Why do we allow this to happen? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

cheferson · 05-25-2005, 07:54 AM

Menhaden, bunker

likwid · 05-25-2005, 07:58 AM

You mean there's some left?

Its been close to 10-15 years since I've seen a big school of menhaden in Buzzards Bay.

Van · 05-25-2005, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheferson

Menhaden, bunker

I was kidding, I have not seen them in my waters in 10 years.

Saltheart · 05-25-2005, 08:14 AM

I can't ebleive they stiill allow them in the Bay. I thought RI made some restrictions a couple of years ago like they can't go above prudence Island or something???

Offshore24 · 05-25-2005, 09:42 AM

We used to have pogies in Maine. I remember late 80's we had massive killoff in the rivers due to them using up all the O2 and killing themselves. Then there were the Russians with their processing ship hanging off Harpswell. They'd hang out and send net boats out for weeks. Catching them all. It has never been the same. They are all gone now.. And the blues went with them. I used to catch blues that were 3-ft long. Now the blues should be looking over their shoulder for the mackerel to come and bite em in the butt.

BrianS · 05-25-2005, 10:00 AM

I remeber 10-11 years ago fishing in the Taunton River with pogies from shore to shore... and this was WAY up the river in sight of the TMLP plant..

Neat to see seals that far up the river.

About that same time, my uncle was about to put his boat out of plymouth and inside the jetty there were hordes of pogies being chased by hordes of big blues... the water was red in alot of spots... lasted for quite awhile...

sad we may never see that type of stuff again... or at least a long while.

jettyjockey18 · 05-25-2005, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjs

About that same time, my uncle was about to put his boat out of plymouth and inside the jetty there were hordes of pogies being chased by hordes of big blues... the water was red in alot of spots... lasted for quite awhile...

sad we may never see that type of stuff again... or at least a long while.

i haven't snagged a pogy off the plymouth jetty since sept '95...and it aint from lack of effort...used to know when commercial striper season started becaused there'd be 20 boats all with gill nets stretched across the channel...

DZ · 05-25-2005, 11:43 AM

IMO there are adult pogies "Somewhere"- just not here. How can we explain the massive amount of baby menhaden we have seen the past few years? - more than I've ever witnessed in my 35 years of chasing stripers. There may in fact be a decline in large menhaden - but these babies have been spawned by a significant population of adults.
A bigger question may be "Why are adult poigies not coming to northern waters in any numbers?
Could it be water quality, temp, food source? Or is it just cyclical?

redlite · 05-25-2005, 10:01 AM

I got an adult pogie tangled in my line while eelin in the canal the other night. I live lined it for 3 hours and didn't even get a touch.
I almost didn't even know what it was when I pulled in my line. Been so long since I've actually seen one alive. A truly lucky catch. Too bad mamma bass was around to eat it.

fishweewee · 05-25-2005, 10:14 AM

Ah. Kwit yer bitching and go hire some bored Navy SEALs to attach some limpet mines on the hulls of those bunker boats and blow them to smithereens.

Would make a hell of a chum slick.