Fall Run?
 

Did my annual north shore striper trip around south end of P.I. Trolled
plugs, drifted mack chunks and clams, picked up two or three schoolies
with my buddy. Dunno folks, it ain't what it used to be a while ago.

As John Milner says in American Graffiti.

"The pickins are really gettin' slim. The whole strip is shrinking. Ah,
you know, I remember five years ago it would take you a couple of hours,
and a tank full of gas to make one circuit. It was really somethin'."

Maybe I was just a little late (a guy I met on the way in had picked up
a couple of keepers the week before on a T and W), but it's been years
since I've caught anything good in the fall. Is there a fall run anymore?
Is anyone getting anything worth bothering with in the fall? It sho' ain't me.:huh:

It already happened. Past decade or more I always felt it happened in August.
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Been very quiet for about 3 weeks, that place was hopping all summer, I mean "old days" type fishing, then the pogies left the river and it all went silent, as I've reported earlier, right now it's just schoolies and a few lost bluefish, I'm sure a few fish will venture that way( I know there are a few decent fish in PI sound , but I cant be bothered), they always have, they always will make a shoeing along the beach and in the river,until there are no more, but I aint waiting on 'em, we used to get good fishing into November, but as Paul so painfully pointed out, it already happened.. there are still a few fish in Maine, but we are unlikely to see them, they will ride the wave of sea herring out over the ledges and into block island..I put in a few hours last night on some prime water on a prime tide, nothing but a few 17" schoolies ( and a worn out tired shoulder) to show for it...I took the boat home, anything I do now will be from the shore...IF I I do anything.

Been a while since I've been on here! good to see everyone!

This post is timely because I basically came to post the same exact thing. Now that I have a boat I mainly fish the PI area. Trolled all over creation on the beautiful day we had on Sunday and only a few schoolies to show for it. Sunrise was fun for topwater schoolies inside the sound.

I agree that the past few years it's been a late August/early September. I had a nice fish around PI on Sep 6th this year, then it was basically over after that. Oh well, until Spring!

Used to be I did well up there a little after mid September. Will definitely have to slide it up some.
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Paul, it happened in August all the way back to 1996. I had several epic nights at Ballston in front of the big dune and on "The Back". August 16, 1996 46# on and eel on a 9'Fisher blank and a 704Z.

August 18, 1996, 49# at High Head near the first Hole to the left. August 20, 1996 47, 43 40# at the Mission Bell.
No fishing from the beach like that anymore. Now these clowns at the Canal hook a 20# fish, kill it taking pictures to post on FB. Hell, we threw back 35# fish because they were too "small".

I am convinced that we we'll never see the halcyon days again no matter what conservation measures are taken short of a full moratorium.

And who in the hell convinced me that the new moon on BI in November was ever a good deal? We did that like 2 or 3 times. Just froze our asses off didn't catch much and Rockhound dropped my fish.

God, i will go to my grave with the look on your face. As i recall, the right side of SW Bar, pitch black and a 4' Swell. AND it was a decent fish...over 20#
RRH. gills it, unhooks it, unceremoniously I might add, and lets it go. Doesn't say a word. LEGENDARY!!!

There's a surf-lunker or 2 out there..........somewhere, at least any hope I have forces me to believe that.
For the guy who doesn't go to catch, but goes for the simplicity or rather serenity of fishing...that fish is lurking in the shadows, slowing perusing each crevice of each boulder field...not rushing its' search as the water is still warm enough and it knows it still has time. It just inhaled a small sea-bass....there's no short of those out there.
The missing ingredient for most is patience. Being accustomed to finding fish or somewhat knowing their haunts and predictability...patience is in short order. (Myself included).
With the lack of fish and lack of patience...it's easy to surrender. As saddened as the absence of the Stry-ped-one has left me, I'm thankful for the other species that have somewhat filled that void.

Fall Run?, let's get real here . .... they don't exist anymore and haven't for quite some time. My definition of a "Fall Run" are large masses of fish moving together with one purpose...not a few fish here and there or a push of fish that got noticed passing thru the canal...
Those large bodies of fish that used to patrol the shoreline, close enough that no water-craft was needed are much smaller now, so much so, that they make it by unnoticed. Sure, the boats fishing BI, RP, FI etc...may not notice it as much yet, but those stuck aground are the first to experience the reality of our current situation.

With that being said, I'm not going to turn into one of those nay-sayers...if I catch, I catch...if I don't, I'll savor what little time life allows me to wet a line.

Well said Bloocrab.

that bening said Gilly .good think God made scup for you ><> :wid:

Well said, many of us got spoiled(myself included) I still live for the hunt,but father time makes that hunt much more painful.
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rockfish9 father time is sadly winning the battle on this end :fury:

I’m so glad I got a taste of the good times, some of the epic blitzes we old farts experienced will sadly never be seen again, unless management and regulation is smarter.

It used to happen August through November in CT, into late October in MA. Now it hardly happens, even late August in CT.
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use to be 2nd week of oct to all of Oct in RI ……….. just by the out of state crowds you knew even if ya didn,t fish .

now by the then / ya picking up the pieces / 95% schoolies

plus / minus Labor day weekend …..BANG / if its gonna happen ><><><:buds:

Just got back from cleaning out the crab trap,,, didn’t think I was going to make that walk back to the pickup,,, now I’ve got hip pain... WTF LOL
Just keep moving Mike.... :musc:

yep fishing sucks everybody stay home.complain about how old you are getting,look back on the old days when everybody was a heroe,how sad this site has gotten

Fishing doesn't suck.... it's what I find most satisfying and honestly what I love doing most. The availability of certain stocks suck, fisheries management has sucked, shore access sucks.... but no, not fishing.

Getting old doesn't suck.... some don't have the luxury of getting old, they pass on well before their time, so appreciate getting old, no matter how tired, battered and ill you may become. Life gives opportunity to those who take advantage of it.

Although it may be sad to look back on the old days, it brings many of us very fond memories of times on the water, times with friends that may no longer be with us. Without those memories, it's a much more lonely world. Enjoy reliving those memories, whether with friends or alone...for some, memories are all that remain.

And lastly, this site isn't sad.... it's the Fall Run that's sad.... :cheers:

Well, the site is what the people and the fishing are. I mean, if you look at the join dates for most of the people on here, most date from more than 10 or 15 years ago when the fishing was good, so now we’re all 10 to 15 years older. There are almost no new posters because there is no reason for there to be; there aren’t enough fish around for new people to bother fishing for them.
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Seems like a thousand years ago..
This used to be Nirvana for me on the back beaches of CC.
September to early November.
Pushing in the little boats and drifting eels just offshore by day, then eeling or plugging the dark. A lot of extraordinary fishing.
What I loved best was the heavy NW wind fishing. Humping surf, wind in your face, surge and sweep of the water. Every bit of me felt super alive.

Now my fall is foolish albies and big brown trout fishing in the night.
Adapt to the new.

Dusted off the surf gear and got into some fish last night in a small state with a lot coastline. Felt good to feel some drag being pulled and on a new 11” flat glide needle I started making this past winter
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Hey don’t be making fun of
My Albies.
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Well, if I was the Maestro di Cappella of Albies that you are I’d probably feel differently :fishin:

Very well said my friend.

Agree, fishing in and of itself never sucks, even thou I don’t have the desire to get out as often; when I do it’s always rewarding. Sometimes the fishing isn’t great, but it’s a rare day if I’m not catching something. If I were just targeting stripers those rare skunks might come more frequently, but for me it’s about bending a rod and bringing home some eaters not trophies.

This site like so many other things, suffers from the move to other social media platforms, but I still enjoy this site for its community, friendships and lack of in your face advertising.

Haha. I’m just lucky. I bumped into your buddy in Osterville last Friday afternoon. I always forget his name, nice guy.
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Did he have 4 rods, short boots and running like a rabbit on the jetties ?
That would be Ted.

Most likely him. I would always bump into him at Pleasant Street. He had dropped his phone in water that day I saw him. Ruined it. Said his girl was going to kill him.
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She’s always gonna kill him.
I call her the Camp Kommandant !
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