Vineyard Bass Derby-- post mortum
 

Congratulations: This is the fourth straight year that the Shore Striped Bass had been won with a paltry fish less than 40 pounds-- in fact, WAY less than 40!

I bring up this statistic because I beleve this is yet one more barometer that things are NOT all right in the management of this great fish and once great fishery.

I can't argue with the decline in winning weights. And I have voted by not attending the Derby for a few years now. While it pains me to not have a shot at albies, it just got to like I didn't have a chance at a striped bass, of any size.
But..... my assessment of the stock from the past two years fishing locally is quite good. PB last year on Columbus weekend, less than 50 yards from shore. Solid 42", +35# fish tonight at 5pm from the rocks, on a pencil, and not in a blitz.... We have a great fishery locally, which I have been able to share with a number of members this year on my boat. Multi species in shore. Blondterror was most recent visitor. So maybe it is more of a geographic shift. If the bait is in, the fish are in.

My guess is a change in migratory route, they seem to be heading straight into Buzzards Bay and up the canal and returning the same way. Most of the big fish were caught in and around the canal and along the RI and Ct. coast this fall. Just my thoughts on it.

Taking the entire commercial quota from fish off Chatham and wiping out the inshore sea herring population can't be helping either.

We used to fish to derby religiously every year. We found that the fishing was so gangbusters for big fish in Cape Cod Bay, we couldn't justify leaving the area. We do miss albie fishing though.

BINGO .... right Paul :fishin:

""Muskeget Island, located to the west of Tuckernuck, is the largest gray-seal pupping colony in the United States""

http://m.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs...art&m_section=



http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y25...73055D1621.jpg

Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I had a seal pop up next to the boat with a live bass in his mouth ...I wish I had my camera ready

Too many seals-

10,000 to 15,000 off Muskeget, Nantucket and Cape (estimates I've read)

avg weight 500 lbs

eat 7% of weight per day

350,000 - 525,000 lbs of fish eaten by seals per day off cape and islands.

Steve

I would have to say for the week I was walking the beaches I saw very little bait. One little pod of rain bait in the Gut and some herring and nuts in Menemsha basin and silversides at Edgartown was about it. Heard of some small bait near Squibby and along Philbin, but that about is the sum total. My theory is not bait no fish, and I am stickin to it. Of course the two weeks prior to my arrival was albie madness on East Beach. My other theory is timing is everything.

The bait started dissipating when the winds kicked up. However, there was butterfish galore and pogies galore in Edgartown harbor. I bought some pogies that you could have weighed at derby headquarters they were so big. I did see bait in the gut a few times when I fished there, and every fish I caught there was a result of blind casting. One guy was throwing a drift net from the wharf and leaving the pogies on the wharf for whomever one day, which was very nice. On the east facing beaches the first week it was pretty thick with spearling (sic?) and then sand eels moved in.