[Rockfish9]

Evolution is the short answer....the sport has evolved due to factors both in and out of our control...

for us older folks... Striped bass fishing was something that provided a pinnacle of enjoyment....at times frustrating other times rewarding... we put in long hours fishing and twice as many hours preparing... "scheming" and thinking about the next trip to the brine... when I began fishing, every fish over 16" was retained,boxed,iced and sold...the "old timers" rarely talked to the new guy's on the water... everyone fished from a 16' tin boat or the surf... there was no internet or chat rooms.. the chat room was the bench alongside the dock where the guy's gathered waiting for the sun to go down... one of my fondest memories was the evening I was invited to join them for a cup of coffee before "we" headed out...in my mind.. they had noticed my dedication and felt I now actually had something to contribute to the conversation.... the hard work mentality and "hands on" study has become a thing of the past...
it's a lot easier to look up fishing reports than it is to loose sleep ( and respect in the household) and beat yourself bloody and bruised finding where the fish are... we have done it to ourselves to some degree....as we age, we have less tolerance than we used to for " stupidity".. I myself have had several shouting matches with people for driving over fish ( and my lines) .. but sadly.. they just don't know any better.. it's easier to find the guy hooked up and mug him... after the latest incident when a boat actually rammed mine because I called him a dumb---, I confided in a friend that it just wasn't fun anymore ( sound familure)...all that being said... getting older just takes a toll on your body.. we remember the "good old days" and tend to remember the "good" more than the "bad"... striped bass are a cyclical fish... they always have been.... this spring was very slow around the Merrimack.. many things attributed to it... some of it is just buzzards luck...... no doubt there are fewer fish... and I have put forth less of an effort because I'd have to travel farther from the dock and work a little harder.. sometimes the wind and tide don't meet our expectations and we get frustrated.... 9 days ago, I hit an old haunt...the only ones there were a hand full of surf rats, willing to walk a long way to enjoy solitude, we fished the same water , shared theories on why so many fish congregated in that one spot and no where else as I turned my boat to deeper water so as not to disturb them.. we shared a respect for surf and boat and each other.. the way it SHOULD be ... together we enjoyed( 9 in a row) some of the best fishing in the last several years... just about every cast produced a fish 20 lb or better... 30 and 40 lbs were numerous...the best fish from the lot has been a 49 -14 ( weighed on a hand held digital before release).. my hands are hamburger .. my eyes slits my ..shoulder is killing me.. only got 6 fish last night, the bio mass has moved on.. but man was that FUN!