Deep Water Stripers

[Fish On]

I fished a tournament in NH yesterday. I asked one of the guys that placed where he caught his fish. He replied that it was a deep water fish, caught about 9 miles out just south of the Merrimack. I would guess he was somewhere around Halfway Hump. First, this was a catch and release tournament, so the procedure is catch, measure, snap the picture, release. Is that legal past the 3 mile limit? How would you guess he was fishing in water 100 to 200 feet deep to catch that 44" cow?

[beachwalker]

From what I have gathere through info and questions I asked on earlier posts, NO FISHING IS TO OCCUR FOR STRIPED BASS OUTSIDE # MILES. No catch and release. No fishing period. It would seem as though the fella you used as an example is in violation of Fed. laws.

He'll be real happy to hear that. As if he already didn't know.

[MakoMike]

Fish on,
I don't know the area you are talking about, but no fishing for striped bass is permitted in Federal waters. Any fish accidently caught must be immediately released. Immediate doesn not mean after weighing and snapping pictures.

[179]

I don't know the legal issues with the fed waters up there, but if he was catching fish 100-200' down the only way I know to get lines that far down while trolling would be a downrigger with probably a 10lb weighted ball....

[kthy66]

I fished in a tournament this weekend and snagged a 48 inch 46 pounder in 130 ft of water with chunk heron.. About 5 minutes after snagging that one we also pulled a 43 incher on board.
I think we just happened across a whole school of hungry lunkers!

[Fish On]

I thought it was illegal. If I see the guy again I'll be sure to let him know. This does however bring to mind a fishing approach that I had not considered. So inside the federal waters there are lots of deep water holes like the area mentioned just above at 130 ft. I'm a little nervous using downriggers that deep and trying to stay near bottom, especially with all the junk that's likely to be down there. Perhaps I'll try loading up on the weights and dropping some chunk or perhaps live mackerel down to the bottom in some of these deep water holes. Perhaps the darker surrounding makes the bass a bit less finiky or less likely to spot the tackle.

Thanks for all the info! I'd like to add some nice reports of lunkers of my own to pay back all the great advice I get here, but unfortunately the 1 30" keeper I have this year is all I can really speak of which I posted already. I'll let you know if I get lucky.

[Fly Rod]

Just becauce you are in 150-200feet of water does not mean that you are out beyond 3 miles. Here on Cape Ann at that depth you could be 1-3/4 miles off shore. We have depths of 275 feet inside of three miles.

Between Manchester Mass. and Hull Bay in Quincy you can fish 6-7 miles off shore and still be inside the three mile limit and that area is part of Massachusetts Bay.

You can not fish legally out side the three miles "federal waters, eez " BUT ! ! ! If you are not targeting stripers but happen to catch one then that is an incidental catch and it must be released.

And when there is a tournament there is always someone going to CHEAT regardless if it is for a thousand dollars or for a five dollar trophy That guy that you fished with should have been disquilfied.

[Slipknot]

9 miles out just south of Merrimack doesn't mean he was in Fed waters. 9 miles out just means 9 miles out, not neccesarilly 9 miles straight offshore. There is a site somewhere I have seen that shows the boundaries for the 3 mile limit fed waters and the entire Cape Cod Bay is within the 3 mile limit waters so I bet the place the guy in question was legal to target striped bass.

[Fly Rod]

Fishon - You also may not have understood what he ment catching in deep water. You could be fishing for stripers in deep water,lets say in 150' If you are trolling live bait generally your bait is just below the surface. Sometimes you may add a 4-6oz egg sinker to go a little deeper. I genrally fish in 150' of water off shore approximately 2miles out not up or down the coast.

[BasicPatrick]

Slip,
Look again at your charts...most of Cape Cod Bay is in the EEZ and is out of bounds ofr SB. There is a lot of water in the Bay that is open however the Bay is huge, including Stellwagon Bank, which is completely out of bounds.

Fish On,
Deep water bass holding in holes as you speak of them can be caught using Diampnd, Norweigian, or other jigs fished vertically as in Ground Fishing techniques

[nor-easter]

There is a post on another board that tells of a guy seeking tuna, towing squid bars and taking well over keeper size bass on the surface. They were in I think 400 feet depth but he states that he could see the pods of bass from up in his tower and they were skimming the surface feeding on Sand eels.
Striped Bass can and do feed at any area that they find feed, any depth, any where.
We just have to try to find that any where place!

[fishweewee]

[likwid]

There's a 100 foot hole just north of Cuttyhunk that has produced stripers jigging for other stuff innit.

(Not using depth charges though like weewee likes to do.)

[MikeTLive]

Have you considered that this guy might be feeding you a line?

Maybe he is as tight lipped about his fishing hole as many of the people on this board.

[Slipknot]

Basic Patrick, I realize Stellwagon is in the EEZ but I said Cape Cod Bay not Massachusetts Bay. The map I saw shows clearly that you can run a boat from Billingsgate shoals straight over to Plymouth harbor with bass on board and not worry about being in possession of bass in the EEZ. Buzzards Bay also has places that are more than 3 miles from shore but the whole bay is safe and none of it is considered the EEZ I believe.