Spring stripers on the "Bugs Ahoy'?

[Tuna]

10-15 years ago my wife & I use to fish w/ Capt Al on the "Bugs Ahoy" (there was a hard fisherman).Man could he find fish!
The best time of the year he would tell you was the spring run of stripers in the rips, hardly any boats.
We would make a couple trips just in the spring. Every fish was 15-20 lbs or bigger.
What has happen?
Where did they go?

[Captain's John & Diana]

Knew Capt Al and fished next to him many times for stripers before his untimely passing. It was even better at night in early June with stripers much bigger using just eels. My favorite spring striper spot back then was Brown Shoals and the rip in front of Brandwine but no longer even bother fishing any of the rips and prefer to chunk up the bay the last few years. I really believe the chunk fleet now pulls the bigger bass well over 28 inches off the rips and up the bay for the free dinner offered by chunking fresh bunker or clams. One thing I do know from what I see and hear it is not like it was 15 years ago and I was there back then. Could be there are not as many bigger fish over 28 inch fish around these days or just too many boats now fishing stripers but I do know it is not what it used to be at least on the Cape May Rips in the spring. Good to hear someone remembers Capt Al as he was one nice guy and fine fisherman.

[Tuna]

How could you ever forget Capt Al?
If I brought a friend along when we went w/ Al they would usually bring a case of beer. To most people that is what fishing is, a case of beer & 2 sand sharks.

Capt Al would yell at them; "do you want to fish or drink beer"?
"If you want to drink, we will go up the bay and you can drink. If you want to catch fish, we will go to the rips and catch fish."
Yes, he was a good guy!

[mayhem]

I used to mate for Al back in the mid 90's and that's who taught me how to striper fish! I don't think I could have learned from a better fisherman. We NEVER went up the bay to chunk, didn't have to. We won several tourny's with fish over 28lbs. caught in the rips. SURE DO MISS HIM!!

[Tuna]

when my wife & I fished w/ him, Ted was the mate.