Change in the flats over the years

[Mike Hammer]

What is the biggest change you've seen in fishing the flats in the spring?

For me there doesn't seem to be as many fish as say 10 years ago.

[dixie noormiss]

Biggest change for me is word got out, now everybody and their brother is zooming across the flats, putting the fish down when a bite develops. Too many boaters w/o a clue on how to fish a shallow water area like that. The fish are still there, they just go other places with less noise, traffic, etc. too many guys use "bent rod radar" also. I always carry a bag of popcorn to attract sea gulls, put my line around a cleat, hoot n holler a bit, and act like aI'm releasing a fish on the far sie of the boat. Then i go fish in the spot i wanted to go anyway, and leave the knuckleheads empty water w/ seagulls and popcorn!:thumbsup:

[BILLY P.]

I like that great work thats funny .

[Sweet Caroline]

Dixie, I thought that was our little secret. Now we will have to come up with another distraction method.

[capt. ed]

Biggest change: For years there was an absolutely dependable arrival of schoolies, smaller males in a feisty mood that were easy to catch. The true big girls were few and far between but you'd always get a few monsters during the season.
Now, at least over the past three years, the smaller males have been much more scarce.
Big Females meanwhile are caught almost every day. Too many trips last year we had lackluster fishing, only to be saved by that one BIG fish. Used to be we played with the schoolies all day and hoped to luck into one big one, or left the schoolies when we got tired of them in search of something bigger. Now we're looking for that big one all the time and don't have the schoolies to play with in the meantime.

I really hope that changes up this season.

[flats cat]

Biggest change: For years there was an absolutely dependable arrival of schoolies, smaller males in a feisty mood that were easy to catch. The true big girls were few and far between but you'd always get a few monsters during the season.
Now, at least over the past three years, the smaller males have been much more scarce.
Big Females meanwhile are caught almost every day. Too many trips last year we had lackluster fishing, only to be saved by that one BIG fish. Used to be we played with the schoolies all day and hoped to luck into one big one, or left the schoolies when we got tired of them in search of something bigger. Now we're looking for that big one all the time and don't have the schoolies to play with in the meantime.

I really hope that changes up this season.

I have noticed this as well but we did find them in May when the season opened back up. Hope they are back a little sooner then that. I do also think the pressure that has been on these fish for the last five or so years could have something to do with it.

[capt. ed]

Yes Pressure with a capital P, but the Flats can still produce outstanding fishing from day to day. When it's ON, there really is nothing like it.

[flats cat]

Yes Pressure with a capital P, but the Flats can still produce outstanding fishing from day to day. When it's ON, there really is nothing like it.

If I could only fish one place a year in this area it would be the flats! See you out there soon Capt. Ed.:bow:

[Flyguy784]

Biggest change for me is word got out, now everybody and their brother is zooming across the flats, putting the fish down when a bite develops. Too many boaters w/o a clue on how to fish a shallow water area like that. The fish are still there, they just go other places with less noise, traffic, etc. too many guys use "bent rod radar" also. I always carry a bag of popcorn to attract sea gulls, put my line around a cleat, hoot n holler a bit, and act like aI'm releasing a fish on the far sie of the boat. Then i go fish in the spot i wanted to go anyway, and leave the knuckleheads empty water w/ seagulls and popcorn!:thumbsup:

I'm glad you told me your trick before the season starts. Now I'll know, just follw Harry. My new watch word. "Just follow Harry"
Do you wear any noticable head gear?

[Flyguy784]

Biggest change: For years there was an absolutely dependable arrival of schoolies, smaller males in a feisty mood that were easy to catch. The true big girls were few and far between but you'd always get a few monsters during the season.
Now, at least over the past three years, the smaller males have been much more scarce.
Big Females meanwhile are caught almost every day. Too many trips last year we had lackluster fishing, only to be saved by that one BIG fish. Used to be we played with the schoolies all day and hoped to luck into one big one, or left the schoolies when we got tired of them in search of something bigger. Now we're looking for that big one all the time and don't have the schoolies to play with in the meantime.

I really hope that changes up this season.
Three years on the nose Capt. But my biggest fish on fly have been "in" the last two.

[dixie noormiss]

Dixie, I thought that was our little secret. Now we will have to come up with another distraction method.

At least i didn't say anything about the big red floating "X" that shows where the fish are;):D

[Ele]

I have to agree with Ed, no schoolies. You don't have those 150-200 fish days anymore.

The schoolies are the resident fish and the ones that are caught all summer and winter by the gill nets and pound nets.

Ele

[Steve Wdz]

I like that idea:bow:
Biggest change for me is word got out, now everybody and their brother is zooming across the flats, putting the fish down when a bite develops. Too many boaters w/o a clue on how to fish a shallow water area like that. The fish are still there, they just go other places with less noise, traffic, etc. too many guys use "bent rod radar" also. I always carry a bag of popcorn to attract sea gulls, put my line around a cleat, hoot n holler a bit, and act like aI'm releasing a fish on the far sie of the boat. Then i go fish in the spot i wanted to go anyway, and leave the knuckleheads empty water w/ seagulls and popcorn!:thumbsup:

[AFISHN]

Capt Ed hit it on the head!!!
I have been fishing the flats for 15 years and have seen a steep decline as it got more popular .
This Year?:My guess is that the condition of the New Economy(aka.Derecession) will cut down the number of boaters.I'll be there but I'm going to try some new spots

[DoubleG]

At least i didn't say anything about the big red floating "X" that shows where the fish are;):D
I grabbed that floating red "X" and tied it to the bottom of my boat.
Now I always know where the fish are:razz::razz::razz:

[Supafly]

I also noticed the lack of smaller males in the delaware river. I hate to say it but I think we are in a downward decline. I think there will be some very bigfish caught in the next three years but after that I am a little worried :(.

[johnrogers]

Biggest change: For years there was an absolutely dependable arrival of schoolies, smaller males in a feisty mood that were easy to catch. The true big girls were few and far between but you'd always get a few monsters during the season.
Now, at least over the past three years, the smaller males have been much more scarce.
Big Females meanwhile are caught almost every day. Too many trips last year we had lackluster fishing, only to be saved by that one BIG fish. Used to be we played with the schoolies all day and hoped to luck into one big one, or left the schoolies when we got tired of them in search of something bigger. Now we're looking for that big one all the time and don't have the schoolies to play with in the meantime.

I really hope that changes up this season.

I agree, what happend to the small fish, it all seems to be all big fish now. I know last year I caught all big fish with only a few small ones mixed in. Average fish was 30#s. I think we are in trouble:mad: in years to come

[Timmy T]

I also noticed the lack of smaller males in the delaware river. I hate to say it but I think we are in a downward decline. I think there will be some very bigfish caught in the next three years but after that I am a little worried :(.

and now you can keep the schoolies in the river taboot which will only make things worse

[Supafly]

and now you can keep the schoolies in the river taboot which will only make things worse

Did those regs definitely pass? Thats horrible :bow:

[flats cat]

Did those regs definitely pass? Thats horrible :bow:

???:confused:

[Timmy T]

yeah they passed don;t know the exact deets but they are in the freshwater forum

[md10392]

I've only fished it once, but I caught and saw plenty of fish that were deeply gut hooked! We were using size 9 circle hooks and they still swallowed it. I wonder how many of those big cows that were gut-hooked sucessfully spawned? Fishing for them at such a fragile time is very detrimental to the spawn cycle.

[capt. ed]

Don't use cut bait during C & R and you'll not gut hook very many, if any.

[VF Fishhead]

never gut hooked one but thats the difference between bait and flies.

I have also noticed the lack of schoolies on the flats, haven't had the 100 fish days in a couple years.

[pissant]

and post-moratorium was the absolute best it ever was (maybe you old-timers saw better times dunno). Since then it's gone steadily downhill. Seems obvious to me too many fish are being harvested. 5 years of no-harvest, they go from almost extinct to ton's of em everywhere. What's that tell you?

[Flyguy784]

Agree 1000%, doesn't take a brain sugeon does it. Try to convince some of the regulars in Surf forum or Striped Bass. They'll eat you alive. :fighting: It's kind of fun in a sense, but quite frustrating.

[Ele]

This is a reply I wrote on another website as to why the flats fishery seems to be getting worse every year.

I wasn't going to get involved with this debate but could not resist. First of all, the flats fishery is the best fishery in the whole bay. The use of live bait, with circle hooks has been proven to less harmful than lure fishing to these fish. There is less mortality rate with C & R fishing, in cooler water temperatures then at any other time.

Now, let's talk about the fisheries that hurt the fish. First, we have the spring trophy season. Trolling and hooking a fish and dragging him for long periods of time before you get it to the boat.

Then we have the chummers. Catching and releasing many many undersized fish when the air temperatures are in the 90's and the water temps. are in the 80's. A trail of undersized fish drifting down from the fleet.

The next one is the fishing at the CBBT in the fall. A mass slaughter of fish that are caught both in the bay and in the EEZ zone.

Last but not least, we have the Commercial fishery, starting with the pound nets. Scooping these fish out of the nets, throwing them on the floor of the boat, sorting through them and hopefully throwing the over and undersized fish back, which will more than likely be caught the next day with the process repeated all over again. This is all done in warm air and water temperatures, with another line of dead fish leading away from the pound nets.

We have gill nets floating all over the bay, continuing to catch and kill Rockfish overy day. Some are attended but a lot are not, just floating around, catching and killing for long periods of time.

Oh, and let's not forget the commercial trawler, off the coast that are killing them by the ton, probably even as I write this.

One more fishery that I can think of that is destroying the Rockfish population and that is the stealing and poaching that has been going on for years. Not only effecting our Rockfish but oysters as well.

Again, I say, the C & R fishery on the flats is the best fishery the State of Maryland has. Enjoy it while you can because if all the other fisheries keep going the way they are, there will definitely be no fish on the flats.

Ele
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[dixie noormiss]

Good points Ele. We as rec anglers tend to overlook some of our poor practices and heap blame on comms. I have seen first hand streams of dead undersized rock floating down tide of the massive chumming fleet @ Rock Hall. Shameful. I too, believe the Spring trolling season needs to be eliminated or, at the very least, started after the fish have spawned. Limits should be reduced and season shortened at the CBBT too. Way too mnay fish killed because it is just too easy.
Maintaining a renewable resource, be it crabs or rockfish, requires some restraint from the user groups. Without it, the resource will be gone.