Is this the begining of the end?

[Flaptail]

Flap is lucky and gratefull the fish came this far this year and last.

And also very very lucky and gratefull to have four very close friends who network, keep thier mouths shut and go where no man goes and take me along with them as I take them with me. They are the best fishermen I ever knew in trems of combination of skill, determination and never quitting. Optimism is a central bonding trait.

One thing noticed also is that people stop fishing in the season too early be it the call afield to hunt or the cold I don't know but they do finish way too early in my opinion. Maybe they are just plain beat from the whole trip and had enough. Thankfully I can never have enough.

[steve]

Thats what keeps me going. If there's one fish left, I'll try to catch 'em

[Clammer]

IMO
the bass have been on a numbers decline since the second they lifted the morot %$%$%$%$;sp'
I know 3 schoolie monsters that choose to target schoolies ;;

ME >>> have had the worse schoolie year since we we forceed to fish large /late 70,s or early 80.s

Denis >.from this site >>>>> had a great spring >>>>> but his schoolies were from 24" tp 40 " >>n ow he,s catching nothing :;

Got Stripers Is still doing his magic jigging >>>>>>>all his fish are 26" to 33"

I never thought I,d be saying or doing this ...but to schoolie fish In Narragansett bay /right now // with plugs, lures, jigs, ;
casting /not deep trolling >>>Is the worse I,ve seen in 2 least 20 years ;;
If someone told me that at this day & time of my life /I,d be flukin & scuppin ;; I would have told them they were f #$%^&*( nuts ;;
But I havn,t seen or caught a 10 - 22 " bass since around the end of May ::

But add this to the riddle >>>>>>> the winter fishing just gets better & better .with more descent fish & numbers >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they leave in April ... I,d bet that many of those are on the end of Steve,s rod & the guys to the north & east of RI ><><><>

[steve]

Right on Clammer. If someone told me that I would be freshwater fishing daily and struggling to catch stripers in june and july when I have gone surf fishing, I would have said they were nuts. Then again, everything changes.

[Pt.JudeJoe]

There were plenty of small ones in Newport tonight. I sent them on their way ...they promised to come back in 15 years.

[NIB]

U can see where there is a pattern to this.From 2003 thru maybe '06, as per flap the cape was dead..Fishing was slow in general.I remember one yr where he had one decent fish he released at RP..Could it be he was fishing within his normal means and did not expand out to new area's like he is now.Fish have fins they swim..There is a new pattern developing for sure with the increase of bunker.Our springs are slow.Fall runs are not what they used to be.Seems the smaller inshore bait patterns that used to bring the bass to our shores are not doing that.There seems to be a bigger offshore migration especially in the fall.My guess there is a abundance of big and small bait off shore to keep these fish at least 80 yds from the beach..I know for a fact in the last few yrs in NJ the amount of sand eels off shore has especially late summer thru fall has been off the charts.No real concentrations of em inshore cept for a small window when the conditions are right.
The mullet run is a 2 week window.Peanuts escape along the beach without any fish on em.It's just circumstance.IMO.
There are more guys out but they don't fish like there lives depended on it.So it is hard to judge.If they are not every cast the crowd dwindles fast..I have had some good periods in my year but the patterns do not hold up for any time like they used to.I still think it is a different fishery.If u want to have a good season U have to work to find em or be there when they show up..
Still I think regulations need a overhaul.If you guys could see what happens here in the late spring you would agree.So many 25-35 lb fish taken.These fish are basically committing suicide.The fisherman do all they can to help em drink the cool aid.They feel justified as they are fishing within the law.So the laws need some tweaking so that we do not ruin a good thing.Maybe like one fish @ 28" and one @ 48" or better if a trophy fish is caught you can keep it.In NJ you can take three fish with the application of a bonus tag.We have no commercial season so we have extra fish to be taken??.At least thats what they tell us.Recs are afraid if we give up the bonus fish it will just go to some other commercial quota.It is not unusual in the late spring to see three close to forty lb fish on any dock per man.. There is basically no respect for these great beasts that do not deserve to be taken by anyone with a boat and a snag hook..If it keeps up we will surely have a serious problem..

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by NIB

U can see where there is a pattern to this.From 2003 thru maybe '06, as per flap the cape was dead..Fishing was slow in general.I remember one yr where he had one decent fish he released at RP..Could it be he was fishing within his normal means and did not expand out to new area's like he is now.Fish have fins they swim..There is a new pattern developing for sure with the increase of bunker.Our springs are slow.Fall runs are not what they used to be.Seems the smaller inshore bait patterns that used to bring the bass to our shores are not doing that.There seems to be a bigger offshore migration especially in the fall.My guess there is a abundance of big and small bait off shore to keep these fish at least 80 yds from the beach..I know for a fact in the last few yrs in NJ the amount of sand eels off shore has especially late summer thru fall has been off the charts.No real concentrations of em inshore cept for a small window when the conditions are right.
The mullet run is a 2 week window.Peanuts escape along the beach without any fish on em.It's just circumstance.IMO.
There are more guys out but they don't fish like there lives depended on it.So it is hard to judge.If they are not every cast the crowd dwindles fast..I have had some good periods in my year but the patterns do not hold up for any time like they used to.I still think it is a different fishery.If u want to have a good season U have to work to find em or be there when they show up..
Still I think regulations need a overhaul.If you guys could see what happens here in the late spring you would agree.So many 25-35 lb fish taken.These fish are basically committing suicide.The fisherman do all they can to help em drink the cool aid.They feel justified as they are fishing within the law.So the laws need some tweaking so that we do not ruin a good thing.Maybe like one fish @ 28" and one @ 48" or better if a trophy fish is caught you can keep it.In NJ you can take three fish with the application of a bonus tag.We have no commercial season so we have extra fish to be taken??.At least thats what they tell us.Recs are afraid if we give up the bonus fish it will just go to some other commercial quota.It is not unusual in the late spring to see three close to forty lb fish on any dock per man.. There is basically no respect for these great beasts that do not deserve to be taken by anyone with a boat and a snag hook..If it keeps up we will surely have a serious problem..

Tony, I have always advocated a slot limit just like you mentioned. I don't like to eat the bigger fish, I don't like to kill them anymore, I killed enough and I can't bring myself to kill a fish to weigh in for a tourney ( this year I didn't even enter the Striper Cup) then be stuck with something I don't want and have to try to unload on sombody else never mind haul it off the beach or in the skiff, keep it cold etc etc.

I lkie to munch on the little ones 16 to 24 inches, the fleah is lighter, less red line, if any, just better tasting.

Give me a slot fish of that size and I will be happy.