The lesson to be learned from this fall is that most fishermen quit way too early. Fish are still being caught in good numbers all over the place here in RI in both the Bay and along the oceanfront. Yet, there are few fishermen out trying. I think it's a traditional and psychological thing....the calendar hits Thanksgiving and everyone packs it in. But, our weather patterns are changing and our warmer weather has greatly affected the striper migrations. The spring starts far earlier and the fall extends far later than in past years. As I write this it is 50 degrees outside and it is well after dark, and water temperatures around the state are in the mid to upper 40's, still warm enough to keep the fish active.
I have been out fishing every day since Thanksgiving. While I can tell you that the vast majority of late season fish that I've been catching are schoolies, some surprise keepers are around. In the last couple of weeks, I did land a few keepers in the 28-33 inch range and I know of other people catching them. It's that time of the year where one cast will yield a 20 inch schoolie and the next cast will get you a keeper. You just never know what's going to happen at this time of year.
The lesson to be learned from this fall is that most fishermen quit way too early. Fish are still being caught in good numbers all over the place here in RI in both the Bay and along the oceanfront. Yet, there are few fishermen out trying. I think it's a traditional and psychological thing....the calendar hits Thanksgiving and everyone packs it in. But, our weather patterns are changing and our warmer weather has greatly affected the striper migrations. The spring starts far earlier and the fall extends far later than in past years. As I write this it is 50 degrees outside and it is well after dark, and water temperatures around the state are in the mid to upper 40's, still warm enough to keep the fish active.
