Johnny,

I do not know what science you are referring. Biomass estimates are down, they are not "terrible at best". Is there a reason to be concerned...yep. Does that mean close the fishery...nope. If the arguements/theories in this thread were carried over we should all be argueing to close Tuna Fishing period, or at least demand Tuna are Gamefish.

ASMFC has taken no action as of yet. They are considering an action and just like before, this action will fail. Sure it's a PIA but that is what we get when we have a democratic system. Just because there is a proposal does not mean the sky is falling

One thing for sure is that if this was a legislative decision (ie...SF proposal) we would have already lost so I stand by all that I argued for in the S-F debate.

What I meant by "terrible at best" is the way in which they estimate the stock and mortality. As you said, biomass estimates are down and there's a reason to be concerned, yet ASMFC has a proposal to increase the commercial take?? How does that even make sense?

Let me try and understand... biomass estimates are down and we should be concerned, but the problems people are having with catching fish aren't because of the number of bass around, it's because of the bait? 2 + 2 just doesn't = 4 for me here.

If this were a legislative decision, who exactly would have lost - recreational fishermen, rod & reel commercial, charters? In my opinion all of us (as in everyone that fishes for SB) and the striped bass population will lose completely if ASMFC is allowed to continue its reckless management of the species.

I saw SAUERKRAUT smile today

Numbskull must have hooked himself in the butt with a treble...

Please explain why cutting the rec limit to 1 fish would not have a great impact on the total catch. :confused:

I understand why it would not be cut by 50%, but I would think that a 1 fish limit would be make an appreciable difference.

For Rec and charter: 1 Fish 36"
Period

Bry, You got a better cance of shoveling snow in Narr in July. They just will not listen

Proving again that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

What if its Digital???

Can't this topic be tabled until, say, January?

Does anyone here actually fish?

Arent you about due for your annual " Its Over" thread? :soon:

Every now and then

I hope you released it :uhuh:

Sad part is that most Rec fishermen don't catch very many keeper sized fish unless they,re on a charter and those of us that catch any number of them only keep a half dozen fish a season as it is so there would,t be all that much of a difference but there would be some. Time to go chase some big ones again. Ron

I can speak to Barnstable Harbor in May, and the Race plus the backside in June. I am having a blast. I mark a lot of fish, and catch some on every outing. I release more fish than I keep. 2010 is awesome so far.

or a you missed it thread would be much more appropriate.:wall: but for once i won't be included.:)

Re this striped bass fishery: This fishery truly belongs to the "common man", the public. Is there any doubt about this in your mind as you watch the access and availability of a world class fishery unfold from time to time, right now at the Canal, but potentially tomorrow at your beach or your inshore waters.

The recreational fish and fisherman CAN BE AND IS MORE THAN WILLING, AND IN FACT IS DEMANDING...more stringent catch quota regulations for the health of this fishery. On the other hand, the commercial industry DEFIES regulation, and defies even existing fish law. This status quo of an existing commercial fishery, produces a regulation and enforcement nightmare and loopholes which aids and abets the greed and avarace of the commercial fishery enterprise. This public resource striped bass fishery deserves to be preserved for the 95 plus per cent of the public to access 95% of any total allowable harvest. There is no longer any room for a commercial harvest striped bass fishery to exist any longer.

Every week I watch individuals kill nothing, or kill less, or kill smaller fish than what they put on the beach or the rock. We are not doing this to save the breeder bass or biomass for a commercial fishing industry!

Last winter, in Florida there was a freeze and a giant fish kill-- specifically snook. The State, fearing it MAY have an important fishery in distress, shut down the snook fishery completely until they could assess the impact. Not a single "public comment" hearing or meeting, the DNR just did it! And, THERE WAS NOT ONE WHIMPER OF PROTEST FROM THE RECREATIONAL SECTOR. NO...WRINGING OF THE HANDS IN MOCK HARDSHIP... How could the State of Florida do this? Because Florida snook is protected by Gamefish status that's why. A legal commercial sale and commerce of snook no longer exists. Florida already fought that battle.

Make stiped bass a Gamefish! On an individual basis, TREAT your striper catch like it is a gamefish. Do not "commercial fish" just because you can (are you hearing me Professor). Respect this fish and fishery which gives back so much to you and you will find that you probably will feel good about yourself. Feed yourself some good striped bass dinners if you're good enough, but feed your neighbors, or casuals bluefish, or black seabass, or scup...

Bonds to all...SK

I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but you knew that.

I was wondering yesterday if anyone actually works anymore:huh:



BTW, congrats:fishin::uhuh:

NOW what did he do?

he went fishing

I managed to be the only person who didn't catch a single fish from the canal in the last five days...:huh:

Redlite completely missed it too, so I don't feel so bad.:devil:

SK, perhaps some fish and another sunrise have cleared the cobwebs.The fact that Paul participates in the comm harvest makes no impact whatsoever.The recs who take home a few dinners a year are hurting the fishery much more.I urge everyone to enjoy their time on the water,it's the gift that keeps giving.

Did you get that quote from christmas vacation?



YouTube - Christmas Vacation - Jelly of the Month Club

So far this year I've seen more bass in Cape Cod Bay than I've ever seen in my entire life. You can literally walk on the bass from Race Point to the Southwest corner to Peaked Hill.

My father did his annual trip last week down to Cuttyhunk / Elizabeths and struck out completely over 3 days.

Sounds to me like the bait is the problem. Not the bass. The 30# bass are a nuisance to people tuna fishing up here.

His cobwebs are permanent, without them his skull would collapse.

The Prof. and I had this Canal side talk...initiated by him incidentally as I slid my 29# er back in the water and he was doing likewise, with a close relative (and several others) which I photoed for him. So, all of this in jest and good humor.

However, the business is serious: The harvest and kill at present levels from all abuser groups is overboard excessive and the stress on this fishery is palpable. Individually, we must now take,harvest, and kill less than the regulations fish law presently legally allows. THEN, when it comes a time to act collectively, we can demand what we deserve: 95% of this accessible, public resource for 95% of the public who wants access to it!

I repeat, there is no room any more for a directed commerce and commercial fishing industry for this species. If any fishery deserves gamefish status, it is this one.

Act accordingly my fellow sleep deprived and marriage stressed partners.

Incidentally, I started this Thread being P.O.'d coming out of the Falmouth Grile restaurant here in Falmouth where they were illegally engaging in the commerce of serving "fresh, local waters, wild caught, striped bass", and I reported this to the DNR. So far, the DNR locally has rec'd no communication, notice or action followup on my complaint. How absolutely typical and predictable!

This is just great. Now, I risk the poisoning of my 90 year old wheelchair bound mother or myself when we return (it's Mom's favorite spot).

"Sounds to me like the bait is the problem. Not the bass. The 30# bass are a nuisance to people tuna fishing up here."[/QUOTE]

Andrew, you hit the nail on the head!
You ask me, most of these guys on this site (and other sites) sit on the computers and talk about fishing more than actually fishing.
Or if they do get off the computer and go, just because the fish are not in (shore) spots from the past they think there are no fish out there.

My point,in case you missed it, is that any angler who chooses to participate in the commercial harvest of striped bass is not doing the species a disservice.As you know,quotas will be met regardless of his participation.Some choose to supplement their income or fuel fund by helping to meet the quota.The selfish pigs who choose to take 2 fish every time they catch are the ones killing the fishery.Until the laws have changed his participation makes zero impact.Please tell the collective masses how you plan to implement gamefish status for this regional treasure,or are you merely waxing poetic?The 95% part has me slightly perplexed also. What exactly do you mean by that?As for mom,do not burden her with the details,take her out for a growth hormone burger.

Sauerkraut fishes a lot.....and very, very hard.

There should be fish in here AND out there. When there is not there is a problem.

Andrew, you hit the nail on the head!
You ask me, most of these guys on this site (and other sites) sit on the computers and talk about fishing more than actually fishing.
Or if they do get off the computer and go, just because the fish are not in (shore) spots from the past they think there are no fish out there.[/QUOTE]


I think the bait is a huge part of the problem but working the bait AND reducing overall bass catch is what we need IMO.

Ronnie, some of us can only get out two days per week. Life and responsibility getting in the way and all :tooth:

This what I've been saying for quite some time. Whenever a post like SK's is made, inevitably, people say "Fish harder, The fish are out there, just not where you are looking". They don't get the big picture. When fish are absent from a lot of places they SHOULD be, there are most likely less fish in totality. The problem is not that no one is catching fish (yet) the problem is that A LOT of people who KNOW how to catch fish, and have been doing so for quite some time are finding it harder and harder to do so. SOMEONE somewhere will always be doing well, but when less people are doing well there is a problem.

And as far as "get out more", A lot of us have lives outside of fishing and really don't want to get divorced/unemployed for the sake of catching fish. And while "getting out more" will increase my catch. It will in no way INCREASE the fish out there to catch which is the root of the problem.

A lot of us have not decreased our fishing frequency, yet our success has gone down. The writing has been on the wall for a few years now, but few want to read it.

It always was that you could go elsewhere to find better fishing, but you could also always find some fishing on a resident population of fish without traveling.

When the resident populations of fish disappear it is a bad sign, even if remaining localized concentrations of fish still provide great success for those willing to travel.

Whether it is bait, overfishing, pollution, global warming, or all of the above does not really matter. Overfishing should be the one easiest to control. But it isn't.

Keep in mind also that for guys in middle age or further, if you plan to catch quality fish in your retirement years, those fish ought to be swimming out there (or be born very soon) right now. How is that looking for ya?

yup, ran into him again this morning, fishing. BTW you didn't miss anything, but it was a nice morning to be out there, again:)
He was just busting me. I brought up the subject with him. I enjoy his opinion and perspective .

[QUOTE=Sea Dangles;774313]My point,in case you missed it, is that any angler who chooses to participate in the commercial harvest of striped bass is not doing the species a disservice.As you know,quotas will be met regardless of his participation.

SD: No way will you get me to buy into the above rationalization...unless I could find a way to "go commercial" for the season, and report three or four thousand pounds of bogus striped bass I didn't catch or kill...so I could do a small, individual part to offset the mass under reporting and over the quota harvest presently taking place in the present existing commercial fishing industry.

The present, existing recreational fishing interests are not in any way responsible for the nightmare of enforecement failures and monitoring failures of striped bass harvest coastal wide. It is the existence of, and the commercial commerce in, a striped bass fishery which produces the individual, the restaurant, the fish buyer, who will break the law with impunity for the sake of the dollar $$$ greed.

The recreational striped bass public is now sensitized and savvy to the issue; as a result, the public (yourself included Mr. SD, I know), fish with restraint and we are surely self policing. I saw a Greek taking sh.. up at the Canal 5 days ago for killing two rubbery old breeders, 30 and 38 pounds, which "legally" he was "entitled" to do!
And the sh.. wasn't coming from me!

The commercial fishing industry defies any regulation much less self policing and self enforcement. And so the nightmare goes on. Are you with me or against me? Bonds.

Against you.

Your conclusions seem to be part fact part tooth fairy.I'm with you to an extent but I also deal in reality.I don't think you want to pay tax on thousands of pounds of bogus fish caught.Is there a black market?Yes there is.But that has zero impact on the quota.Which brings us back to reality,I don't think the state documents black market sales so the quota still will be met with or without anglerX participating.Which means any law abiding commercial angler has zero impact on the species so long as the current system is in place.I hope you understand my position.Back to the tooth fairy;if you think the recreational anglers are policing themselves you surely have to fish more in the daytime.From the immigrants filling white buckets with shorts to the aforementioned pigs who always take two.(do I recall a thread about an elderly angler friend you fish with at the canal describing just that ?)No, the recs are abusive for the most part. And that is putting it kindly.The two fish per outing at 28" is crippling the species,none of the numbers are accounted for,it is simply a nightmare as you suggest.I will say this;I have never seen as many striped bass in my life as I saw today.All day long,for acres and acres..I respectfully disagree SK,but I am not against you.I think if more anglers shared your passion the sport would benefit greatly.

[QUOTE=BasicPatrick;773789]Some thoughts:
I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.


patrick, please correct this for me, i guess i'm under that misguided assumption. i agree on the bait issue.

broken record.
one fish @ 36"

if 1 @ 28 doesn't cut it, I bet 1 @ 36" does...

Last I checked if you cut the daily rec take from 2 fish at 28 inches a day to 1 fish at 28 inches a day (1 @ 34" would be better) that equates to a half???????No???? If I put up 2 fingers.......and then put down one of the fingers......then I have half as many fingers as I did before?????:jester::hihi::rotf3::rotflmao::laughs: