2013 Striper run?

[Capt Sal]

It was great for some and terrible for others.The June ocean run of Chesapeak Bass was very disappointing to say the least.The spring run in Raritan Bay was the best in years.The bass started chewing in the bay in April and stayed thru June.Live lining in late May and June was just fine.Every year is different and a lot depends on the bunker population.We had a lot of bunker this year but not to many large spawner.That is why we did not have a great peanut bunker run.Although the hand sized bunker were perfect for live lining they were not spawners.
Many theories about why we had a bad ocean run.Did they migrate out past the 3 mile line?Was the water to cold?Did we have to much South wind?I thik it is all the above.The upcoming year will tell the tale.Our fall run was a sand ell bite.We had our moments on the bigger bass but again there were large schools of bass beyond the 3 mile line.The fish police were there and it is just not woth it to go beyond the line.Sure wish they would change that stupid law!Hoping for a banner year of striper fishing in 2014.How was your year for bass?:)

[crabcake]

I live on LI and the Ocean Jig fishing that we had off of Fire Island for the entire month of October was the best that i've ever seen or experienced. On the other hand, the big fish on herring never really materialized in November off of Montauk which is unusual and disconcerting. I started the year with a banner trip in the NY bight in late April, but by mid May that fishing was also very inconsistent. I also made some attempts in LI sound, but aside from some shorts, the fish were scarce at times when they shouldn't be.

[Type R Teggy]

This spring from April 4/20 to 6/10 in the back bay raritan surf between me and my friend we had 413 bass 306 being keepers. we only fished 3-4 days out of the week. Out of those 400 only 1 was kept due to a gut hook well beyond the keeper size. The best fishing season of my life. Some days the bite was on all day fish after fish others at night. the bass were just there. Ive only been fishing for 5 years but boy did this spoil me. I couldn't get nothing going on at all this fall. Only got 1 26" inch bass of the surf in the ocean. Even on the days were the bass were biting at IBSP for that short span couldn't get nothing going on. just one of those seasons I guess you never know where the fish will be. There is plenty of fish out there just got to be in the right place at the right time. Hopefully we get a repeat of last spring run :)

[HydraSportsPT]

Spring clam bite was what I put into it....moving on.
Fall Run: Jig bite was great early am, when the pressure of the morning increased the troll was spectacular, every 200 yards take down. Plenty of keepers and 16 lb blues to keep it interesting
The night eel bite was good, 2-3 week span between the channels, wind kept it from being spectacular but thats the fall fishing
IBSP - disappointing

[Angler Paul]

I agree with Capt. Sal except about the 3 mile rule. You have to realize that the rule applys to the entire east coast and to commercial and recreational fishermen alike. The stock would be absoultely devastated if the commercial guys were able to net them while they are wintering over offshore of the Virginia and North Carolina coasts.

[tombanjo]

This guy captures the emotional state of striper fishermen.

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/fishingmd/articles/bassrec.html

[Michael82929]

Agree with most of Sal's assessment... my sentiments exactly.

You didnt mention one thing which I wont - loose lips sink ships... :)

But overall was a very good 2013 season.. wish I got out more..

[Reel Class]

3 mile EEZ "law" is ridiculous - agreed. It's been in place for several years (I really don't know how many years but for a LONG time) and up until recently, it wasn't really enforced with the vigor that we see in current times.

The enforcement of possession bass in the EEZ is a $$$ maker for our federal government, as it's a federal offense so the money they make from fines goes to the fed - hence the reason for the "initiative" by the CG to enforce it and why so much effort is going into enforcing it.

Choppers, cutters, little black inflatables, planes, etc. all go into enforcing this. Up until maybe 3 or 4 years ago, there was no enforcement and anglers didn't really worry about going past 3 with bass - but now, since the latest initiative in pushing the enforcement of the EEZ, I, as well as many other guys, are afraid to go off 2.9 or even 2.8 to look for bass!!!

It would be nice to see the coast GUARD do it's real job, and that's protect law abiding citizens of this country, not enforce draconian laws on law abiding citizens that are reminiscent of the 1700's British rule LOL

In regards to the bass run, the spring bunker run sucked, the clam bite up off the hook was good when we could run up there, and the fall was ehhhh as about 75% of our fish were taken on the troll - jig bite was off and the fish were VERY picky!

[Legacy]

We had a great spring run in Raritan Bay averaging 12-15 fish in the 15-20 pound class on our home made bunker spoons during April,May and June never having to hit the ocean. Best spring fish was a 37 pound female released to spawn.

The fall was a different story with a wild November run averaging 30-40 fish a trip on tube rigs between the channels. Switching to spoons often put the larger 20 plus pound fish on the deck this fall. Had our best fall day on the Reach with 5 fish over 30 pounds when the large bunker made a brief appearance and the spoons matched the hatch.

Fishing weekdays and being one of the first boats out on the bait made all the difference in the world this fall. Weekends were certainly a circus towards the end of the run. Seeing so many short fish this fall bodes well for 2014 and beyond assuming the NC netters don't demolish the biomass. A great year with many of my friends' kids catching bass fever with us this season.

[Capt Sal]

Agree with most of Sal's assessment... my sentiments exactly.

You didnt mention one thing which I wont - loose lips sink ships... :)

But overall was a very good 2013 season.. wish I got out more..

Not too many secrets about Raritan Bay.It is a large body of water with an average depth of 20 feet.You can catch bass in many places some spots produce every year.Great place for first timers,women and youngsters.The bay fishing has nothing to do with the ocean fishing.When the ocean reports are bad people assume the same for the bay.This not the case.We have resident bass as well as migratory bass.We also have hard fighting monster blues that can save the day.On another note we mainly chunk bunker.This has been a norm forever.Clams work but we prefer bunker and so do the bigger bass.April can't come soon enough.I don't burn spots either lol

[sternline]

3 mile EEZ "law" is ridiculous - agreed. It's been in place for several years (I really don't know how many years but for a LONG time) and up until recently, it wasn't really enforced with the vigor that we see in current times.

The enforcement of possession bass in the EEZ is a $$$ maker for our federal government, as it's a federal offense so the money they make from fines goes to the fed - hence the reason for the "initiative" by the CG to enforce it and why so much effort is going into enforcing it.


It would be nice to see the coast GUARD do it's real job, and that's protect law abiding citizens of this country, not enforce draconian laws on law abiding citizens that are reminiscent of the 1700's British rule LOL

!

So you think the big bad government set up the EEZ ban on stripers to make money? It was we recreational anglers and other conservationists who fought for this to save striped bass from virtual extinction. Read Dick Russell's great book STRIPER WARS to learn the true history of this great victory for recreational anglers and for the marine environment. Every time I catch a striper, I'm grateful for this victory that allows the bass to thrive in the EEZ. And I'm grateful to all of us in New Jersey who fought for the ban on commercial fishing for stripers in our waters.
Learn this history and don't forget it. Otherwise you may end up wondering what ever happened to all those stripers we were catching back in the first decades of the 21st century.

[Capt Sal]

If there was a nation wide ban on commercial landings of striped bass we would not need the EEZ restriction!NJ does not allow commercial landing of striped bass so we have to worry about the out of state boats.Maryland and Virginia are main offenders.I am sure we will read about another greedy netter taking tons of illegal bass in Chesapeak Bay.

[Reel Class]

So you think the big bad government set up the EEZ ban on stripers to make money? It was we recreational anglers and other conservationists who fought for this to save striped bass from virtual extinction. Read Dick Russell's great book STRIPER WARS to learn the true history of this great victory for recreational anglers and for the marine environment. Every time I catch a striper, I'm grateful for this victory that allows the bass to thrive in the EEZ. And I'm grateful to all of us in New Jersey who fought for the ban on commercial fishing for stripers in our waters.
Learn this history and don't forget it. Otherwise you may end up wondering what ever happened to all those stripers we were catching back in the first decades of the 21st century.

Just an FYI - I'm fully aware of the conservation efforts that were undertaken 20+ years ago to save OUR striped bass and I'm also fully aware of why the regulations within the EEZ were implemented. I was born in the mid 70's and didn't see a striper until the early 90's - I DO KNOW WHAT WAS DONE TO SAVE STRIPED BASS from extinction --- Please don't insult my intelligence :)

If you re-read my post, I have no problem with conservation efforts to save these fish and I applaud the "victory" conservationists have created for all saltwater anglers who target striped bass. That has NOTHING to do with the EEZ.

I am also not complaining about regulations per se, my complaint is with enforcement of a ridiculous law that is still in place and should be lifted. This law was NOT enforced for over 20 years of it's implementation, now suddenly the USCG has decided to actively pursue any vagrant past the 3 mile line that MAY have a striper on board. Come on man. This is over-regulation and if this "law" was so vital to the survival of striped bass, why didn't the USCG and F&W enforce it in the early 90's till say, 2010? The EEZ was created to protect bass from COMMERCIAL fishermen(as YOU said in your thread above), and the intent was to ALLOW recreational anglers to catch stripers and keep their 2 fish.

Prior to the moratorium, yes these fish were virtually extinct, and yes, it took a great deal of effort to restore the stocks to where they have been, but let's not make my comments into something they are not.

And FYI #2 - Dick Russell is a great author, and Striper Wars is a great book and really does touch on some of the bigger issues that have surrounded conservation of striped bass in the last 30 years -- I've read it three times, cover to cover :) Feel free to continue to "educate" folks like me bud :rolleyes:

[sternline]

Captain, take another look at pages 301-303 of STRIPER WARS. The ban on fishing for stripers in the EEZ began in 1990 and applies to everybody. The Coast Guard was not enforcing the ban until some RECREATIONAL anglers saw the slaughter by of soon-to-spawn females in the EEZ by recreational boats. Jim Price, a fifth-generation waterman (and one of the true heroes of the fight to save menhaden), saw about 50 recreational boats massacring these females 6 miles off the NC coast and raised hell with the Coast Guard--as he should have.
If that 3-mile line is not enforced, we will pay a big price. Now, thanks to the ban, we have lots of bass inshore where small boats, not to mention surf fishers, can enjoy these great fish. When the stripers are migrating they pour into our inshore waters except when the bait isn't here. The problem intermittently last fall and a lot of the time this fall was the absence of bunkers. Even when the stripers were here, they were often feeding on rain fish or sand eels and wouldn't look at a jig. To have those really great fall days, we need to save the bunker, which are in serious trouble.
BTW, I was born in 1934, and I'm thrilled by the NJ striper fishing we have, thanks to that great victory. So forgive me if I sound a little preachy.

[Cuz]

It was great for some and terrible for others.The June ocean run of Chesapeak Bass was very disappointing to say the least.The spring run in Raritan Bay was the best in years.The bass started chewing in the bay in April and stayed thru June.Live lining in late May and June was just fine.Every year is different and a lot depends on the bunker population.We had a lot of bunker this year but not to many large spawner.That is why we did not have a great peanut bunker run.Although the hand sized bunker were perfect for live lining they were not spawners.
Many theories about why we had a bad ocean run.Did they migrate out past the 3 mile line?Was the water to cold?Did we have to much South wind?I thik it is all the above.The upcoming year will tell the tale.Our fall run was a sand ell bite.We had our moments on the bigger bass but again there were large schools of bass beyond the 3 mile line.The fish police were there and it is just not woth it to go beyond the line.Sure wish they would change that stupid law!Hoping for a banner year of striper fishing in 2014.How was your year for bass?:)

Happy New Year Captain Sal! Enjoyed fishing with you this past spring. -Cuz-

[Reel Class]

If that 3-mile line is not enforced, we will pay a big price. Now, thanks to the ban, we have lots of bass inshore where small boats, not to mention surf fishers, can enjoy these great fish. When the stripers are migrating they pour into our inshore waters except when the bait isn't here. The problem intermittently last fall and a lot of the time this fall was the absence of bunkers. Even when the stripers were here, they were often feeding on rain fish or sand eels and wouldn't look at a jig. To have those really great fall days, we need to save the bunker, which are in serious trouble.
BTW, I was born in 1934, and I'm thrilled by the NJ striper fishing we have, thanks to that great victory. So forgive me if I sound a little preachy.

Gonna respond to this and your other part re: Russell's book separately sternline.

I respectfully disagree with your bolded statement above. Are you referring to peanut bunker or adult bunker?

Whatever the case, we have had MANY falls when there were no bunker present; peanuts, or adult sized bunker and have caught fish on jigs and plugs from the boat, especially when these fish were feeding on sandeels. We had literally SHOALS of sandeels present this fall, and getting these fish to bite jigs was extremely difficult. Bunker are not the main reason why bass migrate inside the 3 mile line in the fall - there are other reasons.

Yes, they usually get finicky and border on going on lockjaw if the PRIMARY forage is rainfish, but most of these bass we had this fall were sandeel-fed. In recent years, especially 2010-2012, and in years like 07-09', we had the sandeels big time and caught the bass extremely well both from the boat and from the surf. This year? I just don't get what happened. Fish were there, sandeels were there, and getting them to bite a jig from a boat was difficult. FWIW, as soon as we put sandeel imitations in the water while trolling, we would double and triple up so it makes little sense.

As I implied above, sandeels are the primary forage for fall bass and their location is usually where the bass congregate and migrate to. Bunker have little to do with the fall migration.

Now why did a good amount of bass migrate well offshore of 3 miles? Simple. Their migration pattern changed again this year. Huge bodies of bass that set up off LI and gorged on sandeels for WEEKS usually stream southward along the Jersey shore, off between 8-15 miles (as they take a direct path from central LI) to their wintering grounds to the south. They eventually work their way inshore somewhere between Cape May and the Delmarva. It's like that in the fall, and it's like that in the spring when the smaller fish (not the hogs!) migrate back and forth. (FYI - Cape May boats that are still at it are destroying the bass right now!)

Years that those migrating bass don't set up off LI, we have similar fishing in our area (Fall of 11' is a prime example) that they had on LI this year.

Yes, there is bait offshore,, but these fish are taking a "highway" south and are using that offshore route (well past 3 miles, sometimes up to 20 off) to get where they need to go.

[Reel Class]

Captain, take another look at pages 301-303 of STRIPER WARS. The ban on fishing for stripers in the EEZ began in 1990 and applies to everybody. The Coast Guard was not enforcing the ban until some RECREATIONAL anglers saw the slaughter by of soon-to-spawn females in the EEZ by commercial boats. Jim Price, a fifth-generation waterman (and one of the true heroes of the fight to save menhaden), saw about 50 recreational boats massacring these females 6 miles off the NC coast and raised hell with the Coast Guard--as he should have.


100% true and completely agree with this statement and what Russell mentioned here. You made a typo in your original and I corrected it for you in bold. The CG and F&W officers did what they had to do off NC and Virginia, put the screws to those guys, and got the job done. But why do we now have to pay the price?

We have no cows out 10-15 miles, those are the fish that do migrate up our beach, so again, why are we suddenly enforcing this law coastwide based on a one-time or one-incident (one meaning a string of incidents) that happened 500 miles away? Makes no sense to punish the majority if the minority is making the infraction. Yes I know this is FEDERAL law, but some sort of middle ground has to be met on a state-by-state basis regarding how stripers populate the area and migrate to and from the area.

The over-enforcing the EEZ is another knee-jerk reaction by our government, which speaks to bigger problems we have in this country nowadays. Sorry, just my $.02 :)

[Capt Sal]

As we all know bait is the key to any fishery.The absence of herring does not help either.It is a crying shame that the younger generations may never get a chance to experience the inshore Bluefin tuna runs like we had 30 and 40 years ago.No whiting and ling in big numbers means no mud hole tuna run!When any fish migrates it is on a mission.Bait holds them for awhile but they will still migrate.Stripers are no different.They will migrate up the Hudson to spawn no matter what.If the bay is full of bunker at the time of there migration we catch.This spring will tell the tale of our bunker population.:)