Usually, I am not so quick to hang things up at the end of the season. Often, the boat is full of leaves, a rod or two is left lying in that pile, and there are more than a few gas station coffee cups stashed in strategic places on deck. This year, however, the boat was cleaned, winterized, and shrink-wrapped in the first week of October, which is well ahead of the regular November wrap-up. When asked why I was quick to pull the plug, I did what any angler worth their salt would do — I lied.
I blamed it on nor’easters, my kids’ sports schedules, and my wife’s desire to have me home. The truth is, I was burnt out and frustrated by a season that saw a later start than usual and did not produce the early schoolie run or the typical epic and sustained June blitzes. Instead, we saw localized schools of fish, congested fishing areas, and anglers so hungry to catch that ethics often fell by the wayside.
It wasn’t all bad; the bass we caught in 2025 were truly some trophy-quality fish. It was common practice to catch a 30- to 40-pounder on each trip. We were also able to put many anglers on their personal bests using various tactics. So, in that sense, it’s hard not to smile when this is the class of fish my customers are catching. Even though the quantity of fish had gone down, the quality we were seeing had gone so far in the other direction that no one seemed to care.
As I reflect on the 2025 season and look forward to 2026, I am met with numerous thoughts and mixed emotions, but I will spare you a deep dive into this mental state and focus on just a few. The first is anticipation. Given the class of fish that we had last year, if they survive the swim down and back, they still have room to grow. If we are lucky enough to see them again, these fish could be in the 50-pound class — the holy grail for all striped bass anglers.
I am also preparing myself for another “trying” season. Based on logbooks from the past five years, we are definitely on a downward trend. The number of fish is dropping, and the diversity in size is also shrinking. I am fully expecting the season to start later, and my prediction is that we will see the first significant numbers of fish arriving in late May. These fish will be right on the heels of the alewives and herring that are heading to their spawning grounds. What I do not expect to see are the early May schoolies, also known as “scouts,” that typically fill the marshes and back bays. I see no reason to expect fewer anglers in a more confined area, much like we saw in the 2025 season. I also anticipate the fish to make their exit a bit earlier. In 2025, we observed a significant number of fish migrating south by early September, and although we still had fish in October, the drop-off was noticeable, even to the novice eye.
I don’t want to sound all doom and gloom — it is what it is. Ultimately, we are still fortunate to be fishing. I could be a Debbie Downer, but I choose not to. Instead, I choose radical optimism. I am going to use this upcoming season to try new techniques, new spots, and new tides. I view it as a chance to rewrite my playbook, and I suggest other anglers do the same, whether that means fishing at night if you are primarily a daylight angler, embracing live bait, or employing a different style of artificial lure. It might mean upgrading the technology on your boat with a trolling motor, side scan, or forward-facing sonar (we don’t use that term), or eliminating all technology and focusing on honing your senses.
Regardless of how you choose to switch it up, do it in a way that keeps things fun and interesting. It’s fishing, and fishing is supposed to be fun. Keep your perspective positive, and you will have a fulfilling season. With that said, stay warm, stay dialed in, have a great winter, and see you in the spring!
Are striped Bass coming down out of Nova Scotia Bay of Fundy into waters off of Maine and New Hampshire OR are those all those fish noted coming up ,Hudson and Delaware river class fish?? And if there was a class of fish coming down out of Nova Scotia, is there a way outside of genetic testing to tell which group of fish are which ??