When do you quit? When do you start?

[Livefreeordie]

When do you quit chasing stripers for the year? When do you start back up?

 

 

[dleopoldi914]

Around thanksgiving week. If I get 2 days wirh no signs of life I call it quits 

[Livefreeordie]

4 hours ago, dleopoldi914 said:

Around thanksgiving week. If I get 2 days wirh no signs of life I call it quits 

And you're a boat-guy almost exclusively now? Do you stay out front, or do you also harass striped fish in the rivers?

[CedarWind]

I will go casting in the middle of the winter if just for therapy and to keep the thumb educated on the old baitcasters.  But, catching fish "out front" as opposed to up river should wrap up 1st or 2nd week in December?  I will try as long as they are there.

[dleopoldi914]

6 hours ago, Livefreeordie said:

And you're a boat-guy almost exclusively now? Do you stay out front, or do you also harass striped fish in the rivers?

I move to rivers here from my boat and fish surf. I still fish surf once and a while. 

[JoeyZac]

We fish for Stripers and Tog out front until the lagoons begin to freeze and I'm going to get trapped, which means I usually pull the first week of January, just before going on a ski trip. 

 

Unless everything is still frozen solid, the boat goes back in the last week of February so that I have a few days to run it, make sure it's all good, and be ready to fish Opening Day in the back.

 

It's a fun game to play, but every once in a while, I lose, and then have to go through 6 weeks of pure hell.

 

 

 

 

[Livefreeordie]

I got a bunch in a river tonight, only 1 was even 28". The wind was howling, I couldn't feel the 1/2oz jig, got hung-up/broke off 4x, needed to use my mouth to re-tie (my right hand was wet, frozen, and I couldn't move my index finger independently), fell down 3x, and my waders leaked. By the end I was using a wire leader that was at the bottom of my bag for bluefish that left months ago, had no more jigs light enough, the uni-to-uni-knot joint that used to be buried was only 10 yards from lure. Even though I got 11 fish, there was such a bow in my line (strong NNW wind), I barely felt taps, and it was 2-3 seconds before the line went tight. Each time I was afraid it wasn't a fish, but another snag. I seriously need to restock/service my kit. I think if I go out again to that spot, it will need to be less than 15mph winds, maybe daylight, or I'll stay home. Next weekend, I'll go to one of those bigger rivers. It's easier to negotiate a bow in your line when you have space and deeper water.

 

I took a friend, and he made a bunch of cold weather mistakes, too. I know it was 35 degrees, but the spray and wind made it seem so effin cold

 

The last 4 years, I've quit regular (2or 3x/week) river/bay fishing around Thanksgiving. After that, I look for warm day tides on days off. That usually means 2-3x each December, January, and February. Sometimes, I catch other species in the winter, so I'll bring a sabiki (Atlantic Herring) or small tins/spoons. Once, I caught a salmon, while bouncing a worm. I couldn't believe it. I've caught American shad, too, and I thought they were gone until April.

[The Rappin One]

What is this quit and start you speak of? There is only fish!

[Gotcow?]

The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually the end of the line for me unless we have a warm spell into early Dec.

[joefishnj21]

Usually hang it up a week into December.. I really don't mind shutting it down for a couple of months to regroup..  than ya come back with venegeance early spring. March 20's, I start searching for em. 

[nateD]

Right about now, then ice fishing til April when the stripes comes back.

[CedarWind]

Wish we had some form of cod in the Long Island Sound/near shore

[dublin401]

I'll switch over to pickerel fishing soon.

[stroipaHuntah]

I quit after thanksgiving almost always, and start back up in April when the bass start moving into the little creeks and estuaries by me.

[fishweewee]

before they shut access to the power plant down i used to fish the housy year-round.  always managed to catch something dec-jan-feb-mar.  schoolies and gizzard shad on bucktails.