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It was one lone schoolie tonight, the only fish in
the last three outings. Winter fishing has been poor so far. |
This is about the worst winter I have ever seen for wintering over stripers in the upper Bay. I have been trying to get out at least several times a week, but bad weather (cold and snow) and icing have really cut into my fishing since the start of the new year. Still, I have gotten out a decent amout of times but have not found many fish. The numbers of fish are way down compared to recent years. As recently as a five or six years ago I could average about ten fish an outing. This year I am lucky to get one fish an outing. I went out tonight and landed a lone 16 inch schoolie. It was my only fish of the last three times. Not good. To add salt to the wound, I was out fishing last Friday in the rain and wind in the daytime and all of a sudden right in front of me a seal that weighed about 200 lbs. breached on the surface. It's never good fishing when seals are around.
So, very poor fishing overall thus far this winter for stripers. It's not completely dead, but pretty close. If I were grading it, I'd give it a "D". I hope it is not a sign of things to come.
