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Vanished Fish

4K views 45 replies 19 participants last post by  FishHawk 
#1 ·
In order to genenrate some discussion, I will publically expose on the web, my lack of fishing success the last 3 weeks.
It appears from my recent experience and that of 4 others (who for reputation purposes, shall remain nameless :) ) that our friends the stripers have vanished off the flats of Monomoy and SB, as well as locales in Pleasant Bay. 3 weeks ago, I saw 11 fish in 7 hrs (caught one) and since then, have not seen a single fish. Blind casting last week in several former "can't miss" Pleasant Bay hot spots produced nothing but a sore arm.
We always refer to this time of year as "the dog days"....but at least in my experience the previous 6 years....dog days meant....seeing 50 or so stripers on the flats in a day, and being challenged to even obtain a follow.
Last year I fished at least once a week from May thru mid October and only got skunked once....I always saw fish (uninterested as they were at times)...this is totally different...no fish to be seen.
Flats and Pleasant bay appear to be loaded with crabs...haven't seen sandeels in 3 weeks. I have to assume that the bait is far off shore and the fish with them...the question I have is......why is it so extreme this year? Are water temps so much higher this year compared to past years? The closing of the southway explains SB...but not NM or Pleasant Bay (or maybe it does???)
Any thoughts out there?
Ron
 
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#27 ·
Mark points out humbling rec vs commercial numbers.

If you look at the federal studies across states MA has highest mortality overall and the highest figure of all is incidental mortality from rec angling. This is where regulations can make a huge impact and they should be interstate regulations in order to have any measurable effect.

The ratio of shorts to legal fish is many to one, and the ratio of fish killed by bad angling is more than the number of fish retained for consumption.

In other words, the second biggest threat to striped bass is the gut hooking and mishandling of schoolies.

Habitat is always #1 and can render a species extinct. For example imagine an Exxon Valdez-sized oil spill on Chesapeake Bay in early spring... :Eyecrazy:

Forage problems impacts the population, their behavior and average sizes and reduces the population but the numbers from these studies would indicate that the biggest striped bass killer today is bad angling practice!

Think about that. Although I consider flyfishing on a different plane, we have met the enemy and the enemy is us.

If I had the authority I would require circle hooks for bait fishing, and single hooks for all lures like they do for salmon out west. The hooks must comply with certain gap and length regulations. WHY do they do that? Because it means lower mortality for shorts. Plain and simple. And it works.

Yeah everyone pissed and moaned when it first came out but now the shops sell rigs accordingly and people catch just as many fish with one difference - more fish survive the release.

So if we really want to have an impact on striped bass welfare we need to adopt interstate regulations that reduce incidental mortality from recreational anglers.

It's a put up or shut up situation.

.03
 
#28 ·
The recreational angling stats are pretty scary when you think about. In Maine for instance, we have a population of really small schoolies that arrive every spring in late may and early june. Sandworms and chunk bait are good methods to catch, but the likelyhood of a keepable slot fish is very low (20-26in). That is not to say that there are no bigger fish, but all the fish that were 10-16inches last season all showed back up this year w/ shoulders, and were 15-20 this year. Fishing to shorts w/out circles is a recipe for disaster...gut hook city. Why can't we propose Circle hook initiative?
Fly anglers need to be sure to crimp barbs too, or else our poor handling of smaller during hook removal can be almost as bad. I fish lures too, when backcasting room is not available, or, when I just can't fathom putting on my waders...:Eyecrazy: and i would say that the advantage that Fly fishing and Lure fishing has VS Bait, is in fact that we are constantly at attention as to what is at the end of our lines. You feel the bump, and you set the hook.

Be prepared, have plyers, crimp barbs, use circles for bait. You don't lose fish on the fly b/c you don't have a barb, you lose fish b/c the you had poor line management and you lost tension on your fly line..
 
#30 ·
The only thing barbs are good for is a trip to the Emergency Room when your wife won't push the hook through for you and you cannot see the hook.

Don't ask me How I know that :hihi: Since that incident I don't forget to use the the pliers. :D

Barbless fishing makes total sense to me. I too have yet to have a fish get away because the barb was pinched down unless I lost track of the line. And it makes getting those blue fish easier to get off without Bogas
 
#31 ·
Some good points being made.
Regarding hook mortality, I was shocked when I saw the numbers published by the government. According to their numbers, hook mortality is twice that of the harvest for both commercial and recreational. Holy cow! That's is a sobering thought.:mad:
All I can see in my mind's eye is the sight of the endless fleet of boats on Narragansett Bay this spring after the word got out about the big stripers. When you consider that each of those boats could potentially keep two fish per person on board and kill 4 more a piece releasing gut hooked shorts, multiplied by all the other boats up and down the coast, plus Ma and RI commercial rod & reel plus the RI trap nets...WOW! Those are scary numbers. It's kinda hard to believe that kind of pressure is not taking it's toll. Add in a couple of disasterous breeding seasons...:whoa:
So for now all we have is anecdotal data from a few individuals of questionable sanity [refering to myself:tongue: ]. Plenty of others are having a banner season. Is it time to sell the 9 weight? I don't think so. On the other hand, now might not be the best time to quit your day job and buy a boat and become a charter captain. Time will tell.
As for me, I've already self imposed a personal moratorium on [intentionally] killing stripers. I'm also gonna be paying WAY more attention to my hooking, handling and releasing. I do my best to raise up my boys to respect the resource and make conservation second nature. And I ain't never ever gonna show another person one of my secret spots, even if they offer me money.;)
 
#32 ·
Not to brag, but I've never kept a striper, and don't intend to....the fact that I've only caught one keeper size fish does have something to do with it, but the same kind of discussion going on in this thread is the main reason I made the decision some time ago. Another factor being where and when I typically catch stripers doesn't lend itself easily to lugging a 28+ inch fish back to where Keith picks us up. I like the taste of broiled bluefish, so if I'm looking for a fish to eat I'll catch a few blues off a beach near a convenient parking lot (so I can bring a cooler of ice to throw the fish in) or some of the stocked trout in the local ponds...or buy some haddock in the supermarket. I pinch down barbs on any commercial flies I buy, and on any hooks I use to tie my own flies. Those fish that got away were because I forgot to keep the rod tip high and/or allowed slack into the line. Not saying my ways should be imposed on everyone else, but I think we'd have a more enjoyable striper fishery if more people adopted them voluntarily....maybe keep at most one per person per month during the season for the grill, and use other fish/meat (?seal?) for the rest of the BBQ's....
My two drachmas.....
Flydoc
 
#33 ·
Circle Hooks

I tie about 75% of my flies on Circle hooks. I know some feel they miss too many, but I believe I get the same hook-up % or better. Conventional, bend down the barbs and keep tight.
 
#34 ·
Things have been tough this year... Just guided 4 guys from the Fly Casters in Boston a coiuple weeks ago and we were skunked...only saw a few fish and I took them everywhere on the west side of NM...all the channels and two tides. Could not believe it...when back two other times and things were not good...I thought I was now looking in the wrong places on NM...places where usually always produced....anyway...I will be down most of August and I am hopeful we can plan a RIp Trip and to other locations on South M...will talk with Keith soon...John
 
#35 ·
First off, there's been a lot of good points raised.

I've been pinching barbs for years now. It makes a much smaller hole in the fish as well as the fisherman....Most fish can be released without taking them out of the water. Just a quick push backwards on the fly does the trick. Yes, I've lost fish but, maybe I would have lost them with a barbed hook. I don't even think about it .

Maybe if plug fishermen went to single hooks.... not to sound like a flyfishng snob but, do you really need 3 sets of treble hooks? I used to surfcast and many times had multiple hooks end up in the fish.

I think another area where we as fishermen need to improve is in releasing fish. Many times I've seen someone play a fish until it was exhausted, then after it was landed it's just released or tossed back into the water. Why not take a minute or two to revive the fish? The poor handling of releasing fish was made evident on the TV show "On the Water." Last year they did a segment of some "fishermen" casting plugs to schoolies. They were landing the fish on a rocky beach and just tossing the fish back into the rock filled water. Could some of these fish been injured falling on rocks? Probably.

Now, getting back to the elbow.... I understand why SB fishing could slow due to the Southway closing. That's why The last time I went fishing I chose the west side of NM. I figured it was facing open water and wouldn't be affected by the lack of current on the inside. WRONG:mad: There was nothing to see but some crabs. I don't mind not catching fish if I'm seeing them. At least then I know the fish are there and I'll change tactics. BUT when there are no fish to be seen no tactic will work.
 
#36 ·
No air conditioning for the fish. Even with replenishing flows, no passing back and forth from ocean to flat once they make the 18 mile detour around the bend. From what I have seen up to the plover closing the area around the new Nauset break has adopted some serious fish. Spring and fall should be better than ever though.

For summertime relief pray for the growth of the guzzle into a major break. Cooling flows from big tides have kept fish there even in mid-July. Fish acting silly when the cool water comes through if they are anywhere in the vicinity they blast over. There the secrets out.

Anyone have any pull over at Otis? A stray missle would do it. ;)
 
#37 ·
H2O temps a big factor

along with quantity of bait, I've been doing all my fishing in 2 general locations along cape cod bay, 2 creeks and their adjacent beaches ,both areas are loaded with sandeels ,silversides and the occasional visit by tiny pea bunker. The fish have been present on flooding and ebbing tides, fish vary in size from low 20 in. to mid 30 in ,blind casting and sight fishing.:biggrin: Water temps in the bay are very cool for this time of year, I usually wear waders , I haven't been wearing them when sight casting later in the day along the beach there has been acouple of days when I have lost feeling in my ankles from cold water.:Eyecrazy:
 
#38 ·
Well as of today, 7/26, reports off the north tip of North Monomoy and the flats to the west of it, Lots of schools of fish and good numbers of big fish, but, always a but, the schools were coming in all different directions, so it was hard to just set up and be ready to cast to the schools. Everyone got a half dozen to a dozen fish over there today.

best I got for you Paxton, still can't get you back to the good ole' days.

Capt Keith
 
#42 ·
Heh,

Pec54,

You should know better at your age skinny wading in cold water, like I should have know better swimming across the channel at Brewsters to get a more favourable wind on my left shoulder. I can tell you I probably wont be doing that again next year even in my wet suit.
We forgot to hook up and fish together with our long rods in the Canal. Maybe we can do it next June. I have a window of around 14 to 21 days.

Mike
 
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