THE STATE OF THE STRIPER PAST???

I don't believe we lost our producer status because fisheries managers discounted the contributions the Delaware stock makes...to make decisions based on facts would be silly...there were political issues involved, as always.

Here's something to think about. I have friends who have told me that they discovered a tremendous striper fishery in the lower Delware River back in the early-mid 80's, during the moratorium. This was a spring and fall fishery. Not a lot of fish, but some absolutely huge ones, and the bite was on eels. Many fish around 50 pounds, and there were fish lost that some swear were record class. They didn't tell a soul about these fish for years.

Now, the world record was caught in South Jersey back in '82 in mid-September. I have always felt that this was a "local" fish. That time of year, the majority of the Chesapeake stock is in New England, and they haven't even thought about moving south yet. But the Delaware fish...some of those stick around.

This is why I think the next world record will come from the Delaware Bay area, just like the last one did. The genes are there!

Born in Tacony in 1950. Fished the Delaware river in the late 50's early 60's. It was so polluted that we caught some eels and runt catfish. The water stunk and it left an oily skin over all the rocks.

When I was four my father had me down the shore every weekend for back bay fishing. Never did we catch or see a striper. Every Easter weekend we started winter flounder fishing. Started up again on Thanksgiving weekend and we never caught or saw a striper.

We chummed with clam and fished with clam and bloodworm. In the same areas where the striper now rule the waters. If they were around back then we would have caught some. My father and his father did this same type of fishing back into the 40's and again no stripers in the back.

I still say it wasn't until places Like Philly found out that the river was waterfront property. Suddenly old factories and paper mills were gone. Clean up the water. Get some oxygen back into the system so fish can breed and look what happens.

If someone was sucking the oxygen out of your bedroom how many kids would you have? Before it starts let me rephrase that for some of our South Jersy people. If someone was sucking the oxygen out of the back seat of your car how many kids would you have?

Every fisherman who stays to the legal limits. Every fisherman who releases a healthy fish. Every fisherman who helps keep the waters clean is making a contribution. I still believe that the ultimate factor was and will be the return of the breeding grounds to a healthy state. If they can't breed then they won't exist.

About 35-40 years ago while fishing for cats in the river we would pick up small stripers on occaision. We were more interested in the cats and carp. During the early 70's we were really interested in the millions of weakfish in the Del bay. We would catch and keep small fluke, and an occaisional striper. I remember being allowed to keep and filet fluke small enough to put on a ritz(legally). Toms river held some stripers. I think the reason we didn't see very many big stripers back then was because we were fishing mainly June-August. School had a tendancy to take us out of striper season. Getting into a school of blowfish and bluefish was the big thrill back then. An occaisional kingfish was had. Crabbing back then was extremely plentiful, and that even took president over fishing. I remember the blue claws so thick they would shoot them with shotguns and 22 rifles when they would swim on top. The Yacht club was trying to thin out the masses. Back then most of the striper fishing was up north, because the fish are there for the summer months. Around here fishing the cooler months was fresh water, when the large mouth bass were chomping. HAPPY DAYS.


Ding

My grandfather Hal Sutton was living on Ludlams beach from 1892 till he died in 1965...his dad was a gunning guide and netter. He had small charter business under sail around 1900, and was a market hunter when he needed money. He had aleways said rock were much more scarce than red drum at that time.

My dad who was born on 47th street in 1915 was a hard core surf fisherman and also commercial fished with George Pfeiffer off and on until about 1955. The only time dad or george talked about any numbers of bass were in the early spring when they would have shad nets just outside of the breakers along TI, SH and Sea Isle. They weren't big fish though. A bass was something that was caught once in awhile on rod and line and it was somewhat of a big deal.

They did though tell a few stories of some old timers who would go out on the bridges at night with thick bammboo poles and Cuttyhunk Linen line and hang a mullet in the current-they caught once in awhile. But again, big red drum were common!

I'm 51 and am still in awe everytime I catch a striper- which isn't as often as I'd like. Sorry for the windy history lesson