Grading the 2024 Season

It was a very good year for Slot Stripers.
These were our bright spot.

 It's that time of year.  The season has ended and the teacher in me is about to grade the season.

The catch word for the entire season has been inconsistent. I can't remember a season that has had so many ups and downs. The bait situation was also inconsistent with less peanut bunker than we've seen in past years. The adult bunker were also in short supply and non-existent from late spring till the end of the season. That greatly affected our big fish populations of stripers and blues.

Stripers will be in the crosshairs of management this off season.  While the goal of regulations in the last few years has been rebuilding the stocks, it hasn't worked out that way.  I think we are in one spot just spinning our wheels. This year I landed exactly 851 stripers.  Last year I had 769. So those numbers are pretty close. Back 4 or 5 years ago, I could consistently catch over a thousand fish a year. I suspect there will be big changes to our regulations next year, though I have no idea what those changes will be. Rebuilding of the stocks is just not working.

So, here goes.

It was a poor year for bluefish.
However, there were a few real
monsters around.

Stripers:

Schoolies- This continues to be a problem because of poor spawning. I landed my first one on April 15th this year, right on time. Spring along the oceanfront and in the Bay was disappointing.  In fact, I landed more slots this spring than I did schoolies.  This poor schoolie fishing continued right into the fall. However, a surge of late fall fish brought "good old time" action with schoolies along the Gansett shore where a glut of them took up residence for almost a month. But, overall, the numbers were not good for 2024. Grade for Schoolies- C-

Slot fish- These fish continue to be the bright spot as we saw good numbers of them in the spring and throughout the fall. I landed my first slots along the oceanfront on April 22, early for this size fish. The Bay, either from shore or kayak, proved to be the best spot for me as early season slots were on the tails of migrating menhaden. Summer was inconsistent and generally poor no matter where I fished. I even hit the Canal numerous times and even that was fair at best. Rough and stormy water in RI did produce at times during the summer.  Fall was very good overall and I even found some big blitzes of fish that were all slots and above. Grade for Slots- A

Over slots- I found less big ones around from shore this year than last year.  I sense these are in decline also. I did land a half dozen big fish over 40 inches from shore and kayak.  They were caught at  different times of the year. The lack of adult menhaden in the Bay from mid spring on had a negative effect on our big fish population. It also seemed like boaters had better luck with bigger fish in the deeper water. Grade for Over Slots- B-

It was a banner year for bonito, one of the best
of all time.  There were around in good numbers
for months.  However, there were no albies.

Bluefish- With all the talk about stripers in decline, bluefish are under the radar. This was a very poor year for them here in RI.  I landed exactly 10 of them, mostly big and most came from the Bay early on. Many good fishermen that I know landed less that 5 blues for the year.  Once again, that lack of large bunker really had a negative effect on the fishing for blues. Grade for Bluefish- F

Albies- Forget it. It never happened this year.  I know of exactly 2 that were caught from shore. I never saw them in all the days I fished, even when there was a lot of bait around.  Historically, we have had years with none so it can happen.  These are pelagic fish. Sometimes they come close to shore, sometimes they don't. Grade for Albies- F

Bonito- It was a banner year for these, probably the best year I have ever seen.  From mid August on, these were along many of our deep water drops and jetties.  These were even off the beaches in late fall. I know of some shore fishermen that landed well over a hundred of them this season. On the negative side, they were mostly small, running 2 to 5 lbs. Grade for Bonito- A

One of my biggest fish of the year came in late 
fall. These monsters well over 40 inches were in short
supply for shore fishermen. Though scarce, some real large
ones even up to 50 lbs. were landed this year.

Season Ends with a THUD!

 My season ended today.  I fished long and hard in a number of good late season locations and came up completely empty. In the last  four outings I've landed exactly one small schoolie and one hickory shad. There was a time not too long ago that I would catch good numbers of stripers, even some bluefish, from Thanksgiving to December 1. Not this year.

It should come as no surprise that the season ended in disappointment. Most of the year was filled with on and off disappointment if you are a striper fisherman.  There are just not as many fish (in all categories) as there used to be. We are seeing the decline play out.

But, other things are off too, way off, compared to other years.  I saw no gannets this year anywhere this fall.  That could be due to a lack of big bait late in the season.  There were no ocean herring, no large 5 and 6 inch peanut bunker and no adult menhaden. All that big bait never skirted the RI shore on its way south.  In addition, there were few if any bluefish all fall.  What happened to those? Years ago I used to slam the big  blues down the far south locations from Weekapaug to Watch Hill.  Those days along with the abundant blues seem to be gone also.

Most of the fishermen have hung it up.  On the last two outings I could count the fishermen I've seen on one hand. Most ended the season early this year. So much for the warm fall, warm weather and an extended season. With a big extended winter chill on the way, I'm pretty confident when I say, "It's Over."

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Loyal Readers

As the sun sets on another striper season here in
RI, I want to wish all my loyal readers and their 
families a Happy Thanksgiving.
We live in a beautiful state with some great fishing!

 

Nearing the End

 Last week I hit some great fishing, but the last two outings have been poor.  Things change fast at this time of year, and what was around a week ago is often not around a few days later.  The last two days have produced exactly one schoolie and one hickory shad in a number of places fished.  There are also other signs that the fishing is nearing the end.  Today I saw good amounts of bait, but no stripers on it, a sign that most of the predators have left.  Also, I know that holdovers are entering their winter over places, another sign that the fishing is coming to an end.  Finally, there are fewer and fewer fishermen trying, another ominous sign.

In past years, the fishing has generally ended for me in the last week of November.  Some years, especially in very warm years, I can stretch it out till the first week in December.  If you look at the weather that's coming, it will be frigid around here the first week in December, so that will be out.

Veteran fishermen will tell you that stripers have been caught right into December here in RI  And, I will admit that you might find an occasional small blitz along the south shore in December or a few late migrators, but the consistency is gone. Add to that the fact that there are fewer stripers around these days.

I think we have a few more days, maybe a week left to catch those last few fish, but sadly to say, it's just about over for our migrating stripers.

Albie Snax DELIVERS!

Albie Snax rigged with BKK
Titan Rider hook,

 I busted out of my November doldrums today in a big way.  I had good numbers of stripers along with my biggest fish of the last month.  I just knew this northeaster would produce because this type of weather was so good in the past at this time of year.  My big surprise of this rainy day was a 40+ inch striper.  Add to that a slot, several near slots and some schoolies. Finally, lots of action.

I found the fish but getting them to hit today was a chore. After countless casts with a jig to breaking fish and no hits, I decided to go with a white Albie Snax. Yes, these lures catch more than just albies.  I had used them on and off in the past when dealing with fussy fish.  Mine was rigged with a BKK Titan Rider hook, a set up I have written about on this blog when using plastics like Slug-gos and Finesse Fish.

You work this skinny plastic just like any other weightless plastic. Cast and reel in slowly with twitches of the rod tip to make the lure dance.  Every once in a while, stop. Expect many of your hits to come on the stop.  This bait is a great imitator of large peanut bunker and small mullet.

Here's a slot fish taken today on
the Albie Snax.

Dreadfully Poor for this Time of Year

 The fishing along the RI oceanfront continues to be poor. Those abundant schoolies along with the bait we had earlier in the month have moved on. Now, it's a matter of waiting to see if another bunch of fish moves through.

Yesterday was the first time in a long, long time that I got totally skunked.  Not a fish, not a hit and saw nothing! I fished and looked all over the place.  I hit several spots along the south shore. Saw no birds and no one fishing.  In past years I could walk those beaches and throw a bucktail jig and jig up something along the bottom even though nothing would show. Not this year.  Later I fished the Gansett area after dark.  It was a big zero there also.  Along the way I met a few disgusted fishermen who reported seeing and catching nothing.

Today my son Ben went down to hit south shore areas.  He fished into darkness and landed one small schoolie. He also saw nothing else.

It's November 18th today.  The fishing should be humming along the RI oceanfront. It's not.

Frank Daignault, the Passing of a Legend

 

Here are just a couple of Frank's books.
He was a prolific big striper hunter, writer and
lecturer. He had a profound affect on surf 
fishing for striped bass that carries on to this day.

It is with sadness that I report the passing of Frank Daignault, a legend and pioneer of saltwater surf fishing.  Frank was someone who many consider the “Godfather of Surf Fishing”.  He was a prolific big striper hunter, and he popularized striped bass surf fishing in the hundreds of articles that he wrote for publications like The Fisherman magazine, On the Water and Saltwater Sportsman to name a few. He also authored 6 books on the topic.  In addition, he was a major lecturer and conducted seminars at many of the big fishing shows and many club gatherings.

When I was a young man just getting into writing about fishing for various magazines, Frank was my favorite fishing writer.  The first thing I would do when the Fisherman magazine arrived in the mail was to look at the table of contents and hope I would find a Frank Daignault article. When it came to writing and fishing, he was the guy I looked up to, much like a mentor, more than anyone.  He had a writing style, I’ll call a “New England Salty” style, that was unique, and I could not get enough of it. Much of my fishing in the early days was patterned after what he wrote about. And, his photos were simply the best.  Back then Frank and other writers were taking mostly black and white photos, no easy task.  His many photos were simply stunning as they frequently graced the covers of countless magazines and books. I will never forget that he told me to “take as many photos as you can.  You never have enough!’

It was back in 1981 that I actually met Frank, and from then on we became good friends.  I was trout fishing at the time, and I went after school to a place called Lake Pearl in Wrentham. As I stepped into the water, there, right in front of me was the legend. I was in awe. I introduced myself and Frank mentioned that he had read many of my magazine articles. That started a friendship that lasted decades.  In fact, Frank sponsored me on my application to the New England Outdoor Writers’ Association, an elite organization of outdoor writers and photographers here in NE. Later in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. I was fortunate to share the stage with Frank at many big shows doing seminars on striped bass fishing.

After getting to know Frank through our conversations and fishing together in salt and fresh water, I discovered a man that was so, so passionate about what he was doing. He had a drive about him when it came to any kind of fishing be it stripers, trout, steelhead, etc. that was unparalleled. That compete dedication to the sport came out in his writings and his catches. He often told me about stunning big catches of “cows” as he called them. The specific numbers were out of this world. Frank himself would often admit he was fishing in the heydays of striped bass where monster fish were around the surf in huge numbers if you knew where to look. 

I’m guessing that many of the middle age and older surf fishermen around today got their starts after reading many of Frank’s articles and books. He has had a profound influence on the sport that carries on to this day.

I want to offer my condolences to his wife, Joyce, and to his family. Know that Frank lived a great life, and his legacy lives on in the fishing world.