New York Metro &
New Jersey

October 29th, 2004

We're Going to Have to Stop Killing the Big Bass

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It’s as simple as that…  Yea…  The strong spawning years surrounding the 1993 year class really showed up in a big way this year…  Unfortunately, for the most part, it showed up dead on the pier.  Just at my marina alone, I can’t tell you how many dead fish in the 30-pound range I’ve seen this year.   Over on the other side of New York Harbor, the massacre in Raritan Bay was even worse…  40s were taken on a daily basis there for almost a month this spring.  The carnage in Montauk was devastating as well.  On the back of a local fishing magazine last week was an advertisement for a Montauk Captain who claims to have killed and weighed in 93 striped bass over 40-pounds this year and 8 fish over 50-pounds.  Nice going Cap (sarcasm, just in case you didn’t get it)… 

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the ASMFC recently came out with some pretty startling numbers with regard to fish in the 8-14-year range (approximately 15 to 40-pounds).  The mortality increase of these large fish is startling.  The technical committee estimated the mortality rate for 10-year-old fish at upwards of  F=.75.   That equates to roughly 55% of fish that age killed.  Way over the F=.30 target - approximatly 25%.  But what could you expect?  A couple of years ago, when Amendment 6 was being drafted, a few highly visible groups in the angling community chose to take the position that the population was plenty healthy, there was an abundance of big bass around, everyone had a "right" to take some home, etc…, accusing those of us who wanted to reduce the total take of large fish of being “elitist.”  If recreational anglers as a solid front had accepted the proposition that fishing mortality should be reduced for the good of the population (not just the fishermen), we could have more easily argued against the increase in the commercial quota.  Unfortunately, by taking the status-quo position it became logically inconsistent to argue that the commercial quota shouldn't increase so that commercials could benefit from the same "healthy population" that has allowed the recreational kill to skyrocket.

Instead, a poorly planned Amendment 6 to the Striped Bass Management Plan ensued, allowing for a negligible reduction in mortality and a commercial increase that amounted to 100% of their historical take.  Massachusetts went from one fish to two and the number of recreational anglers in the Northeast and Atlantic States continued to increase.  It was inevitable that we’d be killing a whole lot of that 1993 year class that showed such promise for the future of striped bass.  And so the ASMFC has now determined that there is a serious overfishing problem in regard to the very same older and bigger class of fish that Amendment 6 was supposed to protect. 

That’s a bummer for more reasons than one.  Yea, big fish are desirable from angling perspective, but they have unmistakable biological significance as well.  Larger fish produce larger eggs and larger fish, and larger fish are more apt to survive.  The more successful females, the ones that lived the longest, should be major contributors to the spawning stock and pass those successful genetic traits along to future generations. 

The good news from the ASMFC tech committee is that we’re not overfishing young fish.  Of course we’re not…  Despite the fact that there are many violators of the law, we do have relatively uniform size limits.  It’s the big fish that are getting whacked…  Not good…  Because unless you’re cool with catching 100-schoolies a day, those are the ones that really matter.  Expect, or better yet “hope,” to see some changes in 2005.   

Now let’s get on to the reports:

Let me start by saying this wind really, really stinks!  I’m certainly tired of freezing my rear end off and casting right into the teeth of a Northeast blow…  And the ocean swell this week!  One look and you can forget about fishing out there…  Oh well…  It was better than last week I guess.  Thank god there seems to be a good amount of fish inshore.  In New Jersey, the inshore waters, when the wind wasn’t too bad, fished rather well, although most agree things have yet to really get good.  In the New York Metro area there have been some bass and plenty of bluefish under birds but again, the best is yet to come here.  Over on the Jamaica Bay side the action in the back was quite good with some nice sized bass on peanuts and under the birds as well as some fish cornering bait in the more productive flats.  Lots of big blues around as well.  There seems to be a definite time-period when the fish will eat though.  Pre-dawn and dusk are your best bets.  There are fish around in between, but they have lock-jaw.  Didn’t hear much this week about Western Long Island with the exception of reports of abundance of peanut bunker on the North Shore.  Still, however, the action seems to be mostly blues and schoolies.  One more time:  “the best is yet to come.” Out east, you could still find a good number of schoolies and the occasional bigger fish in the back.  The days one could get out to Montauk provided huge schools of bluefish with some 30-plus inch bass in the mix.  The albies have left for good.

Better weather this weekend, but still not so great.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it’s better than expected.  My experience is that the days following the full moon in Oct can be phenomenal.  So get out there!

And don’t forget to email me your own reports. Tight lines all.

Tight Lines!

John McMurray

New Jersey

From the Southern New Jersey area Captain Bryan DiLeo checks in with this Atlantic/Ocean City report.  Check it out:

This week again proved that the fall run continues to be in full swing dishing up cool overnight temperatures and in turn cooler water temperatures and very good Bass fishing. Constant high 50's water temperatures had the Bass moving and tracking exceptionally well and slow allowing us to pole the across the shallows with ease to get us out in front of good size schools as they slowly made their way across the skinnier flats giving my clients prime shots both with light tackle and those on the fly. It has been not uncommon to stay on this fish for over an hour at a time and at times having stayed moving along with these slow cruisers for 2 hours plus. We had good consistent Bass tailing and rolling in the shallows as they slashed through balled up schools of peanuts with out worry and willing to take both top water as well as subsurface artificials and flies consistently. Through out the past week or so peanuts seemed to be absent, but if you look a little closer you will find that the rain bait is all over the surface and the peanuts are working along the bottom until they are pushed to the surface by schools of Bass. Also another common trait in the fall and especially the last two weeks and early this week (pre-wind) is coming across of larger schools of bass lazily rolling like Tarpon in the open water, though often more difficult to hook up than those working the shallows, it is always a site to see. Mid week the winds came up and a case of the flu put me down and kept me off the water the later part of the week and weekend. Your plastics are still safe as the Bluefish were still pretty much non existent through out the back country but the smaller schoolie size Bass in the 13" range are still prowling around in their place with the larger fish usually working just ahead. The Bass this past week have all been in the 24"-30" range with a couple 13" thrown in for good measure and very aggressive and feisty. The persistent North winds and cool air temperatures combined with prime tides as we approach the full moon should this should keep good water moving through the back country and the bass increasingly on the move and willing to show themselves.

Despite the wind, the guys at Shore Catch Guide service report some success inshore:

Due to the North east winds for the last 8 days, we have not been able to get out front along the beaches. We have however been doing very well in the backwaters of Barnegat with 5 to 12 LB stripers on the fly. Outgoing tide is best. Sorry that we don’t have more info, but he wind just wont stop blowing!!

From the Northern New Jersey area, Captain Paul Eidman from Reel Therapy checks in with this report:

Hi John,

After all the wind and weather last week, this week was a welcome relief. It’s still blowing from the North but not as hard. Been banging Striped bass in Raritan Bay, under the gulls at times, just the start things to come, as the really big blitzes and slob bass are right ahead of us. The Shrewsbury and the Navesink rivers have been hit or miss, but the fall colors there are truly amazing. Many bluefish around in all sizes to keep anglers smiling and me tying flies. Some of these blues have been in really shallow water and over ten pounds with topwater poppers working best. If you can sneak away for a day, some dates for fall Blitz fishing are still available.

Catch ‘em up!

If we could just get to them, I’m sure the rips are fishing good.  This week the swell and wind prevented that.  Did make it out one day, only to find dirty water.  That should be clearing up soon and the action on the outside should get very good very quickly.  Inside in Raritan Bay, bass can be found under the bird at times, but it hasn’t really gone off yet. 

Jamaica Bay has been holding some really nice bass which are after the peanut bunker.  As previously mentioned, they only seem to be eating at the pre-dawn and dusk hours.  Go get it early, or don’t even bother. 

Captain Frank Crescitelli from Fin Chaser Charters checks in this week with this report:

Hey John it looks like the stage is set and after this full moon, we should have some good fishing. We fished Jay Bay the last few day's and when it was hot, it was hot! Busting fish in less than 2 feet of water! The largest we caught were in the 14 pound range, but had bigger ones come up to the presentations, and just turn away. All the peanut bunker are out of the harbor and marked them in the deeper channels today. The next few day's will tell the tale. Until then...

Western Long Island

No reports this week from the South Shore…  If you have them, please send them! 
From the North Shore Captain Robin Calitri checks in with this report:

I go out on the water and see less boats each day.  This is our time of the year.  The fishing from now until just around Christmas can be fantastic on the North shore.  Stripers are flowing through the Sound .  There are tons of peanut bunker .  Usually you just look for the birds and fish under them.  I had Patrick Young and John Timmerman out in Huntington Bay on Tuesday.  They are fine fishers and caught a good number of school bass on the fly.  The fish were tough and we had to move form spot to spot to make a day of it.

Eastern Long Island

According to Captain David Blinken from North Flats Guiding, there are an abundance of schoolie stripers in the Gardiners Island area.  In Montauk David says that there are birds and fish all over the place.  The first gannets have begun to appear as well.  There are big blues around and mixed in are 30-plus inch bass.  There were some albies earlier in the week, but most agree that that part of fishing the East End is over with. 

That’s all for this week…  Pray for better weather in November!!!