Winter Fishing....Dead

I've taken my first striper on New Year's Day every year for the last 15 years in the Providence River. Not this year.
As usual, I hit the Providence River last night. I fished perfect conditions. It was a warm day with melting snow, rain was on the way and we had a high tide at dark. Perfect. However, the place had no fish. Right at sunset about a dozen guys had the same thought I did. Get out and get that first striper on New Year's Day. However, no one had a hit and most left disgusted. After dark I saw and talked with 6 other fishermen I knew. Some were throwing plastics; others tossed live eels (a deadly winter bait). The results were the same....not a hit.
For the last week and a half, the Providence River fishing has been in a death spiral with no life at all. I've been blanked 4 times in a row now. According to past logs, this is supposed to be the hottest time of the year. Not this year. In reality, this is just a continuation of the poor fishing we experienced from the summer and fall in Gansett Bay. There are very few holdover fish this year. I'm guessing the rest of the winter will continue to fish poorly.