Flounder stocks are nothing like they used to be

[Soundbounder]

Those days seem a long time ago. With flounder stocks pathetically low and the failure of regulators to put a moratorium on catching what has now become mostly a commercial fish, the recreational angler is lucky to scratch out his or her daily two-fish limit of keepers, 12 inches or better, during a two-month season in April and May. We can argue forever about the cause of the demise (e.g., overfishing, at first by recreational anglers, then by commercials who switched from decreasing yellowtails to “blackbacks,” increased water temperatures, habitat disturbance like scraping clam beds, or increased predation on juveniles by stripers (or seals!), but the fact remains: Finding flounders these days is harder than catching stripers.

The idea of gearing up a small boat — with chum pots, anchors, a couple of outfits per person, cutting boards, and net, then going somewhere to buy worms, mussels, and or clams — just to catch TWO flounder per person sounds like sheer lunacy. But is it any crazier to haul those outfits and ancillary gear aboard a party boat and lay out more than $50 for those same TWO flounder? And we haven’t even added the cost of travel at 50 cents per mile! Would you do the same for TWO scup?

North Fork Outdoors: Flounder stocks are nothing like they used to be | Suffolk Times

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[DZ]

I agree. Winter Flounder were always the subsistence fisherman’s staple. The real losers with mismanagement are the shore based flounder fishermen. Here in RI we began losing the winter flounder in the 1980s. State fisheries managers were slow to react. All you had to do back then was ask any shore based angler how the winter flounder fishing was – they would tell you it sucked. We (shore based flounder fishermen) pushed for conservative measures and were fought at every step of the way by commercial draggers AND surprisingly enough, recreational boat fishermen. The boat guys would just compensate for lack of flounder by chumming more heavily to draw what few fish were around to their boat. Shore guys didn’t have the luxury of using chum - they quickly realized how dire the situation was.
If fisheries management wants an accurate early indicator of decreasing stock with inshore species such as winter flounder, striped bass, etc., they need look no further than the shore based fisherman for it is he who is the canary in the coal mine and feels the adverse effects before anyone.

[Nebe]

Thank the cormerant and the striped bass. I'm fairly certian that they putbabserious whooping on baby flounder

[niko]

They've bounced back pretty nicely in Boston. They are getting pretty big too. Always a few fish in the 4-5 pound range - nice and easy to fillet
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[The Dad Fisherman]

Had a good season from the Yak getting into them last year.......

[piemma]

It is a shame but we also are to blame. I remember in the 70s going to the back of Salt Pond and 3 of us filling 5 gallon buckets to the top with fish. In retrospect we were foolish and took way too many.

[Soundbounder]

Originally Posted by niko

They've bounced back pretty nicely in Boston. They are getting pretty big too. Always a few fish in the 4-5 pound range - nice and easy to fillet
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As a kid in the 70's, a van full of us and our dads would go up to Quincy about this time of year.
Always did really well.

Then I remember reading that it had died off in the 1980s? 1990s?

Has it come back?

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I remember as a kid in new york city going out with my dad and catching them like crazy. From shore or boat i dont ever remember getting skunked. I tried a few years back on the cape and a popular spot in CT from shore and got nothing. Too little way too late on the regs.

[flyvice11787]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Thank the cormerant and the striped bass. I'm fairly certian that they putbabserious whooping on baby flounder

Completely agree with you, Nebe. I used to see baby flounder all over when I waded the back bays, since the comeback of the stripers and the scourge of cormorants, I rarely see the postage stamp flounder anymore.
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[jasonsnova]

last few years plum island has been great. usually mid june to begining july. I usually hit some flounder time if its a non producetive striper time of day or if its to bumpy off shore.

[thefishingfreak]

Plenty to catch in boston
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[stripermaineiac]

Up here in Maine it was the cormarants.Flounder used to spawn around now up here in the rivers. No stripers around just those damn things. They did the salmon in too. everytime we stocked a load of Atlantics the birds ate them. Made that a waste of time as smolt didn't have a chance against 2000 eating machines.

[Nebe]

Cormorants = flying dogfish
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[stripermaineiac]

LOL Worse Nebe

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Cormorants = flying dogfish
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Coupled with Mantis Shrimp (as waters warm, they get active earlier and eat the juv. flounder), the former water intake in MHB at the power plant, over fishing.

[DZ]

Interesting that Boston Harbor flounder have bounced back - must not be any comorants or striped bass in that harbor.

DZ

[niko]

Funny how way back then I don't remember any big ones but nowadays there are some slobs. Less competition for food I guess
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[flyvice11787]

Originally Posted by DZ

Interesting that Boston Harbor flounder have bounced back - must not be any comorants or striped bass in that harbor.

DZ

It's in places where there are baby and juvi flounder, DZ.
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[Fish_Eye]

Blackbacks are one of the many tasty losses due to mismanagement. Remember frost fishing? Then there’s river herring; they’re not only candy for stripers, ask anyone who's ever had a properly pickled buckeye -- they're better than a Cadbury egg.

Wolf eels, inshore goosefish, hake (I just bought some at $5 a pound at Dave’s Market), tinker mackerel, weakfish, bay scallops…all gone by the wayside due to poor management, not climate, not buzzards, eagles, osprey, or even big bird…it’s Miss and Mr. Piggy… that’s who’s to blame, especially when the regulators don’t regulate in time.

[jlnel]

my grandfarther used to take me to Hull Gut mid-late 70's when i was little, i have never seen so many flounder...