Small stripers may not be traveling as far as you think.Stripers spawn in numerous waterways, from Chesapeake Bay, Hudson River, Connecticut River, heck even the Merrimack and Mystic Rivers have had spawning fish.Sure, the vast majority of fish may be coming north from southern locales, but there are lots of local fish that never really "leave" the area.
School is in. Caught so many schoolies last two nights that we quit fishing and went home. Ever cast as soon as hit the water. Circle Octopus hooks did the job all hooked in the mouth and released healthy. Guys up the beach didn't have as much luck. Saw the sea gulls picking off the dead fish they gut hooked and released. Why they won't mandate circle hooks for bait fishing is beyond me. I used to fish the schoolies hard but last few years have not been into harassing the young ones. Got new angler and showing how striper fish so that's why we did it. Haven't seen a keeper yet. The sheer numbers are impressive.New angler is gut hooked wants to go everyday and every tide change. I started striper fishing in 1980s. It was hard even to get schoolies then. These new guys think the ocean is full of fish. 2011 class has to be here or close now. We had pogies all last summer I can only hope that this year we get them again
Ever consider going after them with a fly rod? I'd imagine catching schoolies on the fly rod would reduce or eliminate gut hooking juvenile fish and give you a little bit more of a fight when you catch a lot of shorts.
First keepers caught last night two 33" fish with tons of schoolies in mix. The fun bunch caught them. 24" was my biggest fish.
