2024 Has Been A Bust

[DanMarino]

My 2024 fishing has been a bust this year. When I've gone fishing, I've mostly done poorly. Absolutely zero big fish for me and usually a struggle to catch things. I'm guessing part of that is my choice to use a Tenkara fly rod, but on the whole it just seems like there are fewer fish around and the rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes I've been fishing have shown a decline in aquatic life forms. Is it just me? Are the rest of you guys catching plenty of fish locally?

[dsaavedra]

Not freshwater but I've noticed a significant decline in the number of stripers I've caught this year compared to previous years. In past years I've been able to locate schools of fish that stuck around long enough for me to get several trips of consistently good catching. This year I have had a good catching day here or there, but not been able to locate a consistent bite at all. My striper totals for this year are less than 1/3 of what they have been for the past 2 years.

[ski357]

I have to agree about the striper. Definitely a decline in catch, compared to previous years. I noticed a drop, though no where near as significant, in white perch too. The uptick in slot redfish, with a smathering of speckled trout, helped fill the gap for us folks down on the lower Potomac.

[DanMarino]

Thanks for the updates guys. Good to hear it isn't just me and my declining fishing skills. haha. I think I need to abandon my Tenkara rod and learn to catch carp.

[dsaavedra]

I have to agree about the striper. Definitely a decline in catch, compared to previous years. I noticed a drop, though no where near as significant, in white perch too. The uptick in slot redfish, with a smathering of speckled trout, helped fill the gap for us folks down on the lower Potomac.

Yes, the abundance of red drum has been a welcome substitute. While slightly smaller reds were more common up my way, I caught multiple slot redfish as far north as Annapolis (and heard of them being caught even further north). In 2024 my redfish catch totals were 8x that of my 3-year average.

[DanMarino]

Increased salinity?

[nhunter344]

I havent done the research to back it up, but I would assume increased temps are also playing a role. Maybe not so much the summer temp increases (I mean, they thrive in the bathwater temps of the gulf coast); but more so the lack of colder water during the winter months.