Is this the begining of the end?

[Rockport24]

Clogston's gotta right IMO, the big fish are just off shore or concentrated in certain spots where they are being slaughtered (that is cause for concern, but maybe we shoud check the YOY indices to see how many are really being caught compared to how many should be out there)
there are so many damn factors, it's hard to speculate, but that's what this site is for I guess

Truthfully, I noticed a drop off in the "schooliepalooza" we experience every year up on the North Shore, but I think it had more to do with conditions that were keeping the fish off the feed other than the sheer lack of fish. One night we watched dozens of fish swim by a dock and not eat anything....
I still had some good schoolie days in the spring though compared to years past.

[Clogston29]

Originally Posted by Rockport24

Truthfully, I noticed a drop off in the "schooliepalooza" we experience every year up on the North Shore

I think the rebounding of pogie, mackeral and herring stocks has alot to do with this. The fish are still there, just not at the same place and not acting the same way.

[Rockport24]

yeah Josh and you know the spot I'm talking about too I think, only one good day there this year, granted I didn't get out as much but 1) they seemed to show up a lot later and 2) much pickier, even when they were there

[FishermanTim]

Here's something to ponder.....
What if the drop in smaller bass (schoolies) is the result of the "survival of the fittest" scenario. Since the bunker down south have been harvested for years, depleating the bass' natural food supply, why wouldn't the larger bass resort to cannibalism?
If pike will eat smaller pike, and yellow perch will eat smaller perch (seen 1st hand) why wouldn't stripers eat their own young?
It may be an indirect effect of mankind's interference.

This is only a possible theory....

[plankton]

Definitely plenty of schoolies around on the North Shore, I have seen massive schools of 24" fish with smaller/larger ones in the mix, and while there may be a lot of bait offshore, there is certainly no shortage inshore as well. I think shore catches around here are down due to the huge amount of natural forage available, I've been out in the skiff livelining macs and actually watched my offering been molested to death by hordes of schoolies, without being eaten. Over the past few seasons, I would say that the overall size of the bass around has increased, an estuary spot that was full of 12" - 18" stripers two or three seasons back is now holding more fish in the two-foot range, which was unthinkable there a few years ago. Long story short, I have no idea what's going to happen, but I'm very interested in how the fall run will shape up.