Why has the fishing from the Cape beaches declined so much?

[Pete F.]

I think this is all an Internet rumour to keep the NY guys from going to the cape.

[Sweetwater]

We all talk about the striped bass inshore to the cape because that's what we target. But I've been fishing the national seashore from the beach and by boat, and Cape Cod Bay by boat for many years and have seen other changes as well. Sand Dabs used to be an irritant in picking your bait, but I can't remember the last time I saw a Sand Dab. Sand Eels used to be abundant in the sand for raking on the Race and around Hatches Harbor, but few can be found now (although they're abundant in the water column). Skates used to be everywhere (I guess I shouldn't complain), but can't remember the last time I caught a skate while bait fishing. Fluke were plentiful in P-town harbor and the bay, but now are slim pickings. Fluke and skate seem to have been replaced by a HUGE population of spiny dogfish. Although peanut bunker are typically around, the large near shore shoals of baby bunker has been a rare sight. All of these changes seem to have coincided with the growing presence of seals. But correlation is NOT causality. I don't know if the seals are solely responsible for this change over the last 10 years (and especially the last 5 or so), but if I'm CSI Cape Cod, they're my #1 suspect.

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by bluefishercat

I think this is all an Internet rumour to keep the NY guys from going to the cape.

aaahhahahah...someone finally figured it out
there are plenty of HUGE bass!!! come on up...the gig is up

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

i don't think there is a lack of fish off the cape beachs,maybe a lack of decent sized fish and shore caught fish,but the boats had tons of fish right off the beach.paddling the kayak just off the beach i saw fish all summer.i know guys that were getting 50 to 75 fish a day during com season but only a handful of keepers. i think something is happening to the water quality that is affecting the bottom close to the beachs. when snokeling the bottom is devoid of bottom life, something is keeping the sandeels from borrowing along the beachs, you see tons in the water just off the beach. i also think that the majority of bigger fish are staying south in LI and NJ or heading north were bigger bait is available.i think the seals just compound the problem and make things even worse.i do find it odd that the bluefishing hasn'tfrom the beach hasn't been affected

[ThrowingTimber]

All that ky jelly in the water is attracting seals

[bassballer]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

All that ky jelly in the water is attracting seals

LMAO

[Joe]

Think about the Hudson River and how far north breeding/wintering stripers go in its upper reaches.
There is speculation that at one time that other rivers further north were natal rivers for striped bass, but those fish got over-harvested of dammed off.
If a large segment of the fish with a predisposition to a certain location are harvested, and if there is anything to a fishes' instinct to migrate to a certain place, then Numbskull's theory sounds pretty good. One thing's for sure - the Cape was a huge inshore fishery for a long time and now it is not.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Joe

Think about the Hudson River and how far north breeding/wintering stripers go in its upper reaches.
There is speculation that at one time that other rivers further north were natal rivers for striped bass, but those fish got over-harvested of dammed off.
If a large segment of the fish with a predisposition to a certain location are harvested, and if there is anything to a fishes' instinct to migrate to a certain place, then Numbskull's theory sounds pretty good. One thing's for sure - the Cape was a huge inshore fishery for a long time and now it is not.

thats kind of like Ken Abrahm's theory on different populations of bass. same fish migrate to the same places each year. once they're gone, they're gone....

[redlite]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

All that ky jelly in the water is attracting seals

HAHAHAHA----Vic, I just blew beer all over my mother computer!!!!hahahahahaaa


I grew up fishing the back side--Wellfellet to P-town--Its where I learned to fish from my father and the yokel locals----I lay in bed most nights and dream about how the fishin USED to be--how you could get out of the car and KNOW that you were gonna catch at least 1 fish over 30#'s and more often than not you would catch multiples-- This past year was THE first time in my life since I was born, that I did not make at least one trip down there---Over the years the fishing has steadily declined for all of these theories.
I personlly blame it mainly on the seal population that has grown out of control- I think a lot of it has to do with the Sh$t pipe too--more mung from it----I understand it is cyclical in ways, bait, natural migarting patters, but I will satnd by the theroy that it is mainly the seals, cause the problems really began with their resurgensce---Lets cut back on them some and see if it helps. I f it doesn't, no worry...they'll be back in short order....

Every night I am putting on my wetsuit and strapping on my corkers now, I tear up thinkin about the long lost memeories of waders, a t-shirt and a bucket of eels with the ability to walk MILES a night looking for fishin and not havin to worry about breakin off fish on rocks---or hopin one swims by---sorry...

[eastendlu]

Originally Posted by bluefishercat

I think this is all an Internet rumour to keep the NY guys from going to the cape.

The way its going on the Cape i'm just glad there are no fish in N.Y. also very few seals come to think of it.