Menhaden Bill introduced

[Canalman]

Ahhh.... Finally a winter flame war!

I personally don't attribute the lackluster fishing in SoCo to the abundance of Bunker in the bay. When the guys were slaying fish in the Bay in boats... there were plenty of fish to be had from shore too... just had to look in different places sometimes... they're not always in the same places every year. The summer did SUCK but it has to be because of the outlandishly warm water.. no? The bay was no longer loaded with big fish in the summer or pogies... and then August... brought the fish back... although it seemed like almost no one knew it. The fall was excellent. I'll vote for this one twice if I can...

[zimmy]

Eben,
I really don't think you have to worry about your concerns. All the environmental benefits aside... If bunker were at historic levels, they would be all along the coast, in the salt ponds, etc. They would not be only in the bay. Maybe for the summer, but they would drop out in the fall and you would have blitzes all along the coast. The bunker are with out a doubt a GOOD thing. With the decline in herring, flounder etc. they are critical to sustaining the bass population.

[bobber]

Ebe- I think the idea of protecting bunker as being detrimental to South County fishing is preposterous(!) if you really think the only guys who are gonna benefit are th boaters in Gansett Bay, you're way off....... besides, who says that you aren't the guy whose fishing style has adapted to the "wrong way" of fishing without bunker??

[JohnR]

Mike - thank you & your brother on this. Also, let us know what we can do to support this...

Thanks!

[DZ]

I have mixed feelings about this development. It will hurt the local bait shops big time and they’re already hurting enough. I think there will be opposition on the bait front – from bait shops and lobstermen. And, like has been said already, pogies make bass to easy to target and catch (which I admit is not always a bad thing). But think about this for a minute – the run of pogies in Narragansett Bay this year was great, and I bet lots of fishermen took more large bass than any time of their life. So you have lots of pogies AND lots of big bass harvested. Is that good? I’m not so sure.
Secondly, it’s one stinking company – and a company that has always shared its catch with sport fishermen. To me this is stabbing Ark bait in the back.

Just a few thoughts to ponder….

DZ

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by DZ

I have mixed feelings about this development. It will hurt the local bait shops big time and they’re already hurting enough. I think there will be opposition on the bait front – from bait shops and lobstermen. And, like has been said already, pogies make bass to easy to target and catch (which I admit is not always a bad thing). But think about this for a minute – the run of pogies in Narragansett Bay this year was great, and I bet lots of fishermen took more large bass than any time of their life. So you have lots of pogies AND lots of big bass harvested. Is that good? I’m not so sure.
Secondly, it’s one stinking company – and a company that has always shared its catch with sport fishermen. To me this is stabbing Ark bait in the back.

Just a few thoughts to ponder….

DZ

Thank you. I was a little over caffinated last night and when i read this bill I posted my thoughts a little too quickly. Today i am a little more level headed and hopefully i can articulate my feelings better-

To clarify, I am 100% for the protection of pogies. Theres no argument that a bass who eats alot of them will grow to be fat and healthy. I really think they should be protected down in the chesapeake, but thats adifferent story.
Sure, if in a few years there are ample amounts of pogies distributed everywhere, then thats awesome.

NIB- how was the fishing along the NJ beaches where the pogies had left?? Any bass? Did NJ still have resident fish along jetties that had seen pogies a few days before?

Agian i am for this, i just want peope to know (especially the surfcasters) that having alot of pogies around will make things very intereresting..

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Nebe

NIB- how was the fishing along the NJ beaches where the pogies had left?? Any bass? Did NJ still have resident fish along jetties that had seen pogies a few days before?


..

I had a 35 on a jig an a 34 lber on a MAC Pikie before the pogie madness started..Sure fishing was tough even with the live herring..
U gotta work ur but off in NJ..
After they left it was almost august..
We had good fish well into july.
in fact I went to BI on 7/16-7/21 an that saturday they while i was away they got some..
U will get the usuall cries from those who give half assed efforts.
Do they create a bass vacumm when the big pods arrive yes..
But the fishing to follow is something many have never ever seen.. Guys fishing 40 yrs..
Never seen the the likes of what we had since we kicked the reduction boats out..
When I say I had 30-40 fish over 30 lbs it's no lie..
Think about it...
Thats several lifetimes of fish that size for a good angler...
NJ still has the bait boats..
I wonder where them ARK boats will go if RI kicks em out..

[eelman]

Originally Posted by DZ

I have mixed feelings about this development. It will hurt the local bait shops big time and they’re already hurting enough. I think there will be opposition on the bait front – from bait shops and lobstermen. And, like has been said already, pogies make bass to easy to target and catch (which I admit is not always a bad thing). But think about this for a minute – the run of pogies in Narragansett Bay this year was great, and I bet lots of fishermen took more large bass than any time of their life. So you have lots of pogies AND lots of big bass harvested. Is that good? I’m not so sure.
Secondly, it’s one stinking company – and a company that has always shared its catch with sport fishermen. To me this is stabbing Ark bait in the back.

Just a few thoughts to ponder….

DZ

I am surprised dennis, do you really know how efficient and how many pounds that "one" company takes? Of course they give bait to fisherman, they want them to stay happy and quiet, its a small price for them to pay...I watched them up close many times this year from my boat and they take bunker in devestating numbers...I am all for more Bunker!

[eelman]

Has everyone gone nuts???? I cant beleive some of the posts I am reading?? Look back at all the crying threads of the past complaining of the lack of bait, here you guys have a bill that will do something about it and what do some people do?? They cry that they won't do as well because there is to much bait un-F@#$^&()in real..what f!@#$in Joke...Its hopeless and very weird.......

You guys want a bill that make fishing for bass a "Plug only" sport.....To many paint fumes

You cant have it both ways, you cant say one year that there are no fish because there is no bait and then say the next year that a poor season is due to TO much bait...doesnt work like that.......

[DZ]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

I am surprised dennis, do you really know how efficient and how many pounds that "one" company takes? Of course they give bait to fisherman, they want them to stay happy and quiet, its a small price for them to pay...I watched them up close many times this year from my boat and they take bunker in devestating numbers...I am all for more Bunker!

Bill,
Please don't get me wrong Bill. I know where you're coming from on this.
More large bunker will mean more dead cows - plain and simple.
It's always been my priority to protect large bass. To put a hurting on a commercial guy by hiding behind an environmental smoke screen so that sport fishermen can have all the pogies is wrong. If RISAA really wanted to protect the pogies so they can protect the bay then they should try and ban the taking of pogies by anyone.
Just my opinion.
DZ

[Ed B]

Originally Posted by DZ

I have mixed feelings about this development. It will hurt the local bait shops big time and they’re already hurting enough. I think there will be opposition on the bait front – from bait shops and lobstermen. And, like has been said already, pogies make bass to easy to target and catch (which I admit is not always a bad thing). But think about this for a minute – the run of pogies in Narragansett Bay this year was great, and I bet lots of fishermen took more large bass than any time of their life. So you have lots of pogies AND lots of big bass harvested. Is that good? I’m not so sure.
Secondly, it’s one stinking company – and a company that has always shared its catch with sport fishermen. To me this is stabbing Ark bait in the back.

Just a few thoughts to ponder….

DZ

I have to agree with what Dennis has said . It's hard to see how this legislation can be interpreted as anything other than a "Fish Grab" by some recreational striper fisherman in the upper bay. If the menhaden is truly "the most important fish in the sea" should not everyone be banned from possessing it?