Spring Run about Done

[hq2]

So, OK, it's now about mid July, hitting the summer doldrums.
Tried up at North Shore some off Cape Ann, not much luck.
Couldn't even jig up macs or pollock with my sabiki for bait;
had to settle for a 5 inch cunner. Saw one guy bring in a keeper
at Rockport; didn't see much other action, although wasn't close
enough to tell.

So the question is, is ANYONE catching striped bass any more?
I mean, when you look at the posts these days they're almost
entirely about other (usually personal) topics. The pictures of
caught fish are few and far between, and no one is actually
discussing striped bass fishing topics (lures, bait, googans)
anymore. The silence is really deafening guys. I mean, 10 or
15 years ago, there were loads of SB related posts. Not any
more. I hate to say it, but we look to be getting back to
moratorium fishing levels. Really depressing.

[Got Stripers]

I have to admit personally having done so much fishing for decades, I’ve turned into a meat fisherman, hit early sea bass hard and tog later in the season and have only targeted stripers one morning in Plymouth for two rats. I’m going to give Saconet point a try Wednesday as the wind looks favorable and my kayak looks abandoned and in need of a salt water bath. My preference would be gooseberry but when they won’t open the damn gate to the island until 8am, you’ve lost prime fishing hours before you even launch. I know some of my kayak buddies in Boston and Quincy are doing real wel, on 40” fish or smalls and most report very few slot size fish.

[zimmy]

Exponentially worst spring for sb that I have had in a quarter century.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by hq2

So, OK, it's now about mid July, hitting the summer doldrums.
Tried up at North Shore some off Cape Ann, not much luck.
Couldn't even jig up macs or pollock with my sabiki for bait;
had to settle for a 5 inch cunner. Saw one guy bring in a keeper
at Rockport; didn't see much other action, although wasn't close
enough to tell.

So the question is, is ANYONE catching striped bass any more?
I mean, when you look at the posts these days they're almost
entirely about other (usually personal) topics. The pictures of
caught fish are few and far between, and no one is actually
discussing striped bass fishing topics (lures, bait, googans)
anymore. The silence is really deafening guys. I mean, 10 or
15 years ago, there were loads of SB related posts. Not any
more. I hate to say it, but we look to be getting back to
moratorium fishing levels. Really depressing.

The Merrimack has been on fire since memorial day... pictures post upside down, and no one seems interested anyway if it's not the cape or Rhode island..

there are tons of small bass being targeted by party boats, six pack charteres and "chunkers" sadly, a fair amount of them end up floating in the tide rips... "slot" fish are hard to come bye, but 40 to 48" fish abound, and some are quite "porky" and approach 50 lbs.. average night is 8 fish 40" or better for a 3 or 4 hour effort.. rising tide the best until about an hour from the top.. ... eels and boat fish dont count but it is what works.

My buddy and ice fishing partner came down from the mountains of New Hampshire last Saturday night to catch his 1st ever striped bass...

I'm hoping that all this rain doesn't ruin it and send the fish north..

Mackerel have been easy to come bye at first light, pogies are being harrased by schools of small bass in the river and along the beach front and on occasion tuna crash the party.. the ocean front has been slow for large, this may change from the rain, water finally warmed up to 60 with the easterlies.

Lobster fishing is the worse I have ever seen it.. I haven't got a sdingle bug, I had over 100 at this time last season, due to the storms, my pots are home stacked next to the garage, well, at least 9 of them, the first storm ( before Elsa) moved them 2 miles, I was lucky to find any of them.

[Higgie]

Haven’t been able to scratch up any larger fish but the numbers I’ve got this year are much greater than the last two years.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by Rockfish9

The Merrimack has been on fire since memorial day... pictures post upside down, and no one seems interested anyway if it's not the cape or Rhode island..

there are tons of small bass being targeted by party boats, six pack charteres and "chunkers" sadly, a fair amount of them end up floating in the tide rips... "slot" fish are hard to come bye, but 40 to 48" fish abound, and some are quite "porky" and approach 50 lbs.. average night is 8 fish 40" or better for a 3 or 4 hour effort.. rising tide the best until about an hour from the top.. ... eels and boat fish dont count but it is what works.

My buddy and ice fishing partner came down from the mountains of New Hampshire last Saturday night to catch his 1st ever striped bass...

I'm hoping that all this rain doesn't ruin it and send the fish north..

Mackerel have been easy to come bye at first light, pogies are being harrased by schools of small bass in the river and along the beach front and on occasion tuna crash the party.. the ocean front has been slow for large, this may change from the rain, water finally warmed up to 60 with the easterlies.

Lobster fishing is the worse I have ever seen it.. I haven't got a sdingle bug, I had over 100 at this time last season, due to the storms, my pots are home stacked next to the garage, well, at least 9 of them, the first storm ( before Elsa) moved them 2 miles, I was lucky to find any of them.

Same here with the bugs joe, pots are home. :-(….. I wish I could say that for your bass….

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by Guppy

Same here with the bugs joe, pots are home. :-(….. I wish I could say that for your bass….

WOW.. I was blaming the water temp up here, it's been 52 for a month now, just warmed up with the constant easterlies, of coarse that made the inlet treacherous for a small boat...

I figured you guy's were slamming them... now I'm wondering if there was some kind of a die off or something...

[tlapinski]

The public chatter is bound to change with the fishery. When everyone was catching it was safe to discuss a bite online and have little fear that someone would travel to hunt you down. Nowadays you make even a passing mention online and you have guys breathing down your neck.

I will say that this season has been better for me than the past 2-3 when talking big fish (honest 30-plus-pounders) but skunkings remain quite common as I'm not willing to chase schoolies to get bit. Last check of my log had nearly as many fish over 30# as under, and I'm fine with that for how I fish.

[beamie]

Lobstering on the south shore is really picked up in the last 2 weeks

Before that it was pretty slow

From what I was hearing the shed was early and they hide to harden up and now that has passed
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Clammer]

for the numbers of times I,ve been out .

I would put slot size & up as good as its been this late in the bay, or close as it has since they lifted the moraturium

Joey F has a photo my photos havn,t loaded in over a year ..


water t emp 70+ and there are still bass in the bay ... but I,m fishing about once a week <><

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by beamie

Lobstering on the south shore is really picked up in the last 2 weeks

Before that it was pretty slow

From what I was hearing the shed was early and they hide to harden up and now that has passed
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

You are correct, they hide until they harden up, then the females "lay" their eggs . But they all dont shed st once, and older ones may only molt every 18 months, where juvenile bugs may shed 3 times a year, I dont fish rocks, I strictly fish sand.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[wdmso]

My year in the bay was the worst ever ! Hit race last week found tons of bass 26 to maybe 32in on a mix of live Mack’s and chunks nice day lots of fun. But no big fish , left out of Plymouth and the ramp was empty at 5am no comm guys on the race maybe saw 15 boats ,, saw more boats on the SW corner tuna fishing
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Guppy]

Originally Posted by wdmso

My year in the bay was the worst ever ! Hit race last week found tons of bass 26 to maybe 32in on a mix of live Mack’s and chunks nice day lots of fun. But no big fish , left out of Plymouth and the ramp was empty at 5am no comm guys on the race maybe saw 15 boats ,, saw more boats on the SW corner tuna fishing
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Same at Monomoy and Bears Shoal,,, all top water, quantity not quality… ;-)