Catch and release thread

[cowherder]

Let's see some pics and videos of C&R fish.:fishing:
This one was 44" in the Del Bay.
chbDaNVysR8

[gjb1969]

i will be doing a lot of c+r this year with fluke i am hopeing for a good time this year with my port a bote

[Simp]

Let's see some pics and videos of C&R fish.:fishing:
This one was 44" in the Del Bay.



Excellent fish! :thumbsup:

[baitstealer]

C&R

rHRgKjrC4vI

[SharkHart]

7601419

[plugginpete]

I found this post by Bassbuddah.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4043&page=2

Here is a guy who put one back, his name is soulstream on NE. I hope it's ok to post here dark. Beautiful fish. Maybe if more guys saw pics of these big girls going back, some of them might get the idea. :clapping:



Late report, but I had to get the pic. sized. Tues. evening I boated a fish I've been waiting a long time for. The big Girl took a bunker in the middle off Rye. A couple quick pics ,measurements, and it was back in the water for her.I want to encourage everyone to release fish over 40 inches as they

have just finished laying about 3 MILLION eggs EACH. I love this sport and hope the great Striper fishing we have experienced for the last 6-7 years never ends. Here are the official measurements...

46 lbs.

49 inch length

29 inch girth

http://www.noreast.com/postedreports/postImages/48877.jpg
She tried to dislodge the hook by scraping her face on the bottom, thus the muddy scars
http://www.noreast.com/images/blank.gif
http://www.noreast.com/postedreports/postImages/48878.jpg
Took 15 mins. to revive her, AWESOME to see her swim away!!

[storminsteve]

7601419

Awesome vid SH, how big was the bass in the first 10 secs?

[SharkHart]

thats a weakie! about 8lbs look for the spots, a few are weaks

[jigfreak]

This bass would have been the new world record. They foul hooked it so it wouldn't qualify under IGFA rules.
:clapping::clapping: for the release.


25lb Large Mouth Bass



http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/images/060320bigbass.jpg (http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/images/060320bigbass.jpg)25 pounds, 1 ounce Largemouth Bass

By Ed Zieralski
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 21, 2006
It should have been the greatest day in the history of bass fishing, and Mac Weakley should have been on top of the bass angling universe for catching a beach ball-sized, 25-pound, 1-ounce bass yesterday at Escondido's Dixon Lake that would be a world record. But Weakley and his crew, longtime buddies Mike “Budda” Winn and Jed Dickerson, knew something was missing from a catch that, if somehow approved by the International Game Fish Association, would shatter the Joe DiMaggio-like “unbreakable” mark of bass fishing, the 22-pound, 4-ounce bass caught by George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932.

“It's a great day, but it's a bad day,” Weakley said at his home in Carlsbad. “It was a valiant effort. We've been trying and trying to catch this fish for years. It's the world-record bass. Unfortunately, it was foul-hooked.”

Weakley's catch faces an uphill battle for world-record consideration because Weakley unintentionally foul-hooked it off a spawning bed, snaring it on its left side and just below the dorsal fin during some wild, sight-fishing action in the wind and rain and early-morning light.
Yesterday, news of the catch quickly spread cross country via the Internet, where anglers discussed the possible world record – a holy grail that has been pursued for decades and a catch that many have said would be worth a fortune in endorsement money, especially in this big-money, big-bass era.

Weakley's monster bass, caught on a Bob Sangster handmade white rattlesnake jig (on 15-pound P-Line monofilament) from Angler's Arsenal, was weighed on a Berkley BogaGrip, a hand-held scale, but no measurements were taken of the biggest bucketmouth landed in the history of black bass fishing.

The Department of Fish and Game regulation on fishing states that for a fish to be legally caught, “the fish voluntarily takes the bait or lure in its mouth.” The IGFA rule only states a catch may be disqualified if the angler “intentionally” foul-hooks a fish. Weakley, who was fishing alongside Dickerson with Winn running the boat, said the fish was not foul-hooked intentionally, and several witnesses agreed.
IGFA officials couldn't be reached for comment.

Dickerson said he recognized the fish as soon as he saw it in their net after Winn missed on the first try, but scooped it on his second. The bass has a black mark on the underside of its right gill plate. Poway's Mike Long caught a 20-pound, 12-ounce bass at Dixon with the same mark in 2001. Dickerson caught a 21-11 with the same mark in 2003, also at Dixon. But Long said he discovered a huge bass with that same marking floating at Dixon and identified it as the same bass he caught through a scale sampling, adding more mystery to this fish.

Dixon supervising ranger Tony Smock said they should call it “Spot,” and Jay Cowan, supervisor at Escondido's Lake Wohlford, said it should be called “Beauty,” as in beauty mark.

Weakley, who runs a banking corporation for casinos with Dickerson and Winn as his main hands, often teams with his buddies on these big-bass hunts. They are not strangers to big bass. Dickerson's 21-11 is the fourth-largest bass ever caught. Weakley's 19-8, also from Dixon in May of 2003, is tied for 13th on the all-time list. Winn landed a 15-pounder earlier this month.

The crew videotaped and photographed the weigh-in before releasing the fish. The short video shows the excitement and fulfillment of these diehard bass fishermen's longtime dream.
“That's the beast right there,” Weakley can be heard saying on the video he shot as Winn lifts the bass out of the water.
The video shows the hand-held scale recording a weight of 24-15, 25-0 and finally 25-1 for the last few seconds.
Dixon Lake dock attendant Chris Bozir, one of three witnesses, watched from the fishing pier.

“They were definitely fishing for it, and it was a hook-set,” Bozir said. “After he landed it, I could see the lure sticking out of the fish's dorsal fin when he got it on the boat. It was a gorgeous fish.”
Weakley can be heard on the video saying, “Hurry up, get it back in the water.” And the world's largest bass ever caught was released.
“We figured that was the right thing to do,” Weakley said. “I didn't want to put it on the dock, measure it and then take a chance it would die.”
Dickerson described how the big bass just rested calmly on a rope tied to the dock after the catch.
“She sat there like she'd done all this before,” Dickerson said. “She was so docile. That fish probably thinks this is all just part of the spawning process.”

Rancho Bernardo youngsters Steve and Dan Barnett also witnessed the catch from shore. Steve, 18, who recently fished in the Junior Bassmaster Classic in Florida, took his brother, Dan, 15, to the lake to try to get a junior world record bass.
Steve Barnett said Weakley missed the fish four times and caught it the fifth time he swung on it.
Said Weakley: “I felt a thump and saw the white of its belly swirl around. I set the hook and knew I had it.”
He just didn't realize where it was hooked until it tumbled into the boat.

[voyager35]

I started doing some searching about the push to catch and release and when it originated.
From what I gather it started in the early 1970's. However, catch and release was more fully practiced in the 1980's.

Do you remember the first time you caught and released a keeper? What brought you to the point where you decided this was something you wanted to do?

[Doublerunner]

Just before sunrise on a fall morning perched on one of my favorite rocks


http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo93/Doublerunner/Fish%202009/Fish%202009/My1stcow-1.jpg

[Doublerunner]

And another. Same place, different night

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo93/Doublerunner/Fish%202009/Fish%202009/StripersonOct17thintheNoreasters-1.jpg

[DarkSkies]

3-25-10

C&R, 29" fish released by OGB to get a lil bigger. :clapping:

10549









**Also, one from the past, Rich Rusznak releases a 50! Caught on a plug in Sandy Hook Bay at night.......

7-8-2008
From today's Newark Star-Ledger, courtesy of Al Ristori:

Rich Rusznak of Mountainside caught the striped bass of a shore fisherman's lifetime at 4 o'clock Sunday morning in Shrewsbury River -- and released it. Rusznak is strictly a release fisherman, and even the temptation of weighing that striped bass, which measured 52 inches to the fork of the tail and was surely more than 50 pounds, wasn't enough to make him kill the magnificent bass that took off with a flip of its tail.

[wish4fish]

3-25-10

C&R, 29" fish released by OGB to get a lil bigger. :clapping:

10549

ogb dude you got that fish on rubber in march, you got some mad skilzs lol.:thumbsup: is ogb like opp?:d

[finchaser]

ogb dude you got that fish on rubber in march, you got some mad skilzs lol.:thumbsup: is ogb like opp?:d

Every year I get fish on artificials mid March. I don't do the bait thing especially clams.

[Monty]

I hate those stinky clams too. Won't touch them. Yuk.

Every year I get fish on artificials mid March. I don't do the bait thing especially clams.

[jigfreak]

Way to set an example guys.:thumbsup:

[plugaholic]

Nice fish Finchaser. I'm all for catch and release.

[DarkSkies]

3-31-10

OGB's 2nd batch of C&R fish. :clapping::clapping:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=6351

(post #3)

[storminsteve]

^^ way to go OGB!:clapping::clapping::clapping:

[DarkSkies]

4-1-10

OGB's 3rd time at bat for the 2010 season.
3rd released keeper. :thumbsup:

10625

[skinner]

Catch & release fishing helps to maintain a healthy striped bass fishery. Most trophy sized striped bass - fish measuring 40 inches or longer - are usually females. Known as cows, these large females lay many times more eggs than their smaller sisters and are essential for maintaining healthy breeding populations of striped bass. Safe catch & release fishing of these large cows will help to ensure future generations of these spectacular fish for years to come.
Difficulty: Easy
Instructions


Step 1


Successful catch & release fishing begins with choices in fishing tackle. Use circle hooks, which are swallowed much less frequently than traditional hooks and save unnecessary internal injury to the fish. Circle hooks are very effective for catching stripers, and setting the hook properly usually results in catching the corner of the bass's mouth.

Step 2
Remove the barbs from the treble hooks of lures and poppers used for catch & release fishing. Treble hooks often cause multiple deep wounds, and imbedded hooks require pliers and extra force to remove. Use a set of pliers to simply flatten the barb, or use a metal file to remove the barb quickly while sharpening the treble hooks. A barb is not necessary to hook and land a high percentage of aggressive striper hits; keep the line taunt and the rod tip high while playing and landing your fish.

Step 3
Landing the fish quickly will help to keep the bass strong for a safe catch & release fishing. Grab the striped bass firmly by the lower jaw, and use your other hand to support the mid section of large fish while lifting and holding the fish out of the water. Do not hold the fish by the gills.

Step 4

Use a hook extractor or pliers to remove imbedded hooks. Grab the hook as close to the point as possible, while gently yet firmly twisting and backing out the hook. Pliers or a hook extractor provides extra leverage without putting unnecessary pressure against the fish. Removing hooks with as little injury as possibls increases the suvival rates in catch & release fishing.
Step 5


Return the striper to the water as quickly as possible, but catch & release fishing of an exhausted and disoriented striped bass before it has time to recover is lethal. Hold the fish in the water by its tail while supporting the midsection, and within a few minutes, a healthy and uninjured fish will begin to regain its strength. Taking the time to allow a tired fish to recover fully before allowing it to swim off on its own will significantly increase its chances to survive and to fight again on another day.

[DarkSkies]

C&R bass, my first of many C&R fish this year, 28".

10840

[speedy]

that was sweet big cow

[DarkSkies]

Speedy ya gotta watch those words sometimes people might start to talk about us... :laugh: :HappyWave:

Did ya go fishin yet today?

[DarkSkies]

2nd C&R keeper of the year, 28".

10841

[cowherder]

This was on Al Ristori's website. Good going guys!

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing/index.ssf/2010/05/rhodes_weighs_releases_425-lb.html
Rhodes weighs & releases 42.5-lb. striper -- Parisi close behind

By Al Ristori (http://connect.nj.com/user/ajristor/index.html)

May 11, 2010, 10:03PM

During a season dominated by stripers in the teens, and when even legitimate 20-pounders can be tough to come by, the hooking of a bass twice that size is quite newsworthy. That's even more the case when the fish is weighed and released after being caught on a home-made spoon.

Capt. Stephen Rhodes III of Staten Island put his dad, Stephen Rhodes II, into the big bass while trolling their 19th Hole on Monday afternoon along with Skip Tellefson. Rhodes, III said they tagged and released over 20 bass, insluding several over 35 pounds. The feature was a bass they kept alive on the boat and weighed in at Michael's Tackle in Great Kills at 42.5 pounds before tagging and releasing the ready-to-spawn cow.

Bryan Yenish said he put Mike Parisi of Staten Island into a similar striper while chunking bunker off Great Kills. Though only 44 inches long, the pre-spawning bass was so loaded with roe that it pushed a Boga Grip past the 40-pound mark before being released to spawn and fight another day.

[surfstix1963]

Nice work guys especially the C&R part.:thumbsup:More people should learn that type of fishing and contribute to building a larger breeding stock so their are more fish for their kids to enjoy theres no need to keep every one of them if you eat fish take one for the table let the rest go every time they breed it contributes to a better fishery.

[bababooey]

:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: is all I can say, The guy is a better man than me. Great catch and release!:cool::fishing:


Brach releases 50-pounder from Sheri Berri
By Al Ristori (http://connect.nj.com/user/ajristor/index.html)
May 17, 2010, 7:27PM

Rick Brach of Bridgewater had caught only one tiny striper on a killie while fluking before he joined me this morning on Sheri Berri from Baker's Marina on the Bay in Highlands. Not only did he quickly beat that fish with a 20-pounder, but he ended up releasing a bass that's the dream of every dedicated striper fisherman. Brach's father, **** of Warren, was also reeling in a bass on the other bunker spoon rod when I told Rick to reel slowly until my mate, Capt. Hans Kaspersetz, could release the other fish. After that was done, Kaspersetz looked at Rick's fish just astern and said it was big. I expected to see perhaps a 30-pounder, but when Kaspersetz eased her over the side of the Regulator 26 it proved to be much larger than merely big.

After keeping the first bass boated for dinner, these catch-and-release anglers were releasing all others -- and this was no exception. Though only 47 inches to the fork of the tail (the length measurement needed for using the formula to determine weight), that bass apparently hadn't spawned and had a 30-inch girth. Using the formula (length times girth squared, divided by 800) the weight came to 52.875 pounds -- and she's still swimming out there. I've heard of only two other "fifties" taken in the area so far, and most striper anglers never catch one in a lifetime.

[bababooey]

Sea Hunter jigs big bass

By Al Ristori (http://connect.nj.com/user/ajristor/index.html)

May 19, 2010, 7:58PM

Capt. Rob Semkewyc says striper jigging has been sporadic lately on his Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands, but he got into big bass today as stripers of 37, 30, 28, and 26 pounds were boated.
Art Berkman of Pompton Plains celebrated his birthday by joining Capt. Jou Grazioso on his Striper Mania from Keyport to release a striper.

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing/index.ssf/2010/05/sea_hunter_jigs_big_bass.html

[DarkSkies]

5-21-10


Did the boat thing 6-11AM landed some really nice bunker in the 1 pound range. Also went 4 for 6 on the bass 27#,31#,37# and 39#all were released to fight another day.
My friend had 5 to 41# he kept a 22# for his mother
Spotter plane and bunker boat arrived and took tons of bunker action came to a halt.

Black mat in bottom 2 pictures is 38 inches these are the 3 over 30#



Black mat in bottom 2 pictures is 38 inches these are the 3 over 30#
Attached Thumbnailshttp://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11138&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1274471757 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11138&d=1274471757) http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11139&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1274471772 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11139&d=1274471772)

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11140&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1274471784 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11140&d=1274471784)


Proud of ya Fin!! :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

5-20-10

11144


my 1st one this year and the biggest ever thank god i had a 8ft. stick in my car i was out to pick up milk for my 2yr old and i stopped by the beach talking to the guys then one guy said ITS ON i said ooo sh-t i was the 10th guy to hookup on a plug that i made:wow::wow::wow::wow::wow::wow: if my fish looked 30lb the others where bigger than mine. and yes i set her free some may ask why i let her go i dont eat fish now if i had gotten one of the bigger ones you ben your crum buns she is going home with me

Not many people would release their biggest fish ever, Speedy. That's a tough call to make, and it could go either way.
Congrats on the catch and your choice, bro. :clapping: :clapping:
I'm proud of ya! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[finchaser]

:clapping::clapping:Way to go Speedy:clapping::thumbsup:

[rip316]

Fin, If Dark would have put us on some fish this morning he said we would have to do c&r in your honor. I would have done it but, we didn,t catch any bass. Had a great time doing the death walk though. Thanks Dark

[speedy]

hey rip what kind of reel do ya have

[speedy]

it was like boot camp hey rip was the walk that bad

[speedy]

fin great fish i wish that the nets would get rapped a round the bunker boats prop oopps

[rip316]

okuma epixor ef 55a. I only have low end equipment.

[rip316]

I do not think the walk was that bad. I went right from work at 1230am. if I had any sleep before leaving it would not have been that bad at all.

[speedy]

okuma epixor ef 55a. I only have low end equipment.
thats not low end my thinking is if it works for you so be it i have all okuma reels and rods tica too and penn:thumbsup::HappyWave::HappyWave: p.s. what color do you like ????

[rip316]

What color for what?

[speedy]

ok i felt like making you a plug

[rip316]

ok than. I like your basics. red and white for the early morning. yellow. pink, or chartreuse for the day time, or black or blurple for the night. I recently got off the phone with Dark a little while ago so I guess i know why you want to make me a plug. All good bro, let me know if you ever need a fishing partner.

[speedy]

oooo ya do doya lol the banana plug didnot work so i think i will make ya some thing you will have better luck with lol

[lostatsea]

Great catch!


Hooking a '50' is striper heaven

By Al Ristori (http://connect.nj.com/user/ajristor/index.html)

May 20, 2010, 9:46PM

Rick Brach of Bridgewater reached the summit of striper fishing when he caught a bass over the coveted 50-pound mark while out with me on Monday.

After taking a few photos and measurements, we promptly released what would be the fish of a lifetime for almost any striper angler.

Brach, whose only prior striper was a tiny bass that hit a killie while he was fluking, made his first striper trip with his father, ****, aboard the Sheri Berri from Baker’s Marina on the Bay in Highlands.

We ran down the beach to troll bass where I’d done very well the previous two days. After reading fish marks on the fishfinder, mate Hans Kaspersetz of Weehawken deployed the trolling spread before spotting bass rolling on the surface ahead of us.

Trolling into them produced a hookup on a bunker spoon and I hooked another reeling in the Mann’s 30 stretch plug.

The trip was already a success as Rick had his first real striper, about a 20-pounder, as did his father. These catch-and-release anglers kept only one bass and wanted to release any others.

Rick Brach took my light, one-handed spinning rod that had a Tsunami shad on it and jigged another bass as we were getting set up again. Bass from the mid-teens to more than 20 pounds were trolled steadily with only slight interference from bluefish.

At one point, both bunker rods were hooked up, and the senior Brach got his in first for release. Kaspersetz then grabbed the green Julian’s Montauk spoon and had a hard time lifting Rick’s striper over the side of the 26-foot Regulator. Though only 47 inches to the fork of the tail, where the length must be measured when using the formula to determine weight, she was obviously full of roe as the girth was 30 inches.

After reviving and releasing the trophy bass, the formula (length times girth squared, divided by 800) provided a weight of 52.875 pounds.

The only other 50-pounder reported to this column was Phil LaGrossa’s 57-pounder, caught by casting a swimming plug from a boat and weighed at Betty and Nick’s in Seaside Park.

Most striper fanatics spend many years trying to catch a “50,” but never do so. Over many decades of pursuing them, I’ve caught 13 linesiders from 50 to 61 pounds, but those all came from Cape Cod and Montauk before the stocks were depleted and management was imposed to restore the fishery.

This was the first time I was able to put a client into a “50.” The trolling bite continued, but the anglers were worn out and refused to pick up another hooked-up rod, so we left them biting at 9 a.m.

[lostatsea]

Late report last night I fished a moco beach with bunker and got one bass 40" on a bunker head, she is still swimming,

[DarkSkies]

Got some bass late PM yesterday, released a keeper, around 13, 31", pics to follow.


11215

A little hard to see here, he was eager to go home, and I was a little late snapping the pic. Camera strap also got inthe way in my haste to snap and release. Oh, well.

11216

[speedy]

Darkskies ............w t g .........b r o........... HEY DID YOU GET THE PIC ON YOUR PHONE???

[bababooey]

May 26, 2010, 8:32PM

Capt. Sal Cursi of Cathy Sea from Sewaren certainly found that this morning as he limited out with smaller eating-size bass while Conrail engineer Tom Stanczyk released a 48 1/2-pounder. A 42-pound striper was also released.
Tom Fote of Toms River led a party aboard Capt. Lou Grazioso's Striper Mania from Highlands for a limit catch while Nick DiNucci of Denville released a 38-pounder

[DarkSkies]

Got some bass with Finchaser last night, about 14, 32".

11217

[finchaser]

Got some bass with Finchaser last night, about 14, 32".

11217

I still recognize that spot even though it's been doctored with photo software:beatin:

[DarkSkies]

^ Hey, I tried my best, Mr Grouchy. :moon: :HappyWave:

[speedy]

hey bro some of the things you and fin go a each other it is so funny i have to get off the computer because my side hurts from cracking up.

[DarkSkies]

Believe me Bro, he's holding back big time with his commentary on this site. If you ever get the chance to fish together you'll see. He's got running commentary on every type of person out there. From dillydocks to pros to half-naked floozies running drunk through the streets, he's got some stories. He could do stand up comedy for a living if he ever lost his job.

(And in the course of fishin with him I always manage to do something stupid. :bucktooth: I try to keep it to one dumb thing every night, or every other night, and I haven't hooked a tree in awhile. :embarassed: :laugh:)

If ya got a thin skin or can't take a good natured joke, he's not the guy ya wanna fish with. Someday I'm gonna put together a collection of these stories and pranks, from taping a guy's doors shut when he's sleeping in his truck after a night of fishin, to putting a blow up doll in a guy's car and telling his wife to ride by a certain street to look for him. Bad bad stories, but all funny as hell. :ROFLMAO


He lets it all fly when he wants to say something. It's all good, all real, no phony BS...

just fishin, sarcastic jabs, and more fishin. :thumbsup:

[plugaholic]

way to go on the releases guys. Looks like you are getting some nice fish there.:clapping:

[speedy]

Believe me Bro, he's holding back big time with his commentary on this site. If you ever get the chance to fish together you'll see. He's got running commentary on every type of person out there. From dillydocks to pros to half-naked floozies running drunk through the streets, he's got some stories. He could do stand up comedy for a living if he ever lost his job.

(And in the course of fishin with him I always manage to do something stupid. :bucktooth: I try to keep it to one dumb thing every night, or every other night, and I haven't hooked a tree in awhile. :embarassed: :laugh:)

If ya got a thin skin or can't take a good natured joke, he's not the guy ya wanna fish with. Someday I'm gonna put together a collection of these stories and pranks, from taping a guy's doors shut when he's sleeping in his truck after a night of fishin, to putting a blow up doll in a guy's car and telling his wife to ride by a certain street to look for him. Bad bad stories, but all funny as hell. :ROFLMAO


He lets it all fly when he wants to say something. It's all good, all real, no phony BS...

just fishin, sarcastic jabs, and more fishin. :thumbsup:
we will get to meet if every one give some input on the fishing trip or BBQ:moon::moon::moon::moon::moon::plastered::plast ered::plastered::plastered:

[voyager35]

I just remembered this thread. I don't always put my bass back but we did the other day. We released bass of 27 and 31 lbs. Good mojo to all of you on trying to promote this concept in a non-nagging manner.



We launched yesterday for a 2-10pm trip out of point pleasant. We found bunker shortly after getting out there, and managed bass of 20, 27, and 31lbs. Kept the 20 as it was bleeding heavily. The action was short lived and we didn't have much success after that.

[storminsteve]

6-6 caught and released 2 keepers. good thread guys.
It only lasted an hour, managed 2 bass to 28lbs, released. The crowding wasn't that bad where I was fishing, and the fish had the bunker corraled, it was great.

[VSdreams]

Just read this, wow. wtg, I don't know if I could do that.:thumbsup:



Decided to get the monkey off my back today after going 0/2 with the bass and bunker outside the inlet this week so last night I decided I wasnt going to go to work today that I would play hooky and give it one more try to cash in on this run, so after leaving a little late this morning I headed out of my canal towards the channel when some splashing caught my eye at the end of the bulkhead , as I got closer I noticed what appeared to be a Brant that was caught up in some mono that was tangled on the wood, so after going back and forth in my head whether or not I was going to stop to release this bird from its mono death grip I pulled along side of the bulkhead and assessed the situation,after taking off my boots and socks I rolled up my pants and jumped in the water and went after the bird by then it was almost dead and was barely able to keep it's head out of the water, seeing that he just had the mono around its neck i cut it with a knife and the bird slowly swam away , satisfied with the good deed I was hoping to be rewarded for my act of kindness,

as I headed towards the inlet I ran over some rope from a crab trap that fowled my prop and spent another few minutes taking care of that problem,by now the sun was already up and i broke the inlet not wanting a repeat of yesterday with the madhouse of boats that were fishing west I veered east and made my way down the beach, started cruising in about 30 feet of water when all of sudden the depth recorder shot up to 15 feet as i looked at the sonar it appeared to be huge schools of bunker down deep so I broke out the weighted treble and was able to snag a couple of fish, after putting a few in the well i hooked one up with a egg sinker rig and a 8/0 circle hook and sent him on his way,

within a couple of minutes the line began to peel from the reel so I gave the fish enough time to chew and set the hook, at first I didnt think I had a bass because this fish ran and did not stop even after applying pressure to the spool with my thumb I noticed that I was almost down to my backing and started to sweat, finally after a short but hard battle the fish came to the top and i reeled it to the boat without much struggle and slip her right into the net, after bottoming out a thirty pound boga i got the 100 pound berkley digital one and it read 48.6 lbs, I did it twice to make sure,so after a couple of quick pictures I put the fish back on the boga again and placed her back into the water to revive her after, a few minutes of running water thru the gills the fish started to swim upright and I watched as all the fins started to move and her tail was gently thrusting side by side a few tugs on the grip and I knew she was ready to go so I released the grip and watched as she slowey moved off swimming down deep, dropped a few more fish after that but was satisfied with that one fish, strong south winds made it even more uncomfortable with a 2-3 foot chop so I called it a day and headed back to the barn.

http://www.noreast.com/postedreports/postImages/69018.jpg
bass and boot
http://www.noreast.com/images/blank.gif
http://www.noreast.com/postedreports/postImages/69019.jpg
48.6 ....P.B
http://www.noreast.com/images/blank.gif
http://www.noreast.com/postedreports/postImages/69021.jpg

[cowherder]

^^^^Great job!:clapping::clapping::clapping::plastered:

[storminsteve]

This was from Ristori's blog today
Great story!:clapping::clapping:



Tom Morford Jr., of Northern Marine Electronics in Red Bank, caught the largest striped bass of his life Saturday evening while fishing at the mouth of Raritan Bay with me and Capt. Hans Kaspersetz aboard Sheri Berri from Baker’s Marina on the Bay in Highlands. I’d been enjoying a good bite of stripers up to 35 pounds on live bunkers, but Morford was having no luck until the big fish crashed his bunker at the surface as he was retrieving it. After a long run, the 48-incher was weighed at 44 pounds on the Boga Grip before a few photos as Morford released his trophy to spawn again. Kaspersetz, who had also been shut out, put his rod in a holder to take photos, and returned to the “dead stick” to find a 32-pounder fighting the circle hook.

[Surfcast23]

I am really happy to see the guyson this site releasing the big girls!

[DarkSkies]

C&R this one this morning, about 30" and 10#.


12016

[DarkSkies]

Last night, about 28".

12051

[DarkSkies]

Released 2 nice fish last night.

37", about 18+ #. :dribble:

12234

12235



29", maybe 9#.

12236

12237

[storminsteve]

That is a fat fish!:drool:
I don't know if I would be able to release that, way to go and congrats!:clapping::clapping::clapping:

[cowherder]

:thumbsup: Beautiful catch and release, nice going dark!

[Monty]

Dark, nice fish!!, great C and R :thumbsup:

[finchaser]

:clapping::clapping::plastered:

[DarkSkies]

G and JoizyBass each released a keeper last night. :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:
From the NJ October reports:







"Fished for the last hour of the flood, slack, and 4 hours into the ebb. Right as the ebb started was the best activity of the night. G nailed a 30" bass on rubber, and helped another guy near us land a fat 35" bass, also on rubber, that prob was 18+ lbs. These are fat fish :dribble: that have been passing through in the ocean lately, at the upper end of the size chart, with big bellies. My 37" fish the other night could have been 20lbs with the big belly it had, but I would rather underestimate the size if I'm not weighing it. It's C&R fishing anyway.

A friend and fellow site member JoizyBass came out, and for his first surf outing nailed a 29" bass on rubber. JoizyBass also nailed a 2# hickory shad on a bomber before we ran into him. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

G tossed his bass back because we were anticipating larger fish, but that never materialized. :(
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JoizyBass tossed his back because it only had one eye and he didn't feel like taking advantage of the handicapped." ;) :thumbsup:

12253

[bababooey]

Thanks guys I'll be catching those fish for the grill tomorrow.:kooky:
No, congrats, seriously.:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Caught a 31" bass this morning, released.

12257

[rip316]

I caught a 31" bass today and the wife and kids loved it. Like I said I will keep one every now and again and will be letting some go as well.

[storminsteve]

:clapping:Way to go fellas, nice effort.

[nitestrikes]

SS this morning, 4 bass to 30", pork and buck. (Released all, but only 2 were over 28")

[hookset]

Fished a moco beach, last of the outgoing, got a 32" bass right before the sun came up, released, gibbs popper.

[jigfreak]

Somewhere in the OC surf, I landed a bass last night went 23.5 on the boga, on a ML swimmer, at 3am, incoming tide, released.

[cowherder]

Wow guys nice catches and releases!

[DarkSkies]

I see we have some more participation here. WTG, people. :thumbsup:

3 of my fish this morning were 28 to 31", all released.

[storminsteve]

I fished MoCo last night, 5 bass, biggest was 34", all still swimming.

[cowherder]

Just got in. 13 bass to 17lbs, all released, 3 over 15lbs, what a night of fishing!

[storminsteve]

Some nice fish in the surf last night, got 5 to on a blurple magnum bomber, 3 on sluggos, 15lbs biggest and most were keeper sized. All still swimming . Nasty out there, but it was fish on, and lost quite a few as well.

[DarkSkies]

^^ WTG guys, last night when I visited you would never have known those fish were there. Didn't see or hear of any big fish landed last night. What a difference a night makes. :d Nice job on the releases.


Got 3 bass last night, only 1 28", others smaller. Quick release on the rocks.

[DarkSkies]

Released 5 keeper size bass last night, action was great. :dribble:

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Report:
Final tally, 15 bass, no fluke or shad. :lookhappy:
5 of the bass went from 12 to 20#, the rest were smaller.

[jonthepain]

keep it up!

[DarkSkies]

2 day report,
released 9 keeper bass to low teens, plus a few smaller ones. :fishing:

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[storminsteve]

I was bored and trolling videos on youtube. In this one he releases a big bass. Maybe 25lbs or better. Man I can't wait to start fishing again. Nice fish, Wayne! :clapping::clapping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMUowLOhoVg&NR=1

[storminsteve]

Fished rb last night. got 3 fish to 30", all released. Only one was a keeper though.

[lostatsea]

good job on the release.

[storminsteve]

I got one nice bass last night on clams. 35", released.

[crosseyedbass]

:clapping::clapping::clapping:Nice Steve! I'm jealous, can't wait to fish the salt. LI bays and surf open April 15, save some fish for us!

[clamchucker]

Well done, storminsteve.

[DarkSkies]

Outstanding job, Steve. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[skinner]

Way to go storminsteve. I don't know if I would release a 35" bass after hanging out for it in the dark. You are a better man than I.

[storminsteve]

Thanks skinner. I love to eat bass, but figured since it was my first big fish this spring, and that a fish that size had to be female, it would be good karma to release this one to breed first. Maybe lady luck will smile down on me for a bigger bass after they have spawned.:cool:

[DarkSkies]

Fished the bay 4-7:30am today, a few bass to 31", and 2 bluefish, light bucktails and small swimmers. 2 of the fish were keepers, all released.

[cowherder]

Congrats fellas, still looking to get into some big fish this year. These water temperatures in the bay shot up, and the ocean is perfect! This should be a good week to fish!

[DarkSkies]

^^ It is, Cowherder. Anytime it's overcast and foggy like it was last night, fish all night if you can. You don't get conditions like that very often.

****************
Report: nailed 2 low-teen bass after the bunker had been there thick last night. Released. The other 6 were shorts.

[storminsteve]

Nice going ds, I released my 2 biggest bass last night (35" and 33"), and kept the last one, a 28" good eating size.

[DarkSkies]

Only one keeper sized bass last night, released, rest were short.

[DarkSkies]

One 32" bass last night, released.

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[seamonkey]

Keep up the good work men!

[cowherder]

Released a 35" 16lb bass today, she was probably a female. Felt good!

[cowherder]

Clam blitz today. I got 5 bass on the incoming tide to 31", all between 28-31". I kept the first one and threw the others back. I would have never guess they would be so active on clams!

[DarkSkies]

Cowherder, thanks for the report and wtg on releasing the bigger bass. One of the Old Farts Fishing Club and I were talking today. Not to diminish the action you had, I'm happy for ya! :HappyWave:

But we were talking about how it was just 5 or 8 short years ago...the Spring blitzes would last all day. If you were into one, and it died, you would just drive up or down the NJ coast for a few miles and find another area where bait was being pushed tight to the beach, and jump back in. I'm not talking about the isolated bunker blitzes that pop up May-June. What I'm talking about happened because there were many varieties of bait in the surf, and the blues, bass, weakfish, etc, just followed it along and gorged themselves.

Those were the days,,,and they were only a very short time ago.. I don't want people to forget how recently we had fishing like that. :fishing:

I and some others believe it's been impacted by the "kill all, fill the cooler with 3 keepers" bass fishing mentality that some have. As stated over and over in this thread, there is nothing wrong with killing end eating fish. The law allows it,, and by the way...fresh striped bass is a delicious tasting fish. :thumbsup: :drool:

However, the biomass numbers are down, enough so that the ASMFC has decided that in the very near future it will reduce our catch limits.

The guys who are catch and releasing are ahead of the curve on this. Many of them know what the future holds if we don't read the handwriting on the wall....

So thanks to all who decided to participate in tbis thread as an example of sportsmanship to others.:clapping: :thumbsup:
And thanks to you, Cowherder, for starting this thread.
:HappyWave:




*****
Last night, 2 bass, 32 and 36", 12 and 15#, released.

[DarkSkies]

Last night.... Managed 6 bass to 35". All bass were 28" and up. All still swimming.
Also 9 small blues. Had action with at least twice that many.

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[storminsteve]

Nice! I got 3 keepers last night on bunker heads. Released 2. Bigger bass are around, guys!

[clamchucker]

Very good effort, gentlemen. There are some pods of bass coming north. I caught and released 4 this morning in the park to 34". Clams.

[seamonkey]

I got 2 stripers today, 29" and 35". Released the bigger one.

[BassBuddah]

Got a 14# bass this morning on a darter, still swimming.

[Monty]

Got a 14# bass this morning on a darter, still swimming.

:thumbsup: Nice, I have no confidence in darters, rarely fish them.

[DarkSkies]

Released a decent fish last night, dropped another one about an hour after that:

13511



"Finally connected with a decent bass on a small mid-level swimmer. Brought her in, she was around 40", 22#, nice fight, pulled some drag. :D She was a beautiful migratory fish, fresh from the deep. I took a quick pic and had to get close to the water to release her, so I got a little wet. "

[Monty]

"Finally connected with a decent bass on a small mid-level swimmer. Brought her in, she was around 40", 22#, nice fight, pulled some drag. :D She was a beautiful migratory fish, fresh from the deep. I took a quick pic and had to get close to the water to release her, so I got a little wet. "

Real nice Dark, congrats on the fish and release. Great feeling getting wet when releasing a fish.

[DarkSkies]

Yes it is Monty, great feeling.... :fishing: :HappyWave:

[porgy75]

Awesome catches and releases, guys!:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

[baitstealer]

Good job!

[BassBuddah]

:thumbsup: Nice, I have no confidence in darters, rarely fish them.

Monty, the great thing about a darter is that it is one of the best presentations for rough water, when the only other things that might work are heavy bucktails or tins. It gives you another option in your arsenal.

I like to fish them parallel to the beach, or more importantly, along the wave line so they are swimming in the troth and digging into the wave. Fish them slowly, the fish need to find them. They are also great to fish in rips or the front or back of inlets, but you have to time your fishing so the current is just right, I like mid-tide the best. Try one the next time you are out in bad weather, let it dig in, and be alert for the hit. Good luck.

Here is a thread surfstix did about darters. I thought he put it very well.

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?5740-Techniques-Fishing-a-Darter&highlight=fishing+darters

[Monty]

Monty, the great thing about a darter is that it is one of the best presentations for rough water, when the only other things that might work are heavy bucktails or tins. It gives you another option in your arsenal.
I have been using a Bottle Darter by NorthBar, caught a short today with it, but I think its a different animal to the darters you are talking about (Superstrike, etc.). Thanks for the heads up on Surfstix thread.

[DarkSkies]

Monty I could have used a darter tonight. Didn't think to bring one with me. The surf was definitely big enough to justify throwing it.



"Released 2 legal bass tonight. The fish fed on the dropping tide. 2 fish were legal, 28-30", one was short, all still swimming.

[jigfreak]

Way to go dark and others. fished moco, got some bass on pencils. 8 keepers to 24lbs,released.

[DarkSkies]

Good to see more people participating in this thread. Congrats, all. :clapping:

Last night:
Total of 7 bass to 31", only one short, all released.
One on a topwater swimmer, and most of the rest on a Finchaser modified mid-level swimmer. Had action or a hooked fish every half hour until action died at 4am .

[DarkSkies]

C&R one bass last night, 32", about 14. Very slow presentation, almost at a crawl.

[buckethead]

Years ago the fisherman were slaughtering the stripers. Catch and Release was not heartily practiced. Now all of sudden the old timers are calling for everyone to "Save the Bass, C&R". Why is it frowned upon for me or anyone to keep one or two every now and then? What if you have a great night like Dark and pull in 7 or more fish?

[storminsteve]

Buckethead, there is nothing wrong with keeping fish. It's when people become pigs that it hurts us. Tonight I was on the beach and witnessed an absolute slaughter. Some guys threw fish back, but there were quite a few walking off the beach with 2 fish or 30lbs each!

Do the math. That's 60lbs, and you would probably get 30lbs of fillets or more from that. If you do that because you drive far to get here and only fish once a month, hey power to you! But from what I am told there are guys who are out there every day chasing the bunker schools who are doing this. At what point does having a full freezer become an issue to you? Well, some guys buy anothe freezer, problem solved. Or they are selling fish. You can't tell me some of these guys aren't catching fish every day, if they are out there, and NOT selling fish.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.png

I caught 3 big striped bass tonight and released them. If it was a 50lber I will be honest and tell you I would keep her. But these were all big fish, all 40" and above. These fish are the last of the breeders. How long do you think it takes a fish to get to 30 or 40lbs, it must be at least 20 years? So thats why I released mine. If I catch more tomorrow, I may keep one, depends on how I feel at the time and if I am hungry for fish that day.

I don't think anyone is saying you can't keep a fish here. It seems to me cowherder, dark and others are trying to promote the fact that if we release the fish we might be able to catch it more than once. That's my take on it, my .02. good luck fishing out there, buckethead!

[jigfreak]

No one likes rules or morality to be shoved down their throats. The greed you described Steve has a lot to do with the newbie fisherman and the ego of putting things on the internet or pics in the tackle shops.
Tonight, 6 bass to 35lbs. Kept 1 at 25, released the rest. pencils.

[Monty]

Buckethead, there is nothing wrong with keeping fish. It's when people become pigs that it hurts us.
Storming Steve, I'm with you a 100% on that post, sums up my thoughts, good post.

[DarkSkies]

Now all of sudden the old timers are calling for everyone to "Save the Bass, C&R". Why is it frowned upon for me or anyone to keep one or two every now and then? What if you have a great night like Dark and pull in 7 or more fish?


Buckethead, you might want to read this thread:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?760-Where-are-the-Striped-Bass&highlight=where+are+the+bass

Here's the thing, as simply as I can explain it -

There are less bass around now than there are 5 years ago.
Those of us who catch a lot from the surf are having to work harder to catch those numbers and find the fish. (unless you're in a boat)
Even in a boat, many captains have noticed the bass are less spread out than they used to be. You may see thousands of bass in a bunker blitz,
but that's because you're fishing in the middle.
The "edges" are what a lot of us are concerned about.

Statistically, the striped bass biomass has shrunk a bit, YOY numbers (birth statistics) have shrunk, and overall Rec bass catches for the last 5 years have declined.
So much so, that the ASMFC in a recent ruling declared that it will be reducing the Striped bass catch limits, sometime soon.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7594-Striped-bass-reductions-ASMFC-to-reduce-striped-bass-catches-across-the-board&highlight=asmfc+limits




"Why is it frowned upon for me or anyone to keep one or two every now and then?"
I highlighted this question from you because I felt it was the most important one.

I have seen a lot of comments about C&R on some web sites recently. Some people are violently opposed to this. That's their choice.
Others are militantly "For" C&R. I read one post the other day where a guy stated "It's wrong to keep a striped bass, and the people who do it are wrong, and we all have to conserve or there will be no bass left!"

While parts of that above statement may have some truth in it, it's never acceptable to tell someone else what they should do with their legal limit of bass. I don't want you or anyone else to get a mis-perception of what we are doing when we try to promote C&R. The reason I do this is because I have seen a decline, and I don't want there to be any chance that there will be a moratorium. I've heard enough stories about the lean years. What a lot of new anglers now are calling "the best years of fishing" are actually becoming the lean years, because 5 short years ago it was a lot better, with more bass overall caught, from the surf.

So I, Finchaser, the OFFC, and many others are trying to raise awareness in some instances, and in other cases we just feel it's the thing we want to do at this stage in our fishing.

No one is forcing anyone to C&R, and no one should feel like they are being forced to do it.
When that mentality is being pushed on anyone, the person doing it needs to step back and look at how it can be detrimental to some.
And certainly, there are people who only go fishing a few times a year, and keep every fish they catch. I feel we are in no place to judge them, and hope my words above made that clear.





On the other hand, there are people, like Steve said, who catch bass almost every day, and keep them all. These would be the "high volume users" of this resource that belongs to all of us.

The question has been raised more than once by others..."How many 35lb fish can you fit in your freezer?"
It's sad to me that some of these people, if there ever is a moratorium or reduced limits, will be some of the loudest complainers.

Others have said over and over:
"Well the bass are on the decline, so I might as well get my big trophy bass while I can" :viking:
To me, that above statement is selfish and short-sighted.

The main point here, do what feels right to you, try to do some research to learn for yourself, and have fun catching!
If you feel the need to release so it can spawn again, thank you!
And if you want to eat a delicious striped bass meal, no one should be telling you you are evil for doing it!

I hope that cleared up things a bit.
Good luck this season, Buckethead. :HappyWave:

[finchaser]

Bunker su_k they made everyone a bass fisherman and will destroy the fishery,where are the bunker boats when you need them there are more bunker than ever and less and less bass many bass are to small to eat them.

[hookset]

:clapping::clapping:A 54lb bass was released yesterday from a boat, as reported by Ristori

A 50-pound striper is the fish of a lifetime for striper addicts, and Joe Zona of Staten Island climbed that mountain today before releasing his trophy off Deal. Hans Kaspersetz passed along the word that Zona caught the brute on his Lil' Brother out of Brielle Yacht Club, and used a 60-pound scale to weigh her (all very large stripers are females) at 54 pounds before setting her free.

[DarkSkies]

A C&R story, despite protests....

A few nice fish were caught yesterday in the ocean. One by a friend of a guy I know.
They were only able to get these bass by snag and drop from the surf. The bass wouldn't touch pencils. Many guys on this stretch of beach, and only a few hooked up...

The guy below gets into a nice fish, close to 30, snag and drop. He gets the fish in, and is reviving it in the wash. A crowd of people runs up to him, as he's one of the few on that crowded beach to get a fish.

"Hey what are you doing, why aren't you bringing that fish onto the beach?"

"I'm releasing it..."

"You're releasing it? Why would you want to do that?????? Give it to me! Give it to meeeeeeee!!!"

"I'm releasing it, because I can.....""
13578



WTG, guys, great catch, and :clapping::clapping: on the release. :thumbsup:

[clamchucker]

Outstanding catches and releases, gentlemen. This morning 2 bass to 45" on a yellow superstrike little neck popper. Released.

[porgy75]

While out over the weekend I saw a guy pull in a short, about 26". He unhooked and put it down next to him. I went right over and threw it back. He thought I was nuts. He never said a word to me.

[Monty]

While out over the weekend I saw a guy pull in a short, about 26". He unhooked and put it down next to him. I went right over and threw it back. He thought I was nuts. He never said a word to me.
Lots of guys are all talk and no action, great to see action and no talk. Awesome Porgy.

[DarkSkies]

Porgy, I never want to officially encourage that. I don't want anyone to put themselves in a situation where there could be violence or physical harm. That being said, I do that whenever the opportunity presents itself. :) I've spoken up whenever I see people keeping short fish or kicking a fish back to the water. I think if we were all a little more pro-active and involved when we see these things, less of it would be going on. Ranting about it after the fact on the internet does nothing at all. At least you were decisive enough to take some action. :thumbsup:

For those who don't want to follow that exact path, I have the cell #s of most of the CO's in NJ. Contact me anytime you have some good, quality intel . This problem won't go away by ignoring it.

[skinner]

I've spoken up whenever I see people keeping short fish or kicking a fish back to the water. I think if we were all a little more pro-active and involved when we see these things, less of it would be going on. Ranting about it after the fact on the internet does nothing at all. At least you were decisive enough to take some action. :thumbsup:



Amen, ds!



MOCO last nite, fished 8-9pm, got one 35" bass right before dark, 17pound, pencil popper, released.

[DarkSkies]

Congrats, Skinner, the bigger fish are few and far between lately, ya just gotta be there when they are. :thumbsup:



*********
This is a story I've been meaning to tell for a while.

Around the week of 5-22-11, I had been fishing some rock piles and the surf areas near them at night. A few fish to 23#, and some smaller ones, a slow pick at night. You had to work for every fish.

One night I found myself at a beach after all the action was over, all the sharpies had left because.....
1. They know there are no bass to be had after the bunker leave for the night. :)
2. They know it's not productive to surf fish for bass at night when bunker are around..."no fish at night in NJ during bunker blitzes...:laugh: "


I ended up on a jetty with this kid, "D" who apparently didn't get the above memo either. I politely asked if I could fish to the left of him, didn't want to crowd him. He said "Sure, no prob, dude!"

We were fishin Dannys, a good profile for surf that is not too calm, not too turbulent, when bunker are around. On his 5th cast he hooked into a nice fish. I stopped what I was doing and asked him if he needed help...."Yeah that would be great, thanks!"

I climbed down the rocks so I was level with the water. We maneuvered for a place where I could grab the leader and bring the fish in safely. I grabbed it up, and gave it to him. He walked it off the beach, beautiful fish about 20-22. He was keeping it, and I took a pic. I'll post that pic in another thread. He was also very proud that this fish he caught that night, he got it on an old Danny that he just re-painted. You could still smell the paint, it was so fresh.

Meanwhile, he was telling me about a fish he caught a week before that, The fish taped out at 48". He caught it on a Danny at night, measured it, took a pic, and released it.

He said it was his biggest fish ever, his personal best, and he let it go with only a cell phone pic as proof.


This amazed me. I asked him.....

"You mean to tell me you got this big fish, probably weighing between 40-45lbs, your biggest fish ever, and didn't bring it to a tackle shop to weigh it in? Didn't bring it to a place where you could get immortalized in a video weigh in? Didn't take tons of pics so you could parade it around at various internet sites to get some bragging rights? :huh:"

"Why not?"


He:
"Well she was my biggest fish ever. I thought she might be full of eggs, so I released her to make more babies."







I commended him on that, and said I don't often run across kids his age (he's 25, to me that's a youngster) who have that focus on conservation.
Imagine that....he (nor I) have nothing against eating tasty stripers, as they taste delicious. Yet, he did catch the biggest fish of his career, and without a 2nd thought released her. :bigeyes:


I asked him to send me the cell phone pic, and he did. I'm telling his story here in hopes of inspiring a few more folks like him that though there is nothing wrong with eating fish, releasing a big one now and then, can help the resource.



Here's a pic of his fish, taped out at 48".
(Remember this kid is big, he's 6'2" and 230#)

13706






Congrats on the C&R of that big girl, D, :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
It was great meeting ya, (and your Dad, a week later, at night). Good times fishin with Dad, nothing better. :fishing:


I'm praying to King Neptune to send ya a 50 soon.... ;) :cool:
Best wishes for the rest of the season. :HappyWave:

[jonthepain]

dude don't leave me hangin' like that!

[DarkSkies]

Sorry Jon, having trouble with the server, so as I'm typing long posts, saving them by right clicking the mouse and hitting the "copy" feature, and then pasting them into the reply box if the page craps out and I have to refresh or re-log in, so they're not lost.

For now, if anyone has any long posts, I suggest you do the same until Network Solutions gets its act together....

Hope ya's enjoyed the story, I'll post it in the Story of the Month thread as well....

[VSdreams]

Awesome story ds! I don't know if I could release a 48 inch bass, that would be a personal best for me too. But kuddos to him for doing it, awesome fish!

[jonthepain]

Wow Awesome fish! Even better attitude.

[voyager35]

That is a very nice story Darkskies.

[Monty]

He said it was his biggest fish ever, his personal best, and he let it go with only a cell phone pic as proof
Great story, something to feel very good about (releasing his Personal Best). Should be proud about it and feel good about it.
Nothing wrong with keeping it, but releasing it is special.

[7deadlyplugs]

Great effort guys. Let's keep this thread going!
My report, Back bay from 9pm-1:30am, the bass were on the bunker, got a nice one on a snag and drop, about 30lbs, released.

[DarkSkies]

This guy, Joe, is new to the world of bass fishing. He was out with his buddies Nick and Mike on 6-18-11. They all nailed nice fat fish. :thumbsup: Joe nailed a 52, and decided to let it go.


I tell ya...

You rarely see this behavior when guys get into big fish anymore.
You see it even more rarely when the guy is a new guy to catching bass and this is probably the largest bass he might ever catch for awhile...yet he released it.

Great report, outstanding catches, and http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif on the release. Looks like you all had a blast, and Joe was good natured enough to learn to fix his mistakes by diving and cutting the line from the prop. Good deal. http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif



Here's the story, WTG guys and congrats!
Printed courtesy of Nick, thanks bro! :HappyWave:


Joe's Trophy 52 LB'R
13726
Epic Sat Night Bassin on the Chumbox
Went to help Mikey with some maintenance on his boat and then hop on the fishermen for some night bass with a bunch of buddies. Well everyone backed out except Joe and Rocco, so we helped mike change some filters and some other stuff and he decided to take us out. What a night both guys never caught bass before, so Mike and I just wanted to get them on fish! THAT WE DID!! After finding the bunker, Mike made a great throw of the net while I maneuvered the boat and we loaded up on bait. Mike set up drift just outside the pods and Mike and I assisted Joe and Rocco to get them hooked up on fish quick! Both Rocco and Joe's first fish were 40lbr's, we picked away at fish for a good hour or so with the smallest being around 35lbs. Joe's 2nd fish was massive, his bunker got slammed by a blue, then we quided him to keep it in and 2 seconds later a bass swirled up top and hammered it, I saw that travella bend in half and I knew it was a big fish, Joe worked him to the boat and mike netted him. Once mike hauled him in and he hit the deck we knew he was easily over 50, Mikes scale was bouncing from 52-54, we took some pics of Joes Trophy fish and released him. WHAT A NIGHT! Besides catching a fish of a life time, joe was also lucky enough to wrap the bunker around Mike's rutter, so he also learned a quick lesson on diving in the water to unwrap the leader off a rutter! Mike we couldn't thank you enough for a great night and I'm happy I broke my curse of livelinning on your boat! http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif



13727

[DarkSkies]

********
Here are pics of his buddies Mike and Nick, and their fish, (they kept these 2)
Some beautiful fish ya's got there guys, WTG. :thumbsup: :clapping:


Nick's fish
13729

Mike's fish

13728

[stripercrazy]

Wow what a beast that fish is! I don't know, if I got the biggest bass in my life I am not sure I would have the conviction to release it. Congats to the lucky guy!:clapping::clapping::clapping:

[hookset]

Holy crap that is a big fish, congratulations on the catch, outstanding report!

[DarkSkies]

Fished Sat into Sun morn, managed 19 fish, 15 bass, one keeper, released.

[wish4fish]

dude u kno u cud keep a striper every now and then it wont kill u

[DarkSkies]

^ Thank you for that, bro. I know that, and do keep one from time to time. :HappyWave:

8-12 yak trip to the Sound, LI

2 bass--- 28", and the one that made me smile, 37" and about 15#. :)
Both released.

[jonthepain]

wtg r!

[DarkSkies]

Thanks, ya hippie! :HappyWave:



************
Fished last night, hard to find fish, but eventually did.
5 bass, 1 legal size, released.

14142
All small fish, but fun. :fishing:
Fish feeding in the middle of the water column, not much bait around where I got them.

[cowherder]

The migrating fish are here guys! Released 3 keepers to 30" last night.

[mick2360]

Good thread, Dark. NO reason to keep a trophy. Take yer pics, if you need 'proof' (me, i'd take a guy at his word) and let her swim away.

[DarkSkies]

Absolutely, Mick. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:
I try to be careful with my posts here so we don't seem like we're preaching, just trying to show folks that as you said, it's fun to catch a fish, and then maybe catch her again next year.

We also have a lot of folks here who C&R as their way of fishing, either because they believe in it, or because the numbers are more important to them.

And only a few of them post in this thread. That's ok, because I hear about their C&R all the tiime through PMs or phone reports. It seems more and more folks realize we have to try different things like this as our beloved striped bass numbers decline.

Some people don't understand it, that's OK. I have an Aunt who continually asks me why a group of us go fishing if we don't keep the fish. I try to explain it to her, but lose her after the first few sentences. If she wanted a fish I would gladly bring her one, as she's not in the position to catch her own. :)





Eventually, after you have been fishing for awhile, you realize that if you want to get in the double digits catching fish, harvesting one takes away from your fishing time for that outing, may cost you some fish, or will be a hindrance if you're in the surf and doing a lot of moving around to different areas.

I want to also give credit to Cowherder for starting this thread.:clapping: :thumbsup: We talked about it, but it was his idea and it's to his credit that this thread is getting positive views and feedback.

There are people on some internet forums who have a need to preach this philosophy to others to the extreme point where it seems they're trying to shove it down the throats of others. I hope we have avoided those kinds of judgements here, because after all, a legal bass is legal bass. It is your choice to keep and eat it, or release it.

And again, I thank all here, and all I know, who really try their best to follow the principles of C&R on their own, whether they post about it or not. :clapping::clapping:

[Monty]

The migrating fish are here guys! Released 3 keepers to 30" last night.

Cowherder, nice C and R,:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Fished last night, 11-4 before and after the flood, 2 bass to 33" on small profile swimmers. The NW was strong and flattened out the ocean a lot. Swells are down to almost nothing. One thing that has still not fallen into line yet are the ocean water temps, which are approx 5 degrees different depending on where ya fish....:fishing:

(One of the fish was a keeper, low teens fish, one small, both released)

[DarkSkies]

Fished last night, the whole night again, managed some "small" fish 16 and 25#. ;) :lookhappy:
When I left the house, Pebbles told me I was crazy, how the heck could I fish in all that rain? :huh: As I was driving on the Parkway, getting pelted with sheets of rain, I almost turned back...what person in their right mind would want to go out in that?

Those of you who know me, know that hope springs eternal when I'm out there, I just don't know when to give up...I'm famous for looking at 25 mph winds and saying..."Yeah that wind is gonna lay down, I just KNOW it!!!" :ROFLMAO









Slowed down the presentation, and about 1/2 hour after got a nice fish, 40" and about 25#. Fat healthy ocean fish, light colored and clean. :drool: About an hour later I landed a 35" bass, about 16#, also fat and light colored.
When I landed the first fish it was hooked in the eye and I blinded it getting the hook out. Felt real bad about that. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png





1427914280
25#

14281
16#

[jonthepain]

well done, partner.

re: hook in eye. that's why I always clip my trebles. well one reason. the other is cuz I got hooked once, and had to carry shaking fish and lure and rod and everything else while attached to said fish about a mile up the beach where i had dropped my pliers...

i hate trebles.

[cowherder]

Hey darkskies looks like you really knocked it out of the park! 25lbs great catch!!! And even better on the release, way to go!!!!

[DarkSkies]

Thanks guys.
Fin released a nice healthy keeper tonight, 33", around 12-13#.

[mick2360]

Atta Boy, Fin! :clapping::clapping::clapping:

[DarkSkies]

well done, partner.

re: hook in eye. that's why I always clip my trebles. well one reason. the other is cuz I got hooked once, and had to carry shaking fish and lure and rod and everything else while attached to said fish about a mile up the beach where i had dropped my pliers...

i hate trebles.


Carrying a fish a mile down a beach with a hook in yer hand is probably akin to having a root canal without novacaine. The pain must have been intense. Hopefully your adrenalin kicked in at some point and minimized the pain, bro.
Ouch! :eek:

[finchaser]

I won't fish a plug unless I crush the barbs on all the treble hooks

[jonthepain]

i'd carry fish connected to my hand all day long rather than have a root canal, with or without novocaine!

[DarkSkies]

^^ Point taken, root canal is bad mojo....
Having a fish stuck in your hand flopping around must mean good luck. :kooky: :HappyWave:

[jonthepain]

i am a wuss about dentists. brrrr.

don't want nobody messin wif my tooth.

[DarkSkies]

don't want nobody messin wif my tooth.


I took Pebbles and my Mom to Alaska 3 years ago.....there are actually people up there who only have one tooth. ;)



************
Last night...


Managed a mid teens bass, 34", about 15#, on a bomber windcheater. When the action slowed, I worked a bucktail for awhile and managed a low teens fish, 32" about 13#, on the bucktail. These were fat fish. I don't know exactly what they have been fattening up on but these migratory fish have been feeding well. The 34" bass measured 19" around. Both fish released.

I fished till the morning because with how dismal fishing has been lately, when given action and fish activity, I play it out until I drop. You never know when those extra 500 casts or so will bring you just one more fish. :kooky: :d

[storminsteve]

:HappyWave: :clapping::clapping::clapping:Way to go Dark, lighting up the board with those fat bass! Good job.

[cowherder]

Wow ds you are racking up some good numbers of releases keep it up!

[Monty]

Nice fishing and catching and releasing Dark :HappyWave:

[gjb1969]

way to go on the fish !!

[jonthepain]

wtg ds. persistence paying off.

btw i live in NC - plenty of one toofs around here

[DarkSkies]

Jon, I was so close to making the redneck one-toof jokes. :bucktooth: You had it teed up, it was so easy....but for some reason a wave of goodwill washed over me, and I couldn't do it this time...next time you NC rednecks are on the list! :laugh: :HappyWave:

Thanks all, here are some pics of the fish, I couldn't drop them into that post after I posted, a glitch, still working on it....

14298
14296


14297

[bababooey]

but for some reason a wave of goodwill washed over me,

How about a wave of DIAL SOAP washed over you? Just a thought.:ROFLMAO
Nice fish you have been catching.

[jonthepain]

Just a thought.


rofl!!!
oh snap
:ROFLMAO

[DarkSkies]

:clapping: :laugh: Bababooey, thanks so much for your kind comments and concern... :2flip: Have a great day, bro.... :moon:





**************
Mon night -
As mentioned, it's been tough to find a pattern this Fall. Usually, for me, that involves fishing for a whole tide or more.
Mon night I found some feeding fish, 4 to 14# on rubber and small swimmers. The last 1 I managed after the bite had died, rubber, 2 additional hours of casting for that lone fish. Released.

Tues night -
Met up with a StripersandAnglers site member for a few hours of fishin. He has to do a detail with his Precinct to pick up a Fallen Soldier, also a member of their Precinct, at the AFB today. Bringing him back for burial. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png

Therefore, he couldn't stay out and fish with me all night. The pressure was intense to find him a fish or 2. We made 5 separate stops looking...no action or bait activity in any place we tried.

At the last stop we gave it our best shot anyway. The fish started feeding and we had a solid hour of good activity. He had the hot hand, managing 4 bass to 13#. I managed one bass, around 36" and 17#. All on rubber, all released.

He wisely left after things slowed down. I continued to cast for another hour and managed one more small bass. My legs felt like rubber from fishing all night 2 nights in a row. I ran out of steam and called it a night early. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon11.png

[jonthepain]

you're a machine

[DarkSkies]

Thanks Jon, but this machine is gettin tired. Fishing the whole tide or the whole night to find some quality fish wears ya down a bit when ya got work the next day...:)

[gjb1969]

come now ds u not tired u just getting old just like the rest of us:p but u know u will be back at it soon:HappyWave:

[Monty]

come now ds u not tired u just getting old just like the rest of us:p but u know u will be back at it soon:HappyWave: :HappyWave:

OMDS (Old Man Dark Skies).....
The marathon sessions are just fond memories.
When sleep was nothing but a word...
When Dark knew not of the word "tired"
Its just not the same anymore.....
An era is over, time to turn the page.
A sad day it is on S and A.

First time I fished with him was in a storm and cold. He would not stop until I stopped fishing first. It was written...."Tho shall not display the will to fish longer than Dark Skies...especially in high winds, brutal cold....turbulent water....or the stinkiest of waders". Those were the days........

[finchaser]

Amen

[DarkSkies]

First time I fished with him was in a storm and cold. He would not stop until I stopped fishing first. It was written...."Tho shall not display the will to fish longer than Dark Skies...especially in high winds, brutal cold....turbulent water....or the stinkiest of waders". Those were the days........


:laugh: :clapping::clapping::clapping: :thumbsup: :plastered: :cool: :) :ROFLMAOMonty, that's one of the most entertaining posts I've seen lately, dead on, and so frikkin creative I would give ya an award for it if I had one....I could give ya a plug, but I don't think there's anything ya don't have.

Just the same, if there's something I fish with and you don't have...let me know and I'll send it right to ya!

You're too damn observant! :scared:
BTW, I think that day we fished both our lips and fingers were blue, we weren't really slaying the fish, yet neither wanted to be the one to call it quits first...I salute ya, bro, you are one tough emeffer! :clapping::clapping: :headbang:









Thanks for the laughs, all of ya's. :HappyWave:
Fishing lately has no consistent pattern, but now may get a little easier that the sandeels are starting to filter in....if ya want a bigger fish, ya have to put that time in, deep into the night.,...and there aren't too many people willing to put in those deep night hours like Monty does. :viking:

[DarkSkies]

Finally downloaded the pics from the other night...
fish to 17#..
143211432214320


A little revival before swimming.....
14319

[DarkSkies]

Went to Ocean County last night to prove to some people that the bass are pretty spread out. Fished with Fin. That old grouchy basstard has some incredible stamina, slogging through rain, wind, and cold, better than guys half his age. :viking:

Try as we might, we struck out in a few places. We narrowly avoided the skunk when he managed a medium bluefish on rubber, properly christening a new rod he just built. Throwing rubber, we each had a few more hits and misses, nothing landed.

He went home, and I couldn't...didn't want to give up. Made a slight location change to compensate for the tide..

The wind was howling, 20mph sustained, gusts higher, in the deep night hours. No letup in velocity except for an occasional break to 10mph, which is how I timed my casts....
The cold and wind chill reminded me of late Nov. I made a mental note not to get my fingers too wet in the 41 degree temps

First cast a 13# bass 34" on a heavy bottle plug. Praying I wouldn't be subject to "first cast curse" I was back at it within seconds...managed 4 more teen size bass in that 15 minute period.....

Think about it....5 keeper bass within 15 minutes....:drool:
all cookie cutter bass within 1" of 34"... it was like they all came from the same family...I think their names could have been

Finchaser saxatillis
Speedy saxatillis
Surfstix saxatillis
Vpass saxatillis
Pebbles saxatillis....
:cool: :HappyWave:

Things slowed down a bit after that, but they were still whacking that plug with ferocity, the harder it blew the harder they whacked it. :headbang:

Fish fed for 2 hours, longer than usual..
Total 11 bass,

10 were keepers between 31-34"
1 was short.

All small bass, but I've been waiting for action like that all year, deep in the night, on artificials. :bigeyes:





Usually I'm into numbers like that in NJ by mid-April, but this year has been the toughest it's ever been...I was so grateful for that action in the darkness, I knelt down and thanked King Neptune when I was done...:fishing: :wheeeee:

[cowherder]

Went to Ocean County last night to prove to some people that the bass are pretty spread out. Fished with Fin. That old grouchy basstard has some incredible stamina, slogging through rain, wind, and cold, better than guys half his age. :viking:

Total 11 bass,

10 were keepers between 31-34"
1 was short.

All small bass, but I've been waiting for action like that all year, deep in the night, on artificials. :bigeyes:







Hey dark you call those small bass? I'll take them any day you get tired of them.:wow:
It sounds like finchaser is a tough old salt. I was going to go out last night but the rain in my neighborhood was intense. You guys are hardcore!:clapping:

[DarkSkies]

It sounds like finchaser is a tough old salt...You guys are hardcore!:clapping:


Yeah he's tough as shoe leather, and as grouchy as a bear that just woke up from hibernation....he started fishing on the party boats when such luxuries as heated rails were not available....

it ain't no joke....ya don't want to step in front of him when he's had a bad day.....:scared: :kooky::)
He does have a heart of gold, and is willing to help almost anyone who asks for advice, though....:thumbsup:


Some pics of the bass the other night, and the bluefish the night after that....

14334

14333
(Note I'm touching the bluefish's gills because I killed it for food.)







14332

[storminsteve]

Nice going guys, good news on the bluefish too. We had some monsters by the pier and bridges in April, but they cleared out. Maybe those bluefish will help gat the bass action going, chop chop chop.

[7deadlyplugs]

Thank you for doing this guys. There are so many meat men out there, and you have to think, this year, the ss fishing sucked except for a few good nights at demo. Montauk sucked. The north shore never turned on for the shore fishermen, so where are the bass? We really have to look at the huge numbers of bass we are killing and in the ones the netters get in the winter. The bass belong to everyone, so we all should think about this.

[DarkSkies]

Fished with Fin last night, we released 2 keepers. One about 10, the other about 13#.
Hooking myself as an added bonus..........



Fished OC with the OGB last night.
It was tough to find a places where the surf was fishable, big swells everywhere. If not for the tide being as high as it was we would have had no water.

Despite the handicaps, we managed a very slow pick of fish, 2 bass, 1 about 10. The other about 13#. All on plugs, as the water was rough. A few other hits and misses.

I kind of ruined the flow for Fin when I put a hook in and out of my palm. :bucktooth: The fish lay on the beach and I didn't leader it as usual but grabbed it closer to the hook. Thank God Fin had dykes with him.. :thumbsup:The hook went clean through and we were able to crush the barb, cut it, and back it out.

More than embarassing because it's the first time I ever put a hook in my flesh, clean through. :beatin:

I know better...and that's the most embarassing part of all...http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon11.png
I know he won't let me live the stupidity down, so I might as well come clean and fess up....;)

From now on I'll be crushing all my barbs, and will strongly be preaching that to you folks out there......

We missed out on valuable fishin time by dealing with that hookin palm. I know he would have had some bigger fish, but the opportunity had passed.......

Much gratitude to the Old Grouchy Basstard for being there....
I might have been in a little trouble without his quick thinking.....:clapping::clapping:

[hookset]

Nice going fellas. Sorry to hear about the hook, though.

[DarkSkies]

Monty did well today, probably the 2nd highest hook where he fished. congrats bro, yer still a googan, though....:laugh: :clapping: :HappyWave:





Fished this morning normal ocean side area from 1:00 to 3:00, 1 short bass on a SS needle (surfstix gave me a few pointers, hadn't caught a fish on a needle in years), moved to another ocean side area fished 4:00 to 10:00 and picked up 8 more bass, 25 inch to 32 inch. One on a bottle darter, the others on Ava 27 and 37 with red tail (no teaser). All put back, was fighting what was the largest one around 8:00 and during the fight decided I would keep it. I promptly lost it in the wash (knuckle head). Lost another 4 or 5 fish (one on a popper). Was lots of fun, shoulder shot, needed looooong casts. Surf was calming down, not that much white water (LOL).
Fishing 1x a week and reading everyone's reports, and helpful hints/info really helps, thanks guys.

[DarkSkies]

Some of the fish Fin and I have been C&Ring. I think there are a few different dates mixed in this set, as I didn't get a chance till now to download my last pics of released keepers......and there are some smaller fish mixed in as well. :fishing:


14355

14354

14353

14352


14351

[mick2360]

Atta boy, Dark. Let 'em go and let 'em grow!

[DarkSkies]

Mick - Lately Fin has been doing most of the C&R of the bigger fish, I lost my edge when the bite went to metal. That old wrinkled basstard is a freaking machine,,,,he schools most of the internet heroes on the beach every time out there lately, except yesterday when the high hook (not him) got one fluke....so let's give it up for the old grouch, who releases more keepers in a year than a clam guy catches in 5 years...:clapping::clapping:

[DarkSkies]

This happened yesterday in NJ. I have personal knowledge of it and was sent the pics when it happened.

I already got permission to post the pics and tell the story. I was going to wait till I had the time to post the story as well, but this morning someone told me it's already out there.

So I'll try to get my *** in gear after work today and post it up.
It's a beautiful story, one that restores your faith in humanity....and is the kind of thing that make ya feel good just hearing about it......

I'll try to get back here soon and post it up...:fishing:

[dogfish]

Keep up the good work, dark and finchaser.

[finchaser]

i look great in those pictures with no head

[DarkSkies]

Fished last night, it was tough.

Where I was, bass were periodically popping on rainfish....,managed 2 bass to 30" on rubber, both released. It was a slow pick as I really couldnt dial into the right presentation for that area....http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png



One of those fish last night was keeper sized.







i look great in those pictures with no head

And if I posted full face pics, you would have people following you around like the lemmings follow Shel E Caris...the guy can't even take a leak without the whole world knowing about it....you want it to be that way, just say the word.... ;) :HappyWave:

[finchaser]

^^^^Nope taken with no head as I requested, I have released 24 bass of which 10 were keepers in the past 3 days.

[storminsteve]

^^^^Nope taken with no head as I requested, I have released 24 bass of which 10 were keepers in the past 3 days.

Wow finchaser congrats!:clapping:

[storminsteve]

Some nice fish this morning, caught 7 released 2 keepers, kept 1.

[DarkSkies]

This happened yesterday in NJ. I have personal knowledge of it and was sent the pics when it happened.

I already got permission to post the pics and tell the story. I was going to wait till I had the time to post the story as well, but this morning someone told me it's already out there.

So I'll try to get my *** in gear after work today and post it up.
It's a beautiful story, one that restores your faith in humanity....and is the kind of thing that make ya feel good just hearing about it......

I'll try to get back here soon and post it up...:fishing:

**************




OK, here goes....
Story of the 45lb Bass, Catch and Release...Releasing the Trophy of a Lifetime

14375

On Monday Nov 14 some of the Ocean's 11 Crew were out there searching for big bass. This crew is comprised of a motley bunch of surf guys, all hard-core, willing to fish all night, lose sleep (and relationships) over the main goal, to find the biggest fish and have a great time doing it...Some of them are strictly C&R, some not, but what remains true is they are a force to be reckoned with in the surf world...:clapping: :thumbsup:

Some of them will camp out for days in their vehicles in search of big fish....

The circumstances that brought them to that beach on Monday were acres of big bunker, thousands and thousands, yet not much in the way of fish under them.....

14374

Undaunted, they kept swimming their bunker, with no action whatsoever. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png
After about an hour of this, the guys decided to call it a day..

On the beach close to them were an old couple from S Carolina...in their 70's,,,these folks were on vacation in NJ...and came all the way out to a barrier beach for a chance at a trophy striped bass......

The guys said to the couple...
"Hey, we're leaving soon, do you want some fresh bunker?"

Couple:
"Sure, thank you very much!"




14376


The lady takes the bunker, cuts it up, and throws out a small chunk....
Not 10 minutes later her rod is bent in half!

She jumps up to grab it before it gets dragged out to sea...:scared:
My friends, ready to leave, see an enormous splash in the troth, like a VW was dropped in there....:bigeyes: They instantly knew she was into a big bass, and went over to watch....

Then, in an epic 10 minute battle, this 70 year old woman, with coaching from her husband, single-handedly brings in a HUGE FISH!!!! She did it all by herself, no help at all until it was on the beach....:clapping::clapping::clapping:

They get it out of the water, pick it up to measure and take pics...
It tapes out at 48"...my friends estimate it to be every bit of 45#.


After a few pics are taken, the older couple says to the guys....

"We really don't want to kill this beautiful fish, could you guys please revive it and put it back in the water?"



And the guys did put it back in the water...reviving her till she swam away with a splash of her giant tail....:drool:

[DarkSkies]

Later, these guys said among themselves...

"We try for days at a time to get a bigger fish, running all around,,,and get nothing...and this older couple chunks that bunker up, throws it out 50', and catch the fish of a lifetime...go figure"

I mention the above conversation because the guys of Ocean's 11 were very gracious in that situation., and very nice and kind to the older couple......

The comments were only a reflection of the frustration of some of us, who have years in the surf, hunting bigger fish, losing sleep and forsaking the household duties...http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png all in the pursuit of the bigger fish...and the realization that sometimes it's not about the skill level, it all comes down to chance and having your line or artificial presentation in the water..at the exact moment that cow is swimming by.......



So let's give a big cheer to these guys....:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: for their generosity and sportsmanship...
and the couple...for releasing what was arguably the biggest fish they will ever catch, in their lifetimes....:clapping::clapping::clapping::clappi ng: :thumbsup::thumbsup: :fishing:

[CharlieTuna]

Fantastic story, a great read. Thanks for sharing it.

[Monty]

So let's give a big cheer to these guys....:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: for their generosity and sportsmanship...
and the couple...for releasing what was arguably the biggest fish they will ever catch, in their lifetimes....:clapping::clapping::clapping::clappi ng: :thumbsup::thumbsup: :fishing:
Three cheers for that story.
One for the ocean 11 crew
One for the couple
and one for the Striper

[surfwalker]

Great story, all the way around. The fish doesn't know who's at the other end of the line.

[clamchucker]

Outstanding catch and release. That was inspiring. Thank you.

[storminsteve]

Three cheers for that story.
One for the ocean 11 crew
One for the couple
and one for the Striper

X2, and awesome story dark.

[vpass]

That was a great story. Cheers to Ocean 11 crew, and the Couple who caught and released that beautiful fish.

[DarkSkies]

Fri, managed 5 bass to mid teens, 34", all released.
Each one of these bass was like a football, they were so fat from the sandeels. Great fights.

[vpass]

I only kept 4 fish this year. I caught so far 74 Bass where 27 are keepers this year. Here are some pictures. I was pressured by the family to bring some home for the holiday. 23 Keeper Released.

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[DarkSkies]

Outstanding effort Vpass! :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I caught 25 fish in the last 3 nights. 5 were keepers, released 3, kept 2.

I don't want people to feel intimidated by those of us who C&R a lot here.
We do it because we feel the bass stocks have declined and we see our catch numbers declining....and we don''t want to see another moratorium like 1982. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png

However, there's nothing wrong with killing and eating bass, if you want to, It's your choice. During cold weather, IMO bass taste better when they're not eating bunker.
That's why I killed 2 bass this week, and 1 is marinating in the refrig right now....:drool:






So eat all the bass you want, or legally catch...but please think about their future tomorrow at the same time....thanks for reading, folks! :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

Good work, dark!
Got some bass tonight, after dark they started hitting. Metal lipped swimmers and bombers did it for me. 7 basss to 31", released, nomoco.

[DarkSkies]

Nice going Steve...it doesn't get any better than this....;) :HappyWave:


Mon night, 1/2 to 1/3...

15 bass to 18#....:drool:
Action was great, dropped about 10 as they were very light hits. A bump that felt like a hickory shad could be either an 18" or an 18# bass....you had to stick them quick and hard to find out what was at the end of the rainbow.....:cool:

4 of them were keepers up to 18#, released...

[Monty]

Nice going Steve...it doesn't get any better than this....;) :HappyWave:
Mon night, 1/2 to 1/3...

15 bass to 18#....:drool:
Action was great,

Awesome report Dark, wasn't it chilly then?
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

^^ It was pretty cold, but not as cold as it has been, Monty.

Been out so far with temps down to the 25-26 range. That's bearable if the winds are 10mph or less. I kind of made a simple rule that if the winds are 15+ at night I stay home. Anything less and I go out there. The biggest problem is my fingers freezing and getting frostbite. I lose 5 minutes of fishin time each time that happens. I hate the cold more than most people, but deal with it...As I get older it affects me more....

When you're catching fish, the adrenalin kind of blocks the cold out of your mind...

[hookset]

When you're catching fish, the adrenalin kind of blocks the cold out of your mind...
It seems like you are an adrenalin factory lately dude. Keep up the good work!

[storminsteve]

Got one keeper last night,. 32", released.

[7deadlyplugs]

Awesome dark and steve!

[DarkSkies]

Mon night was outstanding, 19 bass to 15#,[/COLOR] biggest on Surfstix's Custom A-40 (Sorry Surf, I tend to call ALL metal lipped swimmers "Dannies", less syllables to say, and we all know how I need to cut down on the syllables and paragraphs I spew out there...:ROFLMAO )

I'll post the pics when I get a chance with an abbreviated report. I'm losing energy to post these long-winded reports when I need to spend my time on work, Pebbles, and going after these fish at night.
Those of you who got my phone reports consider yourselves lucky (or cursed...:laugh:)
Congrats again Extreme, and all the others who pushed it to get fish.....:clapping:



14648


Look how ugly that mag darter looks, it's been hit by so many fish it has almost no color left...anyone here wanna tell me how one color or scale pattern is gonna slay them over another color?
Put another way...is it the color that catches the fish...or the guy working the plug that catches the fish....

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14651



14653


Here you can see one with a bulging belly.
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For the log:
Winds start -finish: 0-10, Sw to W
Temps: 38-32

The level of activity was exceptional. The moon being obscured by clouds probably had a lot to do with that.
What worked - mag darter fished old skool style was most effective and landed the most fish. Fish were scattered and you really had to work for them. After realizing how scattered they were, I "teased" them into hitting the plug, and my hookups increased. Caught fish on both sides of the tide.

Also caught a few on black bomber and yellow and orange swimmer.

Surfstix A-40 Plug accounted for the biggest fish, around 15#. Landed one at 15#, then lost that plug when another fish in that class wrapped me around structure and I couldn't turn her.


19 fish total
4 of the fish were keepers, to 15#... all released.

[DarkSkies]

Great efforts, guys. :clapping::clapping:


Mon night:
19 fish total
4 of the fish were keepers, to 15#... all released.

Tue night:
2 fish total
1 keeper at 30", about 10#, released.

[vpass]

^^ Your having a Awesome start for 2012. Nice going.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[surferman]

Fantastic job!

[CharlieTuna]

Surf bass in January? They must be in a time warp. Good job fellas.

[storminsteve]

I think the time warp just ended Charlie! Last of the Mohicans!
I was out last night in moco, got 8 bass to 28" on the plug dark was using the other day. They were hard hits, lots of fun. All still swimming. 4-7pm

[DarkSkies]

I was out last night in moco, got 8 bass to 28" on the plug dark was using the other day. They were hard hits, lots of fun. All still swimming. 4-7pm


I noticed the same thing too last night Steve, it was a blast!


Last night was one for the record books.
Fished 6 hours, managed 22 bass. (Vpass Quick! how many bass/hour does that work out to? :HappyWave:)
5 of them keepers to 30".
4 released, kept 1 for the table.

[DarkSkies]

Got out there later than I planned, but was able to fish the last 4 hours of the ebb...and the first 2 of the flood.


The swell fom the previous storm was still a problem. There was a 5 wave set, duration 2-3 secs, mid-period swell, where it was unfishable. You had to wait for that to pass, and cast like mad till it came back again.

Managed 9 bass to 34", 15+ lbs. The 15 wasn't weighed, quick pic, measurement, and back she went. Let me describe this fish for you...she was 21 1/2" in circumference, round and fat like a tuna. Bulging belly, looked bursting at the seams with whatever she was feeding on. :bigeyes: (Could have been as heavy as 17#, but we'll say she was 15.....)

Kept one of the smaller keepers. 29 1/2", around 11#, freakishly fat as well. The other fish varied in body shape and style...as I've mentioned before, I feel these are Chesapeake and Hudson fish mixed together, based on the different body styles, tail and head shapes.

Bigger fish hit rubber.
I think Vpass gave me what I was using...Thanks Bro!!
Smaller fish hit small swimmers with rattles, but not the Daiwa SM, as it was too rough to work that.

As mentioned, it took 6 hours to catch 9 fish. Had to work for every fish I landed.

I'm used to moving around to find fish, as the heaviest feeding locations change from night to night...
This night was especially challenging as I hit 3 locations with no action at all. It was only when I was getting ready to leave location #4 when I got the 15....a half hour of casting after I caught her produced no action, so I was forced to leave for locations 5 and 6, where I caught the rest of the fish in a slow pick...

It was nowhere near the level of activity before the storm. Although the water seemed a bit warmer, the fish were very sluggish. The only slightly aggressive hits came on the rubber. and I missed quite a few of those hits.





Down the Hatch!

14780

Big head

14779

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14777


Fat belly...In the following 2 pics I attempted to show how fat her belly was. The pics really don't do it justice, as her belly was freaking bulging....:eek:

14776


Belly bulge....

14775


For the New Guys...
A good surfcaster has to know when to move, and when to mix it up to produce results. The places that worked for me on prior visiits were not producing. The plugs that were catching got no action at all. Thinking about the sandeels that were around, caused me to consider rubber....and within 10 casts I had that first fish....but after that I had to fish hard for every fish or strike. There was no pattern to speak of....just countless blind casting....and that's what you have to do when the fish are scattered like that.

For the log....
9 Fish to 34" and 15#
Released the biggest, kept 1 at 29 1/2" for the table.
Wind - 0-2mph W/NW
Temp - 45-40
Moon - new, 2nd night

[jonthepain]

you're a machine

[DarkSkies]

2-6 Mon PM
" Dark, I can't catch fish on a full moon, the moon is too bright!"
Lots of guys out giving it a shot for the PM bite....unfortunately 95% of them didn't have any action as the fish weren't feeding at that time. A few friends and I came out later on...

Again, at the first stop I made it took about 15 minutes to find the fish...once I did they were pretty aggressive, it was just a matter of presenting correctly. Rubber again outfished plugs, although I got my biggest fish of the night on a plug.

A friend came out to join me. He had been somewhere else where no fish were caught. You have to remember that these fish are not everywhere, there are little pockets of them and you have to hunt for them...the locations, and feeding times, change from night to night, so that's what makes it so exciting to me...anyone coming out to fish for "just an hour" would not be able to see these things, and they usually give up..

My friend, with my instruction, fished rubber. It was tough for us as the wind was still SE...not really that great, and we had to fish into the wind, a little uncomfortable...once he got into the groove he started catching...I told him I wouldn't fish until he landed at least one, so the pressure was on...I can be a little intense at times. I knew he wanted me off his case, but the only way for him to do that was to get a fish....

14847

And he did, I think he managed about 4 or 5 total, and dropped quite a few more. He also lost one keeper sized fish because he wasn't ready for it...after that his adrenalin level pumped up and he definitely became more animated!

The best action was for an hour when he got there...after that it slowly diminished...he managed 4 or 5 to 27"...just for frame of reference, some people are dismissing this as a "schoolie bite"...for the most part, the bigger fish have left, that's true, but his 27" fish was about 9#. fat as a carp....

I'll take those "schoolie" fish any day of the week!

I managed 11 fish to 29 1/2". If I concentrated solely on my fishing I would easily have had over 20 fish, but I wanted to make sure he got into the groove first. He's a good friend, has invited me on his boat many times, and we just never seem to be able to fish together. He was ecstatic when we left, and I could tell he really needed these fish to put a little enthusiasm back into his life. :thumbsup: I was glad to help him out in that regard. Although I usually prefer to fish alone, we both had a blast fishin together..




(One that I kept....this was one of the skinnier ones for its size....)
14849






14846


14845

Fat belly........

14844

Striped bass aka Saltwater Carp....:)

14848



For the log and the new guys:
11 bass to 29 1/2", rubber and swimmers
Released one keeper, 28 1/2", kept the 29 1/2"
Wind - SE at first, not that great, 10mph, eventually shifting to W, which made it more comfortable.
Swell - there is stilll a big swell out there, the SE did not help it either...and you really had to pay attention to the swell to consistently present the right way to get the fish...

Temp- Air - 52-47
Temp - Water - 44, fish will feed aggressively at this temp and above as long as there is food around.,

[DarkSkies]

....plugging in March....I'm happy to have the chance to get out there and do it....:drool:

Just remember it ain't easy right now, back bay or ocean side....or else everyone would be catching. :learn:




3-4-12....a few fatter fish...
4 bass to 33", low teens....

This Sat night was a replica of that last Sat night where I got 15...so I was forced to get out there and see if history would repeat itself...it didn't....just a slow pick of quality fish....

Fished 3 hours, cold and 20mph NW winds made it brutal....had to stop a few times to warm my frozen fingers.....

Fish hit plugs, bomber profile, but were absent from many of the usual places.
Finally found some, managed 4 to 33", low teens. All released.

14933


For the log and the new guys:
Air Temps 36-30
Water temp - 44
Wind - 20 mph steady with higher gusts.
4 bass to 33", low teens. Bomber profile plugs

There was no bite to speak of, I got these fish by moving and moving till I found a few of them...

Fished 3 hours.

[DarkSkies]

3-17-12 A few fish....

The night tides were late this week. Overslept on Fri night, got up late....down to the water and found it was pretty gnarly out there. Constant swell, hard to find fishable water. Water was also clouded up by the recent noreast pattern.

There was also a tremendous fog blanketing the area,,,,making the ride down treacherous and with visibility only 100' at times, and negotiating the beaches a challenge.


Bass were on the bottom. Rubber was the only thing that worked.
There were no real concentrations of fish...almost all the fish and action were scattered over a large geographic area....
14951


7 bass to 34 1/2", around 16#....all released.

[DarkSkies]

Thanks guys, pics and detailed report....4-6-12 AM

The surf bite never came together for me last night.
My plan B was a kayak launch. I have had my sights set on a certain big fish spot for 2 weeks now, and the conditions didn't permit a night paddle out there.

Last night was the same old story, winds prevented me from launching and working this one spot. I raced in my mind thinking of a reasonable alternative that would yield some quality fish....
This is why sometimes you have to be prepared with plan C, D, and E....

I launched in the pre-dawn light. It was pretty cold out there and the water was no more than 50 degrees, maybe less.
Paddled out to where I wanted to set up.
Along the way I trolled a stretch plug on one rod, shad on another.
Withiin 5 minutes I get banged hard on that first rod...so hard that I convince myself I'm snagged on the bottom.

I get my other rod (with a shad) out of the way. The snag seems to come undone, when I realize it's a fish, moving toward me.....
The sun was now coming up. A boat's engine nearby caught my attention at that second....I lost concentration, and dropped the fish....:beatin:

The rod that fish hit is a Conventional bridge rod with a Penn 965,,,big enough to handle a 50#...a hit from a 15# bass won't even put a bend in it....knowing I had lost a quality fish, I was pretty angry with myself....



15090

Worked a lot of different things for the next 2 hours, T&W, other diiving plugs, all varieties and sizes of shads, tailored to the depth of water I was in....

Finally decided to really focus on the Stretches, trolling 2 of them at once...
This ain't that easy from a yak if the bottom has different depths....IMO a challenge to do effectively...especially at night without a fish finder....

On the way back to the launch I get banged again on the bridge stick with the Penn 965....
This time I know it's a good fish...takes a minute or so before I can see her shape....
And boy, she was a beauty......If I was a male striped bass I would have shot all over myself....:drool: :laugh:
That fat belly, broad tail....and clean stripes got me all a-tingling....

Got her in, few quiick pics, and then the release back to make some babies....

15091

[DarkSkies]

15104


The strong 20-25mph wind conditions caused me to re-think my strategies for launching and fishing in the next few days.

I went to a place I hadn't been in awhile...and had never kayaked.
Did the Dark Skies Grandstand Circus and Promotional tour....:laugh:

Re-connected with a lot of the old-timers,,,
And met quite a few people, some of them were about as mentally stable as Charlie Manson....:scared:


Found a slight lee from the wind.....launched before dusk on the 2nd trip with the stretch plug experimentation...

This time I covered more ground and trolled a lot of open water....it was tough, to say the least.
I covered about 4 miles total, and lots of varying depths.

The spot I chose to fish is a big fish highway,,,,but it's primarily a bait area,,no kayaks fish there and no one fishes artificials.

My first and only fish came after about an hour of trolling....a small legal-sized bass, released.
Continued to pedal another 2 hours after that until my toes were partially frozen in the 48 degree water.

When I got back to the launch area, I saw that guys had been doing pretty well on bait.

Overall Analysis...
1. I didn't reach my goal of hooking a migratory bigger breeder...
2. but I did catch fish in a place where they generally don't fish artificials....
3. I think the water being 48 degrees made it difficult to attract the fish to artificials, where I was.
4. They are feeding, but are still sluggish nonetheless.
5. I think in the next month or so this area will be red hot.

Back at it soon, the clock is ticking for the fish migration...:drool:



15103

[storminsteve]

Good job brother!

[DarkSkies]

4-12-12 How to turn a 3 hour trip into a 6 hour one....


I had a quick 3 hour trip planned before work Thu. If all went well, I would have been able to fish, get 3 hours of sleep at home, and get up well-rested for work. It didn't happen that way because the winds and rough water blew me way off course.

I knew what that potential winds would be in the morning from Wunderground. I would suggest to all kayakers to consult Wunderground for the "Hourly Forecast" for times like this. You need to have not only a few backup choices, but also an escape plan if that water kicks up and you have difficulty making it back to where you launched. With water in the 50 degree temp range, this is especially important, and could mean the difference between a successful trip and one where you come home in a body bag..

When I launched, the winds and water weren't bad....
Shortly thereafter they built up a bit...rather than stop fishing I decided to work toward a place where there was a lee.

Trolled for a solid 3 hours, structure and deeper water.
No activity at all for me in the dark.

Right around 6am I began getting fish.
Had a decent period of activity from 6-7:30 till slack tide.
As the tide slacked, the wind changed, becoming steady 20mph and blowing me way off course.

(Actually, this had started while I was catching fish, as each fish brought me into trolling deeper water and further offshore)

When I finally decided to get back into the groove and start on my way home, it was a formidable challenge. Gave my legs a good workout as it took me twice as long to pedal the same distance. I was grateful that my original plan took the tide into account, and coming back I was helped by the tide as well.

Total:
Managed 5 bass to 35" and about 17#
All similar in size (same 2 year classes).
Nothing on rubber today, all on the plugs.


All fish released.

[cowherder]

Great job, even better on the releases.:clapping:
Love that sunrise shot.

[storminsteve]

Great kayak trip dark. Sounds like you have the kayak bite dialed in.:thumbsup:

I fished nomoco tonight and got 8 bass to 40" on a loaded bomber, and white shads. All released. Most of the action was on the bottom of the incoming. These fish were very aggressive and a lot of fun. Good times.:cool:

[Monty]

I fished nomoco tonight and got 8 bass to 40" on a loaded bomber, and white shads. All released. Most of the action was on the bottom of the incoming. These fish were very aggressive and a lot of fun. Good times.:cool:
^^^^^^^^^^
What he said "lot of fun".
Great report Storminsteve, I got 5 to 33" (4 almost the same size at 33"), (all released). Was all alone out there :d and really happy.

http://rocksimpson.com/images/2012_4_15_SB4.jpg

[cowherder]

Woo hoo the bass are here! Fished moco last night on the outgoing tide. It was some great action and I got 4 stripers to 36". Man were they fat! On Daiwa, and bombers. They were slamming the plugs! Ran into Storming Steve and he beat up on em too with some bigger fish. I think he got 8, awesome night.:wheeeee: All released.


Great report Monty contratulations!:clapping::clapping:

[DarkSkies]

4-15-12 Sun predawn

I got out on the yak this AM before dawn and had a slow pick. 2 bass to 34", 15#. Both released.

I covered an insane amount of ground and once the sun came up a lot of people seemed to be fishing and not catching.....starting to see the fish are really concentrated around certain areas, with a lot of dead water in between.

What worked for me was trolling plugs. I passed by a few yakkers who were not catching. Noticed them jigging or casting plugs in deep water. With the water temps as cold as they are, you need to be deeper in that water column.

Lots of boats out there as well, not much catching after the sun came up.

When I launched it was like glass, later on the winds got to be 20+ mph and I got off the water.
During my travels I went through an area of bunker that was about 1 mile in diameter, lots of feeding bunker in those windy conditions. The thing is..every time a boat came near they would sound and not feed until the boat noises went away....
Therefore the boats never had an idea they were there.

The conditions this week are prime for good fishing as the water has heated up a few degrees and the bass and bigger blues are making more of a presence.

Will try to D/L pics when I get a chance, one of the computers we use is getting an upgrade....

[albiealert]

Great catching and releasing guys!
Hey guys I have been fishing my local river in Ct and getting some nice bass. They just started hitting good in the last 10 days. Been out twice and got bass to 32". all released. On bombers and redfins.

[albiealert]

Got some more bass since last report, Same bomber and anything that looks like a bomber. The herring are around. 14 bass total to 12 pounds, all released.

[BassBuddah]

Late reports - I have been fishing various areas and haven't caught much that was worth reporting. There was some slipgut in the ocean which made surfcasting difficult. Instead I was moving around a few back bay areas and catching very large and aggressive bluefish, poppers at night, erratic retrieve.
This weekend I finally managed some nice bass, central south shore area, on bucktail and pork and polaris poppers. The biggest bass was 22lbs, all released for another day

[7deadlyplugs]

I fished the ss tonight, near JI. It was pretty foggy. I threw shads and bombers. Got 2 bass, one 26" anc the other 35". Both released. They hit the bomber. Bass Buddah the slipgut is still there but it seems to be getting better.

[DarkSkies]

Fished the ocean last night, marathon 6 hour session. I usually catch 20-25# bass this time of year at night by blind plugging,...a lot of effort....

Some may not feel it's worth it as the snag and drop fishing gives a higher lb yield/ per man hour fished....

I really can't get excited by snag and drop fishing although some friends have gotten some nice fish that way this year.....


Fished last of the ebb and half of the flood.

Fished at 8 separate spots, covering 15 miles of beach. Only found fish at 2 of those spots..
The action got a little better when the offshore swell from the pending storm kicked up around 2am...but overall, it was a very slow pick...each fish was caught independently of the others...with no discernible pattern....

Also dropped 2 additional fish due to googan error. :bucktooth:


The 2 bass were around the same size, both released.
Fish I dropped were on swimmers.
Fish I landed were on small rubber.
2 bass, low teens.....



A lot of effort for those fish....way more effort than I usually put in this time of year...in my experience, the surf fish are scattered...this despite the extreme abundance of bait in the surf zone....which is further evidence that the striped bass biomass is shrinking.


Read this thread to learn more.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8450-Honey-the-Striped-Bass-are-Shrinking-How-to-Recognize-the-Signs


OR The Stripers and Anglers Yearly Coastwide Stock Accessment...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7784-StripersandAnglers-yearly-coastwide-fish-stock-assessment-state-of-the-fishery








1527115272
Pics
2 bass low teens.

[storminsteve]

:clapping: on the catching.
:clapping::clapping: on the releasing!

[Monty]

:clapping: on the catching.
:clapping::clapping: on the releasing!
X2 :thumbsup:

[cowherder]

Great job!

[DarkSkies]

70 lb bass (allegedly) caught and released in MoCo 6-6-12



Link to the thread, congrats to the Angler.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8458-70-lb-bass-caught-and-released-in-MoCo-6-6-12&p=59714#post59714