Throwback Thread- December caught Bass

[SharkHart]

There is like to raging wars on websites and Facebook.
1) Is/Isn't a decline
2) The run is on/done and well

I'll add more December caught fish in years past as i find them, but I think anything over 27" at this point id be like in shock, but I used to land quality fish and wasn't all that surprised by it.

Please add yours too

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[SharkHart]

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[SharkHart]

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[cowherder]

but I think anything over 27" at this point id be like in shock, but I used to land quality fish and wasn't all that surprised by it.

Please add yours too

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I opened this thread thinking small bass but I was wrong. Damn you sure have been getting some nice bass in Dec. Can you share any further intel? Ocean or back bay. Those are some real nice fish!

[SharkHart]

Throwback so this is years past, Most were about 4-6 years ago, But the idea was to show the state we might in now. A new angler may think it is all rats starting at Thanksgiving.

The one of me in the catchers pose was a Xmas night 20 plus pounder, Thats just unheard of these days

[SharkHart]

But your Intial reaction is kind of what Im saying, It seems shocking if you see fish like that now, but just afew years ago it was like Ok nice fish....Now is like WOW NO WAYYYY only a few years later

[Blazin420]

Definitly some nice fish Shark but i no what your saying these pics i have are from about 5-6years ago and they were more that i dont have pics of...It certainly wasnt all about little bass after Turkey Day...Thats when i used to get ALOT of quality fish..Past few years not so much...these are screenshots from my phone so kinda crappy pics

[seamonkey]

But your Intial reaction is kind of what Im saying, It seems shocking if you see fish like that now, but just afew years ago it was like Ok nice fish....Now is like WOW NO WAYYYY only a few years later

I am going back like 10 years or so but during that time the end of november and december first 2 weeks if you brought clam or bunker and sat on a cape may beach or back on the DB beaches for enough time you could get a nice keeper. And I'm talking keeper around 20 lbs. This year the fall has been pretty bad for me. I didn't get any bass like that. Keep hoping for a stray one or two but it doesn't look like that will happen. Spent 2 hours on the beach this morning and left em biting - the skates and dogfish, that is lol Got one small bass on clams. By the way those are some nice bass pics guys you would not catch those bass in cape may this time of year. But 10 years ago you might.

[basshunter]

I have not been at it that long but seem to remember that around 2011 was a good time for late fall fishing. Wasn't that the great sandeel invasion at island beach? It does seem like every year since then the fish are coming in to the surf later and they are smaller. I don't know why or have enough experience out there to hypothesize why. Just my .02.
Sharkhart you really seem to be dialed in to late season bass. Thanks for sharing.

[surferman]

Seamonkey yeah that late run of December bass you could count on it so well you could take it to the bank. Now not so much. I think the beach replenishment killed a lot of the surf activity. Now if you want to get some late season bigguns you have to hit the backside of CM where there is some deeper water or the bunker tend to hang out. Things sure have changed.

[jigfreak]

...It certainly wasnt all about little bass after Turkey Day...Thats when i used to get ALOT of quality fish..Past few years not so much...these are screenshots from my phone so kinda crappy pics

I think both you guys made good points. After turkey day there were still some quality bass around even in the back bays. This year jmo but the sustained storm patterns killed it. A lot of fish passed us by offshore in those storms.
If you think about it it's kind of ironic. During Sept the mantra all over the internet was "the waters too warm we need cooler water" Meanwhile I think I remember sharkhart posting up somewhere that the montauk temperatures weren't that much different than jersey. From what I hear there was no great fall run at montauk this year either.

Back to jersey fishing I think a lot of surf guys got spoiled by the sandeels as blazing and others said. It becomes harder to find fish when the sandeels are not there. You still can but you have to hunt for them on the move. I think many got lazy and assumed you could roll down to gillkens in late november and catch 20-30 bass in a morning. That did not happen. A lot of guys I know were pickeing away at them one at a time, myself included.
Scoring big did not happen often this fall unless you lucked into a migrating pod of bunker or peanut bunker at night. Lots of dudes are not used to working that hard so they quit. I agree that it was not that uncommon to catch 15lbers in December tho. I think a lot of the bait in the surf area moved out rather quickly which helped to kill it in terms of numbers.

[cowherder]

The one of me in the catchers pose was a Xmas night 20 plus pounder, Thats just unheard of these days


But your Intial reaction is kind of what Im saying, It seems shocking if you see fish like that now, but just afew years ago it was like Ok nice fish....Now is like WOW NO WAYYYY only a few years later

that catchers pose fish is sweet! You look kind of young, are you in your 20s? As for the WOW NO WAYYYY statements thats interesting. I remember at the end of the year there used to be a nice amount of fat stripers caught when the herring got here. Now you hardly ever hear of it. Any thoughts on that?

[SharkHart]

That was about 10 years ago, im old now lol. But yet Herring run would bring them around, I remember that night well still had 12 bass total. That particular Bass had 5 intact herring in the belly and we saw them swimming around in the lights of the bridge and bass popping on them, was a bay fish. A guy in small boat yelled over to me when I got there he had 2 fish over 40 "

But even times I didn't see herring a second wave of solid fish came in around Thanksgiving. Obviously some of those others followed bunker in. Id hate to be a young striper angler starting now, maybe not enough good outtings to get you back out, but I guess the only way is up, maybe hopefully not down further.

[buckethead]

But even times I didn't see herring a second wave of solid fish came in around Thanksgiving. Obviously some of those others followed bunker in. Id hate to be a young striper angler starting now, maybe not enough good outtings to get you back out, but I guess the only way is up, maybe hopefully not down further.

I remember the herring runs as well, Spring and late Fall. Getting a few at the asbury flume and bringing them up to the Sea bright wall for some real nice fish. Talk to the young guns about doing that today and they look at you like you come from outer space. Many folks just have no perspective.

[buckethead]

I posted this in the rats thread and thought it might have relevance.
I think what happens over time is folks lose sight of the good fishing, start to accept the mediocre or bad fishing, and that settles in as the new bar of excellence. This all happens without many noticing it.