Did you guys already forget what the ASMFC technical committee did last year? If its the same this year you can look for the size limits to go up and the bag limits to go down. Last year they thought that we were overfishing them, but they wanted to wait until this year to get better data.

The prime breeding size are roughtly 34 to 44 inch fish. The larger ones produce less eggs per pound of fish and there are a lot more of the smaller ones. So in terms of the biomass, the 34-44 inch fish are the "workhorse" breeders.

Why do people want it to go up,so they get bigger and why onily 1 keeper

Conservation.
I'd like to see it go back to 36"/ 1 per day also.

Did you read the thread at all? To sum it up, I think what they're trying to say is that we want more bass out there, and we want bigger bass out there. The way they suggest to do it is through raising the size and bag limit. I'd hazard a guess that many people here are more about the sport of fishing than the carnage (killing) or even the sustenance (eating). If you don't have to kill it to survive, then why not put it back? The fun part is catching it, anyways, not carting it home so it can smell up your car, and not swearing as you try to fillet it. :scream2:

yep......
 

also striperboy, they might just want the striped ones to be around long enough so maybe your generation, and the next don't see the demise of them. However, Flap is right as well... the bait is in trouble too, got to take care of what they eat, too.

I've onily caught one keeper my life so once I herd everyone said they wanted it bigger I was shocked...........

Come on now Kyle don't forget I surf this site...... :wave:

5/0

Kyle- remember with the bar that much higher it will be more rewqarding when you do get them...

Exactly,bring back the real keeper.36'' :claps: :claps: :claps:

Yea I know you surf this site and I just got started but JohnR wants to kick me off for some stupid reason when you told me to go here..... :( :( :(

And yes I did get permission from 5/0 = My uncle and my mom :realmad: :realmad: :realmad: :af: :af: :af:

Kyle check you're PM's

5/0 = Uncle is getting ticked off

Does anyone else besides me think that there are better eating fish than striper?

They are a blast to hunt and catch, but frankly, I think they taste like muddy cardboard compared to other critters you might save for the table.

The best (non-battered) striper recipe I've ever had was at Lola's in Oak Bluffs (MV), but it was just okay.

Sometimes I wonder if bluefish and skate wings taste better!

iluvstots - Striper is very tastey not every day, but while they are around, they're on my menu a couple times a month . I gut and ice fish immediately, dry filet with paper towel, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, hot hot grill 7 minutes first side, 5 minutes second side. yummy.

I'm not wise to the science of bass reproduction, but I like the idea of a slot limit, 1 fish 18" - 24", one over 40".

That is priceless... :claps:

Another vote for 1 fish and 36". I noticed the same thing as others have mentioned. It seemed that there were bigger (and more) fish around when those were the rules. There were 34 and 35 inch everywhere.

bluefish taste pritty good if you bleed them out and keep them on ice dont even try freezing them they only taste good fresh

1 FISH 36"

FLUKE FOR THE TABLE PLEASE

Sheesh... from the sounds of things some people want the fishery to return to the way it was, back in the old days or think its there now, which I obvioulsy never saw. I think that is an unrealistic goal. Gone are the days of selling fish to support yourself for the summer. I'm surprised that people even want to do it now with the price per pound fighting against the price of fuel. I think a lot of you need to "let it go" and realize that it's just not realsitic to think your doing anyone a service by fishing commercially... least of all yourselves. Am I wrong? I know it's fun and you're making some money while having fun, but it seems to me the cost would outweigh the bounty... perhaps I'm not correct. Like gamblers that believe they're beating the house, are you really "playing on their money" when you finally tally up the bottom line?

Flaptail - You really are googan :rude: ... did 36" fish really weigh 25# back in the day?? :shocked:

Well, we did tend to measure them by fork length back then ;)

What is a keeper? Come on a 28inch fish? Give me a break, those are way to small, they are the future I would much rather see someone take a lrge fish than a dink at 28 inches, Its almost embaressing to keep a 28inch fish. I have never considered that size fish a keeper to me they should be 34 or 36 inches and up before I would even want to mention it. Steve has said there are so many guys that go into the shop with these 28inch dinks , its a shame to see. As john said its so much better to get a fish at 36inches sure its harder but it is much more rewarding. The 28inch size thing was a disgrace, its a schoolie nothing more, let em grow!

The 34 to 44 inch are the "workhorse" stock, however they are much harder to catch than 28 inch school bass so, I dont think it will hurt the future to raise the size.

How about one at 34" and one at 44" that way you get a respectable fish for the table and if you get your Cow you can bring it home too.

the only bass i usually keep are the ones thatare barely 29 inches up to 30. They feed my family for one night, plus another if i make a chowder and they are safer to eat. I want to see a one fish at X and one greater than Y... leave all the 20's all the 30's and all the 40's.... take your trophy and take your dinner. look at what they did with the redfish down south- thats what i want to see.

the cash is good from the boat and the new rules are good.
I get the dirt from a few people and if i had a 20' boat I would be making doe to.

You know its fine to take a fish now and then to eat at 28 inches however I see to many people stretch a 27-1/2 to a 28 and justify taking it, I would rather them stretch a 35 to a 36. Its the mentality of it that I see, they take the 28s just to say they have a "keeper" not with the thought of a meal.

I'd like to see the recreational fisherman be able to keep 2 fish a day over 24 inches. I'd also like to see no commercial fishing allowed.

1 fish at 30 inches is more realistic.

Problem wih 2 at 24 is that they are much more attainable and easy to catch. The typical angler is lucky to get two keepers over 28 a year, make them24 inches and a lot more of those younger class fish will be taken out of the pool. At least a slot between 20-26 has a fair amount of males mixed in as there are a higher percentage of males at 20 inches than 24, whereas females are over 90% of fish over 34 inches... I think cutting out comm fishing is rediculous. I thknk there is too much take commercialy AND recreationaly and that both should be scaled back. Unfortunately, if the biomasses of the various baits keep shrinking, it will all be moot. The problem is not the commercial or recreational fishing as much as it is the forage these fish feed on. Too many people feel that if they debate the size issue of Striped Bass, that their work is done, the size of the fish is just a small part of it. The important parts are not addressed strongly enough...

Slot limit.... and no commercial pogie harvest within 3 miles of the coast, fix the herring problem and we'll have a wonderful stock of fish...

John, why is everyone so fixated on the bunker? while its a main forage, its not the only one.I agree that the comm take of bunker should be scaled way back, I think bass adapt. I have cleaned plenty of bass over the last 25 years from both boat and shore and have found 80% of the time these fish have some type of lobster, crabs etc... in there belly. This year was banner for bunker in narr.bay however all of the fish I saw had lobsters or crabs in there gut, in fact there is no shortage of crabs! there was a recent crab hatch and there were millions of the tiny guys all over the shore.

Dont get me wrong small finfish are a staple in a stripers diet and I want to see it stay around and be protected but bass simply eat anything they can, flounder,scup, etc....I have seen years where the finfish forage was non existant and still the bass fishing was good, they adapt and acually prefer a diet of crabs and lobster. What a loss in bunker does do is prevent fish from being in places we normally see them, if no bunker in the bay then no bass.I caugt a bass once that had tautog in its gut!

I dont want this taken the wrong way but bass eat everything.Sure we do need to protect the forage but the bass does not care weather it dines on lobster or bunker its going to eat the same........

I dont like slot limits, granted you certainly seem to know more about the sceince than I do but that size limit encourages to many small fish taken. My final is 36inches at 1 per day and leave the comm. bass fishing alone

then what is the size limit for the striper commerical fishermen to keep? right now, they are allowed to keep 34 inches or above. so if the recreational striper limit creel is 36 inches and comemrical size limit has to be 34 or what? just asking.

if you change it to 36inches in coming years we will have tons of these 36inch fish which means more of a chance or some BIG stripers the bass will have a chance to breed and we will have more stripers. scale back the pogy quota in a big way and we will have a healthy fisherie.having all the states have the same regs will have a positive effect

OoOOoo another HERO! :shocked:

I would like to see it change to what we have up here in Maine>

one fish 20" - 26" or 40" or greater.

I liked it when the limit was 34" one per day. No one was killing 28" babies. I don't keep anything under 34" anyway and never take more than one. Eben, pointed out that one fish feeds a family and then some.
I was in the Thundermist Striper Club years ago and you couldn't register a fish unless it was 34" or more. Someone pointed out that at 28 a lot of guys stretch 27 1/2. I agree.

MAKE IT 34", one a day :claps: :claps:

Joe:
I can't remember. I think when the 36" rule was in effect the commercial guys had to go with 36" also. Anyone remember? I would say this was 1991 or 1992.

AMEN :claps:

Bunker ARE the stripers' #1 forage.Its what maintains them.They be eating lobster and crabs because that's what's available especially now that the Asian crab has become so prolific.

This year was "banner" for bunker :huh: ?I guess a few schools could be considred "banner" when compared to no schools.There hasn't been a banner year for bunker since the early to mid 80s.The pogie boats literally SUCKED the bay and surrounding waters dry of pogies in the 80s.

What makes BIG bass truly BIG is a steady diet of pogie.

Basswipe, sorry but your incorrect, lobster and crabs are there main diet, read nick karrass book, the sceinetific jargon is all there, during comm.season go watch them gut bass you will find crustasions all day long.

I dont know, there are plenty of bass around and more 50s landed at the island than I can remember, I am catching on a consistant basis more fish than I ever have and there not on bunker, go see a bass that has sucked down a 2lb lobster and see how fat that will make the fish! I have said before I have fished when the bunker were nill and still caught plenty, they forage around rocks "rockfish" no bunker there...........

So as far as a banner year? I am having one!! :hihi: :hihi:

Pogies are more important for the bass in the winter IMO

* look at the macrobacrteriowhatchamacallit disease that the bass get down there. they are lacking food.

pogies mean fat bass.

I agree its an important forage fish for sure, but once the bass get up this way, they eat whatever is availible and along the rocky coast of rhode island its crustations......