Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

Fisherwoman · 02-14-2012, 04:27 PM

I do not disagree that we have a decline in the number of fish.

But I do agree bait matters, and where there is food you will find fish.

But over the past 5-6 years, where have all the baby bunker been, we have not seen a huge fall run of fish in most of those states for many years. But back 6-10 years ago we had baby bunker everywhere. I can remember year after year going to the Vineyard and having so much baby bunker you could walk on it and the fishing at that time was awesome.

5-6 years ago we had so many big pogies in the harbor you could have walked on them and were pulling fish over the rail every day 20-35 lb fish and releasing them back.

There were 4 Pogies boats that went back into business a few years ago for one season and whiped boston harbor, salem harbor and a few other places clean out of pogies, the next season we had hardly any and it took us 4 hours of netting just to get enough to fish with for a day. so were are all the baby bunker????

I have seen alot of mackerel the past several years, and herring in balls like no other but there is something that has happened the past several years that we have not had that sustainable bait in the later part of the season,

I also want to know WHY BYCATCH IS not counted as lost numbers of fish. You have draggers and trawler putting bycatch over the rail all day long, as well as long liners, not just Stripers but everything!!! Why is that not counted in all of the loss of species factor!!!!

The cod are in trouble, Haddock is not as good as it was, they have even increased the quota on dogfish so they are eating less fish as well, so why is it that those numbers are not counted toward declines in fisheries???

02-14-2012, 04:27 PM	#61
Fisherwoman Registered User iTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Sea or Sand Posts: 1,947	I do not disagree that we have a decline in the number of fish. But I do agree bait matters, and where there is food you will find fish. But over the past 5-6 years, where have all the baby bunker been, we have not seen a huge fall run of fish in most of those states for many years. But back 6-10 years ago we had baby bunker everywhere. I can remember year after year going to the Vineyard and having so much baby bunker you could walk on it and the fishing at that time was awesome. 5-6 years ago we had so many big pogies in the harbor you could have walked on them and were pulling fish over the rail every day 20-35 lb fish and releasing them back. There were 4 Pogies boats that went back into business a few years ago for one season and whiped boston harbor, salem harbor and a few other places clean out of pogies, the next season we had hardly any and it took us 4 hours of netting just to get enough to fish with for a day. so were are all the baby bunker???? I have seen alot of mackerel the past several years, and herring in balls like no other but there is something that has happened the past several years that we have not had that sustainable bait in the later part of the season, I also want to know WHY BYCATCH IS not counted as lost numbers of fish. You have draggers and trawler putting bycatch over the rail all day long, as well as long liners, not just Stripers but everything!!! Why is that not counted in all of the loss of species factor!!!! The cod are in trouble, Haddock is not as good as it was, they have even increased the quota on dogfish so they are eating less fish as well, so why is it that those numbers are not counted toward declines in fisheries???
	fisherwomen & baitcaster