Bass Migration Sighting

[Skitterpop]

Big Dave!

The only clock to check is the one in front of you / with you.




Mike

[eelman]

I am trying to shed some light, I think fish movements now are just a shuffle from deeper water drawn in by cooler temps and the abundance of bait, Fisheye, while you may be right, I have caught quality bass in the bay (midbay) until November last year, where ever exodus happens in the next week or so certainy happens at a trickle, IMO.

No doubt mother nature can play tricks with wild animals who's moves are determined in part by sun angles and all that other super technical stuff.....or is it? no one ever really knows what triggeres them, unless your a fish you cant know. My opinion is the Migration starts when the water temps tell it to start. I just think its to early to say that the influx -or- better fishing as of late, of fish here in Rhode Island are fish from up North...My thinking is its fish that were here already just hangin offshore.

As far as looking at fish and seeing there markings, that just doesnt work for me, You could very well have fish from Southwest ledge and points south that have moved in your way, there are thousands of bass that hang between the southwest corner of Block Island and the rips off Montauk, maybe some peeled of and hit your shores.. Watch hill and fishers Island are not from from you the way the crow flys, 3 or 4 days of certain winds can certainly push bait and fish your way.

Wind direction can change currents and thus move fish around, thats not "migration". Evereytime we have a nor'est blow we do well after....all summer long. Anyone knows that any east facing shoreline lights up after a north east strom.

Bottom line is every single thing said is speculation, the only sure thing is that they will migrate! I just dont think its right now. I think iots great you have those fish and since we are a few days from sept. They will most likely stay your way.

[DZ]

Bodies of fish move all the time - not necessarily "migrating" if you mean moving south. If you refer to any movement of fish as migrating then I guess they're always migrating.
Fish are still here in my neck of Rhody and I can't tell whether they're residents. Alberto, you can look at markings and tell? They all look like bass to me - they're all residents - some just are residents for a shorter period.

DZ

[Skitterpop]

I`ll be catching keeper size and better Striped Bass in Sandwich area into November



gutta love it

[eelman]

Originally Posted by DZ

Bodies of fish move all the time - not necessarily "migrating" if you mean moving south. If you refer to any movement of fish as migrating then I guess they're always migrating.
Fish are still here in my neck of Rhody and I can't tell whether they're residents. Alberto, you can look at markings and tell? They all look like bass to me - they're all residents - some just are residents for a shorter period.

DZ

Dennis my point exactly, they move all the time, it is not migrating. And I have no idea how Al can tell the markings on a fish ? unless oh well I am curious also...........

[parker23]

If bass only knew how to read about all of our ponderings on their behalf. I always wanted to be a bass for a few days, just to see what's really going on.
My bet is that the fish will be on schedule, their schedule as it has been long before we pursued them w/such zeal.

I wish tight lines and a long fall run to all!

[piemma]

DZ & Bill:
I think I know what Alberto is talking about when he says "resident" fish. Gil always could tell when fish from the Cape hit Rhode Island. They are decidedly lisghter because they live on sand all Summer. Rock resident fish are darker because of the bubble weed and kelp, which is darker. Thus you can tell different populations of fish apart by their degree of coloring.

[libassboy]

Al, Ive deifently noticed an increase in fish, its funny i was just talking about this last nite, how they are defidently not residents and they are moving. Going thru my log, Montauk lit up sept 2nd just two seasons ago and those were defidently migrating fish...so your notion is not far off at all, infact its almost right on target.
The east end of LI recieves alot of cooler water in weather conditions like weve been haivng, esp Montauk, so an early migration of fish is defidently possible, even probable.
Just because they havent started moving in Rhody doesnt mean there arent fish moving at all, Montauk always sees an early goup of fish.

[Canalman]

Alberto, can you talk a little about how you can tell residents from migrants by their markings, this is a new subject for me... all stripers have stripes what else do they have.

As I see it, the bass that are "residents" in my area could be the residents in yours next year (and by the season I've had, I hope they switch places next year ). I have seen bodies of fish move in at all times of the year, and while my experience doesn't stretch as far as Yours Alberto, Bill, DZ. I do have the luxury of being on the water 3-5 times a week and I do consider myself observant. I catch fish every year right up to 11/15-20 in Massachusetts. I never buy it when people say the migration is early or late... it's always right on time and is usually around the same time every year. AND the entries from one logbook mean nothing, just because person A catches 500 fish from 9/15 to 10/15 and then just 15 from 10/21 on doesn't mean that person B isn't catching at that time, you just have to be lucky enough to know where they are at certain times. Same thing as the start of the spring fishing, someone sees a herring in the grocery store Jan 1 and the bass are gonna be here in Feb. I don't buy into this stuff, happens within 10 days of the same date every year.

-Dave

[Slingah]

I agree with what Canalman just posted.....my thoughts exactly
I also fish 3-5 nites a week and it has been pretty much the same for me year after year.......not sure if they are migrating yet or what....but they are definatly on the search for grub now

[libassboy]

I wonder if AL means looking at the relative health of the fish. Resident to me are always a little weird, wether they have missing chunks of fins, fungus, etc. The real healthy fish, esp fish in the 25lb and up class, are usually the migrants, and are at the top of their game. They may be skinny at different times of the year but overall they are healthy fish. I know when those first groups of real migrants come thru in sept, you can defidently tell the difference from the residents ive been banging away on for a few months. Im not talking about two or three fish, but an overall picture from catching many.
Weather they are some early group of migrants, or fish shuffeling around, we are happy to have them.