nope ,, very few blues in the bay ,,,,,,,,,,until very late when Tautog was open ><><>:fishin:

What Clammer said

Moratorium on bluefish immediately!
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I like it like this with the BLOOOOOOOOOfish ,the ones we caught were worth alot more than the Scup ><><><:doh:

Well..... Now that you mention it, i have only gotten a total of 7 bluefish in the last 2 seasons... And that is approx. 160 nights of surfcasting.
Bluefish are what hooked me on saltwater fishing... Now i couldnt produce a blue if you paid me!
I have had friends skunked on boats at the race this season.
Not saying blues are wiped out, but something is much much different than it was in the past, and i dont even get my eels chopped anymore.
I have always joked with my friends:
" you want to have a real challenging tournament??? Forget bass, host a bluefish surfcasting tourny!!!"
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When bass fishing is slow the Cape Cod Bay fleet could always count on bluefish for charters. I'm not really sure what they're offering as an experience if it does go to one bass at 28 inches for them. I don't really see the enjoyment in snapping wire or dragging umbrella rigs and keeping 1 fish each .
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Here are the options that NJ is leaning towards .
1. 1st striped bass - 29 inches to 36 inches., 2nd fish - 36 inches and above (26% reduction). 2. 1st striped bass - 28 inches to 42 inches, 2nd fish 42 inches and above (24% reduction).
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Then what NJ is doing is targeting the prime breeding stock when they should be protecting these fish somewhat. Ron

I don't really see the enjoyment in snapping wire or dragging umbrella rigs.

sorry...couldn't resist :wave:

Meat hunting techniques.
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reminder how many different perceptions of and views regarding the same resource there are as it's battled over how it should be managed....you've been busy...need to get over there before next week for some Christmas shopping...the candy canes are fantastic!

I'm there every day except Sundays. And yes, there are many ways to skin a cat when fishing for bass. It boils down to the definition of angling vs fishing. Or art vs craft , but I digress
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X2 but that's the traditional charter method . 6 guys casting fly rods gets dangerous 😊
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Wow - been gone for a few days and this thread exploded. Some good discussion here. Based on this I think its VERY important that every one attends or makes there feelings known at upcoming meetings. The following quote sums it up for me and is why I support a one fish bag no matter how the numbers are crunched:
Maybe I'm giving the RI for hire industry too much credit in thinking they could easily get two fish per client at 33? I mean most are professional guides with some of the best equipment and knowledge and readily note those facts on their websites/advertisements. And they get to fish one of the last consistent good bite areas around Block Island.
I feel those in the for hire industry that support a single fish are trying to be responsible stewards of the fishery. There are ways to get your clients more fish - gift the clients the extra fish for the capt and mate bag. For example a four person charter would get 6 fish vice four. Be creative in your ad - "We'll even give you fish from our crew". And if you're a R&R comm also - give them your fish.

Respectfully disagree

Every time a poll is placed in the public it is made clear most citizens feel that a recreational angler is a recreational angler regardless of the fishing platform (for hire vessel, private vessel or shore). What you propose here is MUCH WORSE that a conservation equivalency. This is straight up more fish for someone just because they are fishing on a for hire vessel.

One of the comments I will be suggesting to the MSBA Executive Board is that if a conservation equivalency is adopted that MSBA that a captain and crew be prohibited from legally "gifting" fish to clients.

You set a hard line Patrick - and I like it. My suggestion was more a compromise position and something which probably occurs already at times.

Agreed.

When I had a boat (which was before we had kids), my favorite thing was drifting the south side of Fishers Island, in 10 feet of water or less, throwing eels with light spinning gear. If that didn't produce, and often it didn't, we'd troll tube & worm on lead core, and if that didn't work, and if either I was hungry for a bass or had someone on board who had never caught one, I'd break out the wire.

In my opinion, snapping 300 feet of wire with a parachute jig on the end, must be very much like serving time on a chain gang, banging rocks with a sledgehammer. But it works. Or at least, it worked when there were fish around.

I don't like that way of fishing, but I'm happy to do it twice a year when 6 of us get together, and it's more about catching up with longtime friends, than about the fishing. The comraderie is one of the very, very special things about fishing, in my experience.

I just hope we see some improvement. Southeastern CT, including the Race, was awful in 2014.

Coming from a younger person, I do not keep any fish. I know the majority of the people I cast with that are also in my generation, do not keep fish. The one and only time would be if the fish is not going to survive after release (gut hooked). Stripers have been over fished, plain and simple. I support what Dennis is doing. Having a group of conservation minded charter boats is a good thing. Push back on the greedy ones.

Keep in mind that some fish that are released will eventually die. Can't always tell by looking at it. This by-product likely doesn't have a big impact on what we're seeing, but catch and release doesn't have a 0% mortality rate.

What does have a 0% mortality rate is something I routinely partake in, which is getting skunked.

I too, partake in getting skunked more often than not. Perks of being a noob. Stand on rocks all night with no bumps...

I understand what your saying about the mortality rate. You are right.

I hope there is a fishery when I have children and when I am retired. At 28, i'd say that will be in about 30-40 years. :wall:)

can't we just make this simpler by just saying "everybody (and that means EVERYBODY) gets one fish per day"......?

Absolutely a last resort for us....
We have actually contemplated going golfing when thinking about pulling out the wire. After the hit, hand off the rod.
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It's not that bad IMHO . Just don't try to make a living at it 😊
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Love snapping wire...it produces big fish, great upper body exercise and when you go tight, the hand line feeling is great...reeling in isn't as fun though and in a few years when I'm older I might have a different opinion...
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[QUOTE=Piscator;1059149]Love snapping wire...it produces big fish, great upper body exercise and when you go tight, the hand line feeling is great...



reeling in isn't as fun though and in a few years when I'm older I might have a different opinion...
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That's what Electramates are for.
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Stop making sense this is a great discussion

Where the hell is that poll?
I do agree that gifting is cheating .
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What's going to happen when the person leaves the charter with 2 fish in his car ?? Rec limit is 1 fish and he has 2.

This is utterly ridiculous and if this passes, it only shows the level of corruption in fisheries management.
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The crew/mate on the few for hire boats I've ever been on cleaned the fish on the way in or at the dock - is this not common practice anymore? Customer then leaves with fillets or steaks.

I just got word from Charles Witek from NY who is monitoring what NY fisheries folks are doing about 2015 regs. His response below:
{Right now, the states are negotiating together, trying to reach agreement on common regulations.
New York regulators favor one fish. However, if other states--and this is being driven by the Rhode Island Charter and Party Boat Association--adopt a 2-fish bag for their for-hires, New York will go along in order to keep the competitive playing field level.}

Anybody aware of this? Not sure how I feel about negotiating behind the scenes without public input.