Are the chickens comming home to roost?

[piemma]

From Dave Pickering's blog

Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tough Going from Shore
When a veteran of the Cape Cod Canal tells you that this is the worst fishing he has seen in over 60 years you know the fishery is in trouble. It's not only the Canal, but fishing for keeper bass in general is poor from shore regardless of where you are fishing.
I got back to the Canal yesterday and my son Matt fished there on Saturday. Matt hit a bit of luck as he landed a fish of about 20 lbs. when a pod of large fish started breaking right in front of him. I went there on Monday and did not fare as well. I landed 2 small schoolies, and those were the only fish I saw landed as my father and I fished an entire tide with poor results. We didn't see a single fish break water.
From what my friends are saying RI is not fishing much better. The exception is if you can find a school of menhaden close to shore and then you have a chance to find a large fish under them. At this point I know many real good fishermen who have not landed a keeper this year.
I am beginning to see many similarities to the 1980's when things got so bad that a moratorium was imposed. Back then keeper bass were disappearing so quickly that the fishery was closed to protect the fish we had. Let's hope we don't get to that point.
Posted by David Pickering at 7:15 PM

[scottw]

seems to be a consensus up and down the coast from shore folks that things are not so hot, the tendency was to suggest it was the cool weather and a late start...season to season, while there are some variations you can pretty much put the needle on the record in terms of how things progress, they've progressed this year in a similar fashion to previous except for the noticeable lack of bass... it's hard to know exactly what is happening as all of these stories are anecdotal and fishermen tend to think the sky is falling if they haven't hooked up in a few casts, particularly if they've spent a fortune on gear and "put their time in"....seems as though we've solved the bait problem, plenty of that around...I suspect the schools of fish that the boat folks are hammering are in ever more limited numbers...they have to be given the pics from the decks...I know that there are reports of acres and shoals of fish in certain areas but those are a drop in the bucket in the overall scheme of things and will become a target....we are just too efficient at talking them as they migrate up and down the coast and that trend is going to continue as their ability to replace what is taken can't keep up...I think it's like many other things...we'll need to hit rock bottom before we head in the other direction....I always figured the regulators, for the most part would err on the side of caution and the fishermen, for the most part would err on the side of maintaining what they enjoy....I think I thunk wrong I've always felt that changing the culture through the clubs and shops and various events was the best way to improve things, and that seems to be taking place to some extent, maybe not fast enough and maybe over time..but for the reasons that many have pointed out, nothing will come from the regulators or many individuals until and if it truly reaches "crisis"

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by scottw

I think I thunk wrong

Not the first time, although on this post I agree.

In science we often say the plural of anecdote is NOT data, but the weight of evidence seems to agree with what a lot of us observe.

Talking to Paul and others who fished through the moratorium, it sure sounds like the past. Big, localized schools of fish, with barren spots elsewhere... A few people saying things are great, a lot of others concerned.

I grew up during the 'upswing' and remember clearly in the late 80's when bass were a big rarity for the surfcaster, and the slow re-emergence while we were targeting bluefish and the 'occasional' striper would be caught..

The drop in stock brought on the popularity of saltwater fly fishing... maybe the SWE will go back in that direction... If I was a custom plug builder, I might start tying flies...

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

If I was a custom plug builder, I might start tying flies...

I'd make pipes. It's the same through drilling process
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by Nebe

I'd make pipes. It's the same through drilling process
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

You do that anyways, but not out of wood...


Are you actually even fishing anyways .

[chaz]

Yep same story,I have heard similar things from a lot of the old timers down at the ditch,some in denial about overfishing....most of what has already been talked about here..they went around up the coast...water temp....etc...etc.but still nothing large has been seen or taken in the past week or more,a few small schoolies have been seen along with the occasional bluefish...

[scottw]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

Not the first time, although on this post I agree.

:

grooved a fastball for ya Bry

I live in a house full of women, I'm used to being wrong a lot....

[redlite]

I havent caught a mythical striped bass in a month. All my usual haunts r barren for me. Scary. But word from west is they r coming. Hopefully
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[bassballer]

Originally Posted by piemma

BB, 20# fish is 10 years old more or less. So what we are seeing is the fish that are left from 2004 and 2005 YOY. Both of those years were huge YOY classes.

Thanks Paul, kinda scary how many of this class of fish im seeing being kept this year.

[FishermanTim]

Soon they'll be having the "OTW Bluefish Cup" tourney, then when they get decimated, the OTW Black Sea Bass, Tautog, and Fluke/Flounder Cup tourneys.

I hate to think I'm going to have to give up salt fishing, just when I started to think I was getting good at it!

[Mike P]

IMO the future of the fishery depends on allowing as many fish as possible from the 2011 year class to reach viable spawning age, and I question the evidence that suggests that 28" females are viable spawners.

Back in the 80s, the 36" limit was chosen because it's conclusive that females that size are viable spawners.

There was a time when I thought that because the striped bass recovery was the lone success story in a long history of failed fisheries management, the managers would do everything they could to prevent another collapse. I think I thunk wrong, too.

[bobber]

Originally Posted by Mike P

IMO the future of the fishery depends on allowing as many fish as possible from the 2011 year class to reach viable spawning age,

funny that Maryland just adjusted their states regulations to allow the "baymen" to take even more of that size fish to maximize their take while they can.... that yearclass doesn't stand a chance

[bart]

Originally Posted by redlite

I havent caught a mythical striped bass in a month. All my usual haunts r barren for me. Scary.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

no bueno

[Nebe]

Last moratorium took an act of a us senator to get the ball moving. That will be the case again this time. The system is too corrupt.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Zeal]

Well I am not here to prove any points but I just feel that I HAVE to put my 2 cents in (DISCLAIMER: I just fish, fished all my life and I don't know anything about data, hatcheries, etc, I just go about life)....Story time:

Being born in '88, the Stripers have always been a rare catch to me. I've fished ever since I've had motor skills and most of my life up until 10 years ago I have fished by boat with an extremely experienced fisherman (literally fished every day from that boat in the same inlet). All my memories are Fluking and Bluefish blitzes. Striper fishing with Eels and clams happened every Fall. What made it so exciting is that even with all his experience, catching a Striper was very rare for me (he would hook up and even then it would only be 2 fish tops). Just to see the fish was amazing to me. Hooking into one rivaled winning Lotto. To me, fishing with him and all his experience was a friendly challenge no matter what the species. If I outfished him or tied his catch, I must be doing something right (this pretty much never happened but I've came damn close when it came to Fluke and Flounder).

One day he noticed my severe lack of confidence striper fishing with him while holding my rod on the boat (I am a fanatic of fishing and am happy as hell to fish even the most dead of areas to give you a hint on how much it takes to get me down), he then told me about the "Dark Ages" and how the population works, etc. That's when I learned probably the most important lesson when it came to fishing: it's all practice. Even when you are getting the skunks, you are still practicing your technique. When the fish are around, you will see whether or not you are doing it right and where you need to make changes. My attitude went back to being perky and positive.

Sadly, I can count on 1 hand of how many days where I ever saw more than 2 stripers hit the deck or sand.

Yet, when I fish the beach, if the fish are there, I'm hooking up. Keeping logs for 3 years now just being a rookie, its always been all or nothing. Very few times has it been "all". Though this is a guy who maybe gets on the beach 4 times in May, twice in June if the weather isn't too hot, and 4 trips in September, October, and November respectively. December always depended on November. Each trip being about 4 hours, I only spend a cumulative time of a few days a year fishing now that I'm bound to the sands (I only go during the Fall when my reliable source tells me all you need is a line in the water).

A good day is just getting a hit, a great day is hooking into a fish.

I have only seen a 20 lb striper once in person in my life and that was to take a picture of my neighbor holding his catch.

I have never caught anything past 12 lbs. and even though that does not mean a whole lot to me (I could catch schoolies all day and be fine with it), I've kept my eyes open to the people around me and I have yet to see someone land a 15+ in the vicinity.

Some days it just feels like the ocean has no striped bass to offer.

[piemma]

Great post!!!!

[Rockfish9]

I haven't been talking much of late ( on line) but I'll add my .02....I've got a few years of striper fishing under my belt.. over 40 years to be exact... I've seen the good the bad and the ugly... the last 25 years I've spent all my fishing time from plum Island and the surrounding bays and rock piles 10 miles in any direction from both boat and surf...the last time I hadn't caught a 40lb fish by this date was 1996... as of today... 6/23 I haven't broken 20lbs...and not for lack of effort... I spent last week on vacation fishing dusk to dawn.. slinging eels.. and trolling plugs on wire.. all in places that have produced large and extra large fish the month of June since ( and before) the early 70's... I caught plenty of fish... none over 17lbs...most 8-10 lbs.. ..Friday morning I rented a cabin in the mountains to take a break... the farther north you fish the more you will feel the pinch...I expect a few "big fish" to show this week.. then again.. I felt the same about last week....this isn't meant to be a rant or complaint.. just one mans experience that seems to mirror what's being said by other fisherman that know how and where to fish...maybe it's time to dust off my down riggers and salmon rods...

[Mike P]

AN 234 NOAA buoy off Woods Hole is showing consistent water temps in the mid to upper 60s. Currently about 67. Same for Newport. Bass live all summer in upper 50-low 60 degree water off the backside.

[JFigliuolo]

This made me laugh.... not that it's funny (from D. Pickerings blog)

"...If you are looking for stripers from shore or boat (good luck) I suggest looking in places like Jamestown, Newport and Narragansett."

[Got Stripers]

Sunday I launched at 4:30am and targeted striped bass for the first two hours without so much as a hit. The ledge I started at off Gooseberry Point for years would never give me the skunk from June-Oct and I mean never.

Fished ledges from Westport, Cutty and out to the Vineyard and finally started working back thru quicks before I finally picked up my first keeper of the day. Not so surprisingly to me anyway, it was a nice 5lb tog and not a striper, who took a 4" spilttail on a 1/2oz Kalan head bumping close to bottom off to the side of the channel, while targeting black sea bass. All morning off some humps around Gay Head, just rat sea bass, not a single keeper, no fluke, no stripers; just rats.

After a few more drifts I picked up two 24inch stripers and those were the only two all day. Picked up one more Tog and decided I'd hit the hens and chickens ledge outside of westport where I started the day to pick up one more tog for the limit. Man it was like a free dive convention hit town, yaks and little red flags everywhere. Was a yummy dinner last night, but that's a lot of ground to cover for a couple eaters.

I hate launching in Plymouth this time of year, especially being a weekend warrior, it's always a major S**T show getting out in the afternoon. Might have to force myself to do it and hit P-town early some morning to see what a larger striper even looks like these days, or be content to drift for sea bass, fluke or the more than occasional tog with an appetite for plastic.

[BatesBCheatin]

Worst June since the early 90's for me. May was below average. Has been declining steadily each year since 2009 IMO. Predicted another crash for 2013 back then, but it appears I am a couple years off. I want to thank all the greedy selfish #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&s out there for this. IMO 80% plus of fishermen fall into this category. You know, the ones who take two big fish every chance they can for who knows what the #^&#^&#^&#^& what. The ones that blame runoff and pollution, the comm guys, mycobacteria, etc. They blame everyone but themselves and their butt buddies.

They will say they do this because "the law allows me to do so". Ever hear of ethics? No? Stewardship and respect for the resource. Nope. Didn't think so. #^&#^&#^&#^& you.

Bring on the moratorium which will be my 2nd as well.

[afterhours]

sadly what some of us have been saying for years seems to be coming to fruition. I'm hearing the same story from maine to jersey from good veteran fishermen. time to stop the mismanagement. why do we all know what to do and the powers that be ( with all their studies, commitees and science ) have no clue?

[Eric Roach]

The fishing in NH & ME has been steadily bleeding out since 2004. A fall blitz today is seeing some swirls in September. Used to be epic.

I can't take guys seriously who think things are not so bad, that fish "are still around" and they're catching fish. Of course you're catching fish -- all of us are catching fish at times. The issue is the number and size.

Attend the ASMFC meetings, and write your state ASMFC representative(s); press them with your anecdotal evidence from your time on the water. Ask them to please err on the side of conservatism when faced with ambiguity of empirical evidence, instead of constantly falling on the side of maximum yield. So sick of the admission that there is "noise in the numbers" with data and seeing them not take a conservative stance in those instances.

[Eric Roach]

rant/

Why do we need to drive the bass back to the edge and beyond? And I mean all of us, not just the managers:

• Are you killing more bass for the table than you really need? Guilty.
• Are you using J-hooks with bait? Guilty.
• Are you needlessly damaging bass with trebles when a siwash would do? Guilty.
• Are you hammering away on your 48th schoolie of the tide, just trying to get 50 so you can impress your friends? Guilty.
• Do you have that 40# bass by the lip and losing the battle of your sense of stewardship to your ego by bringing it to the tackle shop for a pic'/internet posting? Guilty.

Are you sitting on your ass reading this instead of getting involved the public hearings, writing letters or affiliating yourself with a fisheries conservation group?

Guilty.

/end rant.