Is it just me?

[PaulS]

I'm having the same issue. Not seeing the fish I usually see. My concern is that while the herring are here, the bunker are now around and I'm wondering if the Bass will be going by the bunker to chase the herring up river. Usually the Bass arrive to chase the herring bf the bunker get here.

The lack of rain prob. hasn't helped either.

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by PaulS

I'm having the same issue. Not seeing the fish I usually see. My concern is that while the herring are here, the bunker are now around and I'm wondering if the Bass will be going by the bunker to chase the herring up river. Usually the Bass arrive to chase the herring bf the bunker get here.

The lack of rain prob. hasn't helped either.

10 years of bad young of year. Except for the 20-24" fish from the 2011 class, there just weren't many fish spawned. Any class that spawned before 2008 has been hammered repeatedly by out of control harvest.
Go to http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/53...review2013.pdf and look at Fig 6 (p. 21). The recreational catch reported to NMFS was 25 million fish in 2007. In 2013 it was 5 million. We can all see it in the data and we see it on the water. There are a fraction of the fish today compared to a handful of years ago.

[Zeno]

Originally Posted by zimmy

10 years of bad young of year. Except for the 20-24" fish from the 2011 class, there just weren't many fish spawned. Any class that spawned before 2008 has been hammered repeatedly by out of control harvest.
Go to http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/53...review2013.pdf and look at Fig 6 (p. 21). The recreational catch reported to NMFS was 25 million fish in 2007. In 2013 it was 5 million. We can all see it in the data and we see it on the water. There are a fraction of the fish today compared to a handful of years ago.

bingo

[piemma]

Originally Posted by zimmy

10 years of bad young of year. Except for the 20-24" fish from the 2011 class, there just weren't many fish spawned. Any class that spawned before 2008 has been hammered repeatedly by out of control harvest.
Go to http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/53...review2013.pdf and look at Fig 6 (p. 21). The recreational catch reported to NMFS was 25 million fish in 2007. In 2013 it was 5 million. We can all see it in the data and we see it on the water. There are a fraction of the fish today compared to a handful of years ago.

Absolutely agree. All I'm saying is that whatever is left is 2 weeks late.

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

every year less fish and every year less fishermen,so why wouldn't the numbers go down?

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

every year less fish and every year less fishermen,so why wouldn't the numbers go down?

Less fishermen is not true. Actually, the number of fishermen has remained relatively stable and the years of the highest harvest coincide with relatively lower numbers of fishermen. Guess that makes the situation even worse. Definitely less people fishing this spring around here though since there are very few fish in many areas.

Number targeting striped bass 2002 (1.7 million), 2008 (1.4 million), 2011 (2.1 million). The highest year of harvest (2008) had the lowest number of fishermen. https://www.census.gov/prod/www/fishing.html

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by zimmy

10 years of bad young of year. Except for the 20-24" fish from the 2011 class, there just weren't many fish spawned. Any class that spawned before 2008 has been hammered repeatedly by out of control harvest.
Go to http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/53...review2013.pdf and look at Fig 6 (p. 21). The recreational catch reported to NMFS was 25 million fish in 2007. In 2013 it was 5 million. We can all see it in the data and we see it on the water. There are a fraction of the fish today compared to a handful of years ago.

Agree. We can argue about the exact #'s, but the trend is clear.

[Fly Rod]

Never late here....mothers day has always been STRIPER DAY and they were here......