vintage fishing articles and reports

[blitzhunter]

Let's see some, here's one I found. chicago tribune

[VSdreams]

Ice fishing was something I did a lot when I was little. Reminds me of the movie grumpy old men.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EwgvDvtqQs

http://www.taiga.net/reports/traditional_fisheries/Icefishing1.jpg

[Pebbles]

http://www.nelsonborenart.com/nelson-boren_art_out-of-the-office_17x41_print-display.jpg (http://www.nelsonborenart.com/nelson-boren_art_out-of-the-office_17x41_full.jpg)
"Out Of The Office"
Original watercolor 41" by 17"
Available from the Whistle Pik Galleries (http://www.whistlepik.com/)

[nitestrikes]

thanks for sharing

[DarkSkies]

Good thread, people. I'm looking for a few I had of the NJ old timers. Locked away on another computer for now. Will post when I find the file.
I thought it interesting that this was 10 years ago. About the time when some of us started noticing a difference, and more spotty Fall results.


Parts of the report:

Oct 28, 2005
The fall blitz action that we are accustomed to seeing in October has been on hold and something that we are still waiting for to materialize. There have been days here and there when the action has been rewarding, like the middle of last week, but again that was limited to boaters only.

Surf casters have had virtually no fall action that anyone can speak of as being exciting so far. Most surf anglers that I have talked to have not yet caught a bass that has topped the ten pound mark and none have caught a false albacore in the surf this fall. The usual run of these speedsters that takes place along the beach was virtually non-existent this season. Even the run up at the Sandy Hook surf where false albacore will show up more than any other place in Monmouth County was poor.

I did have an opportunity to get out in the boat this past Sunday between the two storms and found a lot of dirty churned up water inshore as expected. But there was also an abundance of bait present. Bob, over at Captain Bill’s Bait and Tackle on the Shark River, reports some bass in the surf from Belmar through Deal, but most fish have been small. Bob also reports that there are plenty of blackfish in the Point Pleasant Canal. Bob was also able to get out this past week and had a 22 pound, 15.8 pound, and 13.1-pound bass.


From the old Ocean Star days by Jim Freda
http://starnewsgroup.com/weekly/2005/10.28.05/pdf/10.28.05.pdf


(http://starnewsgroup.com/weekly/2005/10.28.05/pdf/10.28.05.pdf)

[DarkSkies]

It's interesting to note that during the early 1980's, many started to see a significant downturn in striped bass catches...if you caught a 20lb bass it was a trophy...
Also, the minimum NJ size was 24".....

There are some newer anglers, with the "NJ Bonus Tag Limit" being 24"...who don't remember the over harvesting problems caused back when that limit was only 24"...
So it's probably a good idea to start posting some of these reports to raise awareness.....

The East Coast striped bass Moratorium was put in place in 1984, further reading here
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?5718-Let-s-talk-about-the-Atlantic-Striped-Bass-Moratorium.








Some more I came across:

From the Red Bank Register, 10-1-82
You have Joe LoPresti, owner of Stevens Bait and Tackle in Long Branch, arguing that gillnetters should not be allowed a "bycatch striper quota", which is something that has been asked for every year since....and more frequently now, that some feel the striped bass are fully recovered.
(note that striped bass was selling at $3/lb on the wholesale market back then)

You also have some notable catches....among them...

1. Jerry Reidinger of Brick Twp (RIP Jerry)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?10210-RIP-Jerry
weighed in a 17lb striped bass at Steven's B&T

2. and Ron Moirano a 4lb striper.
3. Mike Shaffery of Edison weighed in a 13 1/2lb bluefish at Julian's Bait and Tackle shop in Atlantic Highlands


http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19828&stc=1http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19829&stc=1http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19830&stc=1

[surfstix1963]

Old school.

[lostatsea]

haha so true! Very cool thanks for sharing.

[buckethead]

Had to shake the old cobwebs from my memory when I saw Henry Schaefer's column again, Dark. Thank you for posting that.
Yes the fishing was much different in the mid 80's. I sometimes went weeks at a time without finding a striper. The targets for us were fluke, blues, and weakfish. To you folks out there, try to put this in perspective. It took about 50 years for all of the abuses to cause the striper population to crash the last time. The rebuild cycle took about 5 years give or take. Then in less than 25 years, we are now again at that same low. Half the time, to do the same amount of damage.

[jigfreak]

Old school.


X2. Great pic too.

[DarkSkies]

The Long Branch Fishing Club...(LBFC)
Formed from an Alliance of fishermen, some of whom met fishing the Long Branch Pier....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?5550-Long-Branch-back-in-time

And LBFC was the club that many of the area's top fishermen joined, before Joe LoPresti put the Stevens Surfsters together.....
(Stevens Surfsters being a hand-picked crew of the best of the area's best Surf fishermen at the time...more about that in later posts......)





Some more I found.......from the Red Bank Register 6-1-83
Some highlights....
"Joseph Melillo of the Long Branch Fishing Club....
is the new President of the JCAA...the other officers are Bill McFadden vice president, Bob Bodra, treasurer, and Lloyd Bloomquist, secretary.
The trustees are Vern Bryan, Hank Wurzburger, Bob Matthews, Arthur Pappas, David Arbeitman, and Jerry Riedenger. There are 28 clubs in the association, representing 9000 fishermen.

Joe LaPresti of Steven's Bait and Tackle Shop in Sea Bright reported a number of big striped bass weighed in last weekend, but it was slow during the week.
Bill McFadden of Ocean Grove got a 35 pounder, Jerry Riedenger of Brick a 22 pounder, Bill McPherson of New Brunswick got 2 weighing 41 and 28 1/2 and Hank Rauer of South Plainfield a 14 pounder.........."







** Food for thought......back then was probably the height/peak of NJ fishermen participation. If you claimed a club or alliance had 9000 members, you could count on many of those 9000 members rallying to action when help was needed. :thumbsup:

[finchaser]

Night captain of the fisherman retires

As with all of us in life, we all reach the point where we have to say "Farewell".
Capt. Dan after 37 seasons has decided to retire.
Capt. Dan for those who know him, was the hardest working Night Striped Bass fishermen on the coast. I've never met a more dedicated person to what he does in my life, I only wish he had started with us sooner.

Dan made his bones early on learning the fishery from Capt. Marty Haines (Sea Pigeon) in Perth Amboy, working deck and all the while taking in all the aspects of becoming a Captain....An Old School guy till the end, Dan still fished numbers, not spots on the plotter. He also learned much about Striper fishing from Capt. Jerry Cerilo who used to run the Freddy C. Taking what he learned and bringing it to another level.
After many years working on the Angler and building his business Dan came to work for me in 2012. Many things have changed since the Glory days of Night Striper fishing when 200 fish a night were common!
Dan's no non-cents approach to the business was a plus and earned him much respect among his peers, including me. An amazing Man to watch in the ship yard as he never took a break....Eating a sandwich with one hand and running a sander with the other!

You will be missed Capt. I wish you all the Happiness in the World where ever your life takes you.....Fair winds and smooth sailing my Friend, it was a pleasure working with you.
Capt. Ron

[DarkSkies]

Dan made his bones early on learning the fishery from Capt. Marty Haines (Sea Pigeon) in Perth Amboy, working deck and all the while taking in all the aspects of becoming a Captain....An Old School guy till the end, Dan still fished numbers, not spots on the plotter. He also learned much about Striper fishing from Capt. Jerry Cerilo who used to run the Freddy C. Taking what he learned and bringing it to another level.
After many years working on the Angler and building his business Dan came to work for me in 2012. Many things have changed since the Glory days of Night Striper fishing when 200 fish a night were common!

Fair winds and smooth sailing my Friend, it was a pleasure working with you.
Capt. Ron
Fisherman

I remember some of those Glory Days....I looked forward to that every Spring and Fall.....night fishing for striped bass.....you had a few boats in the Bay going out for bass every night...when the fishing was good........
There used to be so much interest in bass fishing, and the catching part was so great....the boats were often railed.....if you got stuck in traffic after work and got there late....forget it.....you would be lucky to squeeze on board.

Now, 2015...you're lucky to have 2 party boats fishing the bay for bass at night....my how times have changed.....:(

The mates would save the choicest spots for the regulars....more than once guys would gripe about that...:argue:

but that was how it was....we all accepted it....and dealt with it.........just like when a guy got physically tossed off a jetty.....He did not go and file a police report...or whine on the internet about it.....(there was no internet to whine on...it was all message boards back then)
He dusted himself off.....chalked it up to experience, learned from it...and became a better fisherman...because someone gave him the harshness/roughness he needed at that moment.....kind of a "school of hard knocks" learning experience.....:thumbsup:

Yep...the Glory Days.......since forgotten...but not completely.......:fishing:

[jigfreak]

Bill McPherson of New Brunswick got 2 weighing 41 and 28 1/2 and Hank Rauer of South Plainfield a 14 pounder.........."

Anyone ever see Bill Mcpherson around anymore? Guy was a helluva fisherman.

[jigfreak]

After many years working on the Angler and building his business Dan came to work for me in 2012. Many things have changed since the Glory days of Night Striper fishing when 200 fish a night were common!


How about Jimmy and Whitey Morenz from the Miss Take II? Some good times on that boat as well.

[finchaser]

How about Jimmy and Whitey Morenz from the Miss Take II? Some good times on that boat as well.

We have to know each other.. I was with Whitey on the first ever jigging trip with AVA jigs from long island

[jigfreak]

Was that the 1970s? Maybe before my time. My Dad would take me. He used to wear an Eagles cap and some of the Nj fans gave him grief. What little I remember about whitey was he was an older man who caught a lot of fish. Jimmy ran the boat.

[hookset]

Yeah he talks about catching 200 stripers a night. Sounds like fantasy land, except it used to be true.

[baitstealer]

Very interesting thanks for sharing.

[hookset]

It's interesting to note that during the early 1980's, many started to see a significant downturn in striped bass catches...if you caught a 20lb bass it was a trophy...
Also, the minimum NJ size was 24".....

There are some newer anglers, with the "NJ Bonus Tag Limit" being 24"...who don't remember the over harvesting problems caused back when that limit was only 24"...
So it's probably a good idea to start posting some of these reports to raise awareness.....

The East Coast striped bass Moratorium was put in place in 1984, further reading here
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?5718-Let-s-talk-about-the-Atlantic-Striped-Bass-Moratorium.


Good idea.
Those were definitely different times.

[hookedonbass]

Vintage deep sea
20825

[cowherder]

Check this out from 1968 - old man shoals striper fishing
https://www.si.com/vault/1968/11/18/551626/rough-day-off-old-man-shoals

[williehookem]

Good read. That must have been something, multiple lines fishing for bass with outriggers. And those rough waters with no one else around. Can't even imagine.