I was fishing one night when I bumped into a fellow surfcaster working pencil poppers. I asked him: “Any luck?”. To my surprise, he replied “Just a dozen schoolies”. During our conversation on night time versus day time plugs, he mentioned that he hangs out on “SB”. “SB, what’s that?”, I asked. He replied “striped dash bass dot com” and then vanished into the dark. I did not catch any fish that night, but I did catch S-B!
Striped-Bass.com is an online community (based in Rhode Island) that was started in 2000 by John Redmond (Handle: JohnR). Two ways to participate in this active community is via forums and events.
The forums are a great way to interact with other members and learn. If you are new to S-B, then I would suggest posting in the Meet & Greet forum and then wade slowing into the Striper Talk, the main forum. Read some posts. Search before asking questions. Comment on existing threads. And then create your own threads. But, keep in mind that online communication is not the same thing as face-to-face communication— lots of visual and non-verbal information is lost in translation. The Plug Building forum and the Rod Buildingforum are two additional forums that you can cast into and retrieve some great knowledge. Although you can learn a lot from these forums, do not forget:
“Knowledge is earned and shared – not instantly downloaded.” — JohnR
S-B has “formal” and impromptu events year round. The events are attended by anglers from nearby states like Vermont and from distant states like California. The two go-to events during the off-season are Plugfest and TFCTFN, which host 100+ members.
Plugfest is a grass-roots show where plug builders from all experience levels can display their hand crafted lures and exchange ideas and experiences. The thing that makes this event unique is its purpose: to celebrate the work, skill, and ingenuity of lure builders from near and far. The lures at Plugfeast are truly amazing creations that simply must be seen and held to be fully appreciated.
TFCTFN is an annual dinner / entertainment night. This event gives members a chance to wish away Old Man Winter and turn towards a new season.
During the season, it’s all about fishing. There are fishing trips to Cuttyhunk Island, Cape Cod, Narraganset, and Plum Island. There are also many impromptu fishing trips organized via private messages (PMs).
If you want GPS coordinates to the best hot spots, then join another community. If you want to learn what works and what people really think of fishing gear based on their direct experience with the products (reels, rods, plugs, etc), then join S-B. If you want to fish with avid anglers in the Northeast, the join S-B. If you would to be part of a community who is passionate about fishing, then join S-B. I hope to see you on S-B. My handle is Fish360.
