Crunch Time

[BEETLE]

by BasicPatrick --That school of 30/40 lb fish that was in the Canal 6-10 days ago went NORTH and is currently off Deluxbury.

Me thinks they may have gone a little further North than that.

[afterhours]

got a ways to go imo. caught last bass in ri 3rd week of dec last year.

[stripercrazy]

there's still nice bass in the bay all the way to pawt there on peanuts and picky.I've been catching on the beach, small fish mostly. there on small bait. we need big bait its still comming I hope its going late, there's 2 big schools of stripers working the river behind work as I type

[eelman]

This is a debate that happens every spring and every fall..IMO..Just because there are large schools of bass up north , does not mean those bass are going to show in Rhody in ex number of days...Many of those fish continue on out past the nantucket rips and south of Block Island..in fact those fish are fish we never see here, Hudson fish that summer in and around the Elizabeths, may move by Rhode Island and are a better shot than whats up north of the cape. The time is now in Rhode Island, Its mid October, the fish are on the move. Rhode Island also has its own summer poulation and those fish are also moving mixing with and joining with the others, its hard to say which are which, But just because someone nails a 25lb fish a couple of nights in a row doesnt mean "its on" or those fish have come here from some far ponts north. Using whats going on up north as a gauge for whats going to happen here is not good, Those fish never end up here. Yup you can catch fish in Rhody right until December but those are going to be dinks....The best shot for large bass in Rhody is right now until about November 15th , after that its a dink fest at best...so that gives about 4 weeks or so.Our fall fishing is its own entity that has nothing to do with other states. I think its happens everywhere at once in its own unique way.There are different strains of bass that do different routes and migration patterns, Chesapeake fish travel different routes than hudson fish.

We may have fish later than the Northern people but thats due to higher water temps and our own fish staying longer...Bottom line, the reality is there isnt tons of time left.If its large your after, the next 4 weeks are the time.....Especially in This state.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

But just because someone nails a 25lb fish a couple of nights in a row doesnt mean "its on"

Especially if they are solo fish..... just residents...

[piemma]

Great insight from both you guys. Every year it happens: "it hasn't started yet" "The fish are moving late", "The waters still warm".
I can check my logs for 25 years and not find a big fish that I caught after 11/12 or 13. Bryan, Spence and I got some 15's 2 years ago at the Block the day after Thanksgiving. Tom McGuire and Tony Paliotti got some 15's in December 3 or 4 years ago but by and large the BIG fish are moving by right now and will be gone in 3 or 4 weeks. Just as Bill stated.

[JFigliuolo]

Along these lines, fish seem to show up all along the ri/cape/No. MA coast at about the same time. It seems to reason that they do move as Bill suggests.

I'm figuring they don't so much move up the coast, as out into the ocean, than into there respective summering spots, then leave the same way.

Ken Abrams (sp) has some interesing theories/observations about striper school behavior. Collective school memory so to speak. That the same schools move through the same areas year after year.