Why?

[Mark]

Many of us on this forum have complained about a poor striper bite this year. We keep hoping Rocktober will change the trend. I'm not convinced the year will improve.

A 19 inch Chesapeake Bay striper is typically 3 years old. I do not keep detailed personal catch statistics but I know for sure I've caught fewer legal stripers in 2018 from my kayak than in previous years. Some of that is because I've had less outings due to family obligations. The weather has also played a role with extremes of cold in the spring and heat in the summer keeping me off the water. However there are other possible reasons.

The 2016 Young-of-the-Year striped bass index was 2.2. The long-term average with data going back 60 years is close to 12. Based solely on that statistic, each of us are chasing far fewer fish in 2018 new to legal status than in an average year.

That said, the 2015 index was nearly twice the long-term average. So where are they? They should be 21 to 23 inches in their 4th year. Why am I not catching a lot of them? They have been largely absent from the western shore rivers I usually fish in the very areas where I've had success in the past. I've had much better quantitative days this year for stripers across the Bay Bridge but few keepers.

Is that due to weather, mortality? Possibly they change their habits at that age and size and leave the shallows that many kayak anglers fish for cooler more oxygenated waters. Maybe I've just done a bad job of fishing this year, not adapting to changes. Or maybe I've been unlucky, fishing areas with sparse legal striper counts. Even the best kayak angler is not going to catch many fish where few fish are swimming. Kayak fishing in particular due to limited range is like real estate -- location is everything.


I have not seen 2018's Young-of-the-Year striper index posted. If stripers favor cold water during their spawn, it may have been a good year because our spring was very chilly.

The good news is that the 2017 index was slightly above normal. Perhaps that accounts for the abundance of shorts I've caught this year. Maybe that bodes well for 2019.

There are many variables when it comes to catching stripers, but statistics clearly show that the 2016 Young-of-the-Year striper class was abnormally small. Perhaps that is the biggest reason that catching a legal striper has been a challenge for me and many other kayak anglers this year.

To those of you who have cracked the code this year, good for you.

Just wondering if any others can explain why 2018 has been such a challenge for so many.

[mi327]

Many of us on this forum have complained about a poor striper bite this year. We keep hoping Rocktober will change the trend. I'm not convinced the year will improve.

A 19 inch Chesapeake Bay striper is typically 3 years old. I do not keep detailed personal catch statistics but I know for sure I've caught fewer legal stripers in 2018 from my kayak than in previous years. Some of that is because I've had less outings due to family obligations. The weather has also played a role with extremes of cold in the spring and heat in the summer keeping me off the water. However there are other possible reasons.

The 2016 Young-of-the-Year striped bass index was 2.2. The long-term average with data going back 60 years is close to 12. Based solely on that statistic, each of us are chasing far fewer fish in 2018 new to legal status than in an average year.

That said, the 2015 index was nearly twice the long-term average. So where are they? They should be 21 to 23 inches in their 4th year. Why am I not catching a lot of them? They have been largely absent from the western shore rivers I usually fish in the very areas where I've had success in the past. I've had much better quantitative days this year for stripers across the Bay Bridge but few keepers.

Is that due to weather, mortality? Possibly they change their habits at that age and size and leave the shallows that many kayak anglers fish for cooler more oxygenated waters. Maybe I've just done a bad job of fishing this year, not adapting to changes. Or maybe I've been unlucky, fishing areas with sparse legal striper counts. Even the best kayak angler is not going to catch many fish where few fish are swimming. Kayak fishing in particular due to limited range is like real estate -- location is everything.


I have not seen 2018's Young-of-the-Year striper index posted. If stripers favor cold water during their spawn, it may have been a good year because our spring was very chilly.

The good news is that the 2017 index was slightly above normal. Perhaps that accounts for the abundance of shorts I've caught this year. Maybe that bodes well for 2019.

There are many variables when it comes to catching stripers, but statistics clearly show that the 2016 Young-of-the-Year striper class was abnormally small. Perhaps that is the biggest reason that catching a legal striper has been a challenge for me and many other kayak anglers this year.

To those of you who have cracked the code this year, good for you.

Just wondering if any others can explain why 2018 has been such a challenge for so many.

I think water quality had a big part of it, the bay was full of mud and derbies all summer from all the rain, I don't think I have ever seen the Conowingo in spill for so long. Due to this allot of my usual spots were un-fishable, and when I could the usual Rockfish, small or largemouth bass weren't biting.

Once I found the cleaner water in a more sheltered creek off the bay my fishing improved dramatically.

[john from md]

The salinity level was very low most of the season. I know I heard of fewer drum, croaker and Spanish mackerel being caught this season as well.

[belairfishing]

Mark,

The survey was just published and it looks like the index was just a little higher than 2017.

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2018/1...-reproduction/

I fished in the tournament last weekend, and when the weather got a little dicey, I headed to the sod banks and rip rap to fish for white perch. I must have caught about 35 rockfish between 7 and 9 inches. Not sure what that means, but how big will those fish be in 2 or three years!

Steve

[wyecrabber1]

I tend to fish Tangier/Pocomoke and the islands on the eastern shore. There are a bunch of undersized stripers, with the cooler weather we are seeing a better grade of fish. I think the amount of fresh/muddy water in the upper bay has pushed the fish south. Clean water seems to be the key to finding fish. And, maybe the pattern changed after Sandy came through or maybe its just cyclic. The bottom fishing in and around Crisfield has been awful; few spot, no croakers. I think there are less trout and red fish this year.

[Mark]

Mark,

The survey was just published and it looks like the index was just a little higher than 2017.

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2018/1...-reproduction/

I fished in the tournament last weekend, and when the weather got a little dicey, I headed to the sod banks and rip rap to fish for white perch. I must have caught about 35 rockfish between 7 and 9 inches. Not sure what that means, but how big will those fish be in 2 or three years!

Steve

Steve,

That's encouraging news. Thanks for sharing.

I think those little stripers you caught were from the 2018 class. According to most charts I've seen, they can grow up to 12 inches in their first year. In two or three years, they should be the minimum size for those who like to keep their catches.

https://stripers247.com/striped-bass...ight-chart.php

[summersoff]

Just thought I'd respond to this as I am at the time of year I stop kayaking, and switch solely to surf. This year was tough all around. I fish all methods; on the boat for flounder, seabass and striper, on the yak for stripers, and specks and on the surf for stripers, and I can confidently say I have been skunked more times this year than any other year, by far. It's was just not this area, I was skunked on the cape cod canal a bunch at the start of the summer, fluking off jersey was a bust so often that we stopped, and I have been hitting the surf a good bit lately with hardly anything to show for it, and my friends reports are the same. Even on my eastern shore hot spots where I normally catch endless schoolies, I was only having marginal days.
My only idea why this year was tough, and I may be getting old and mixing up my times, didn't we have some crazy cold days last winter? I remember seeing extreme fish die off in the back bays because of the extreme cold. But that doesn't explain why new york and new england have been seeing only shorts, with an occasional lunker run.
Basically this year sucked, but i'll give it another college try on the jersery shore this weekend, but I have to say, if I say "It's nice just to be out there" one more time, I'll throw-up. Also, If I dont start coming home with fish, my wife will think I am having an affair.
How did others do over all this season on the mid to north coast?

[john from md]

I tried Cape May and Wildwood and the back bays for a week at the beginning of October and got skunked. I talked to the bait shop guys and they told me it was a terrible season up there also.

[summersoff]

I tried Cape May and Wildwood and the back bays for a week at the beginning of October and got skunked. I talked to the bait shop guys and they told me it was a terrible season up there also.

I’ve tried Cape May two weeks in a row, with runs to LBIand IBSP with no luck, but trying again because I’m a glutton

[Slobber Bob]

The "fall run" of stripers off the MD beaches is essentially non-existent nowadays. It's been going down hill steadily since 2008. It's really sad now. Within the last 3 years or so, even the spring push of fish up the beaches after spawning hasn't been so great. You can do good with resident, schoolie fish in the coastal back bays still, but where are the big migratory fish off the coast? Unfortunately, I think they're dead. The big fish take way too much pressure throughout their range.

When you start seeing bad fishing reports and lack of fish in the heart of the striper breeding estuaries, then its a sign that things aren't good.

[suicyderider]

https://www.onthewater.com/above-ave...aryland-survey

Many of us on this forum have complained about a poor striper bite this year. We keep hoping Rocktober will change the trend. I'm not convinced the year will improve.

A 19 inch Chesapeake Bay striper is typically 3 years old. I do not keep detailed personal catch statistics but I know for sure I've caught fewer legal stripers in 2018 from my kayak than in previous years. Some of that is because I've had less outings due to family obligations. The weather has also played a role with extremes of cold in the spring and heat in the summer keeping me off the water. However there are other possible reasons.

The 2016 Young-of-the-Year striped bass index was 2.2. The long-term average with data going back 60 years is close to 12. Based solely on that statistic, each of us are chasing far fewer fish in 2018 new to legal status than in an average year.

That said, the 2015 index was nearly twice the long-term average. So where are they? They should be 21 to 23 inches in their 4th year. Why am I not catching a lot of them? They have been largely absent from the western shore rivers I usually fish in the very areas where I've had success in the past. I've had much better quantitative days this year for stripers across the Bay Bridge but few keepers.

Is that due to weather, mortality? Possibly they change their habits at that age and size and leave the shallows that many kayak anglers fish for cooler more oxygenated waters. Maybe I've just done a bad job of fishing this year, not adapting to changes. Or maybe I've been unlucky, fishing areas with sparse legal striper counts. Even the best kayak angler is not going to catch many fish where few fish are swimming. Kayak fishing in particular due to limited range is like real estate -- location is everything.


I have not seen 2018's Young-of-the-Year striper index posted. If stripers favor cold water during their spawn, it may have been a good year because our spring was very chilly.

The good news is that the 2017 index was slightly above normal. Perhaps that accounts for the abundance of shorts I've caught this year. Maybe that bodes well for 2019.

There are many variables when it comes to catching stripers, but statistics clearly show that the 2016 Young-of-the-Year striper class was abnormally small. Perhaps that is the biggest reason that catching a legal striper has been a challenge for me and many other kayak anglers this year.

To those of you who have cracked the code this year, good for you.

Just wondering if any others can explain why 2018 has been such a challenge for so many.

[summersoff]

The "fall run" of stripers off the MD beaches is essentially non-existent nowadays. It's been going down hill steadily since 2008. It's really sad now. Within the last 3 years or so, even the spring push of fish up the beaches after spawning hasn't been so great. You can do good with resident, schoolie fish in the coastal back bays still, but where are the big migratory fish off the coast? Unfortunately, I think they're dead. The big fish take way too much pressure throughout their range.

When you start seeing bad fishing reports and lack of fish in the heart of the striper breeding estuaries, then its a sign that things aren't good.

Nor sure if its cyclical, temperature changes, overfishing or something else. I don't want to just lump them together and simply say it a combination of all three, thats too easy.
About the beach runs, we did have a killer blue run last year of DE, which was a nice surprise, but youre right, beach fishing has slowed considerably.