Why has the fishing from the Cape beaches declined so much?

[Back Beach]

The summer fishing declined before the seals became an issue. What I mean by this is the schools of fish that used to spend the summer in proximity to the shore out there seem to have relocated. From the early 80's through 2000, we had good catchable numbers of fish out there all summer. The summer fish would bunch up and begin to move from mid to late august through mid September. At times the summer fish would be joined by migrating schools. You could tell when the new schools of fish arrived as the sizes and numbers would be different. In 2000 there was a noticeable lack of resident summer fish out there and I subsequently gave up on commercial fishing out there shortly after. We did have some remarkable fall fishing out there up until 2004, but that has since died off too. I would attribute some of this to seals, but if you fished the cape long and hard as I did, its apparent there is something else at work in addition to the seals. With all that said, keep your eye on the place as its gone through slow periods in the past too. It wasn't all glory all the time as some of the "experts" would have you believe.

[Rappin Mikey]

They heard I was coming and got scared.
Fo rizzy, do the math. Find out how many lbs of fish seals eat in a day. Then multiply that by the estimated number of seals. Then multiply that by 120. There is your answer.

[Sea Dangles]

Bruce, just the thought will make you sick again. Why drive past the canal?

[gone fishin]

The seals are folllowing the fish into the canal also. Just a matter of time before they establish a community in Buzzards Bay and Sandwich. Last year they came in with the herring and hung around all season. It was common to compete with them at the west end.

It will never again happen - but!!! Bring back the bounty.

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

Bruce, just the thought will make you sick again. Why drive past the canal?

[eastendlu]

If the seals are there then you can estimate that their is an abundant amount of food to sustain them or else they would move on.I'm no expert but i would venture to guess its a cycle as nature has a way of balancing things out in the end its just how long the cycle will last.

[Bronko]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

The summer fishing declined before the seals became an issue. What I mean by this is the schools of fish that used to spend the summer in proximity to the shore out there seem to have relocated. From the early 80's through 2000, we had good catchable numbers of fish out there all summer. The summer fish would bunch up and begin to move from mid to late august through mid September. At times the summer fish would be joined by migrating schools. You could tell when the new schools of fish arrived as the sizes and numbers would be different. In 2000 there was a noticeable lack of resident summer fish out there and I subsequently gave up on commercial fishing out there shortly after. We did have some remarkable fall fishing out there up until 2004, but that has since died off too. I would attribute some of this to seals, but if you fished the cape long and hard as I did, its apparent there is something else at work in addition to the seals. With all that said, keep your eye on the place as its gone through slow periods in the past too. It wasn't all glory all the time as some of the "experts" would have you believe.

Mike can you expand on that? Do you have any theories as to what else may be at work? Because I am reluctantly falling into the seal "pit of despair" with many others. Although I have gone over other ideas like bait migration patterns, water temp, structure change... I miss the better days.

[numbskull]

Unfortunately, there is another possibility to consider. The genetic trait for bass to feed inshore was punished severely by catch and kill fishing (be it recreational or commercial). The fish that feed offshore have been less pressured and lived to pass on their instincts. I have no proof that is what is happening, but would anyone be surprised if it is? Lu's point about there being enough bait for the seals to thrive on is a strong argument that the absence of bait is not the real issue.

[bart]

thats a great theory Numbskull. something i've been wondering about myself....

[onsetangler]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Unfortunately, there is another possibility to consider. The genetic trait for bass to feed inshore was punished severely by catch and kill fishing (be it recreational or commercial). The fish that feed offshore have been less pressured and lived to pass on their instincts. I have no proof that is what is happening, but would anyone be surprised if it is? Lu's point about there being enough bait for the seals to thrive on is a strong argument that the absence of bait is not the real issue.

That really is a very interesting theory,I have always thought it was all the seals fault, and I still think part of it is, but that is definately something to think about.

[Flaptail]

As backup to what Numbskull put forth as theory, we often have spectacular wire line jigging upon return from chasing bluefin out east of Chatham just before we head for the barn maybe a 1/2 to 3/4's of a mile off of the beach just east of Chatham light.

Also, we have run in to herds of bass and bluefish 35 miles east of the inlet in past years that ate the spreader bars with abandon enough to be a pain in the ass.

There are plenty of bass just off of the beach all along the outer Cape. Plenty of bait too. They just won't come in to the beach. One thing we did notice is that just along shore the water temps were colder than they are just a mile or so east of the beach.

The beach will come back. When is anyones guess. It has never ever been consistent in reality. The 70's, the 90's and a ray of sunshine here and there. To believe that it and has been great year after year after year is naive, you have to beleive and hope that each year will be the one ( and then hope nobody else finds out).

Hardly anyone fishes beyond ten pm until the second rip crew shows at 4am at RP. I still do but I'm a holdout.

Seals do suck but I have seen a herd of 20 seals with an sctively feeding school of bass just inshore of them and they were not chasing the bass. I have lost hooked bass to them but have never seen them take wild fish other than in Scorton Creek in winter.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

The beach will come back. When is anyones guess. It has never ever been consistent in reality. The 70's, the 90's and a ray of sunshine here and there. To believe that it and has been great year after year after year is naive, you have to beleive and hope that each year will be the one

( and then hope nobody else finds out).

.

ya fat chance of that happening with the internet

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Unfortunately, there is another possibility to consider. The genetic trait for bass to feed inshore was punished severely by catch and kill fishing (be it recreational or commercial). The fish that feed offshore have been less pressured and lived to pass on their instincts. I have no proof that is what is happening, but would anyone be surprised if it is? Lu's point about there being enough bait for the seals to thrive on is a strong argument that the absence of bait is not the real issue.

Very possible
much as the seals have gone unchecked since there is no more bounty on them so now they have flourished since they have alot of food available(atleast it used to be till they ate all the flounder,sand dabs,skates,dogfish,bass, and so on) and there is no more bounty on them so they are free to shat all over our once pristine beaches.

Kinda ironic that Boston Harbor has fantastic fishing lately since they use the outflow pipe to take away the effluent and ruin the shoreline waters of the cape with all their polluted water

I think that has something to do with water quality close in at the beaches along with seal poop and one reason why sand eels are scarce from shoreline areas they once were abundant.


Seals
The outflow pipe
Mung
fishing pressure
lack of shoreline bait
fear of predation in close even at night
plenty of eats offshore so why would bass come in close

and the number one reason mentioned has been it's just a cycle
with seals being number 2.


I wish scientists would research this stuff
Don't the polititions know the economy is being effected out there by the overpopulation of seals?

[Slipknot]

I have also seen seals in the daytime eating bass that were not hooked by fishermen.
But most times at the rip it is a hooked bass that is easy prey for the fat seals. I usually got my blues in past them unless it was dark still.

[Clogston29]

were the cape beaches good during other perionds, like some of the 70s, when the fishing around the bunker schools was great? just curious.

also, do you guys think that large sandeel popluations are down in general or have just not been coming inshore as frequently in recent years? It seams like they've been missing or down in other areas too, not just the cape.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Bronko

Mike can you expand on that? Do you have any theories as to what else may be at work? Because I am reluctantly falling into the seal "pit of despair" with many others. Although I have gone over other ideas like bait migration patterns, water temp, structure change... I miss the better days.

Can't add much more than what I've already said. I would continue to keep an eye on things. The fish will show back up at some point. The cape is "yesterday" for me though. The drives are too long to justify and with the fishing what it is there's no incentive for me to return. I went through a new learning curve and had a couple slow years after leaving the cape. I returned to some old haunts, also found some new ones and can tell you there's just as many fish on this side of the bridges as there were on the cape if its fish you're after.
I can guarantee its not water quality, genetics (takes many generations to change this), or jack the ripper. The fish simply aren't using the place right now. It’s happened before.