I honestly think that I never killed 10% of the bass that I released, but based on what I saw over the years, I have no problem believing it as an across the board figure.
I started noticing a decline in the fishery around 2010. By 2012, I figured, that's it for me. I walked away and never looked back.
In fact, some of my best fishing memories, the most fun I ever had, were those all-tide bluefish blitzes on MV, in the late 1980s and 1990s. I had a small group of friends that I fished with, off Islanders and natives, and we had a blast catching teen blues from the beach. Bass were an obsession, usually a solo quest, and I'd often leave pissed off after a bad night. I can't say that it was always fun.
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