A Flaptail

[Karl F]

So... after the 78 blizzard, and all the beating the backside took, we had the fishing of 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 5 years of unreal fishing, with monsters in the midst, fall of 81 had multiple 50's and bigger on the backside, I know of 3 guys that caught multiple 60's, and one that cracked 70 ... what is your prediction after the record breaking blizzard of '05... history gonna repeat?

[Moses]

Would surely like to think history will repeat since I was unaware of the consistency in big fish. Wondering if you or anyone else would post some more details regarding this 5 yr span and possible why's? Txs.

[tlapinski]

great topic. i know it has come up after the past couple real cold winters that we would have huge sandeel schools sited due to the cold winter. i never knew the corolation between cold winters and sandeels, but i'll take any reason for big bass to jump onto my hook!

[capesams]

the lrg..have been there for the past 3 seasons...so has the lrg. sandeels....neither will come close to the beach...wonder why?...got seals....if u were a fish, would u risk your life for a 3" s-eel when there's 8"er's just off shore in the safety of deeper water. I've seen cows 6" under the surface chasing the big bait 2-3 mile's out when coming home .

[Flaptail]

Only if you find 2 or 3 thousand dead bloated frozen seal carcasses in P-Bay and Pochet! I took the 14 foot skiff out to the soauth of South Beach ( the old Chatham inlet last July a couple times and as CS says it was a fish every drift in the 40 inch range and large strands of sand eel schools with gulls just sitting alongside them and picking them off. The gulls were to puffed on sandeels to fly. A 3/4 Klains jig head and a six inch sluggo bounced along the bottom in 25 to 35 feet of water. I don't expect much of anything from the beach anymore Karl cept' a nice ride and occasionally catching one or two. I was told my views are anecdotal science. I agree. I am not a scientist I only know what I observe and observation I was always told is a big part of science. I theorize with the help of my 140+ IQ. I often get into trouble though. I guess observing 30 seals on any given night chasing my plug or eating a bass or two and grabbing someones bluefish right off the hook or getting spooled by a horsehead that just ate my needle doesn't count in the realm of certified scientist bearing degrees from any number of prestigious colleges or universities.

[Krispy]

nerd

[Mr. Sandman]

Winter storms to sunspots I don't thing there is a correlation.

[Slipknot]

Maybe those seals will mysteriously get a disease and all die.
With no natural predator doing any damage to speak of, it's our only hope as surfcasters First plovers, now seals what next?

[TheRattBoy]

"Scuppers"

[Got Stripers]

Back in those years, there were also massives schools of large bunker still around, you'd almost have to try not to catch large dragging those puppies around.

[Karl F]

I had forgotten the seals, DUH!

Saturday noon, looked out at Rock Harbor, could see hundreds of the bastages, on top of the ice out in the bay, laying up before the storm.... wonder how the boat fishing in CC bay will be next summer, now that they have come around, and settled in there .... probably impact the herring at Paines Creek as well

Bob, your right about the bunker, it was plentiful then too...
Several places you could fill a bucket in short order with a "snaggin' hook", then go hit the beach and fill the cooler....
sad to think those days are behind us... unless GW's and Orca's decide to migrate in, for a free seal buffet...

Bring back the bounty... 5 bucks a nose.

[cheferson]

Seals really kill the fishing for you guys , huh??