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I don't think anybody, and I mean anybody, here is saying they aren't willing to make sacrifices....they just want to make the RIGHT Sacrifices. Lay out Some real, well thought out, long range plans which would have a measurable effect and you would have pretty much everybody here willing to make sacrifices.
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I agree with TDF's line there. I don't think anyone who posted here thinks the bass stocks are 100% A-OK.
I see this as something I could live with, and probably does help with release mortality. As far as too much regulation DZ; you are always touting Florida's ability to put fish first... non-stainless steel circle hooks and de-hookers are required for gulf fisherman using bait.... http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/pdfs/Di...lity%20FAQ.pdf |
i'd say its a step in the right direction. the circle hook / eel issue is the only real problem i have with it, but I could live with it.
one thing to consider is that striper fishing in maine is a big tourist thing, from what i have observed. i'm sure there are plenty of serious striper fisherman in maine too, and i'm not trying to diminish that at all. but head down to any of the tourist beaches (OOB, York, Ogunquit, Saco, etc.) any afternoon and you'll see a ton of people fishing the beach that really have no clue, although most probably mean well, and "releasing" plenty of floaters after ripping the hooks out of their gullets and posing for pictures for 10 minutes with an 18" fish. taking treble hooks and j hooks away as a bait fishing option for these occasional fisherman can only help IMO. |
Here I go again......should bite my tongue.
So everyone wants to take a small step to help the striper population? DONT JOIN THE STRIPER CUP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it kills thousands of BREEDING striped bass. If that tournament and every other kill tournament was cancelled, It will a have a much larger impact on the population than Maine's new law. Much larger. How many big fish go to Maine? Most of the cows are from jersey to MA. Thats where the rec and comm slaughter takes place on the BREEDING fish. Why do you need government to come in a tell you what hooks to use? Because most of you dont have the balls to take action on your own. I see so many of the names above saying "Its a step in the right direction" yet I GUARANTEE you'll be "I'm in" for the Cup. Hypocrites. Practice what you preach. You're all the little whiners that were sitting in the pubs in Boston beyotching about the British while real men grabbed their weapons and went up to Breeds Hill. The choice is yours, be a man |
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But you are right........ |
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But.... did you just compare this to the American revolution :smash: |
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1) I keep stripers every year. I like to eat them and I usually keep anywhere from 1 to 4 fish per season. I plan on keeping 2, but if I have one that's going to die, I will keep it if it's legal size. I also release 95+% of the fish I catch each year. Last season, I had a fish that I was planning on keeping for the table. I put it aside and kept fishing and released a few more legal fish. When I went to pick up the fish I kept, there was a fisher cat eating it. I was upset because I felt that I killed a fish for nothing. 2) I have fished the Striper Cup the last 3 years. I do it because I like the camaraderie of being on a team in a competition. It also gives me more motivation to go out and fish on nights that it would be easy to make an excuse and stay home. I also respect those who choose not to fish it. In 3 years, I haven't weighed in a fish. Last year I had some nice fish that may have put me in contention for a weekly prize, but they wouldn't have made the top 10 in the end. For me, I would only keep a fish if I was confident that it was going to help the team. And if it made the top 10 for the team, it would more than likely be a PB for me. I don't believe in killing and weighing a 20 lb fish just so I can have my name on the leader board in May. 3) If these measures in Maine save a few fish, it's at least going in the right direction IMO. If you think it's too much government intervention, that's fine. But if you also think things need to change, you should be glad the problem is at least being addressed. Even if it's to a small extent. Finally, when you were fishing bunker a lot, were you snagging and dropping or were you snagging, bringing the bunker to the boat and switching out to a circle hook? If you weren't switching to a circle, you were increasing the chance of gut-hooking a bass and killing it. To me, that's just as bad as killing a fish for a tournament. I feel like I can still participate in a tournament, keep a couple of fish for the table and still be conservation minded. Anyone who fishes with any type of hook runs the risk of killing fish. If being a conservtionist means that you won't kill any fish at all, you should stop fishing entirely. By the way, how do you feel about spearfishing? There's a pretty high mortality rate with that. |
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Well, I think that this may possibly be the very first time I've ever been accused of not caring or getting involved in striper conservation. DZ |
By the way, Jimmy. Would it be considered irony or hypocrisy to be seen wearing a Striper Cup hat for someone who is so against the tournament? Just asking because I seem to remember seeing you with one on last year.:devil2:
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maybe people see me in the hat and wish they could be as slick as I am and join the cup but I doubt it. |
I would not mind going back to 1@ 36" too, but I think that the reason for the circle hook is so that when and if you are throwing back a short fish you are not throwing back a fish that has been gut hooked and is going to die. Two different issues really. Believe me, I do not think as many people kill fish during catch and release fishing as some studies try to make us believe, but the fact of the matter is that it does happen and the use of circle hooks will definitely reduce that number. I do not understand why so many of you are against the idea of saving some fish from unnecessarily dying.
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I applaud you for switching out hooks when fishing bunker because a lot of guys fish them with trebles. My comment had nothing to do with eels v. bunker. Not sure why you made that leap? What would be dumb would be saying you don't want to kill fish, but then going and fishing bait on treble hooks. Making circle hooks madatory may be consdiered "silly" by some, but it's a step. You know what it's like trying to get the government to do anything. I've sent letters and made phone calls on behalf of Striper conservation. Any progress is good in my mind. If the government said we could no longer keep bass, I'd be fine with it. I'd still fish. As for you wearing the hat, to me it looks like you're supporting the Striper Cup. You're advertising for a tournament that you despise. :confused: If you have a dozen hats, you should wear another one. It's like you driving around with an Obama/Biden bumper sticker on your car. |
All this jaw boning about what is best for the fish and how best to protect it (while still allowing "the fishermen" to continue to do what they have been doing ) is not going to do much of anything.
IMO this is why gamefish is the way to go. It cuts thru all the crap and regulation nonsense and takes a ton of pressure off the fish. Further, simple regulations on recs ( 1@whaterever, circle hooks, etc) can control the population as needed. (whatever they may be) Again, I think we are in a serious death spiral which has been and is still being largely ignored by the "experts" and I doubt the fish will recover now without draconian measures. IMO a collapse will be good because it will demonstrate just how inept and how cavalier the fishery managers are and it could result in a top down vetting of these buffoons. These guys can't wipe their ass without getting public comments. I want to see some leadership. Stand up and simply do what is right (FOR THE FISH) and let the chips fall where they may. I have had enough! http://www.downside.com/bldgjump.gif |
The longest journey begins with a single step.
No commerical fishing, 1 fish per day, slot limit, circle hooks, reduction of treble hooks...Maine is taking its steps and if a moratorium or other such drastic measure comes in effect us Maine folk won't have any trouble falling in line. Caught a lot of "out of state" limits and released the majority of any legal fish I caught. Can't do much more here in Maine. |
Well here's food for thought. Yup what Maine is doing is only a small thing especially with the smaller numbers of stripers we've seen these last few yrs. But if every angler released or didn't kill one more fish a season due to using a less destructive method of fishing how many more spawning stripers would there be in a couple of yrs?Yup some of you guys are right it's not worth taking a small step in the right direction isn't it-even if a law or new rule had to be made to coax us in the right direction. Ron
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Well, maybe since almost 80% of the mortality is coming from recreational fishermen Maybe they should make stripers a commercial fish only? :) (running for cover)
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If they ever limited the fishery to those who derive at least 50% of their income from the sale of fish, you'd have a 1.1 million pound quota with no closed season. |
Treble for scup,j hook for bunker.
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The sad part of the truth that always seems to be forgotten by comms is that it takes 100,000 sportfishermen to land what 1000 commercials do. MMMMMMI don't see an awful lot of people landing fish rod n reel especially from shore and I kinda spend a load of time out there fishing from Maine to New York.My overall catch numbers are so far down from 10 yrs ago that it's insane.we do all share in the affect but the focused damage that a few comms do with high grading is way more than any rec can ever acheive.Cull n release is still dead fish,by-catch is still dead fish and rec kill due to lack of knowing the proper way to release is still dead fish.Through all this I never see or hear of a comm pushing for lower catch just want more n more.I kept 5 fish last yr.Thats not 1 percent of what I landed.Every commercial rod n reeler I know still wants more. MMMMMMM. Think about that Mike n Mike. Like I said on another post if each of us killed 10 percent less there would be one heck of a lot of new breeders in a couple yrs.
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Ron--I'm not taking a position for or against commercial fishing in the abstract. What I'm saying is that if a commercial fishery is to exist, it should be limited to legitimate commercial fishermen.
And, with all due respect---if you don't see the waste in the rec fishery, you're not looking in the right places. You don't see the same 30 guys taking 2 40" plus fish off the Canal every plugging tide all year. There is absoultely no need for guys to take two fish in the 25-30 pound range every day for a whole set of tides. Freindships have been strained by a few of us calling people we know out on that senselessness. You don't see the guys day after day with two breeders bungee corded to their bike baskets, just because the law says they can take 2 fish. You don't see the absolute slaughter in NJ every May when the adult pogies are running tight to the beach---the sharpies there tell me than any guy with a snag hook can look like a pro. You don't see the absolute slaughter on the really big "citation" fish when they're stacked up every winter off the Virginia coast, when every charter guy from every port within range is running a 6-pack out there, and guys from the northeast are trailering their rigs down there. A lot fo that is taking place in the EEZ, and there isn't much that can be done to stop it, since they have bird dogs on the radio putting out the word when the USCG heads out there.That fishery didn't exist 15 years ago. I know that you do see people coming to the Derby weigh-in with fish that don't have a prayer of winning a daily, just so they have a shot at a Mystery prize. And winning a daily for what---a hat pin and a $20 check? People love to knock the OTW torunament as bad, but the same people have no problem with the MV Derby. A dead bass is a dead bass no matter where it's killed. I'm sure that you still make an effort to win the Grand Slam every Derby. We are all to blame, and we need to clean our own houses before we point fingers at the other guys. |
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He means the commercial fishery.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
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Awesome post!!! Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device |
I see a lot of griping about what's being done, but no suggestions for what would be better.
It's like every time they try to cut a government program, the people getting the money say "This is just a tiny part of the budget, and cutting this won't close the deficit." Yeah, true, but you have to start somewhere. Circle hooks are a great idea. If it saves one percent of hooked fish, that's great. We can improve from there. B*tching and moaning never solved a problem. |
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So where do w go from here. Who wants to take the next step---Ron Striper Maine-iac------I'm visiting Steve for those that wonder
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I have always hated that arguement about reserving the comm bass to just true comm fisherman, it just doesn't hold water in my mind. I know there are several people who think this way. It is the one comm fishery reserved for the rod and reel style fishing. Ask yourself this..... - I hope none of you are growing tomotoes in your back yard and selling them in a basket on the sidewallk putting all the real farmers out of business. - Shame on you guys who paint your own house....your putting all the comm painters out of work. - Only true snowplow drivers should be snowplowing if you make 50% of your income from plowing. - I guess I am a bad man......I repiped my hot water heater myself instead of calling a licensed plummer. Wonder how many guys I put out of work. - Come to think of it, I going to sand and paint the bottom of my boat again. I know I really should be calling the comm "pros" at the marina down the street to do it. I feel guilty, maybe I'll make it up to them and take them to lunch. I could go on all day with this.......but I'll stop here......:smash: |
x100 Jon. Guess I'm guilty too... I'm one of those "not a real commercial" fisherman. 50+ years pin hooking paid my way through school, paid the dpmt. on my house; paid (part of) my sons exorbitant tuition, etc, etc.
Little did I know that I should have been pumping gas p.t. all these years to make it easier for those who can't catch. Probably would have been a lot easier for me too...no getting up @ 0 dark 30 to pull the gills nets, could have been internet fishing on the couch instead of beating myself on those rough days, could have spent my 5 weeks vacation traveling with the wife instead of.....................never mind. |
Most of these don't even apply...
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When the hell will they listen and make it 1 fish 36"? Never probably.:wall: |
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When you say on some of my items does anyone actually do this or can it be done. You answered my question. To flip it around how many true comm fish guys pounds nails in the winter, plow snow etc. Whatever your profession, thier are always guys doing side jobs to get ahead. Have known a few fireman that build houses on the side. Should they leave this for the true building contractor. Give me a good reason to reserve any one job for just any one group of you have the skill, license and/or qualification. |
Good ole free enterprise and american capitalism at work!
BOT....I don't like circle hooks either. :-) |
Well what's better circle hooks or no stripers. MMMMMMM From the sound of some as long as they don't have to give up anything it's ok for everyone else to give up something. Small steps are better than none at all but some still want it all.
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I would rather watch the Commercial Massachusetts Striper Industry harvest its next "righteous quota" of 1.1 million pounds in 2011 under the new Maine hook law. Maybe there will be a lesser mortality in their chunk/live bait fleet while they are actively culling their catch for the daily weigh scales. Oops, I forgot...they don't cull because its against the law.
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"while they are actively culling their catch for the daily weigh scales. Oops, I forgot...they don't cull because its against the law"
Right.... we all start culling our catch right after we get that first 30. Classic. |
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