Why haven't you landed a #50 yet ??

[Goose]

The truth is most people have at least a mild case of a disease called 'excusitis'. The more common types are age, money, luck, health ect.

Personally I have no excuse. I go a lot, I use the right tackle, I fish with some of the best, I fish where I believe my odds are good and 95% bait...big fresh bait too.

Luck is not all that its cracked up to be, when you read books on success, positive thinking, and motivation.. luck is heads or tails not consistency. The law of cause and effect proves luck to be just that, people don't have success at any level through luck they're confused with fluke. What if I said I have bad luck, I guess that would explain why my line broke, its stupid to think that way.

If you caught your share of big bass that went over #40 that makes you a hell of a fisherman but that still doesn't explain why all the years under your belt hasn't produced a #50. By no means am I saying #50 makes you an elite fisherman, I don't believe that to be true, I'm just trying to catch a bigger fish like most of you's.

[RIJIMMY]

Im wondering why I havent broke 30 yet. I have no excuse. I fish nights, eels, all the right spots. I average 2 trips a week, the more time on the water, the more opportunities there are. I plan all my trips, and don't waste time bs'ing. My time will come.

[BigFish]

I have not had one on my line yet!

As stated by RIJimmy......my time will also come....and that right soon!

[Gunpowder]

because everyone in the 60's took five home every night and I had yet to be born!!! still going after them every night though. they seem to really be having a great rebound and if more and more people are becoming educated about catch and release and only keeping a trophy here and there, I think the 50# club will have many more names on it shortly. I have caught a trophy just shy of 50#'s but I know if I were to catch a 50# right now, I would be more than happy to release her. I have one fish on my wall, I don't need two. no need to be greedy. my hope is that someone will have the same type of memorable experience as I had catching my trophy.... but if everyone takes several of these big girls home, that will not be the case. good luck to all this year.

mike

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Gunpowder

because everyone in the 60's took five home every night and I had yet to be born!!! still going after them every night though. they seem to really be having a great rebound and if more and more people are becoming educated about catch and release and only keeping a trophy here and there, I think the 50# club will have many more names on it shortly. I have caught a trophy just shy of 50#'s but I know if I were to catch a 50# right now, I would be more than happy to release her. I have one fish on my wall, I don't need two. no need to be greedy. my hope is that someone will have the same type of memorable experience as I had catching my trophy.... but if everyone takes several of these big girls home, that will not be the case. good luck to all this year.

mike

40 years in the surf. Never caught a 50. Lots of 40s. Never a 50.

My late friend Lanny Gazinni, one of the best commercial rod and reel guys ever. Fish the Back all season for 30 years. Never got a 50.

What the hell is the difference? Getting a 50 is luck more than skill.
No one can honestly tell me that they went out one night with the expressed purpose of catching a 50 and did so.

[Striper1]

Originally Posted by piemma

40 years in the surf. Never caught a 50. Lots of 40s. Never a 50.

My late friend Lanny Gazinni, one of the best commercial rod and reel guys ever. Fish the Back all season for 30 years. Never got a 50.

What the hell is the difference? Getting a 50 is luck more than skill.
No one can honestly tell me that they went out one night with the expressed purpose of catching a 50 and did so.

Piemma is right on.. If you do all the right things you still might not get a 50 so there has to be more luck involved than most will admit.

when I go out each time I'm looking for the 50
I'm also just as happy with a day on the water.

BTW I need to fish more nights

[BigFish]

Charlie Cinto never got a 60!




Thats one of Charlie's jokes......he says he got 40's, 50's and a 73 pounder.....but no 60's!

[JohnR]

Luck presents you with a 50 in front of you.

Skill is what changes that fish from being the one that "Got Away" to the one going to the Taxidermist.

Knowledge puts you in the more likely place a 50 will be.

Dogged determination gets you out frequently enough to provide the OPPORTUNITY to have more LUCK.

I believe i Have the skill to land a 50, I believe I have the knowledge to increase my likelihood of a 50 (but not disciplined enough to use knowledge wisely enough), I know I don't get the opportunities enough to be out there for luck to be a factor.

[BigFish]

Factor in how many 50's are caught in our region each season (10-15 that we know of on average) and how many people are fishing? Odds of being that lucky are slim......from shore anyway! Unless you are #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& aka Billy Boat last spring?!?!?! Man was he red hot or what for that 2 week span?

[Joe]

One time, I won a raffle, and the choice was a new rod and reel or a charter on the Early Bird out to the North Rip of Block Island. I took the rod - another guy took the trip and got a 53.....

[chris L]

in 2 years I will be 50 . then 50 years later I will be dead . I caught a boot once and a shopping cart and a tire . I even caught a cod on a PBJ once .

[Rockfish9]

there are many things that factor in the capture of a "50"

Big fish, realy big fish tend to gather in certain locations along the coast, those locations historicly give up the largest fish, fishing those "spots" raises the odds..

You need to have a large enough survivor ratio of a year class to support enough "50's" to give you a shot....

you need to fish for large fish... big fish require alot of calories and are lazy, truth is, most anglers dont use large enough bait to put themselves in posistion to tempt a large fish, most, not all, are more concerned about getting "skunked" than truely hunting down a trophy, yes every once in awlie some boob fishing a tiny slice of herring latches on to and lands a monster.... thats fishing, but using outsized baits increase your odds...

And of coarse there's the age old addage of "putting in your time" again, it's all about the odds.....

you must always be ready, that one time you dont re-tie your leader or sharpen that dull hook could be your one shot in life..

lastly, it does require alot of luck, sometimes, it's just not meant to be, I know alot of damn good fisherman that have never, and will never get a "50", it's not because they did anything wrong, it just wasnt in the stars....

[PaulS]

Firstly, I don't think there are any 50s where I fish the majority of the time. That said, with a limited amount of 50s available, I think you have to be lucky to have a 50 in front of you. The skill necessary to catch that 50 includes the ability to catch that fish, having the proper equipment and having your equipment in well mantained conditon, and throwing the proper bait/plug.

[Gunpowder]

Originally Posted by piemma

40 years in the surf. Never caught a 50. Lots of 40s. Never a 50.

My late friend Lanny Gazinni, one of the best commercial rod and reel guys ever. Fish the Back all season for 30 years. Never got a 50.

What the hell is the difference? Getting a 50 is luck more than skill.
No one can honestly tell me that they went out one night with the expressed purpose of catching a 50 and did so.

very good point. i absolutely agree that a 50# is a "lucky" catch. yes you have to have done you hw, but no matter what, your still getting very lucky.

[Nebe]

its only a number. If i catch one great. If i dont, I wont feel like my misison in life has failed.
I do fish with the right gear to handle such a beast though and I do feel like I wouldnt screw it up if i hooked into one..

[zimmy]

I may have lost one... so my excuse is probably that I didn't know how to stop it in time to prevent it from getting where it shouldn'ta gone. So lack of skill or experience I guess with handling that kinda fight. I know of guys who have gotten em or real close and said they didn't have much in em. So who knows, maybe I lost a feisty forty under tough conditions. Maybe some night I'll take a 50 under mellow conditions and just reel her in without much ado. Time on the water, luck, skill its all part of it

[Goose]

Originally Posted by piemma

Getting a 50 is luck more than skill.
No one can honestly tell me that they went out one night with the expressed purpose of catching a 50 and did so.

I respectfully disagree. Most people are content either just getting a bite or just getting decent/quality fish but a lot of them are not willing nor do they have the determination to target big fish consistently. When they realize they just spent X amount on gas & time the 'excusitis' automatically kicks in and they tell themselves ' I should have went to x place at least I would have got a #20 or #30'. I know for a fact that some guys catch a lot more fish then others#50's included but the fish and the fisherman go under the radar. Bigfish...yeah 15 or 20 are recorded but a lot more are caught and them guys are doing something different. I've always believed some people just learn from their mistakes and move on while others don't, not just with fishing but with everything. People are habitual, they pound the same spots over and over while others think outside the box and eventually find what they're looking for.

[eelman]

I dont think you label a guy a great fisherman just because he has a 50 or two under his belt..

Luck however only goes so far, The skill is in placing yourself in the right situations and conditions that give you the opertunity and a better than average chance of your next hookup being the holy grail..

All the luck in the world will not get you a fifty pound fish if you consistantly fish the wrong places or the wrong tides the wrong time..Learning the structure those fish like and learning the bait patterns and food supply in the area puts you in the right places..It doesnt always mean the obvious.....

There are guys who catch a fifty doing the craziest of things...But for the most part the guys who do catch those fish are the ones who are students of striped bass in every single aspect...Its the guys who dont overlook the little things, its the guys who use whatever method gives them a chance and not being thick headed about sticking to one thing...

After all that, the most important thing is putting in your time and hoping for the best...Once you have located a big fish spot, then the size is luck, the difference betwen a 40 and 50 in those situations is luck....but its one of those things....sooner or later it happens and all the hard work pays off.

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by piemma

No one can honestly tell me that they went out one night with the expressed purpose of catching a 50 and did so.

spence did. he didnt tell you about it?

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by Nebe

spence did. he didnt tell you about it?

That was Block Island Jeff, not spence...

I haven't caught one because I don't want to make PIemma or JoeP jealous...

Seriously; I think luck is having that particular fish decide to hit your offering. Skill is finding them, landing them, and having the gear/technique to do so. Luck is just opportunity combined with preparation... but last year several members of the site were consistently into 40+lb fish. was it bad luck that not one fish over 50 out of that school decided not to bite? I would wager there was one out there....

As for me; if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all...

[Saltheart]

There is some combination of things that make the likelyhood of catching big fish go up.

If you fish a snoopy rod at a convenient spot with picnic tables and a refreshment stand and a grassy place for the girlfriend to sun herself , etc , your chance at a 50 is probably a billion to one.

If you are geared out and fish every Friday and listen and put things together , your odss are maybe 10,000 to one.

if you fish every night , have a good network of other fisherman who share info , are equiped to handle Moby #^&#^&#^&#^& , your odds might be 1000 to one.

Now one guy is a million times more likely to get one that another but its still a 1000 to 1 he'll get one. That is luck but its luck after the odds have ben graetly reduced by know how and time on the water. Now a guy who is on the water every day , does actually catch a 1000 fish a year if he wants so maybe he does get a fifty now and then.


the flip side is that i know 3 brothers who went on a chrater. One brother was learning disabled and he had never caught a striper before. That day , They caught 3 fish over 50 , one of which was caught by the guy who never caught one before and it was a high 60's fish and won the governers award in mass that year ofr the biggest fish. Now that is really lucky!!!

[ThrowingTimber]

It's not for lack of trying I'll tell you that, for me personally.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Goose

I respectfully disagree. Most people are content either just getting a bite or just getting decent/quality fish but a lot of them are not willing nor do they have the determination to target big fish consistently. When they realize they just spent X amount on gas & time the 'excusitis' automatically kicks in and they tell themselves ' I should have went to x place at least I would have got a #20 or #30'. I know for a fact that some guys catch a lot more fish then others#50's included but the fish and the fisherman go under the radar. Bigfish...yeah 15 or 20 are recorded but a lot more are caught and them guys are doing something different. I've always believed some people just learn from their mistakes and move on while others don't, not just with fishing but with everything. People are habitual, they pound the same spots over and over while others think outside the box and eventually find what they're looking for.

I think some of what you say is true. In all the time I spent in the surf I never caught a 50 and never was in the company (except for Bill last year in the boats) of someone who landed a 50.
Did I fish the right places? You bet. I fished the Back when it was Striper heaven. I fished the Block in the 80s when big fish were there. I fish Napatree in the 70s and 80s when big fish were there. I never saw a 50 taken. Right places. Right tides. Right conditions. No 50.
I had nights on the Back when we had 10 or 12 high 40s between 3 of us. I fished the Block in the 80s when we had a lot of 40s up to 49. No 50s
It all comes down to luck hooking the fish. Now, it takes skill to land the fish and fight the good fight. But no one can tell me that they caught a 50 because they didn't want to hook the 48 swimming next to it. That's my only point. You don't know which fish will take the bait.

[Flaptail]

Luck, fate and pushing yourself to fish as hard and often as you can all play a part. It's a fornula really.

I detest golf but there is a saying in golf that I totally belive in it goes like this," your only as good as the people you play with" which translates into fishing as seek out the best fishermen, the ones who consistently produce. Choose your method, live bait, plugging, trolling whatever. Seek advice form the ones who highline more often than not and listen to them. If eventually invited to share time on the water with them keep your mouth shut and eyes and ears open. Most importantly don't betray thier trust in you.

Luck. I don't care what they say, no matter how good you are, having the biggest fish in the school take your plug or bait has a bit of luck to it. I had a guy with me by request of his father in 1978 on Nauset Beach. He had never caught a bass befiore in his life. He was a really skilled trout & Salmon angler but as far as saltwater surfcasting and Stripers he had never ever been there done that.

We headed out on to the the and track and just south of Pochet I saw fish in the curl illuminated by the seeting sun behind backs. I stopped the truck, puuled one of my rods out of the front rack and handed it to him while I snapped on a Pink 7 inch Super Windcheater Rebel for him to use as the lure.

On his very first cast he hooked and landed a 53 pound bass. I managed a 38 pound fish. Luck, pure and simple.

My biggest bass weighed in at 49 pounds and 9 oz. I caught the fish the night before at 7 in the evening on a sand eel rig off of a Dennis bay side beach. It was noon the next day when I weighed it at Old Harbor fish in Chatham with several others I was selling. It might have gone fifty but it is what it is when it is weighed.

Some very well known legendary bass anglers never broke fifty though they fished almost daily in season. Fate.

Keep positive thoughts, don't ever go by someone else's report of fishing the day or night before and spend as much time in locations at known times of the year where historically big fish are taken, then grasshoppers, you may find what you seek.

Then again, enjoy every fish you catch, they are all gifts and who knows how long you will have the chance to do so?

[piemma]

Indeed Flap. That's also the point I'm making. I could care less whether I get a 50. I love fishing pure and simple. Bass, be them schoolies or 40s. Blues, whatever. I just thank God that he continues to grant me the ability to fish.

[Nebe]

paul you dont know which fish takes the bait, but you can adapt your techniques to target the bigger fish in the school. You'll catch less, but you will cull out the smaller ones. Im happy with the mediums to larger ones, not the biggest.

[Flaptail]

Also, if your a dope like me and shun bait in any form now to pursue my goals with plugs only, your handicapping yourself. I know it but I accept it as I beleive the personal reward or feeling of accomplishment will be greater when and if it happens on a plug rather than bait.

Now, if only the fish would come back to the beach like they did in the 70' and 90's.

[Nebe]

kill the seals.

[BassDawg]

Lots of good stuff here, gents. And though i've only got a couple of seasons under my belt, i'd like to chime in ~based upon what i've read, heard from seminars, talked to area sharpies about, and what the surf and the species have taught me in such a short time.

I believe that Trophy Hunting consists of three inextricable parts:

Part I:The Physical and Technical/Scientific Aspect of Landing Lahhhhge

Acquiring the skills sets and putting in the time to; learn the right conditions, the COW locations, the proper bait/lure, the habits and strategies of Large, and the ability to put in the time to get to that level of Trophy Hunter is the hardest part of this pursuit and requires the most work. This is the most critical aspect of Big Gurl success and requires the most knowledge and technique, since we all know that they don't get BIG without knowing some things about being hooked and getting themselves unhooked. I have lost 3 definite 50's and at least one 60, from the NShore surf, do to my own googanity. But each time i learned something i'll never repeat and I now know where and when to be where to put myself into the position for consistently LAHHHGE stripers.

Part II: The Mental and Psychological Aspect of Trophy Hunting

Once you've accomplished Part I, it's all about the mind set. Ask any of the area's sharpies or read their works and, to an angler, the response will be "Yes, I was targeting this 50, 60, 70#'er!" The drive to stay focused and driven to hunt Cows, FIRST AND FOREMOST, separates those of us who are out to catch anything from the anglers who land 50's and up often. This mental part of The GAME has everything to do with how you approach your time/window, spot/producer, plug/bait, striper/COW efforts in the surf.

In the infamous words of a Striper Coast legend "Are you content to just "catch" and will stay for 2 hours of schoolies to perhaps thirties or even forties '....until my arms could crank no more and it was a BLAST!!'? Or, do you want a 50lber plus bad enuff that you are willing to walk away from QUANTITY to land QUALITY?" Those aren't my words, but I subscribe to Crazy Al's Trophy Hunting Philosophy when it comes to putting yourself into the position to land lahhhge consistently, and not just once ~which could be counted as LUCK or happenstance!

Part III: The Sixth Sense or Artistic Aspect of the Big Gurl Dynamic

Ahhhh, yes.........................and the mystery ensues. This is my favorite part of the whole and just as important, imho, as the other two is the innate ability to find fish. It is probably my strongest suit and what drives me to the surf with a "perceived" advantage. Please don't misunderstand my point, i don't mean to sound arrogant or self-satisfied, but one thing that i've always been able to do is to ~find the fish, hence the moniker. And i know that i'm not alone! How many of us out there have that buddy that always hooks up? I've met several guys from the other site who share the same blessing.

Bill Nolan recently stated, "I'd rather be lucky than good, everytime I'm on the water."

Now, we all know that he has the skills (Part I), we all know that he targets BIG Stripers (Part II), and we've heard more than one person say that Billy Bunker/#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& has fishing in his blood (Part III). With some surfcasters it is luck, with still another set of them it is part of who they are and what they bring to the water within them combined with "preparation meeting opportunity".

Additionally, there is that sixth sense, or "feel", aspect to our pursuits that is intangible, yet very real for those who are "tapped in". In Pro Sports, they refer to being "in the zone". Why are TFB and RTM so freagin' GOOD? Hard work and preparation, YES! Unbelievably blessed, intangible abilities, that are perfectly suited to the supernatural performance of their position and the ability to draw on those intangibles and employ them at will, ABSOLUTELY!

The hardest part of this sport we love is to incorporate all three aspects into one, and to do so night in and night out. I think that it has far less to do with excuses, cannot be strictly managed by science, and no matter how often i hook a COW i still have to apply the right amounts of all three to take my level of experience to the next level of Sharpie, a consistent Trophy Hunter/Catcher.

Will multiple 50's be landed each year with our species in the midst of a resurgence? YES!!
More importantly, this year WILL be my year.......................will it be YOURS ???

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Also, if your a dope like me and shun bait in any form now to pursue my goals with plugs only, your handicapping yourself. I know it but I accept it as I beleive the personal reward or feeling of accomplishment will be greater when and if it happens on a plug rather than bait.

Now, if only the fish would come back to the beach like they did in the 70' and 90's.

Boy, isn't that the truth. In some ways the early and mid-90s were even better than the 70s. maybe not for size but for quantity of big fish. We had some night at the Second Rip with George Calzone Chucky, Stevie Mills and some of the NY crew where I witnessed hundreds of 25 to 35# fish caught during one tide.