Lots of Bait; Few Fish

There's bait and lots of birds hitting the water, but no stripers
are under them.

There are strange happenings this November along the south shore oceanfront.  I was out several times this week and found good amounts of bait, especially in the area from Charlestown southward.  I fished multiple spots and saw gannets hitting the water in close and gulls and cormorants going nuts almost in the wash in many places.  In one spot, I stood on a rock with my waders  and watched a continuous line of bait go by me for an hour.  Yet, in all of this I saw no fish.
In other years, lots of bait at this time meant lots of stripers and maybe bluefish.  Not this year.  The shortage of stripers is really showing itself in our late fall fishing. While there are some fish hitting the shore in short bursts, it is not consistent. In one spot where I saw a lot of bait, one guy told me the schoolies made a pass and for about 20 minutes they were there and then gone for the day. I am still hitting a fish here and there at night, but that is no sure bet either.
With the calendar moving into late November, many are abandoning the fishing as evidenced by the lack of fishermen.  Is it coming to an end?  I just don't know.