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Good thread.
I’ve fished the canal two times in my life and that was over 30 years ago. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be in on some special bites of big bass.
The current Canal massacre is very unique on many different levels. First off it’s happening in a very public place that is very accessible to John Q Public who can fish in shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers without any specialized equipment. Just grab Uncle Joe’s old rod from the basement and go fish. Hell, everyone likes easy fishing. Even I like those times when I don’t have to work my ass off for a fish.
Another aspect is it’s happening in the middle of the day in full view in the heat of the August sunshine. I mean traditionalist surfcasters shudder and think how this can possibly happen? Is it possible to have an epic bite that doesn’t occur at 2am on a 4 wheel drive beach or offshore island where only those in the know take part?
Another aspect is that it has lasted long enough for word to get out and for others to take part. Generally good bites are short lived through a few tides. This one will have new fishermen thinking the canal will always have fish. Now couple this aspect with the social media information explosion. This Canal massacre is perhaps the first epic striped bass bite in the information era. The first bite that occurs in real time where friends and strangers can watch you catch a fish from around the corner... or 2000 miles away!
It is what it is. It’s not the future – it’s now. We have to realize that our community of “concerned avid fishermen” such as the members of this site is but a very small segment of the fishing community. We will always have a tough time advocating what we perceive as the “correct practices” of fishing to those new fishermen joining the ranks as recreational anglers – we have lots of work ahead of us.
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