It's a funny thing this striped bass fishing. I used to think it was the greatest thing ever, even better than presenting a drag free drift over a rising trout. What had drawn me to striped bass fishing was a few things. Fishing in snotty weather, being able to be successful while fishing like a bull in a China cabinet, and the visuals, both in the landscape and when the fish would eat.
I still like the landscape, especially those first light mornings. The crowds, (I'd rather fish alone or with a bud), in fact, it's the crowds, both on the sand and in the water, that have turned my stomach a bit. Because of social media and my perception of what could be going on, due to the amount of bad practice posts I see, my stomach turns when I see anglers, either way, on a good bite.
The last few days we've seen the bass hit the Jersey beaches. Participation out there is great, especially when it starts on a Friday and goes through the weekend. My thoughts go out to the angler who was air lifted off the False Hook this morning by an NYPD helicopter. That walk is a test for anyones left ventricle, and for those in less than decent shape, a life changer.
So why I am getting angry and crotchety in my old age? Well, let's talk blitzing fish. The fish are up. There's 1,000 of them. You caught one. A big one. Big f'in deal. You caught it at 1 pm on a bluebird kind of day in November with air temps around 75 degrees. And what's funny for most of the anglers out there it's a disappointment because they were looking for that slot fish for Sunday dinner.
And what else turns my stomach is guys hooking, fighting, or dragging fish in, then up the scarp, only to rattle the plug out of their lips or from their gullet, and then proceed to kick it back or walk down and toss it into 6 inches of receding water. All of that in 3 minutes. And then they cast again. This ain't the rodeo guys. You're not being timed.
And there's there guys who just shouldn't be fishing for big fish. Either they don't have it, their gear doesn't have it, or they're not ready to land bigger fish carefully from the boat or the beach. They can't fight it properly, land it properly, or release it properly. Some have a hard time lifting the fish, while others have a hard time bending down to unhook and release the fish.
Many times guys will have a gut hooked fish that they must retrieve the Ava, plug, or 10/0 shad hook from before they release it back to die because it is out of the slot. That slot is 28-31", although let's be real, who's really checking. I saw several fish with red streaking out of their gills on Friday and on the pics from the internet. Hey, if it's keeper, it needs to be bled anyway. If not, its a dead fish, one of thousands that will be killed over this weekend, and will be a meal for the crabs and not for humans because it was a kill and release and not a fillet and release fish.
I saw two floaters up at The Hook the other day and there are more coming to a beach near you. The boats and beach anglers alike will contribute to that scene.
Poor practices are killing the fish and just keeping me away from the beach. IBSP is loaded with trucks and every beach that has relatively easy access is lined with guys. While those grippers are great to save you from the chest pumping bass thumb, (Yey I got that on Friday) they are not meant as a means to hang a fish to unhook or photograph it. It might as well be a Boga. And you know how I feel about trebles.....why? These are the sportsmen and women who poo-poo cross bows when they hunt for near. "Single shot rifle only" "Muzzleloader""Bow and arrow only", but then they throw double or triple treble hooks to 30 inch striped bass. C'mon man. At least pinch the barbs!
And the plug makers, internet, and shops aren't doing their part. Single trebles up front, and a single hook, or better, a flag off the back. And you know what, if you lose fish, then so be it. You're fishing during blitzes and you don't take a pause, don't stop to smoke a butt, you're right back out there? It's okay to not put up numbers. And how many one-eyed bass are out there?
While it's cool to see bass blow plugs out of the water, even for a fly guy, you have no control on where that set of treble hooks finds home. Down the hatch, ripping lips, caught in the eye, or down along the gill plate or even into the gill rakers. Why?
And, there are those who are out there because they like to eat striped bass. No worries, it's legal, enjoy. But I don't like to see it and it takes some of the wind out of my sails. So, what do I do? I stay away. It's kind of like hearing a song or running into a program on TV I don't like, I turn the channel. And with this run in effect and the biggest of first arriving fish just past us we now see the 2015 class fish and the 2018 year class fish. And with that increased piles of fish.
Here's where New Jersey's Bonus Tag Program comes in. Anglers can take their slot plus a 24-28 inch fish home. Or just take one 24-28" fish. If you are a head boat and drift over that school it's game on, everything is hitting the deck, the cooler, and the dock.
So hopefully we still have fish after this weekend. We wind some wind changes and rain coming. I hope the rest of the fall is just fish in the area. Go down, see a bird dipping, see a swirl, maybe the spray of some peanuts, and you cast and catch a fish or two. That will thin out the crowds and definitely reduce the numbers of dead bass that continue to contribute to their decline.