all know bluefish eat anything and at the least harass any fish smaller than them. Could it be that the mass iflux of blues has pushed the schoolies North to avoid the bluefish?

another thought along the same lines, big pogies attract big bass and blues. smaller bass can't eat them, and therefore move on looking for forage that they can handle. therefore, if you're into big bass on the pogies, you're not getting smalls. if your into smalls, your not getting large. just a though, i don't have any real experience to back it up.

also, last season up on the northshore, we had schoolies for the first half of the season. Then larger fish moved in (and seamingly they were just staging, because there was no real baitfish source around) and we didn't see a fish under 20 lbs for about a month. They just don't hang out together sometimes.

the concentration of the larger fish at the pogies is what concerns me. its too easy to catch them (given that you know what you're doing, i.e. its easy for guys who are good, hard for guys that don't know) in large numbers. Don't some people attribute part of the decline of stripers in the past to them being too easy to catch around the pogies at the time?

Stock Data
 

I found this the other day and thought it might add to the discussion.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission site

http://www.asmfc.org/

Woody

PS SoCo has been lousy for the last 2 seasons. Well, except for RHM! :D

I fish the northern most of the good striper grounds....Plum Island...and there is no lack of fish of any size here..... just because they are not feeding doesnt mean they are not there....

I've seen the cycle both ways,right now, the balance of small to large couldnt be better.... I see fish that obviously have been hatched in the river, conventional wisdom says that those fish dont migrate until they get much larger, teen sized fish, something we never had alot of in the 70's and 80's, it was either large or small... A good deal of the problem isnt with lack of fish, but with an abundance of bait, the fish are naturaly more selective, different tactics are a must, even when targeting schoolies,abundance of fish in a given area is cyclical, and one area may be giving up huge numbers of a certain year class, while others appear to be in a drought.... it's part of the cycle and like all other things in life,will eventualy seek a balance......

My personal feeling is that the state of the striper is in good shape,fisherman in general, are much more aware of conservation than they were 25 or more years ago when almost every bass caught got boxed , iced,and shipped to market, quoata's and fishing/no fishing days keep comercial anglers in check, something that wasnt available back during the collapse,sure,fisherman new to "the game" are killing plenty of large, but only when opertunity presents itself and when the fishing is easy,it's new to them, but in time it will pass, this is just one mans opinion, based on over 40 years of striped bass fishing,and a good deal of that time as a comercial fisherman... and IIMHO, the fishing now is as good as it has ever been, and with the amount of small, medium and large I see come over the rail of my boat( and released) on a nightly basis, I'm sure my grandchildren will be catching ( and releasing) striped bass long after grandpop is taking a dirt nap...

My .02
Roc