Quote:
Originally Posted by piemma
. . . Granted the presence of bait and warmer temps may skew things a little bit but I believe the light factor, being the primary driver for migration, will dictate the pattern.
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I agree.
My observation is that bait and bass start moving in mid-September, which is just about the time of the autumnal equinox. After this there are more hours of darkness than of light.
No water temp correlation there. We still have warm late summer water out the wazzoo. So...
And how many of our lousy fall season's had only an early push of fish that snuck by us because there was no nor'easter or sudden drop in water temps to trigger
our urge to fish?
I can think of a few seasons when I waited for the water to cool or a storm to get things going, only to miss the boat.
I think
some fish hang out a bit later when there is ample bait, but I agree with Piemma and think their brains are hardwired to respond to the photoperiod factor first and foremost.
PS I agree with Clammer- Things are FUBAR and will get more and more FU until the striper becomes a COASTAL GAMEFISH.