Article on Stripers Forever plan to make striped bass a game fish - Page 2 - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Mr. Sandman · 02-09-2010, 04:27 PM

This is why the gamefish deal is the best way to go...it cuts thru all the BS and PROTECTS what needs protecting...the fish. Without added enforcement! The best thing we could do is take DMF ( and MSBA) out of the loop.... IMO They have been part of the problem not the solution. The only thing they are protecting is the status quo. At least C&R do little harm to the resource but still put a billion into the economy to catch and release them. As a group, Comm's have never shown much in the way of conservation for bass ever yet are the most vocal group and have the most influence over regulators.

It is largely a C&R fishery now. Even on Charter boats. I don't see many boats making 2 trips a day 6 days a week taking limits...haven't seen that in many years. Current reports are already suggesting that comm take / rec take was badly estimated.

Regardless of "who's at fault"...WHY ARE WE NOT PROTECTING THE FISH TODAY? Lets stop protecting the fishermen and protect the fish.

I don't care who's fault it is, we need to take ALL pressure off the fish, NOW, , improve the forage, habitat and water quality. End of story. Lets end this "user group" crap and who has the "right" to take the fish, it is sickening.

trapperpierre · 02-09-2010, 04:36 PM

......can't wait for the real kill numbers (and dead discards) come in from the rec/charters..add 'em up......lotta fish......who who..who you.

..........the rec/charters take in substantial numbers of "corkers"-36-50 inch.....lotta small stuff from Chese though......

Fisherwoman · 02-09-2010, 04:41 PM

JonhnyD, not trying to argue the points with you. WE can all look at things in a different way depending on who we fish with, and, where we fish, and who catches what.

I do not think it is worthwhile for charter captains to falsify reports as there is no limit on what they catch EXCEPT for how many people are on board and yes I agree some of them probably are falsely reporting. Which is just as bad as people killing short fish or people taking more fish that 2 a piece, as well as commercials taking more than they are allowed.

I, like you, do not agree with it and do not do it. But there are a good percentage of charter guys out there that do do the right thing as well as recreational fisherman, because we love what we do and want it to be here for our children.

As far as the racer fish, not sure if you boat fish or only shore fish, but in all of my years of fishing for striped bass, shore and boat, I have never seen them more healthy than we are seeing them in the past several years. That is of course if there is nothing wrong with the fish. ie we had one big bass probably 47 inches weigh in around 28 lbs because a seal took a chunk out of her. But having those big baits around has made them alot bigger and healthier than they used to be between gloucester and the cape.

The little fish may be up some where but not in our area, and I am referring to gloucester to the Cape. We used to have very few big bass around and only smaller fish, up to maybe 40 inches. But mostly schoolie bass. All we did when we first started chartering was light tackle as the fish we all over the surface every day, all you had to do was look for the birds and splashing fish and you were all set.

That has changed from Boston harbor over the past 5-6 years and I hear it alot from all the recreational anglers as well, I have seen the whole fleet of light tackle charter guys in Boston Harbor have to change their fishing ways to tube and worm or try and snag live bait because they can not find those fish anymore.

We fish the cape in the spring when the 1st fish start to show and fish down there for about a month, the numbers of small fish showing up are way off!!!
You used to be able to go down there and some days catch a 100 fish a piece on light tacke and barbed hooked shads, now you do not even come close to those numbers, WHY.

I can not argue for other places where people are seeing diffent things in the fisheries because I do not fish those areas, I am just going by what we and alot of other friends of ours have experienced for years. Just like you say you hear alot of the bass are racers or that is what you have heard!!!

Where do the numbers come from for the science of Biomass, from the Chesapeak bay area??? I know they do counts there every year.
But where else are they counting all the little fish. Do you know? because I do not!!! I just hear about the numbers not how they came about them so how do any of us know what is true and what is not true just because someone says it is, especially when politics are involved in the desicions of who gets what.

One of the biggest problems we have with the fishery are lack of forage and lack of the same size and bag limits down the whole east coast. As well as BYCATCH not being COUNTED!!!

Yes JohnnyD, I agree with alot of your points as well I am just telling they way I have seen if for a very long time thats all.

trapperpierre · 02-09-2010, 04:52 PM

.........this is still America.......we still share the striped bass resource........various fishery management safeguard "triggers" are built in...and are operational-and working well -to protect the striped bass resource........the majority of the rec/charters bring in numerous large fish.....NC..VA.. MD..De..N. J..NY CT..RI..MA-get one's head out of sand-see what is going on-it is a rec/charter circus out their.....and....multiple use is only way to share this natural resource..........a singular resource grab is not ethical or fair............

jkjnp · 02-09-2010, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trapperpierre

.........this is still America.......

Got to say I've been a bit down on Americans lately (particularly on most of the lawmakers in Washington) because it seems like everyone reacts emotionally all the time and is usually only out for their own interests and not willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the group, which in this case is fisherman. My question is this:

Is there a compromise out there? Can we save the S-B stock, limit the recreational catch, and still have a commercial season so no one losses jobs/$? Or is that an impossible dream?

l.i.fish.in.vt · 02-09-2010, 10:02 PM

Captmike,who says seals don't target fish over 2 pounds?maybe the seals i see with 15 to 20 lb bass in there mouths are only playing with them.i can't tell you how many 5 to 10lb bluefish i have lost to seals in the last 5 years.not to mention bigger bass.

JohnnyD · 02-09-2010, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

Captmike,who says seals don't target fish over 2 pounds?maybe the seals i see with 15 to 20 lb bass in there mouths are only playing with them.i can't tell you how many 5 to 10lb bluefish i have lost to seals in the last 5 years.not to mention bigger bass.

There's a reason seals follow fishermen up and down the beach.

Also, regardless of the seals targeting the bass or not, those super-colonies like on Monomoy eat hundreds of tons of baitfish every day. As such, hundreds of tons of prey that isn't available for stripers and bluefish.

trapperpierre · 02-09-2010, 10:42 PM

..yes can be done in America!...........multiple use..................and.. should I invite my Labradorian/Newfoundland friends down to the Cape? There is still a good market for skins in Eastern Europe/Russia/China for 'em...........

stiff tip · 02-10-2010, 07:11 AM

all of you!!!! get on your soap box and scream your complaints and issues as loud as u can ,but remember this . if falls on deaf ears( imo)..i,ve been this selling fish game sense 1975. first bass than cod....to fish 3-4 days a week and dig clams on the off days for a few bucks was a different style of life .if u worked at it u stayed alive..........BUT what i have noticed looking at both sides, we as fisherman have got more high tec equipment to catch more fish to feed more people to posion more water , to blame more people. it just go's on .you can't stop it ..so all of u, enjoy what u have now.stop your wineing....sorry about the truth.............dave.

Fisherwoman · 02-10-2010, 08:42 AM

Sorry all, I did not mean to turn this into a rant, have just seen so much of this on many boards and needed to vent as I usually don't get involved in internet bickering. Just was trying to give you a few other sides to look at.

The way I see it is that we all can do better to protect these fish, we can all work together. As stiff tip says bitching will not get it done. But if you go to these meetings and hearings, you will get things done and it can help the fish, but back and forth bickering on the web fishing sites will not help these fish.