Mikx

Big Bluefish on the back side, Race Point to Herring Cove loaded with Mackerel and Peanut Bunker. Noon time Bass fishing was slow. Haven't seen any tuna, not many people fishing for it. The action must be elsewhere.

TBH, I don't understand this.... You went to the ditch once. Or twice. Or three times. Great! Caught a bunch of 30 lbs fish. Great! Maybe a few 40 lbs fish. Great! Kept one or two. Great! Now do something else maybe? Go fish the surf, chase albies/bonitos, fish for shark, or tuna, prep for duck/geese season, shoot some skeet/trap/steel plates, mow the lawn? WHF is wrong with you people? :-)

Uh-oh...

Total commercial only harvest quota is set to ~7,000,000 lbs/year, so 70K is about 1% of that. Which is pretty high, I agree, but not too crazy, unless this goes on for another 2-3 months, of course.

Rod and reel is not going to kill all the bass. No need to overcomplicate things. Enforce existing laws. Raid the Canal once a week at random day/time, confiscate all fishing gear from the offenders. Next time take away their cars. After a few weeks everyone will be in compliance. For the rest of the season, anyways.

Sounds like a great recipe. Thanks for sharing!

22lb is a very good drag. Have you ever fished with 22lb drag?

Yes. All my fish just swim off, no reviving needed.

I think my drag is set around 15+ lbs on the Canal outfit. I still had to chase one fish when the current got to 4.8 knots this morning.

I can't complain about the good fishing at the Canal. I remember used to get skunked there a lot. As for the crowds, the fish will move on eventually and/or novelty will wear off. And I hope most people will stop keeping a bass every time they go, who needs a 300-500 lbs of bass meat anyways? In regards to poachers, high graders, etc. -- the law needs to be enforced, that is all. There are well known dates/times/places that attracts large crowds, call the Environmental Police and ask them to send a field officer(s) to patrol the place and check licences and compliance with the law.

If you don't have a "special" viewing glasses, in a pinch, you can take two pairs of regular polarized sunglasses and hold them at the right angle to each other.

Nice!

Went out early AM today. Gorgeous weather. The backside is loaded with macks/sandeels/whiting/birds/whales. Haven't seen any tuna on top or anyone catching. Not many people down there either, maybe they are someplace else.

Congratulations!

I'm going to try again on Tuesday AM.

Nice day on the water, light wind, small waves, sunny and warm. Came to SW corner around 6 AM. About 1/2 dozen boats fishing for tuna, mostly bait. Nothing happens, no whales no birds, no nothing. Moved to SE corner, not much happening there either. Moving on, there is a bunch of whales/birds/boats about 1-2 miles off of North Truro / Golf Balls area. Again, people are mostly bait fishing or trolling splash bars, but saw one crew casting lures. Haven't seen any tuna caught or anyone tight. Mackerel just below the surface, whiting (hake?) at the bottom at 120'. No problem to catch either one. Striper/blues crews are at Peaked Hill area, around 60" lobster pot line. Everyone seemed doing pretty well, saw a bunch of bent rods in about an hour then I was there. Back to the dock around 1 PM. No tuna today for me, too close to full moon maybe? Better luck next time :-)

I jigged up a lobster (happened twice actually) right off Race Point. There must be a bunch of them down there.

Nice fish! Congratulations!

While I agree it is a pity that big bass gets killed and goes to waste, the truth is, it does not matter if people catch 30 tons or 300 tons, big old bass or small young bass. One female can produce several millions (!) of eggs, so in theory, you only need a few to replenish everything that is lost due to targeted Striped Bass fishing. What happens is, 99.99% of bass dies anyways. Number one killer of Striped Bass is Striped Bass itself. They all compete with each other for food and habitat and the environment can only support so many. Then there is a pollution, environment loss, food scarcity (like menhaden / mackerel / squid overfishing), natural weather variations (drought, rain, etc.), bycatch, etc. You can't kill all fish with a rod and reel, no way. Reduce pollution, restore environment, ban inshore trawl fishing, enforce regulations. That is what matters.

Almost shoot one last year duck hunting. Kept getting close and close to me, slapping its tail on the water. Was less than 10 feet when it gave up and swam away.

Usually around belly and sides, curled in the meat. I'll take a picture next time I see it.

I noticed more Cod were infected by worms when seals started to show up. Now I see worms (nematodes) in Striped Bass as well. I used to eat bass sashimi regularly, now I'm not sure. Will probably start to freeze the meat before eating it raw...

Great photos. Congratulations!