[numbskull]

So why is what is left of the striped bass population offshore?

Well, gee, what happened to the fish genetically ingrained to feed inshore............eaten for pleasure and profit.
What happened to the menhaden they eat.........taken commercially.
What about the squid.....taken commercially.
What about the scup.......taken commercially.
What about the lobsters......taken commercially.
What about the herring.....killed as commercial bycatch.

As for why there is bait explosion offshore.....well what happened to the fish that eat it?

Cod...........wiped out commercially.
Pollock........hammered commercially.
Tuna......nearly wiped out commercially.
Halibut........wiped out commercially.
Haddock........they're coming back because the enviro's got a judge involved.

Between wiping out codfish and creating an offshore niche full of sand eels......... hammering any breeding size bass that take an inshore route year after year.........and wiping out anything for bass to eat inshore......is it any mystery that what left of the striped bass population is offshore.

The public's demand for seafood and the commercial interests that benefit from that demand (with fishery management in their pocket) has GREATLY diminished the quality of the inshore fishing for all species targeted by recreational fishermen. Nothing wrong with that in general if you don't like to fish. Still, doing so has diminished the quality of the recreational fisherman's lives, and hurt the livelihood of those who depend on them.

Sadly, fishermen (recreational or commercial) are never going to fix this, too much stupidity and greed to put fishery recovery first. As the codfish situation has shown, the best hope are the enviro's and legal system (read CLF).........which is where this is headed soon. We'll live to see the restrictions, but not the benefits.