This is the scenario that Mr. Sandman brought up the other day in another post. Catch your two fish allowed under state law an continue fishing and culling using the legal commercial license to smoke us all. I think that no fish should be allowed to be weighed in for the OTW tourney while the commercial season is open.

DZ I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

Yup!

That would work for a Mass-only tournament. But the OTW stretches from Maine to New Jersey. Would it be fair to close it for them?

I know this is a pipe dream, but what Mass really ought to consider is a commercial slot limit, like NY's. I think the NY commercial slot is 26" to 34", or maybe 36".

And maybe allocate tags among the existing license holders and limit new licensees. You get allocated tags based on what you reported on your annual catch report, and have to tag every fish when it's landed. DMF comes aboard, no tags, that automatically becomes a rec fish and if there are more than 2 per man, you're screwed. Use up your tags, you're done for the season. That's how NY operates. If people overstate their catches to get more tags, then the tax folks can compare what they reported on their catch reports against what was reported on their state tax return. And it will stop guys from low balling their catches.

This guy should do the right thing and ASK to be removed from the Tournament for the good of all participants, including himself.

Sometimes ya just gotta admit ya made a mistake and take your lumps like a man.

I told you something like this would happen.

DZ, you want to feel sick, watch them unload 30 big fish, day after day boat after boat.

You will find most comm guys bend the rules...many of the comm guys cull out the smaller fish for the jumbos now. (dead or alive) the guys that fish with scup **all** fish with undersize fish. How do I know this? When the officer approaches the fleet, they all dump and run wide open in all directions. He nabs one guy for a few 9" scup. I have seen this myself more then once. Why dump and run if you are not breaking the law. Some catch 30 fish, sell them, then go back out and get more and sell them under a lic that is idle for a percentage, few guys get caught and the fine is not significant . Then you have the black market (which does not exists in the eyes of the state), the by catch dumping of dead fish and the fishing in the eez that also does not go on.) There are a million ways to work around these rules. They should JUST TAKE THE PRICE OFF THE FISHES HEAD and all will be well.

Most Comm fishermen don't think the rules apply to them and they think they are better fishermen then everyone else and because "we can't" catch 30 fish in a day we are jealous and want to ban them from doing it. This is a childish perspective. They should not be allowed to enter a rec contest.

**IF** this really happened to this guy I want to know what actually was done to him. Did they impound his boat? they should have. Did they remove his comm lic forever, they should have. Did they fine him, they should have. OTW must take some firm action IF this actually happend and perhaps ban him from further entry forever or the contest is doomed. You must hold in high regard the ethics and sportsmanship qualities or foregetaboutit, this is a test for the contest IMO.

All that said, I am confident OTW will do the right thing, they have some good people over there that know what they are doing and know what they want this contest to become.

I am not so sure the state will do the right thing however.

You tell me, how can you award "angler of the year" and probably some other awards to a convicted poacher ?

I think based on the response in this thread alone, if this proves to be true, OTW better ban him or they won't have a contest anymore...
I, for one, would never participate again and probably cancel my subscription if they let this slide. But I am sure they will do the right thing.

Speaking of poaching, there are several private vessels in my homeport of Green Harbor (Marshfield, MA) who for the past few weeks have been targeting and keeping large striped bass caught in the EEZ Zone (Stellwagen Bank) and bragging about it. Enforcement of fishery regulations appears to be non-existent.

i understand your frustrations...but please don't paint everyone with the same broad brush.

Well, they can't be everywhere all the time. Certainly isn't enough of them that's for sure. And when you seen an infraction, do you call and report it?

I Agree!!

If he does get awarded Angler of the Year.....I will boo him right there at the Banquet!

I said "most" and it is from personal observations. When you see entire fleet of boats running as fast as they can from the enforcement officer it is a safe bet that "most" are breaking some law.

there are over 7000 striped bass permits issued in massachusetts.

when you see that fleet, i bet you could pick out which guys are actually commercial fisherman, and which guys are weekend warriors looking to play commercial fisherman and trying to line their pockets.

and there's more
 

rumor has it, guess who hit a 58# fish last night. Poacher(?) if said unconfirmed story be true, yeah he is. One hell of a fisherman if the 58+ be true, unquestionably. If you think you can cull through fish until you catch the numbers he puts up I think your dreaming. Most comm are not "cheats": poaching, fishing the eez, fishing out of state. And lastly who said that a sometime comm can't "line his pockets".

If the rumors are true, I will be right next to ya big guy!:rude:

:wave: that would be me.
i say, they should stick with their desk jobs. if you want to be a commercial fisherman, put your money where your mouth is and go full time. part time fisherman don't have the obligation to the resource like full time guys do. if times get tough, they don't have to go, they'll just stay at their desk.

True, partially - to be able to catch a 58# bass means you are both lucky - the 58#er had to be there and Good - you had to know based on experience where that fish is likely to be, able to fool it, and get the fish into the boat. I don't think many are doubting the skill of someone commercial fishing for bass. Most of us cannot get out with anything approaching that kind of frequency, both to take a crack at that fish and to develop all of the skills.

As for the EEZ part, I firmly recall going to to an Amendment IV hearing a couple years ago at the Holiday Inn in Dedham where both of the Mass Commercial Bass fisherman said to Paul Diodati and the rest of the panel that they do in fact go well into the EEZ, beyond 12 miles if necessary, to catch all the fish they can sell.

Now as far as what comms do what and how often, I don't know. Half the time we find out because they get caught, how many don't get caught??

what's wrong with that?

the 50's he caught are still quite an accomplishment

How did he catch them?:hs:

on a rod and reel from a boat supposedly

I think I know where too, but I am not a spot burner.

Been saying this for year's:

x number of lisc. sold divided into total #'s....your aloud say 2000#'s..your done for the season,,but the fisheries folk's just want the season over with as fast as possiable.again no man power to check on the who's got what.

fishery folk's say open the eez because we don't have the man power to cover the state water's .one more thing off their back.again no man power.

epo's say get 10 call's per day...if you talk to them [on the side] they'll tell you they can only check out 2-3 of those call's..epo is at the ditch,,get's a call from someone in ptown. has a trunk load of short's..sorry can't get there in time to catch them.again not enough man power.

charter boats shouldn't be aloud to sell sb. period.

SM<It's not only comm.fisher's that cull bass...you should have seen the floating dead at the end of monnomoy long after the selling season was over...all by the rec. boat's culling their catch. You wouldn't have needed to wet a line to bring fish home.//Comm.'s and rec's,,I put them all in the same boat. No one is beyond cheating.

saltwater tournament's have and will alway's be nothing but fish killer's... in this day and age none are needed to prove one's catching abilities to other's.One's own worth should be prize enough.

Big deal the guy caught a 58 lber. That means he is a great fisherman and he can do what ever the heck he wants. I don't really care if he was catching 16 lb fish he was caught breaking the rules. Just because it was a large fish we should be in awe of the guy. As far as lining my pockets I pay for my license and follow the rules and until that changes that is all that counts. Besides I am far from lining my pockets. P.

My Fish
 

It is true I caught another nice fish last night and I would like to defend my self as the one everyone hates so much

one of the reasons I have grown sour on fishing tournaments over the last few years is because of cheating. The day I saw a 5 pound largemouth weighed in and "released" was a day I cant get out of my mind when I think of tournaments. The 5 pounder was "released" right into the livewell down at the docks when they thought no one was looking :eek:

Is it you Bill?
 

If so lets hear it. Did you get caught poaching?

Mike

For one, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Rumor mill has both that you were paoching and that this information will come to some sort of official light. Please tell us what happened and why you did it.

Thanks,

John

Most of us hate poachers, yes it's true.
Go ahead and defend yourself if you are who you say you are.

One question from me, did the EPO's make you put the 4 fish back in the water to feed the crabs, that were above the legal limit?

Here's an idea, how about if an "actual commercial fisherman" (who is one of the honest ones) or even a "weekend warrior" get an EPO on his boat so they can easily motor up to the fleet and start checking fo short scup etc. ? Cops get to ride in unmarked cars, why can't the EPO's?

I think the bottom line is, stiffer penalties are needed to discouraged unethical and illeagal fishing practices.