Is the old guard losing it?

[capesams]

I agree with all the above..method's..plug's...jig's...eel's etc. havn't really change all that much and how to use them over the passed [let's just say a long time]...what I've seen is the loss of fishing turf[land] with all the people that moved in to live near the water. atleast here anyway.Alot of the good fisher's have given up because of this...they had endless mile's of free space with no one coming out to kick them off..not today..it's a whole new game. Yes some have passed, but for the most part they just gave up because of the lack of LOST productive SPOT"S. that and the lack of good fish.The good old day's are gone...enjoy what little is left.

[piemma]

Amen. Capesams is right. We will never have what we had. I remember when you could ride the Back in the middle of the night and see maybe one or 2 other trucks. Now it's like 95 at noon. We never knew how good we had it. 30s and 40s all night till your arms were so tired you could hardly fight another fish. Now a 40 would be headlines.

[Mr. Sandman]

I have met several old timers that don't fish at all anymore and have not fished in a number of years. They are very bitter out it too. Reason: Restriced Access. They use to go anyplace they please and now can't. Access is restricted now. The bird thing also has me POed lately...The beach here is STILL closed. All summer we lost, all summer. I want to make a stink but I know I will get piled on by the plover lovers and be despised for years to come.

With regard to passing on info…I don’t think you need to tell all your secrets, just take a kid fishing. I make it a point to sacrifice some time on the boat and on the beach each year and take others fishing, even if I really don't want to. I gave up a great offshore trip cause I had scheduled to take some kids out this week. It was a tough call for me. I get asked (from friends) to take kids from time to time and this past week has been my "give back" week. I took a good friends’ grand children who have never fished before (yet come to MV each summer). These kids were 13-18. It was a slow day for me but a great day for them. One kid boated an 8.5# fluke and he could tell from my excitement that it was a great catch. I told him he must eat this fish tonight to fully enjoy the day.Another kid I took out yesterday (friend of my son) lives here and has been out once before on a party boat and caught a sea bass. He is 9 yo and wanted to catch anything big. We went blue fishing. An 8#er was the biggest we could muster but he was thrilled. I mean my son could not believe how excited he was about landing this blue fish. Want to expand the sport?…Take some kids fishing; keep it simple. It will rejuvenate your appreciation for a good day on the water and one of them may take to it like you have and be grateful to you for the rest of their life for introducing the sport to them. And if they don't, at least they will not be ignorant about it from now on.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

It will rejuvenate your appreciation for a good day on the water and one of them may take to it like you have and be grateful to you for the rest of their life for introducing the sport to them.

And if they don't, at least they will not be ignorant about it from now on.

very well spoken,,,,all of it, but this in particular.

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by capesams

I agree with all the above..method's..plug's...jig's...eel's etc. havn't really change all that much and how to use them over the passed [let's just say a long time]...what I've seen is the loss of fishing turf[land] with all the people that moved in to live near the water. atleast here anyway.Alot of the good fisher's have given up because of this...they had endless mile's of free space with no one coming out to kick them off..not today..it's a whole new game. Yes some have passed, but for the most part they just gave up because of the lack of LOST productive SPOT"S. that and the lack of good fish.The good old day's are gone...enjoy what little is left.

Sounds like birdhunting at my house, I used to walk out the door and take a two hour walk, get lots of shots, now there is a house in every one of my favorite spots. I don't go much anymore.