Why so Poor?

 In years past, that first half of November was peak time along the RI oceanfront for stripers.  This year it has been about as poor as it can be.  I was out yesterday prior to that big storm.  It was ideal conditions in late afternoon and early night.  The wind was moderate, it was rainy and the surf had a lot of clean, white water.  I landed exactly two schoolies while trying multiple spots into the night.  I had two other friends out in different places.  They also landed a few schoolies. For all of us, a disappointing outing.

So, what's the story here, and why is it so poor this November.  Here's a few ideas:

This is one of two schoolies that I 
landed last night. Striper fishing
along the oceanfront has been poor
in November.

1. Water is too warm- Yes, a lot of people think that's the case and the cooler weather will bring improved fishing. But, is the fishing any better north of us? I was at the Cape Cod Canal last week and it was poor the day I was there.

2. No bait- That is also a problem as I have seen very little bait in all my travels in November. Many people say it is in the backwaters and the Bay.

3. Blame it on the YOY- A lot of people in the know are citing the poor young of the year index in the Chesapeake Bay.  This measure of spawning has been poor in the last 4 years, causing far fewer schoolies which we tend to see at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year.  By the way, early spring fishing was also poor.

4. A lot of fish left early this year- True, we had outstanding striper fishing back in September and October.  But, with each storm (and there has been a lot of them), more and more fish and bait left.

For whatever the reason, the fishing is poor right now along the oceanfront, and the calendar keeps ticking away. I know fishing gets inconsistent after Thanksgiving so if it is going to happen, I hope it happens soon.

So Poor for This Time of Year

 We are mired in some of the poorest shore fishing for stripers I have ever seen in November.  This lull along the oceanfront has been going on for close to two weeks now.  There have been very few fish, little bait, no birds working and no fish showing.

Still, there are lots of people out trying and looking.  Today, I fished one of the more popular and productive beaches along the RI  south shore on this beautiful 70 degree day.  Before dark I counted 20 guys out there casting away.  I landed one small bluefish and another guy caught a small bluefish and that was it.  The mass of fishermen remained at and after dark, yet no more fish were caught. The conditions were perfect with a lot of white water and some small bait in front of me, yet not a single striper was caught. Later, on my way northward, I stopped and fished at two more "high percentage spots". Once again, no bait, no fish, no hits.

I have to say that I was quite surprised at the glowing fishing reports that appeared in numerous publications over the weekend. On what planet were they reporting this great striper fishing because I know of no one who fishes who is reporting any great striper fishing in the last ten days along the RI oceanfront.

So, some say the end is near.  I'm not buying it.  I think we are in a protracted lull that hopefully breaks once we get a shot of cooler weather.  I'm thinking the cooler weather will move some bait and stripers along the oceanfront, I plan to keep looking and fishing for stripers up until at least Thanksgiving, beyond if the weather stays warm. 

Lets hope our fishing gets back on track in the coming days because so far, November has been a bust.

Photo of the Day- "The Sunset was Great; The Fishing Not so Great"

 

Daytime Fishing in a Lull; Nighttime Your Best Bet

 

I landed this schoolie last night on
a bone colored Daiwa SP Minnow.
The nighttime action has been far 
better than the daytime action in
the last week.

We've hit a late October lull. All along the oceanfront fishermen are wondering what happened to our outstanding daytime fishing which saw surface blitzes on a daily basis throughout much of October. The last week has been slow. The bait seems to be gone for the most part, and the fish seem to have left also. While I have caught just about no fish in the daytime in the last week, I have been steadily picking up fish after dark so they are still around in good numbers. I've been getting them after dark on Cocahoe minnows and Daiwa SP Minnows.  The bone colored SP Minnow has been my best color.

Don't think for a minute we are nearing the end.  There are still a lot of fish north of us and a lot of fish in 'Gansett Bay.  That is all coming toward the RI oceanfront in November. The consistent fishing should hold up until at least Thanksgiving.

Photo of the Day...."A Rare Bluefish"

 

I landed this blue this evening on a jig
with a pink Fat Cow jig strip attached.
The last time I landed a bluefish was
back in July.  They have just not been around
in any numbers this fall.

Could Our Striper Fishing go from BOOM to BUST?

 These are unprecedented times.  We have some of the best striper fishing ever for large fish (over 28 inches).  I never remember a period in time where it has been better than this. And, with this abundance of large fish, they are being caught and taken out in record numbers by recreational fishermen. 

But, there are problems coming.  The striper population is top heavy.  Nearly all of the fish are over 25 inches. While I've landed (and released) thousands so far this year, I can't tell you the last time I caught a striper under 20 inches.  Maybe back in May.  There are just no small ones around. All you have to do is take a look at that Young of the Year Index from Chesapeake Bay to realize that we have a problem. This barometer of striper spawning shows a dismal year for 2022.  In fact, this is the 4th dismal year in a row. There are few small ones coming along in the population, and that spells trouble for the future.

The situation we see today is similar to the good ole days before the crash in the 1980's that led to the moratorium. But, today's situation is a bit more complicated. There are far more recreational fishermen today than back in the 1980's. The outstanding fishing has brought out masses of new striper fishermen.  Even guys with little or no experience can easily catch slot stripers these days.  Heck, there were so many stripers one week in a spot that I fish that fishermen were snagging them on a daily basis. As the DEM would say, "legal but not ethical". Many recreational fishermen are also keeping as many as they are allowed to keep. Good fishermen have no problem getting a keeper every time out.  I know fishermen who are taking their 7 slots a week (a fish are day times 7).  Yes, legal, but why not let a few go for the sake of the fishery?  So, record numbers of slots are being caught and taken out of the population. How long can this go on?

Add to that, poaching is at epidemic levels here in RI. On just about every outing, I see this devious stuff going on. I've seen fishermen hiding multiple fish in the rocks. Still, others use runners to bring fish back to hide in the trunk of their cars as they continue to catch more. Some boaters will fillet their illegal catch while out on the water. The latest tactic that's come up in the last week is anglers keeper over slot fish. When confronted they will get very defensive, and tell you it's their right to keep whatever they want, and you should mind your own business. DEM has made a few well publicized busts in recent weeks, but they will catch only a small fraction of the law breakers.

So, when you add up the recreational catch and the poaching catch (which I believe is almost as high as the legal catch) you can easily see that we are heading for trouble down the road. The fishery just can not sustain this pressure with no small ones in the pipeline to take the place of the larger fish being taken out of the population in record numbers.

Hot Pink!

 

Here is a good size slot taken last
evening on a large bucktail jig
spiced with a pink Fat Cow jig strip.
Pink has been a hot color for 
stripers this fall.

Most of you know I am high on the color pink. I have been catching loads of stripers this fall on my homemade pink Deceiver flies fished off a float when small bait is around. So, when I saw these Fat Cow jig strips in a pink color, I just had to give it a go. 

In the last few evenings, I have been catching good numbers of stripers up to slot size using these pink jig strips attached to large bucktail jigs. In the past, I always opted for white pork rind or white jig strips, but after my success with these, I am sold on these pink jig strips.  Very effective!