StripersandAnglers yearly coastwide fish stock assessment, state of the fishery

[DarkSkies]

This is another thread I have fallen woefully far behind on. I need a few hours to put my notes from seasoned anglers and capts out there. The bulk of this assessment is the general consensus of the best of the best, that I have been fortunate to interview.


I have been noticing a general decline for the last 7-8 years. I've learned my opinion is less important than that of seasoned and veteran anglers, who to me are infinitely more compelling in their statements.

Incredibly, there are some with commercial interests out there, who claim all the material presented here, is nonsense, that the striped bass population is healthier than ever. As I type these words, the same myopic group is creating havoc on several internet sites as they bully and berate anyone who is willing to disagree with that.

In 2014, at least some more people will be willing to listen.
Will try to get back to this soon, hopefully have the latest feedback wrapped up by the Spring run.

[buckethead]

I have been noticing a general decline for the last 7-8 years.

Incredibly, there are some with commercial interests out there, who claim all the material presented here, is nonsense, that the striped bass population is healthier than ever. As I type these words, the same myopic group is creating havoc on several internet sites as they bully and berate anyone who is willing to disagree with that.

I agree I am seeing the same thing. There bass population is in serious trouble. If you can't see that maybe you are better at understanding golf than fishing. Or you face a $$ loss when the limit is changed to one. Just my .02

[porgy75]

I learned a lot reading. thanks for posting it.

[DarkSkies]

*****

[DarkSkies]

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[DarkSkies]

I'm so far behind in this I'll never get it finished if I don't do a little at a time.
For now, I'll have to start with the current status, and work my way backward.
Thanks for the kind words people, but please remember most of these assessments are not mine....they are a composite from interviews I do every year, with hundreds of seasoned anglers........

That's why I tell folks....if you don't like my opinions, or me, I'm OK with that.....
but this asssessment is not about me....it's what hundreds of fishermen are saying.....I'm just the one laying it all down in easy to understand format....












** Please remember that any of these posts are subject to updating/revisions as more info becomes available and I pull more interviews from the notes I took. Please feel free to add if you can contribute here to help us come up with the most accurate accessment possible.
If you want your comments or observations to be included as part of this assessment and are not a member here, feel free to e-mail me any time.
As always, thanks for reading......

[DarkSkies]

Chesapeake Bay Spring 2014......(March - July)

By most accounts, the spawn was not great compared historically to other years.....the most common responses I heard from Capts and seasoned anglers was the cold Winter affected the early movement of the fish into the river spawning areas.......

Those who were fishing around the time of the spawn (remember that Maryland now has a closed season in the Bay during the time frame spawning is most likely to occur) have told me that they felt the fishing was slow.....

1. It seems to them that less large bass (Citations) were caught and recorded this year....
2. And there was concern among some of them that there are gaps in certain striped bass year classes.







Down in that area, they also reported a lot of smaller fish...which is something we have not seen as much up North...more on that in the

"NJs resident bass why have they abandoned us" thread...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...y-abandoned-us


** Remember that with the 2011 year being relatively good, we should be seeing greater numbers of small bass, coastwide, because of that.....however, 2011 is one solid year class, and not a specific indicator of the relative health of the striped bass fishery.

[DarkSkies]

Delaware Bay/River Spring 2014 (March - July)

This is another area where the majority of seasoned fishermen I interviewed were concerned about the colder Winter and the affect it would have on the spawn.

For a review on striped bass and optimal spawning temperatures, read here:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ed-Bass-thread


According to various sources who were fishing then, spawning in the Delaware river began anywhere from the 3rd week of April to shortly thereafter.....some have said to me the spawn is of shorter duration when the water is colder. By that they mean the spawn can last only a week, as opposed to warmer times, when it can last 3 weeks or more.

In any event, most of the seasoned anglers I know who fish the Delaware agree the 2014 spawn for that Delaware stock is already over....










2 interesting things of note....

1. Notable decline in action on the migratory route: Even during the spawn, in past years there were enough bass traveling along the Coast in migration that Cape May beaches would yield some bass, even smaller ones......

For 2014, most of the folks I know who fish the Cape May area have had a poor spring so far. These key areas have started to light up in the past week, as some bigger bass have been caught. These are the Delaware fish that are done spawing and making their way "around the bend" for Cape May and Atlantic County anglers to get a chance at catching.
They are probably mixed in with Chesapeake bay stock, which have been done with their spawing for over a week now and are making their way north as part of the yearly migration.


2. Notable # of Delaware Bay females still full of eggs:
Some of the fishermen I talked to were still catching fish to 30# in the lower bay as of a few days ago. The bait of choice for some of these fish was bloodworms, they wouldn't touch anything else in certain areas. That was probably because of the high amount of worms in those areas, the traditional bay flats areas.

**What was interesting was that a few different sources told me that these fish (the ones that were kept) had not spawned out, and had bellies full of roe.

To me, this is one possible indicator that the optimal # of fish did not spawn this year. I don't think the river temps ever reached 68, and there were few days they were above 60.
This may be anecdotal, but I feel the results of this year's spawn will translate to a poor YOY for the 2015 surveys...





Only time will tell if I'm right on this. However, it makes logical sense to me, based on the lower water temps and lesser days when they were optimal for spawning.

[DarkSkies]

South Jersey Spring 2014 (March - July)


Here, we are referrring chiefly to SJ back bay action.....Atlantic and Cape May counties

a. Characterized by a good number of smaller fish (sub legal, 10-27")
b. The folks I know were out regularly catching these smaller fish since about the 3rd week of march (this excludes Power Plant fish, which IMO are an anomaly and don't belong in a coastwide assessment....every year fish are caught at power plants in the Winter)

c. This would indicate a pretty solid resident population for the SJ bay and river areas. This is markedly different from what folks are experiencing in NNJ Bays and river systems.

d. Every year, with the exception of Sandy's damage, South Jersey bays seem to hold more small forage, and come alive more quickly after a harsh winter.
I don't exactly know why this is, but have received enough feedback on it that I feel it's worth reporting.

e. Also, due to extensive beach replenishment, many of S Jersey's beaches on the oceanside do not hold nearly the numbers of bass and other gamefish they used to. Anglers are forced to prowl the back bays looking for structure or waiting on the migratory Spring and Fall runs on the ocean beaches.

[DarkSkies]

Manahawkin and Barnegat Bay and Ocean areas Spring 2014 (March - July)



I think it's fair to say these back bay areas are very good estuaries. Claims have been made about agricultural runoff affecting water quality and fish population in the Barnegat Bay. I will agree to some extent. When I was a kid, friends and family took us out for many trips on that bay, and I remember it being full of life.

Is it the same way now?
Absolutely not.......I feel that breached inlet at Mantoloking Bridge, if allowed to remain the course, could have helped to clean up Barnegat Bay to what it once was....but there were too many logistics and real estate issues involved, for that to happen....

However, it's interesting to note that as I understand, they still haven't closed the Fire Island, LI, breach.....
Perhaps an indication that letting nature taking it's course, is sometimes a healthier alternative than fighting it......Also exemplified by the ACOE's futile and mis-guided approach to stem beach erosion by covering jetties and fighing Nature on a yearly basis.







Back on topic.....
It's still a (relatively) good estuary system.....
Can and does hold lots of forage in the sedge and creek areas...


1. This Winter, even the power plant bite didn't turn on consistently until mid-March....probably a function of them not running the cooling towers...which in turn did not concentrate the fish as tightly as folks were used to.....


2. The rest of that giant bay area, has produced some early season fish of size.....
I have friends who report to me, catches of bass to 30#, every year in key bay areas other than the power plant....
This year, they have seen nor caught nothing even approaching fish that size.......


As for the old-timers, many of them have been fishing the bay and inlet areas twice daily for bass, since the season opened, and they haven't caught any fish worth mentioning until about 10 days ago....the last days of April....

My question to the folks out there......is
Why Not?

[DarkSkies]

Shark River Inlet and shark river... Spring 2014 (March - July)

I can't remember if I put this separately before, but it merits discussion......
Shark River inlet and the river system behind it used to hold tremendous quantities of bait, and as a result a lot of predators.....
I fished there as a kid.....you were never disappointed with the small fish you could catch from the inlet....all food for bigger fish...the inlet there used to hold baby blackfish by the hundreds.......

It has changed in recent years with dredging results....some claim it's nothing like it once was......
I'll agree...but still feel we should talk about it......

So far, the flounder season got off to a lukewarm start...but that's not enough of a current fishery to base an assessment on....







**I'll come back and fill this in when I get a chance.....

[DarkSkies]

Shrewsbury/ Navesink River and Sandy Hook Bay Spring 2014........(March - July)

Another once great area.... that used to hold fish year-round because of the western boundary of the Earle Naval Pier...And the Southern boundary of Sandy Hook


1. Some of the biggest fish in the area used to come from the bridges......things have changed since then....
2. Even the guys in boats, drifting worms and bunker for 2014, have not had the traditional early success that used to happen in that river system.......

3. The rivers would be populated with small bass for most months except the coldest winter months.
4. Old timers have told me of limited numbers of bass spawning in the back of the Navesink, a few decades ago....

In recent years, (for those who have been fishing the river system for more than 5 years) the bass action has dropped off considerably, except for the nights when the massive schools of bunker move through...













There have always, always....been schoolies around for a good bucktailer to catch......
In recent years that has changed.....old timers have trouble catching a few schoolies....other than times when the rivers are filled with the largest schools of bait...

**If bass are so abundant, you have to ask yourself....
WHY?

[DarkSkies]

Raritan Bay and NY Bight, including RB estuaries (Raritan River/ Hackensack River system, Arthur Kill, Staten Island) Spring 2014 -
(March - July)


I know this area better than many of the other areas I have fished, simply because I grew up fishing these places as they were closer. At different times I have probably walked and sunk, in most creeks and mud bogs in that area trapping killies and digging for tape and other worms. I would be embarassed to report the number of shoes I have lost wading around out there in the muck, and close calls I had when I couldn't get out of the mud.....
I have been fishing that area aggressively and consistently for the last 25 years......from boat, kayak, and land......

There are others who have more experience than me, and I defer to them when I need to learn more...such as the old timers who sparked my interest with numerous examples of bass spawning in the Raritan river decades ago.......




The Assessment Spring 2014:
(Note, the observations below are generalizations based on my experience, observations, and interviews with hundreds of anglers)
There is always a case where someone's experience doesn't fit what generally happens. Not looking to argue with anyone here....just looking to educate and raise awareness.....of what most seasoned anglers are (generally) seeing......


1. Later start - Later start to season because of colder Winter. This harsh winter probably damaged a lot of the early season forage population, but not as bad as 2013, when forage damage from Sandy was more marked and severe. I believe in 2013, grass shrimp didn't show up in many places until June. As of this date in 2014, there are very few grass shrimp and spearing in the usual places. They are there in the shallowest estuaries, but many of the other places are barren.

2. Dirty Water Bass - The early season is traditionally marked by anglers catching resident fish, which winter over in the Arthur Kill and other deep water ports of the lower Hudson river. You can ID these fish because they (usually) have a darker color and look "muddy" at times....hence the name "dirty water bass" and other names they have been called.
Every year, these bass are (generally) caught first by land anglers as the fish wake up from lethargy and start to roam the shallow water flats. These fish are available by the thousands.

In 2014, the numbers caught in this area, were only in the hundreds...
Boat anglers and others didn't start catching bigger fish regularly until April 17, 2014...
If the bass are so healthy, Where were these resident bass that are there every year?


3. Shallow water - Anglers usually start catching these (early) resident fish as the mud flats on the southern side of the bay heats up, near clam beds where the worms become active. For most years that (generally) means that the Southern side of the bay heats up first. The Staten Island and northern areas are generally closer to channels and deeper water, which (generally) means the bite turns on later in that deeper and colder water.




4. Find bait and find fish - any of the above general observations can be negated by large quantities of bait. In the spring it's usually large pods of bunker. To this day it amazes me that so few have an understanding of the bunker, or how they behave, other than asking others where to find them. When you begin to understand them better, you begin to see how it's all inter-related. We had an unusually warm winter back in 2011 when bunker were in some of the bays and harbors in February. Generally, they don't migrate from the south that early, but by March and April you can find them if you are willing to move around and look.

Generally, they come in with the flood tide, and leave with the ebb. The bunker you see are migrating as well. The ones you see today might not be the same ones you saw yesterday. Bunker also sometimes sit in deeper water in the channels and marinas, and only rise to feed when conditions are optimal.

I am amazed at the amount of times I'm out there crossing the channels in a kayak, and the bunker are just beginning to rise to the surface (boat traffic can also put them down). A Captain will blow right by me with binocs, looking for bunker, not realizing he just passed by the mother lode when he crossed that channel.

As mentioned, bass will follow large schools of bunker. If there are only a few big bass under them you might never know those bass are there. Hence the complaint from many who go out for a day of fishing "Well we saw all these bunker pods but nothing under them, very frustrating"

** A. Also, if there is an exceptionally large body of bunker, fish will follow them anyway, and the previous observations don't always apply, because the action is then dominated by the bunker.
B. When a large body of bunker leaves an area for the night, it tends to draw out most of the fish with it. Another frustration experienced by Capts and all fishermen. Understanding this, and fish behavior, is key to predicting where they could be the next day (Hint - bunker usually feed into the wind)

[DarkSkies]

5. Structural changes and fish location changes - this is so important I decided to put it by itself. Many folks out there are resistant to this logic, instead falsely using it as being the reason for "seeing the most bass I have ever seen!"
Hint - the bass are now more concentrated, in a lesser # of areas.


Why?
A. Sandy's storm devastated some bay estuaries. Some shoreline and creek areas still have not recovered and are devoid of life.
B. Many creeks that used to hold small forage and had clam beds a short distance from the mouth now have these clam beds covered by silt, which has greatly decreased the worm and clam beds in the bay.

C. Old Orchard Lighthouse and Sandy destruction - This was a significant event. If you are a seasoned fisherman or Capt you know why. The destruction of the lighthouse immediately distributed those rocks throughout the area, increasing the surface area and structure by up to 300%.
This area was traditionally known by most Capts to hold fish, and the bigger fish that came into the bay.
The old pattern was that, for weeks at a time after the spawn., bass would come down the Hudson, and sit and feed at old orchard before moving on. Sometimes they were there for weeks at a time. Many of the bigger fish above 30# came from this general area.

Since Sandy, this area has become prime hunting ground for bigger bass.

The pattern has shifted to one where they now show up, Before, and After, the spawn.
They are not always there, and no one is guaranteed a fish....but if you know and understand fish behavior, you would see that with the decreased % of other areas that have traditionally held fish....this Old Orchard area would
rise to the forefront.....more crabs, sea bass, black fish, and other forage fish than ever before....divers will confirm this.....the area is loaded with bait for most of the year.....


**And...it is part of the pattern that has changed and allows some mis-informed folks, to think there are more bass, when closer observation reveals that not to be true.....

















If you only fish from a boat, you know the names of usual places that hold bass and other fish in Raritan Bay....
* Flynns knoll and Romer shoals (clam beds)
* Old Orchard (up to 300% in structure area since lighthouse was destroyed)
* Round Shoal, and the entrance area to the Arthur Kill
* Mount Loretto and the shipping channels that graze the SI shoreline there
* Great Kills Harbor and the bass waiting a short ride outside.....(and sometimes in the harbor itself)
* Navy Pier to Keyport / the Belford clam beds and other clam beds in that area (The Navy pier will often hold fish when they are scarce in other areas. The channels are the gateway into the bay for migrating fish....the clam beds in that area can be confirmed by a conversation with any commercial clammer.)


There are a few more...but my point is this....a good Capt knows when these areas are most productive, and why...
Anyone who wants fish from a boat, you know the names of usual places that hold bass and other fish in Raritan Bay....
A good Capt, if they concentrated on those areas mentioned above, and fish are in the bay area....would most likely catch one, if they really worked the above areas thoroughly....
Someone who claims there are more bass than ever before, without recognizing the changes mentioned..... is either:
ignorant, arrogantly in denial, or has a hidden financial incentive to mis-represent the status of the bass #s to folks out there.



To Recap, for the RB/ NY Bight area (generally speaking)

1. Less shoreline structure and feeding area since Sandy
2. Higher concentration of the same fish in the areas that do hold food, with some becoming more prominent than before.
3. Offshore migration theories hold no water here, as fish must enter the bays in similar ways every year and travel the same routes to spawn.
4. Notably less quantities of larger fish. (the 20# bass has become the new "Large" Bass)
5. Significant gaps in year classes of other sized fish.

[buckethead]

Well done Rich. comprehensive and informative. I agree 100%. The only thing I would add is if you can't see some kind of decline you are probably a newbie or as you mentioned have an agenda. Lots of Captains are against any change in the regs so I don't think any would agree with what you are saying. Don't let that intimidate you. Very good assessment. Thank you.

[voyager35]

Nice job ds. Another thing to ponder is you don't see many big girls caught lately. those 40 pounds and above. Also check the chesapeake tourneys there were not many very big fish weighed in this year. There is definitely too much pressure on the bigger ones.

[Monty]

Great posts Dark, thank you.

[williehookem]

Very informative thanks for posting. Any thoughts on LI for 2014?

[fishinmission78]

I have been noticing a general decline for the last 7-8 years. I've learned my opinion is less important than that of seasoned and veteran anglers, who to me are infinitely more compelling in their statements.

Incredibly, there are some with commercial interests out there, who claim all the material presented here, is nonsense, that the striped bass population is healthier than ever. As I type these words, the same myopic group is creating havoc on several internet sites as they bully and berate anyone who is willing to disagree with that.

In 2014, at least some more people will be willing to listen.

Seeing that down here dark. The island beach spring run is nothing like it used to be and the fall run seems to start later and later every year. Don't worry about the rest you are always going to have the d-bags out there that spread the BS. Thanks for the honesty

[BassBuddah]

Very informative thanks for posting. Any thoughts on LI for 2014?

I can give the Montauk assessment if you want. Montauk had been great about 15 years ago. Sustained blitzes and large consistently caught deep in the night. If you put in your time on the sand beaches you would score some nice bass. Ususally 30-40#. Anything smaller wouldn't even get a nod from the regulars. Then about 5 years ago that all changed though it was declining for a while. The spring run was short. The fall run started later every year. Last good one with bigger fish was in 2011 will have to check my logs but pretty sure. Last year there was about 2 weeks of good fishing at the montauk beaches before it shifted to moriches and the moses beaches.

All of the montauk boats were running there. Large gaps of coastline where there were only small schoolies or none at all.
You're doing a good job dark keep up the good work. The scientists at the ASMFC really are clueless. Political motivations are strong.