Northeast Striped Bass And Bluefish Numbers Look Good For 2009

Article Date: June 2009

It looks like anglers who fish the Northeast coastline for stripers are in for a pretty good season. Numbers of fish may be down from the historic highs of 2003 and 2004, but only slightly. That is the indication we get from some population statistics released by Gary Shepherd, who tracks stripers and bluefish for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service. He says anglers are likely to encounter large numbers of fish in the 26- to 30-inch range from the 2003 spawning. That was a banner year in all four primary spawning areas: the Hudson River, Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia. There should also be large numbers of smaller fish from the 2007 spawning, and good numbers of large fish held over from successful spawnings in 2001, 1996 and (most prized of all) some 42- to 49-inch fish still hanging around from 1993.

To be sure, the 2009 season has been slow to start as this is written in mid-May, probably due to cold water. But it looks like the rest of the season will proceed more or less on schedule from here. At this writing, the stripers are showing up in good numbers as far north as the north shore of Cape Cod. I have that from Capt. Avery Revere who fishes the waters around Barnstable, Massachusetts. Jeff Northrop, who may be the busiest guide in Connecticut, reports that he spent the early part of the season in the mouth of the Housatonic River, but that bigger fish are showing up in numbers around his home base in Westport. Likewise, David Porecca of Rivers & Riptide Anglers in Rhode Island tells us he is noting an abundance of larger fish (24 inches or better), including several in the "keeper" range (28-plus inch........(continued)

CONTACT DETAILS FOR COMPANIES/INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN ARTICLE (if any)

Capt. Avery Revere, Salty Fly Guide Service. Tel. 917-270-0508. Web: www.saltyflycapecod.com

River and Riptide Anglers. 2435 Nooseneck Hill Road Unit 4A. Coventry, RI, 02816. Tel. 401-392-1919. E-mail: info@riverandriptide.com, Web: www.riverandriptide.com