Reaux

Hey thanks gman, without you I would never have found this.

While investigating weights of striped bass, as a result of some of gman's statements (because I was curious gman) in the (Waste of an Egg . . . Thread) I ran across the following. I found this sentence in particular to be very interesting.

"Jordan relates that: “At one haul of the net in Albemarle Sound 820 bass weighing 37,000 pounds were taken. Among them were many of 65 pounds, many of 85, and a few of 90 pounds.”

From:

SOME FISH AND SOME FISHING The Striped Bass
(Roccus lineatus)
THE striped bass have almost disappeared as game fish. Being migratory fish and traveling in schools, they have been so de*pleted by excessive netting that it is now difficult to obtain large specimens.
Jordan relates that: “At one haul of the net in Albemarle Sound 820 bass weighing 37,000 pounds were taken. Among them were many of 65 pounds, many of 85, and a few of 90 pounds.”
The largest striped bass of authentic record that I personally know of, taken with rod and reel, weighed 70 pounds. This fish was taken by Mr. William Post at Graves Point, Newport, R. I., on July 5th, 1873. It was a long, thin, and emaciated fish that would have weighed 100 pounds in normal condition.
I am told that Mr. Charles Church landed a bass a few years since near Cutty Hunk that weighed 76 pounds. (sic. actually 73)
The largest average catch of bass that I know of was ten fish 58, 56, 54, 53, 51, 49, 46, 42 and 36 pounds respectively-----an average of 49½ pounds. This catch was made at Graves Point by Mr. Seth Barton French and Mr. John Whipple on August 21st, 1881, between 6 and 11 A.M., in a heavy sea and on a rising tide.
Mr. Thomas Winans and his nephew took in three months’ fishing, from stands built on the rocks in front of his house at New*port, 124 bass that weighed 2,921 pounds, the largest being a fish of 60 pounds.
Catches of bass weighing from 85 to over 100 pounds each are said to have been made in the Chesapeake seine-fishing.
The striped bass was unknown in the waters of the Pacific Ocean until 1875 when the first fingerlings were liberated in San Francisco Bay. They have prospered there. “Statistics gathered for 1900 show 1,251,000 pounds in the San Francisco markets in that year.” The largest fish taken on rod and reel weighed 62½ pounds.
The artificial propagation of the striped bass has never been a pronounced success owing to the difficulty of obtaining the ripe male fish."

Of course this was written in 1921, for some reason I've never seen it before nor had I heard mention of it. The entire book is in the public domain and can be found by doing a simple google search for (Some Fish and Some Fishing) or simply go here: Some Fish and Some Fishing Content Page

Finally I've never seen a picture of the 92lb. striper caught in a net by the Maryland DNR in 1995 with a human for scale, previously just the picture of the mount with nothing for scale. See below.

Reaux

Attached Images

92_pound_striper190.jpg (49.3 KB, 27 views)

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Reaux

Special K

don't know about the fish, however the boat looks like a very nice parker!

fishcounterbob

If you go to Dee's bait and tackle in New Haven CT you will see a mount of a 76 lb bass caught on rod and reel just a few years ago. I fished bass in New Haven area as a kid a was blessed to have met an old time hand liner for bass. Very effective fishing with huge jigs and large swimmers and dropper flies. I fished commercially and delivered some bass to the fish co-op in point Judith. I had documented catches of over 1200 lbs in two tides with multiple fish in the 50+ range.That was the early 70's. I also started slingin' bait from the shore at the north rip of block. I would tag the tails and fish would go over on the first am ferry. 67 lb was my largest from shore and my buddy got a 73, both on a fresh mac caught at the coast guard station earlier in the day, both at night at the north rip after the plug guys all left. Did this with alot of other guys. Go to the Twin Maples.

Special K

great read!
i got a special fondness for the block.....the "old" block island.

seems funny to say the old block island. i only started going there in the late '80s as a boater with my family.

much different now.........$eems like the privleged few. imho

Philly Doug

Hey, that is gman's kid. Glenn must have been photoshopping again.

fishcounterbob

Did anyone else experience the decline in bass and the recovery? I ended the commercial bass years in the early 80's as I went to the west coast for salmon and tuna. The stripers really took hold on the Oregon coast as the rocky shores and water temps were ideal. I don't know the spawning deal out there.
I was on a salmon troller that left seattle and fished the seasons for salmon from northern cal, oregon wash and north to alaska. The daily goal for each two week trip was 200 silvers and 50 king salmon to 75 lbs. Then in august we turn gear to albies. 50-100 per day up to 80 lb.
Came back to ct to a commercial license moritorium. I kept a jeep at the BI airport an flew in clients for the 3 b's. Always ended up at the coast guard station for bonito every morning.
Quite a good run of 40+ lb fish this year. The herring made a good showing late although they were noticably small. I did some catch and release in the EEZ and was very successful. I've been releasing bass since the 80's and get my 50 every year in CT or Block since the early 90's. I used to start way up Cape and fish down to the canal for a couple weeks after soccer every november and hit block to end the season.

ChuckA

You lookin to get a Lil G man will kick your pensultucky arse He be a Jersey Boy

Philly Doug

Please see the "a little gman jr controversy" thread.

gman

you guys kill me. My screen name has been smeared all over the web this week. That was really funny were both sitting here laughing about it

Bob & Mag

Is this photo-shopped also??????????

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