Bass problem this year
 

Here's the problem. There are so many Pogies concentrated in one area in Narr Bay, any nitwit with an ounce of sense can catch a 20# fish.
I got a call from someone last night that was hammering 20#ers and this guy never caught a striper before. He said to me " this is easy! What's the big deal?"

The problem for the Bass is that if you multiply this X 1000 you can see that there are a couple of thousand 20# bass being killed everyday in Narr. Bay. This doesn't bode well for the future.

These jamokes have no concept of catch and release and kill every fish they catch.

I hope to God that the Pogies move and scatter so the Bass do the same.
There idiots can't catch there ass with 2 hands if the Pogies aren't all bunched together.

WTF.
get off the board you goober.
go enjoy Maui with Jeanne :D

In all seriousness, within our little fishing circle (which includes Paul and a few others on here) we've been saying this for the last two years. Huge schools of live pogies in a concentrated area is good for anglers, but terrible for the bass!

I'm not seeing any little fish where I should be seeing them. I'm seeing less small bait than I think I should be seeing, and am starting to get concerned. As a scientist, I hate to use my 'gut instinct', especially since I didn't live/fish through the bad years, but damn it sure has a pre-collapse, 1981 feel to it right now....

Exactly my point Bry. I lived thru this once in the late 70s.

It's too easy right now. You also know what will happen when these nitwits kill every breeder in site: They will all go back to water sking or drinking or whatever the hell they do when they are not ruining a fishery.

BTW, Maui is geologically very cool. Bringing you back lots of lava and pics. Also very, very expensive. Food is outrageous. Gas in $5.00/gal.

Great place for our 40th anniversary.

maybe for you guys it does, but not up here!
although what you say is concerning

Paul, is this different than any other year, or does this occur in different locations?
For example, werent the bass being hammered in Boston HArbor all last year too? I dont know enough about how many bass are kept vs. the population to know if its a problem. I havent been fishing where the schools of bunker are, I've been fishing in other areas. I've been blwon away with the amount of bunker and other bait. I've seen daily bluefish blitzes for the last 2 weeks, all on small bait. It looks like September out there!

Paul - BTW - been to Maui a few times. Make sure you visit a park in Wailea called Ah - hee - hee. That how its pronunced, not sure how its spelled. Loaded with sea life and an amazing place to snorkel. One of my favorite spots.

I'll Trade Ya
 

On the north shore of LI where I mainly fish, we have loads of small fish on 3 inch sandeels. Have to weed through dozens of dinks just to get a keeper sized fish :wall:. Even the bigger are keyed on the small bait. Because you have large bait, you're not seeing the smaller fish, which can't eat them. I'm sure if you found some smaller bait, you'll find some smaller fish :hihi: .

Throw plugs like we do that will cause them to suffer humility. Pogies make any fisherman look good when bass are around. Bait is easy.

I 'm going to use this a s my sig!! Well said....

Since bass ARE carnivores, and cannibalistic, with the large numbers of bigger fish you should expect the smaller fish to avoid the larger fish. That, of course, does not mean the 20-30 inch bass but the smaller bass. Remember that a 20-30lb. bass has no problem inhaling a 12-16 inch bunker or shad, so the smaller bass would be just as likely to be on the menu during a feeding frenzy.
(ust my 2 cents worth.)

it seems to me that instead og skinny starving bass with nothing in ther gut we will now have fat and healthy bass. Chock full if pogeys. Lots of googans cant afford gas so maybe the pressure will not be too great. We will see.

Seen providence the past few weeks? It was a slaughterhouse.

Anyone could and was hammering bass. More frames than I have ever seen ANYWHERE.

Paul's right.

DZ predicted/warned about it in winter of '07. Almost EVERYONE else, could have cared less about the large bass kill.

A dead bass is a dead bass, fat or not....

report the bastards whats the limit 2 per boat right call DEM on them I gaureantee I will call. I can't stand the greedy, stupid fridge stuffers. I have seen full unfilleted fash floating around a marina in Poit judith because no one wanted them. a-holes.

I told you so. :faga:

Sportfish

ok, this is how it's gonna work, you guys tell us notherners the spot and I promise I won't keep any! :rotflmao:

Yup, and got crucified for it.

...and you were right. The guy that called me last night had never caught a bass and had 4, 20s in the boat. It is mass slaughter out there. I just hope the water gets warm real quick so these guys get skunked a few times and give up. If it weren't for all the Pogies concentrated in one small area these guys would all be s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g wind. Trust me, we will pay for this down the road. Way too many breeders being killed.

Case in point: I had 8 fish over 20 one day last week. I put 7 back as I needed one for a graduation party. I was way down the Bay and there were 2 guys in a boat 50 yards from me catching an occasional 20" fish. They were "SCREAMING" at me everytime I put a 20# fish back. Called me every name you can think of. Begged me to give them a fish. I finally just moved. They had no concept of catch and release. I have actually switched to live lining using a singe Gami 7/0 eel hook so I don't hurt the fish. Live lining with a treble can be a sure kill. Literally!!!

It appears to me that the fish are starting to trickel out of the bay now. my usual gansett skunking trips are starting to become fruitful, but its not like it was 3 or 4 years ago...

Paul, lets face it. If you look at everyone who is fishing now, I bet 15% of them know about the moratorium. Also, hardly anyone has a clue that these fish take almost 30 years to be come a 50 lber. They think that like anything, they can help themselves and the supply will always be there for them.

'm not seeing any little fish where I should be seeing them. I'm seeing less small bait than I think I should be seeing, and am starting to get concerned. I agree with OAK !!
this is byfar the worst I :eyes: Narr. in a long time

Im struggling a little with the points in the thread. One point is that there are so many fish that any goog can catch them, the other point is that there are no fish/bait in Narragansett. I feel the response to the second point is obvious, there are no fish in NArr, because they are for the most part keyed in on the bunker schools. If you think like a fish, which we all must do, why would I be in Narr? Scrounge the rocks for a lobster or a crab? I've found fish in Narr, no where near a bunker school over the last few weeks, but from a boat, however right along the shorline in 5ft of water. As far as bait, there have been acres and acres of small baitfish out there - not sure what they are and the blues have been all over them.
I think bluefish play a large role in the bait activity. The bay is loaded with blues and I tink they have chased the bay farther up than normal.

As far as the problem Paul brough up, what is the solution?

1 fish, 36"
good enforcement...

I agree w/you Bryan.

I need to find an article from the late 70s in the Fisherman. It has a lot of similarities to this thread, in fact way too many. Trouble is I'll have to look thru a couple of hundred issues, but maybe I'll get lucky.

I think Maine has a better idea, one fish in a slot 20-26 or over 40, but I'd bump the large up further. And no silly exclusions for charters.

I,ve been telling #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& all winter that each year the schoolie fishing is going down hill ....this is the worse I,ve seen in 20 years ;; I talked to jim white today @ he echoed the same thing ;;
when we had the old commercial fisherie >.i fished schoolies .. better price / less work & had fun .. when that dropped dead ...we were forced to join the commeercials guys that were fishing large >>> it didn,t take long until there was none >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>the best striper fishing I ever had /was when the moritum {SP} was in effect ><.,

I don't know guys, you are talking about a very specific spot here, is this happending all over the coast? I guess I really don't know, but it seems everyone chiming in on this thread is fishing the same spot.
Based on what I've read about the moratorium, there were ONLY big fish being caught everywhere, including a ton of 50's. Plus, weren't a lot of guys rod and reel commericals and keepers only had to be 16 inches? Seems like 20 or so years of that would destroy the population without a question. Sure, more people are fishing now, and there is more pressure on big fish, but I think you guys just happen to be sitting on one of the few pods of consistantly big fish.

I would call the area EP's and have a talk with them,
maybe they can give a few fines out to curve this problem

High gas prices and fines hardly makes a couple of fish worth the time

Ok now we're gonna fine guys for keeping legal fish..WTF!!!:wall:
You need to run for congress or senate to change the laws....