Bay fishing is dying!

[SUE REEL]

Just got back from the bay. I have been going there since 2005 and the fishing has gotten progressively worse. We had three boats 3 1/2 days fishing and about 25 eels out among us. We caught one fish that weighed about 46 pounds. We had 3 hookups but lost them. The menhaden are not in there like they used to be because of the commercial fisherman raping the bait supply. We met a marine biologist back in 2008 was doing a study and told us that come the next 5 to 10 years the striper were going to be almost extinct in the bay. He knew what he was talking about and it is so sad. Even sadder was the fact there were other people from Smith Mountain Lake fishing in the bay that I have contact info for and they hardly would give you any information. We spent a lot of time and money for one damn fish! The one thing I can say about these forums is I don't think it's a good forum for helping people catch fish, I think it's a good bragging board for those that have figured it out. I continue to learn and put in my time and I have started my own network of newbies and we are learning together. I will have to say that I M ward has been the most help on this forum and I thank him for his help.

[mwardncsu]

Sucks about the tough fishing out there - heard the same from a number of folks from SML and elsewhere that went down to the Bay different times during December - I know some were catching a few fish here and there but nothing like in the past. My guess is the tough fishing, coupled with some $$$ tournaments that some folks were a part of, put the kebash on some info especially around the dates of those tourneys - or just the overall lack of info to share based on the tough catching.

I appreciate your thanks on the help - though I'll say I think there is actually a lot of useful info shared by a lot of folks here that helps others catch fish. Usually there is not a lot of info shared on "where" they were catching - though just recently several folks posted with questions asking for directions to general areas and got some good help (well, my advice on chasing the birds was a flop this week so far) - but if you look close you'll see comments about general locations or relations to creeks, or channel points, etc, etc. And the pictures will often share a wealth of information once you have enough time on the lake to recognize certain areas Folks should feel free to share as much or little as they want - just knowing there is catching going on with various techniques can tell you a lot. Certainly don't want to discourage folks from continuing to share whatever they feel like sharing - even those "bragging reports" help get us through the days till the next time we can be on the water

Let's all hope the Bay fishing gets better as one of these years I'm going to get things aligned to actually there and I have a 50 lber calling my name

[Gator]

I think that mward guy hit the nail on the head. If you want to know where I am catching-just ask. I give plenty of people my location when I am fishing. Don't bother me a bit.

The commercial guys are fishing within the rules set by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The current quota is set for review this month and I suspect it will be lowered based on current catch rates and diminished availability.

[striperjohn]

I used to tell folks where I was catching fish on sml. But got warned about doing it because of crowds. So I tried it one Friday, went back there the next am to be met by 25 boats. Duh.
I live almost 2 hrs from lake and will share info with others via pm now when I can.


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[Deleted]

I disagree with the notion that this board does not provide good info. True, the big dogs don't put you on their fish, but they do provide pattern info that can be used by any person who has some experience. Additionally, the technical advice and sharing of tricks and tips on this board is priceless.

Frankly, if I could read a board, goto a recommended spot and immediately start catching fish, then this would make me a catcherman versus a fisherman. A fisherman is a problem solver and enjoys the puzzle of figuring things out related to chasing, catching and sustaining fish. A catcherman is often times a whiney, self indulgent person who only cares about the thrill of the pull and measures his success by numbers of fish caught rather than numbers of lessons learned.

Both types are okay by me, but I'd prefer to think of myself as a fisherman and I think this board Rocks!

[Gator]

Dec 31, 2014 13:28:10 GMT -5 striperjohn said:

I used to tell folks where I was catching fish on sml. But got warned about doing it because of crowds. So I tried it one Friday, went back there the next am to be met by 25 boats. Duh.
I live almost 2 hrs from lake and will share info with others via pm now when I can.


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Difference is you catch fish striperjohn and I don't.

[Deleted]

Dang sue reel, I'm sorry you feel that way. This site (and I'm sure others will agree) was created so like minded folks could talk fishing, nothing more, nothing less. I happen to agree with yam on the good info that is shared on here. Heck, seems like everything except X marks the spot to me. Have folks put me on fish, absolutely.... as I have others. It takes quite a while for folks to get to know someone good enough to share locations.....and I can say with 100% certainty it will never be on the open site. Unless you have been fishing the lake a very long time, getting to know folks is an absolute must. SML is a big lake and no one can cover it all by themselves.....

These fish are creatures of habit and travel to the same general locations with each season, year after year.... keeping a detailed log is invaluable when you are just starting out... and even then, the fish will fool you sometimes. All you can hope for is more consistent catch trips than skunk trips and it does come in time. With that said, whether I'm catching fish or not, I don't think I've ever had a bad day on the water...... 

Hang in there man!!!!!

[FishON]

Dec 31, 2014 11:44:31 GMT -5 SUE REEL said:

The one thing I can say about these forums is I don't think it's a good forum for helping people catch fish, I think it's a good bragging board for those that have figured it out.

I am sorry to hear about your bad fishing trip out on the bay. My guess is you are super frustrated. But, I have to say I disagree with you, about your negative statement regarding this forum. When I started posting on this forum I didn't know anything about striper fishing. So, I asked lots of questions and usually got super helpful information in return. I have to give special thanks to Tyler(Bentrod) and Mike. But there were many other guys that helped me out as well. I really believe that this forum has help me catch a lot more fish than I would of other wise.
I don't get to fish SML as I live 4 hours away but, when I do get out I always try and find time to post a report for the other guys out there that can not get out much as well.
I gave a Report on the 27th and 28th were I stated where I was fishing (the exact spot mind you), Techniques used , bait I used and the depth of the fish.

From the 27th report:
Bait : J. Gizzard shad
Techniques : Down-rods with 2oz egg sinkers
Time: 2:00pm until 4:00pm
Place: Mid-lake on Roanoke arm
"We marked a few fish just up lake from Stoney."

From the 28th report:

Bait : Alwives
Techniques : Down-rods with 2oz egg sinkers
Time: 9:00am until 10:00pm
Place: Mid-lake on Roanoke arm just up lake from Captain Quarters
My boy and I started off near Captain Quarters. We headed up lake in search mode. It was not long before we marked two fish at 50'

So when you say,"The one thing I can say about these forums is I don't think it's a good forum for helping people catch fish, I think it's a good bragging board for those that have figured it out."

Just remember that posting reports and such on a fishing forum is a pretty thankless endeavor.

I, for one, appreciate the guys who take the time to post reports on this forum.

[striperjohn]

A couple things that you should do is keep a fishing log that includes at a minimum;
Bait caught how and where and size.
Places fished
Date and time
Water temp
Air temp
Wind direction
Type of fishing you use/tried
Downlines, lightlines, planers depth of each and or length of line out, weights used and size.
Speed of boat
What worked what did not.
Fish caught and estimated size unless its a near citation why care about weight and length unless you plan on keeping a couple. Time out of water increases likely hood of a dead fish.
Always record boat position (over 65ft with planer out over 25 feet and x amount of line out when fish caught.)
I worked hard on my logs since 1977 and still use them today to find fish. Stripers are a very predictable fish from year to year. E.g. there's a rock near the mouth of a creek there that has yielded 4 citations and numerous near citations in March when I bounce my planer off it running free with 12 feet of line behind it. Never marked a fish anywhere near it. Lol. Gator pm me this March and we can go try it.
Lastly meet and make friends and start a cell phone group and call them when you are on fish. They will repay you. It works for me.
Im sure bigun and the other guys keep data like this.


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[Gator]

Great points striperjohn. Cell phone groups are awesome. I lean on a couple of different guys for advice when it is tough going. They are all on this forum too and I wouldn't have met them otherwise and I know them mostly by their boats and not their faces. Heck, i just realized they are in my cell phone contacts as their screen names from the forum. Great bunch of guys that just like to have fun and fish at the same time. It's not always about how many fish or how big of a fish and god knows it isn't about how much I have spent to do it all. For me it's about therapy I get from being on the water with friends and family. PM me and I will give you my cell#.

I keep a extensive diary as well. Not only does the info help me for the future it also helps Dan Wilson manage the fishery. I can kill two birds with one stone.

I think Bigun and Striperjohn should post their log books for all to enjoy!! LOL

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2014 15:29:14 GMT -5 FishON said:

Dec 31, 2014 11:44:31 GMT -5 SUE REEL said:

The one thing I can say about these forums is I don't think it's a good forum for helping people catch fish, I think it's a good bragging board for those that have figured it out.

I am sorry to hear about your bad fishing trip out on the bay. My guess is you are super frustrated. But, I have to say I disagree with you, about your negative statement regarding this forum. When I started posting on this forum I didn't know anything about striper fishing. So, I asked lots of questions and usually got super helpful information in return. I have to give special thanks to Tyler(Bentrod) and Mike. But there were many other guys that helped me out as well. I really believe that this forum has help me catch a lot more fish than I would of other wise.
I don't get to fish SML as I live 4 hours away but, when I do get out I always try and find time to post a report for the other guys out there that can not get out much as well.
I gave a Report on the 27th and 28th were I stated where I was fishing (the exact spot mind you), Techniques used , bait I used and the depth of the fish.

From the 27th report:
Bait : J. Gizzard shad
Techniques : Down-rods with 2oz egg sinkers
Time: 2:00pm until 4:00pm
Place: Mid-lake on Roanoke arm
"We marked a few fish just up lake from Stoney."

From the 28th report:

Bait : Alwives
Techniques : Down-rods with 2oz egg sinkers
Time: 9:00am until 10:00pm
Place: Mid-lake on Roanoke arm just up lake from Captain Quarters
My boy and I started off near Captain Quarters. We headed up lake in search mode. It was not long before we marked two fish at 50'

So when you say,"The one thing I can say about these forums is I don't think it's a good forum for helping people catch fish, I think it's a good bragging board for those that have figured it out."

Just remember that posting reports and such on a fishing forum is a pretty thankless endeavor.

I, for one, appreciate the guys who take the time to post reports on this forum.

Great post!

I can see why you think posting reports is a thankless endeavor but I see a major payback from taking my time to post info and make crazy videos.

Very important is the online log I have created for myself. When I fish SML for extended periods I have been known to stumble into my room after 20 hour plus fishing excursions only to push out a report at midnight. I do this because I don't want to lose what I learned that day. And when I review my reports coupled with other's reports, the value grows exponentially.

Extremely important is the "getting to know others" factor. It occurs to me that you receive in proportion to what you give. There are many people on this forum who have pm'd me when I was struggling solely because I crack them up. A laugh for a location. Whatever it is..getting to know others takes both time and effort. And I make an effort and have been rewarded from people I don't even know in return.

And most important to me is knowing that I made someone laugh or helped someone learn a new technique for catching a fish or solving a problem. I do this for a 100% selfish reason.. That is... It makes me feel good. Maybe I crave attention. Maybe I am bragging, or maybe I am just giving back or thanking others who have thanked me.

[carolinafisherman]

The bay isn't what I heard it used to be, but still plenty of fish caught there this year. They obviously come down in schools. I had a friend who was there with 8 rods out for 3 days. They caught 10-11 fish daily, and left em biting. We went 4 days later, same amount of rods, and only caught 2, while fishing his numbers. He went back a week after us, and anglers were experiencing awesome catches again. So many variables.

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[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2014 16:06:34 GMT -5 Gator said:

I think Bigun and Striperjohn should post their log books for all to enjoy!! LOL

 Ha!!!!

I don't know what he would do with it cause he already catches waaaaaaaay more fish than I do, but mine goes to mward, he's named in my will... I can't hold it against him just because he's an NC State fan.

Oh, and Michael.... don't skip straight to the back of the log, but there are a couple pics of a certain jetskigirl stapled onto the inside of the back cover..... LOL!!!!!....... I don't want get a certain buddy of yours into trouble, so I won't say anymore.....

[striperjohn]

I actually started putting my logs onto the computer. PIA! But my son has already got dibs on it. Lol.
If anyone knows of a good software program or app where you can just fill in the blanks for a logbook please let me know. Tried a few and they kinda suck.
Will do gator.

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[CorneliaGale]

Once in a while people on the forum will say where they are fishing, or give general areas, most of the time they don't say where they are fishing, I know why they do that, sometimes they they have found places that other people haven't found, if you want to know where everyone is fishing just ride around, there are a number of guide boats every day on the lake, they stay where the fish are. How you ask, they have done it for years and put hours in fishing the lake, a lot of the people on here can look at pictures and tell where they are taken, plus knowing the time of the year and the water temperature they have a idea where the fish should be. As some of the guys have said keeping a journal is a great way to know where fish were at a certain time of the year, knowing where bait is also helps, find the bait, fish will be close. Most people want the easy way out, they want someone to show them where to fish, how to fish and even what to fish with. The guides and people here on the forum that catch fish most of the times they go out have put time in and found out where to fish, when to fish and how to fish, and most of them have posted a lot of information on the forum, sure it takes time to go over the posts and read them and study the pictures and find out where they are fishing, and it takes time on the water to learn the shoreline so you can put the two together. I don't get to fish often now, due to family and health and boat problems, hopefully most of them are repaired this year and I will get to get out and fish more and enjoy the lake, even if I can't get out I still read and look at every post on here and sometimes like or respond to them.
I for one want to thank all who make this one of the best forums I've been on.
A forum is just like everything else in life you get out of it what you put into it.