Thursday, March 19, 2020

Wading into the Unknown

In just about three to four weeks, the first migrating stripers will hit the RI oceanfront. We know the fish will be there, but will the fishermen? With social gatherings in RI  limited to 10 people, does anyone think you'll see crowds of fishermen lined shoulder to shoulder in some of our spring striper hotspots like we've seen in previous years? No social distancing practiced in those spots.  I have to wonder how that's going to be controlled. I also have to wonder what will happen to beach parking lots and on street beach parking, access points that lots of fishermen as well as beach goers use to get to the water. I hate to say this, but I'm guessing a lot of those places will be shut down if this current crisis persists.
I'm guessing that many of the experienced guys will hit the "off the beaten path" spots that get little attention and few fishermen. There are loads of these places tucked away along our shoreline, but you have to know how to get into these spots and you have to be able to park. Nighttime fishermen should have easier opportunities to get out and fish while at the same time avoiding any crowds since so few people fish at night anymore.
As for boaters, will those state ramps be open and available? They can get mighty crowded on weekends...certainly more than ten people at times.
We are headed for uncharted waters here in the next few weeks.  After what's happened in the last week or two to society in general, nothing would surprise me.