Migration started?????
 

I think the migration has started. The last 4 night we have been into big fish in So Co RI and they have a beige color. Not at all like the "black backs" we see here. This indicates to me that these fish have been living on sand all Summer and maybe moving down from the Cape. Anyone else notice this?

There is something going on for sure! I have never seen an august like this, tons of fish on the move, hitting aggresive and poping up all over the place.

The cape is having a rough year fish wise and I think most bass have stayed in rhody waters. The peanut bunker is out in force, I have seen years where the fishng all but ended in october, this could be one of those years, when august is this good you have to wonder, I say get out and fish now! its some of the best fishing of the year!

P, bass can change color in a matter of hours, heck even minutes to match surroundings. The nights are getting longer and days shorter and I am sure you are witneesing the beginning. Those fish might have been lounging over off Napatree or the sand flats off of Stonington and now that the water temps are ever so slightly receding, they could make there way back east around Watch Hill to seek and destroy. There have been a few glimpses of life the last couple nights on the south shore of the Cape up my way so the natural signals, as you suggest, could certainly be ramping up and starting to affect your fav gamefish. Go get 'em! :humpty:

Piemma, I was thinking the same thing. Lots of good fish last night.

Gimme back my fish. Just gently turn those fish around, give em a smack in the fanny and you send em back my way, pronto. I wasn't done with them yet.

I had no spring fish from shore up here to speak of, but I had been having a really good month up until the past 3 or 4 nights during which I have noticed my numbers dwindling until I finally got the skunk yesterday.

If you guys would just put some damn cheese on the pizza, I'd move down there and harrass your fish!

Been here 7 years and I still can't comprehend why any rational person with less than 9 beers in their system could even think of consuming this local treat :uhoh:

-spence

:bounce: Things are definatly starting to happen, there have been a ton of small minnies in the marina for over a week now and also a ton of baby bunker. The last few days have brought in a ton of fresh fish and :happy: :happy: the fish have been feeding hard on the surface in the boston harbor area. After the past 4 weeks of blah'svillle the time has come. So get out there and rip some lips baby!!!!

You may be correct
 

Yesterday I had the rare opportunity to get out on the boat after work on plymouth/duxbury bay and boy did it ever pay off.

At one of the usual spots everyone fishs, (not telling which one), I caught 16 stripers on a popper, and only one was sub 30 inch's (29"). The rest were 32 to 39"!! It was incredible!! Ofcourse I called 10 different people to go (last minute) and nobody called back, so myself and my dog Willie went. Willie couldn't really hold the rod correctly to cast it though. Will post picture of the 39" once I download it.

If these fish are beginning to migrate with the water temp where it is now we're gonna lose them by October :err:. I think we're just seeing the effects a few degrees of water temp and increased ammounts of bait have on ol' mrs Striper. Keep your shirts on guys :).

there has been almost no bait in the cape area for the whole summer so the fish are just hungery and loving the peanut bunker. i dont think there are going to start moving until the water temps fall into the low 60's. notice also the bulk of the fish are schoolies and they are very well known to feed like crazy in 90 degree heat at high noon

Pie and #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, you guys fish way more than I do, but August is usually a very good months for me in So Co. There always seems to be tons of bait and the wind/waves generate great conditions. I have had a few very good nights thr last few weeks and it is consistent with the last few years.

Yes but from my perspective this particular august is just different, I mean there are really no tiny bass all good 20lb plus fish its just strange. I always did well the last half of august but, not like this, its been at least 6 fish per night with many 9 fish nights the last two weeks, who knows? maybe its just "good" and nothing else, whatever it is I will take it! :happy:

shhhhhhh :fishslap:

It's just good. If you fish, you will catch.

I agree!
It seems like the swing in water temp has tunred them on....plus all of the bait. If the water temp keeps dropping then we might be in for an early migration.

U guys got it all wrong.they are goin the other way.For the most part the Hudson fish are Dark back black lined.Chessepeake bass are lighter an have that violet color to em they where here in NJ till mid july as the big bunker stayed for a longer than usuall amount of time this yr an the fish stayed wit em. With water temps up in the mid 70's.This yrs run of good surf fish In NJ predominently went from 30-36 lbs not alot over 36 then there was a late run of some better fish but that didin't last.From mid july till bout the first week in august, In Montauk, the boats where just killin big bass one site i look at had 45-55lb fish on the docks every day never mind the ones that never hit the scales or net.thats about the time montauk pete took his over 50 bass..montauk has cooled of alittle on the giants the last 2 weeks my guess is they are in that area to the northeast of there.I told Nebe they where comin.A few days later he got his fish.If they keep pushin nort the cape should see some good ones soon.

If u ask me there is a direct corallation between the dismal fishing on the cape the last 3-4 yrs an the bunker reduction boats being held out of NJ.the big baits hold the fish to the south longer.i really just think they are not headin that far north.if we have bg fish till the 2nd week in july an not just some, thousands on the bait.whats gonna make it up there.RI has been the spot the last few yrs in the summer months.The Montauk -Block -Watch Hill triangle.think about it.

See ya soon....

2 guys I consider sharpies, told me this week, that everything is excactly one month behind here... soooo... NIB, you could be right on the money.. I sure do hope so.

:uhoh:

We got quite a few down there this summer that were real brownish if that's what you mean. They look faded out, almost like they have no stripes.

The signals are there. They are not nescesarily actually migrating but they are about or have started to eat better the last several days. First they start to eat then they eat some more and after that they eat again then in the period we like to call "Septober". In early "Nocember", they go. Things are definetly happening for the better, the natural signals are being heard by the fish. It's gonna be good for a while.

if you ask me bass are keyed mor eon the angle of the sun than the water/air temps/ That being said, i have a hunch we will have a great fall, but WTF do i know... its only a hunch :huh:

August always feels like October on Aquidneck Island. Not so sure about everywhere else.

I've spent quite a few days cooking in the August daylight catching quality fish blitzing the shoreline. I've never quite figured it out, but I'm guessing it's always related to the arriving and growing peanuts. It will likely be better now then it will be in October around here.

The past few days (regardless of the fishing) have felt a bit fall like. Maybe we're all just sensing that?

.



I just typed a 20 min NIB diatribe bout this an hit a bad key an it was gone.
In a nutshell Fish move with the Food. period

NIB:
I now consider you the Doctor of S-B.com. Great post and the most in-depth theory of the movement of Stripers yet. If your theory is correct, and there appears to be a concrete evidence that you are, then it explains why we have been into large since Friday here in Rohdy. :bgi:

It certainly felt fall like last night.I actually felt chilly towards the end.

I also think that the are heading north. The water temps off the cape are bouncing around, no way they heading south yet. Last friday the temps hit 71
to 73 ,, They moved off shore because the water was so high,Yup still heading north . It should be a great Oct :)

VB

I have read that Bass a phototropic. Not sure of the spelling but I understand that they react more to the amount of daylight to trigger their migration than anything else.

Here's 2 exeamples of extreme situations where bass should not have been here but the bait held them.around 1999 we had em well into february.with water temps around 39 degrees.sand eels where the culprit.I left em i just had to stop...
This summer with water temps around 75 degrees some of the best fish where taken mostly from boats as the bass stayed wit the big schools of bunker.That was mid july..
NJ is for the most part a Migratory state or fishing depends on the migratory baits.From one bait to the next I can tell u what season it is squid,makeral herring shad bunker.crabs.Tinker macks Mullet Peanuts shad sea herring sand eels.Any one of these baits will hold fish in good numbers.The Hudson river flushes out into our Raritan Bay It usually starts our springs on the warmin mud flats of the bay.This yr was off.Don't know why but the fishin did not really pick up till the cheesapeake fish showed up on the tail of the huge bunker schools.Those fish stayed with us till mid july made a pit stop in Montauk for a few weeks an the moved on up the line to the Montauk-Block-Watch Hill triangle.I told Nebe they where comin within a week he got his fish.They are just now startin to get some fish in the canal.Where fishin has been dismal.They be there soon.who knows how long.for the most part though That triangle has been the place to be the last few yrs.I think it has to do with the reduction bait boats being kept out of NJ.there is a direct corallation between the dismal cape fishery an the tremendous NJ spring runs..They're hangin wit the bait.an not travelin as far as they used to.XCourse other things like seals will keep em off the shore's but u cannot discount my theroy.