Is 28" a keeper in MA?

[Gus]

I thought keeper size in MA was 30" but an article in on the water magazine says it is 28". By the way, the article also states that things are starting to heat up! Hoping to get out next weekend in RI!!!

[Gus]

Has anyone read "Fishing New England" put out by On the Water magazine? Is it any good??

[Smokey]

I beleave Ma. is 28" and one fish. Ri. is two at 28".

[mikecc]

striper is 28" 1per day other changes for this year
fluke is 16-1/2" & 7 per day
white pearch is 8" & 25 per day

[Saltheart]

As Smokey said , RI is 2 over 28 but MA is 1 over 28 this year. Question......If you live in MA and drive to RI and land 2 fish over 28 , then drive home back to Mass with them , what happens if you get pulled over in MA with the 2 fish? Question 2 .....are there twice as many fish in RI to justify a 2 fish limit vs 1 in MA? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Fishpart]

And if I have a license are the fish 40 times harder to catch so I get to keep more?

[JohnR]

Answer #1: It's a possesion limit. So if you were to be pulled over by someone in Mass and had 2 Rhody fish, you have violated the law. I'm not sure what the repercussions are...

Answer #2: Apparently, Mass could have a standard season of one fish per day and have smaller subsets of the season at two per day to align estimated recreational catches with the allowable state allocation. Mass has decided to keep it at one fish per day recreational and maintain a total "estimated" catch something like 10-15% less than the allocated quota. Last year when Mass went for a massive 28" to a whopping 30" minimum size to meet the ASMFC reductions in age 8 fish, Mass considered it "technically" not necessary as they were already allowing only one fish per day and the 14% reduction required was "technically" already accounted for as a result.

[jettyjockey18]

you forgot about the ct river slot...1 fish between 24-30 inches...so i catch my 25" fish in the ct river and keep it (which i wouldn't, but speaking hypthetically) and drive home to east taunton and get stopped by epo and get fined $500 because i have no way of proving that the fish came from the ct river...only in mass.

[nightfighter]

Guess I'll have to get anudder roll of colored tape to put that 28" mark back on all my rods......

[Slipknot]

Good point Jettyjockey, I have a tape mark on my rod at 30" and I will just leave it there. I don't plan on keeping many stripers.

[nightfighter]

Slipknot, I won't be keeping a 28 for myself. But since I'm teaching and taking my 8 year old twins whenever I can, if it's their first keeper, I better have that mark on the rod. Here's hoping their first keepers are above 30". (And that I have the camera!)

[Slipknot]

That's great that you take your kids nightfighter. My 10 year old son hasn't got a keeper yet but as long as he's fishing or catching he has fun, funny how size isn't all that important to the kids. They just like something pulling on the other end. Yes, try to remember a camera. If the fish is at all close to the 28" mark on the rod, maybe double check it with a tape. good luck

[JohnR]

... and they do shrink a little if in a cooler for a few hours. If you're going to keep a little one because your kid catches it, make sure it's 29 (or 28 and a 1/2 ) ;D