How hard are you willing to work, to learn....

[DarkSkies]

Something I posted the other day:


....................
....................
....................
....................
....................
........I think the sweetest rewards come from that hard work...at least that's been my experience...
Would love to hear about the experiences of others.....

You answered a 3 year old post

I guess I screwed up not highlighting that part of the post, in multi bolded black, like I usually do, in my OCD world...

I already posted it somewhere else 2 days ago, and decided to share that story here as well.....
If I recall correctly, the original reason for starting this thread was a conversation with you and the other old timers about how people don't want to work that hard anymore to catch fish.
Or get involved to help their fellow fishermen...the thread below was a direct result of these conversations, O Grouchy One...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...nvolved-Why-ME

Hope that clears things up ya grouchy basstid.

[DarkSkies]

Slow Pick -
Was going to add a few things to this when I get a chance.....there have been some occasions when a few of us are out there....slow pick.....but the fish are there.....and the other anglers walk down to the beach....and because there are not a lot of bent rods to be seen....they leave.....
I'll try to come back to this when I get a chance...if anyone has anything to share in the meantime....feel free.....

[DarkSkies]

Thought it was time to bump this thread because it seeme the dynamic has changed for a lot of folks out there. In the past, the way I learned was by failing. Catching fish on bait was very easy, had been doing it since I was 12. Making the transition to artificials was the hard part. It took a long time for me to get any measure of success.

That's probably because I didn't understand the "Why?" and focused too much on the "where". In modern times, I can see why anglers are so concerned about "Where?" There are so many places that do not hold fish (though with high concentrations of bait, they should.)

So it seems that fishing has evolved, for a certain segment, to where they try to follow reports of others, and then chase them. With social media, that's pretty easy to do. Real time reporting often leaves many clues to fish being caught in an area. Those who chase, often come up empty handed. HOW is it possible, if they are going to "hot" areas, or running to, at 5pm, to an area where fish were blitzing at 6am, that so many are disappointed?

[DarkSkies]

There are several possibilities and observations. For the sake of this discussion I'll try to simplify things a bit. If I gloss over or omit something, I apologize in advance. Please feel free to add your opinion, or corrections. And thanks, as always, for your interest in sharing. You are a great group, and all opinions are valued here.

1. Lack of fish - I could go on and on about this, but it's apparent to anyone who has fished for more than a few decades. We are approaching times where striped bass numbers *(overall) are lower than they have been. The saving grace COULD be the 2011 and 2015 year classes. But the robustness of that class as a saving grace will take several years to come to fruition as these fish grow to legal size.

2. Extreme gaps in numbers in certain year classes.

3. Beach replenishment and loss of fishing access from land.

4. (Slight) shift to offshore migrational patterns. Notice the emphasis on "slight" here. I think it's important to note the shift. Also important to note that there has been a certain % of bass that always migrated offshore. This is most notable in areas like Cape May and others where there is not much beach structure to hold migrational baitfish and forage. However, it's also important to note when bass numbers were healthier, the offshore, and the inshore populations, were BOTH robust and thriving. Recent years have seen robustness in the offshore populations, but a notable shrinking in the inshore and Back Bay Area numbers.

5. This shrinking of the biomass (all fully documented here and searchable in other threads) has coincided with the beach replenishment, so that beach replenishment usually takes the blame. I ask all serious fishermen, to consider IF the real possibility is the shrinking biomass overall, as has been documented here and on other sites.

6. A changing in attitudes of many modern fishermen. I've noticed that a lot of modern fishermen begin to rely more and more on the Internet. Fewer talk about finding fish from logs or past patterns. My fishing logs have been invaluable to me. They helped me make the transition from the "Where" to the "Why" in figuring out feeding and migrational patterns.
Many say "Well fish swim, that's why you can't follow reports". Maybe....but if you understand patterns and what they imply, you may be able to find fish for a few nights, or weeks, in the same area.















I mentioned the above biomass observations as a prelude to my point here, because at times they usually spark arguments by those who don't want to do the research, or have a vested interest in claiming the striped bass population is healthier than ever.

The issue I wanted to raise and perhaps continue in discussion, is-
"Has fishing changed for so many of us, that some don't care about the "Why" any more, that the prime concern is the "Where?"

If so, don't we lose something in the process, if we are not interested in learning patterns, IF they develop, and why knowing that pattern can benefit our catching, and overall fishing experiences?

Thanks for your thoughts and comments, folks...they are appreciated.....

[fishinmission78]

6. A changing in attitudes of many modern fishermen. I've noticed that a lot of modern fishermen begin to rely more and more on the Internet. Fewer talk about finding fish from logs or past patterns. My fishing logs have been invaluable to me. They helped me make the transition from the "Where" to the "Why" in figuring out feeding and migrational patterns.
Many say "Well fish swim, that's why you can't follow reports". Maybe....but if you understand patterns and what they imply, you may be able to find fish for a few nights, or weeks, in the

The issue I wanted to raise and perhaps continue in discussion, is-
"Has fishing changed for so many of us, that some don't care about the "Why" any more, that the prime concern is the "Where?"

If so, don't we lose something in the process, if we are not interested in learning patterns, IF they develop, and why knowing that pattern can benefit our catching, and overall fishing experiences?

Thanks for your thoughts and comments, folks...they are appreciated.....

Ds I think you're fighting a losing battle trying to encourage guys to keep logs.This is something I read the other day. An excuse as to why a guy doesn't have time to write fishing logs. SMH at the cluelessness.

".... i dont have time to write ( log books ) im not retired lol idk if u r but im not and i have been catching em just not the last week and i really havent seen any caught either except monday i happened to walk into a blitz"

[dogfish]

^^^^ It's the voice of the new generation, and I ain't talking Pepsi. a whole bunch of new fishermen on the scene want all the glory, but don't want to put hours or sweat into the game.

[rockhopper]

Yeah I would have to agree. FB and internet report chasing has gotten so bad that guys will not get out of their seats unless they hear heavy action. What ashame. it's no longer surf casting for some it's surf chasing.