Mass Striper decline numbers from NOAA

[thefishingfreak]

Originally Posted by Pharmacyguy

Years long declines in catches in multiple states, total catch rates declining every year since 2006. An absence of schoolies in many traditional spots. Stripers are considered littoral fish aka the "rockfish" and for the entire documented history we have of striped bass people caught them standing on the shore. Damn near every guy fishing from shore is saying they aren't catching fish the way they used to just a few years ago but we are supposed to believe that because the boat guys are slaughtering them that we don't have serious problem?!?

Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[CowHunter]

Originally Posted by thefishingfreak

Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Yeah, Prime bass country!!! used to be any way, never will be agian, but they are loade offshore of that, stellwagon, etc with the miles of sand eels...

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

johnny,if you spent any amount of time on the water,you would know it isn't a few isolated schools of fish.personally i would base the health of the fishery on the expierence of guys like Kenny and others that i know who put as much time in as he does.

[afterhours]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

johnny,if you spent any amount of time on the water,you would know it isn't a few isolated schools of fish.personally i would base the health of the fishery on the expierence of guys like Kenny and others that i know who put as much time in as he does.

for every kenny there are 20 joe's with their experiences...

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

johnny,if you spent any amount of time on the water,you would know it isn't a few isolated schools of fish.personally i would base the health of the fishery on the expierence of guys like Kenny and others that i know who put as much time in as he does.

In my crowd, there are a bunch of guys who have been boat fishing the western sound reefs forever. I have only done it for maybe the last 9 years. Typical May from Hempstead to Norwalk, then later Milford, you would get your bunker, head out to the reefs and regularly catch bunches of nice fish. Chumming and chunking, swimming live, whatever. The last several springs, particularly so in the last two, there were dramatically fewer fish and many skunks. Miles of bunker, followed by miles of sand eels. Five years ago, a skunk was almost unheard under those conditions. The fish went out of Raritan and south or out east, and through the sound toward Rhode Island. To think that the poor fishing north and east is because the fish are hanging off Jersey or are offshore is probably wishful thinking. They used to be in all of those places. It isn't the seals in CT, RI, NH, NC, and most of MA.

[CowHunter]

Originally Posted by zimmy

In my crowd, there are a bunch of guys who have been boat fishing the western sound reefs forever. I have only done it for maybe the last 9 years. Typical May from Hempstead to Norwalk, then later Milford, you would get your bunker, head out to the reefs and regularly catch bunches of nice fish. Chumming and chunking, swimming live, whatever. The last several springs, particularly so in the last two, there were dramatically fewer fish and many skunks. Miles of bunker, followed by miles of sand eels. Five years ago, a skunk was almost unheard under those conditions. The fish went out of Raritan and south or out east, and through the sound toward Rhode Island. To think that the poor fishing north and east is because the fish are hanging off Jersey or are offshore is probably wishful thinking. They used to be in all of those places. It isn't the seals in CT, RI, NH, NC, and most of MA.

The western sound is a good indicator, guess good old greg meyerson had no problem just a few miles east, silver eels, on secret patent rigs and multiple 60's, release a few 70's and boated a world record!

[Pharmacyguy]

Originally Posted by zimmy

In my crowd, there are a bunch of guys who have been boat fishing the western sound reefs forever. I have only done it for maybe the last 9 years. Typical May from Hempstead to Norwalk, then later Milford, you would get your bunker, head out to the reefs and regularly catch bunches of nice fish. Chumming and chunking, swimming live, whatever. The last several springs, particularly so in the last two, there were dramatically fewer fish and many skunks. Miles of bunker, followed by miles of sand eels. Five years ago, a skunk was almost unheard under those conditions. The fish went out of Raritan and south or out east, and through the sound toward Rhode Island. To think that the poor fishing north and east is because the fish are hanging off Jersey or are offshore is probably wishful thinking. They used to be in all of those places. It isn't the seals in CT, RI, NH, NC, and most of MA.

I read this several times, big schools of bait this fall with nothing on them. I don't like to use anecdotal evidence but this fall during the derby we witnessed ridiculous amounts of bait on a rocky. "fishy" spot that had nothing on them. I mean bait so thick we turned on our headlamps to see what the noise was and nowhere along that half mile stretch of shore did we witness even some twinks assaulting that bait

[CowHunter]

Originally Posted by Pharmacyguy

I read this several times, big schools of bait this fall with nothing on them. I don't like to use anecdotal evidence but this fall during the derby we witnessed ridiculous amounts of bait on a rocky. "fishy" spot that had nothing on them. I mean bait so thick we turned on our headlamps to see what the noise was and nowhere along that half mile stretch of shore did we witness even some twinks assaulting that bait

Thats the problem..... "You Read" werent you there? wonder how many people who are complaining on here are actually fishing????

[Eric Roach]

Some people do not learn unless it is first-hand.

When anglers in ME and NH started voicing concerns a few years ago, some guys from southern New England and NY called us alarmists. I think many in those states have a different opinion today.

The menatality of some of the anglers in this thread is truly alarming. It seems some don't want to see beyond their own limited experience -- they could be one day tracking and pounding on the last school of bass in the Atlantic and their perception would be all is well, and their primary concern would be promoting their success.

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

if people stopped living in the past and look what is happening now maybe they might catch a few fish.i have been fishing more than 50 years,so i have a little idea of what happened back in the ''day''not always as rosie as some of the old farts make it out to be. zimmy you ever think maybe those fish in the western sound decided to swim the other way around.pretty good fishing on the south shore of LI,though my favorite SS bay didn't load up because the brown tide keep the bunker from coming in,but my freinds with boats had no lack of fish a mile off the beach.

[Chunkah]

It's funny that the two guys in this thread that seem to be bitching and complaining the most (at least on the last few pages) about the proposed bills here in MA aren't even from here!

Why doesn't the NJ guy just keep on killing 3 a day along with his clients and V.T. can go fish a lake.....pathetic.

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

johnny,if you spent any amount of time on the water,you would know it isn't a few isolated schools of fish.personally i would base the health of the fishery on the expierence of guys like Kenny and others that i know who put as much time in as he does.

There are a bunch of guys on this site who went through this when Kenny (Cow Hunter?) (and I for that matter...) were still wetting the bed. A boat and a gps, along with being in the business of having to know where the school is makes Kenny's experiences much less representative of the norm in the fishery. I trust those other guys. I have been expecting it for 8 years or so. The fact that some of these guys are sounding off about it now is very concerning.

[CowHunter]

Alot of guys never stray past their homewaters.... It takes some driving, or some boating to find those single elusive schools on a Daily basis I guess. Yeah theres a problem, I wish they went to a 1 fish limit coast wide, cause to be honest I'm tired of filleteing 2-3 fish a man, to much waste, knife sharpening, to much money on ziplocs, and to much work. Plus those eyes looking back at me get a bit creeeepy.. What was that song," Those eyes "