vinnyb

Your observations aren’t weird at all - you’re describing a fully engaged, focused fisherman & there’s no question it makes a huge difference. You’re absolutely correct in that this is a mental game. Everything from pre-trip preparation to staying focused throughout the fishing session requires thought. Develop these good habits early & it becomes second nature. There’s good reason why 10% of fishermen catch 90% of the fish ;-).

Lamiglas XS81MS is a great rod for that range. Sweet spot is in the 1oz - 1.25 oz range so if you’ll be throwing 2 oz a lot it may not be the best tool.

Hi Steve I have multiples in sardine (blue back), ghost black, green mack & blue mack - all NIP. How many you looking for?

Yup - you're either a fisherman or you're not & fishermen fish.

^^This^^. JoeyZac has it right. IF in fact what Pops is claiming is true, the mechanic SHOULD have called him prior to performing the work. But the problem is, there's nothing in writing to support this claim so Pops got screwed. Can't believe this thread is going to hit 400 posts!

The water isn't too warm - the bass are just too dead.

So what? Let the old guy jump through some hoops now if he wants his money. Why make it easy on him? He originally told Pops he would sell the boat & give him back any extra. No he can finally execute that master plan.

This isn’t how it’s done & the last stock assessment showed the population is down which is why the regs were tightened. Rumor has it that the next stock assessment due out in February isn’t looking good either.

Yup - we’ve been hearing this hypothesis for the past 10-15 years also. “There are plenty of bass - they just stay in deep water now”. So a coastal species that for eons has spawned in rivers & spent much of its adult life in estuaries & cruising beaches has decided within the past 20 years to stop frequenting these locations? Not likely.

^^^This^^^ I fish from the boat too which has given me a broader perspective on the bass population over the years. During the era of the 36” size limit, fall runs were actual events - consistent & reliable with large schools of fish on bait. I haven’t seen a large scale situation like this in years. For you younger guys - this fishery used to be really good. Catching a 36” bass maybe wasn’t a daily event for most, but it wasn’t close to uncommon. The 28” size limit has transformed this fishery into a shadow of it’s former self. Catching a 36” fish today feels like you caught a trophy. It’s a joke. In reality, we’re all to blame. We allowed too many fish to be killed by regulators who don’t really care about this fishery. We can go back & forth forever on what the “perfect” solution is but the bottom line is simple - we need to start killing less fish. Yes, it will be inconvenient, frustrating & even painful to some in the short term - especially with those content to catch the occasional 28” “keeper”. But nothing worthwhile ever came without sacrifice.

This happens pretty much everywhere & bottom line is if someone is hell bent on breaking the rules they’re going to do it no matter the size limits. It’s not that hard to do - we’re all out there sneaking around at night & it’s very easy to hide a fish. But I’m pretty sure the vast majority of fishermen follow the rules so getting the rules right is important.

There's been a lot of sound advice given as well as some good-natured ribbing. Even Pops ripped on himself when he realized he forgot his first court date. I think he knows most of us are well-intentioned & really hope things work out for him.

So screw it - no rules at all then. Let's just let everyone do whatever they want ....

But the trophy tag would.

Why?