I was thinking of putting this in the NJ forum, but realized it applies to all of us along the East Coast. Striped bass were in abundance in the 60's and 70's along the Coast.

You could go out from Virginia to Cape Cod and catch so many they littered the beach, big ones too. 30#s were as common as the 26" fish we see today.

Some people don't have this perspective. I'm asking all you veteran anglers out there to weigh in on this.

I know a lot of guys I speak with feel it doesn't make any sense to talk about the past.

Who wants to hear a bunch of older guys talking about the "good old times"?

Maybe, maybe not.

But by NOT talking about it, and sharing what it was like, the younger anglers today can't possibly understand how it was..... the years of bountiful abundance, and the lean years when you guys went 2 to 3 weeks fishing before you could land an 18" bass.

When most guys gave up bass fishing because they felt it wasn't worth it.

When guys were so nonchalant about the resource because it was felt striped bass numbers would never be affected.

When so few people fished for striped bass that almost all the fishermen in an area knew each other by name and hung out together.

When you older guys are gone, no one will be around to tell these stories, except for some old newspaper articles. So I'm asking anyone here who has 30 years of more of fishing experience to share what it was like.

We need details, stories, remembrances, anecdotes, anything you can think of that will help the younger generation understand why some of us are so protective of this bass fishing that we all love.

How was the fishing before, during, and directly after, the moratorium was imposed?

If you remember 20 separate incidents and want to make 20 separate posts here, please DO IT! Those stories are not doing anyone any good locked inside your head.

I appreciate ALL contributions, guys. If you don't have 30 years under your belt, maybe you can do some research for us, and post it up. Any factual articles and references can help. Make sure you reference the source in your post.

We're never going to get a large number of people to see how precious this resource is, until some guys can see for themselves how it was almost lost. They won't be able to do that without the stories I'm hoping you will share with us.

Thanks, guys.