MSBA Action Alert--Stripers Forever Bill Could Pass- Only One Hearing--This Thursday

[nightfighter]

I truly am of the opinion that it is about the bait. Or the lack thereof.

Locally, if I can fish live pogies, I am almost certain to be able to find fish large enough to take them whole. After the seiners come into the harbors and wipe out those schools of bait, the bass are gone within a week, using pogies or not.

The local surffishing has been on a serious downswing up here for a few years. But if you go out to Stellwagen, just 15 miles away, there are many large bass. Forty and fifty pounders are taken pretty regularly on the troll. Are they aware they are in the EEZ???? Or are they there for the ample buffet available to them?

I have participated in the Martha's Vineyard Derby for the past two years. A week each year. One fish, my first albie in year one. Two albies and a bluefish this past year. What bait we saw was what the albies were on. Really didn't feel I had a shot at a bass from shore. The numbers were down. But I am of the opinion that they just weren't there. But they may well have been somewhere else where bait was more plentiful.

Last June we had probably our most productive trip to Cutthunk in the seven or so years we have been going over there. Was it the moon, the tides, or what? I figure I have run or been on twelve trips to Cuttyhunk with S-B members, with an average of 14 guys on each trip. That's a lot of wood, eels and tin that we've pitched into the night. What did we do different this time? Beats me. Personally, I had four good fish back to back in a half hour period around 2AM. And then nada. They just happened to be there when I was casting as I was making my way back to the club.

The past year was a good one for me from the boat. If I have live bait, I can go toe to toe with any of the local comms, and they know it. I am not for taking away the commercial limit at all. It is a drop in the bucket. The numbers put up by Cowhunter and Sashamy are what should be more alarming here.(ie. the number of charters keeping two fish per man per day, as allowed by the current law) It is indicative of what the rec take could be. I just can't see the need for a two fish per person per day, and would be all for going back to a one fish per day. This would establish a reasonable starting point for those of us who wish to truly be conservators of the resource.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

Last June we had probably our most productive trip to Cutthunk in the seven or so years we have been going over there. Was it the moon, the tides, or what? I figure I have run or been on twelve trips to Cuttyhunk with S-B members, with an average of 14 guys on each trip. That's a lot of wood, eels and tin that we've pitched into the night. What did we do different this time? Beats me. Personally, I had four good fish back to back in a half hour period around 2AM. And then nada. They just happened to be there when I was casting as I was making my way back to the club.

The answer to Cuttyhunk is living there or luck.
And thats that.

[JFigliuolo]

Reading the pages here, I hate to even post... but wth?

1. The hypocricy(sp) of charter boat skippers saying there's a problem with charters killing so many fish is astounding. Do you even read your posts?

2. The SF bill was a fish grab. Pure and simple.

3. Rec's kill way too many fish. We (on this site) travel in a small circle as we release way more than we kill. Such is not the case with most rec's I'd wager (see point 1).

4. Cutting the limit from 2-28 to 1 - 28 would NOT cut the kill by 50% as I'd wager most surf casters keep 1 at a time. It's a PIA lugging 2 fish around. It's a step in the right direction.

5. Fish are following the bait offshore, but is this new? or have a population of fish always done this? Is this population growing or are the coastal fish just dwindling.

6. Saying the fish are there... you just have to WORK harder for them is actually saying that there ARE less fish. (What part of this don't you get) I highly doubt that coastal populations are congrating into fewer bigger schools.

7. People are greedy and people suck.

[JohnR]

JFig for President

In a nutshell, everyone needs to take less, release more, and protect the bait.

Meanwhile we run around in circles.

[dannyplug1]

I agree with don there should be a 36" limit one fish coast wise. I dont care how the figures are manipulated by special intersts, I know the bass population is going down and most likley crashing in the next five years. I have seen the number of small fish go down every year. Meanwhile I have not taken a fish in a very long time. I have quit fishing live bait and am extreemly carefull with the fish I release. Then I go to westport when the commercial bass season opens and watch the commercials come back from Cuttyhunk loaded to the gills with large prime breeding fish. Dont ask me to disbelieve my own eyes. In regard tothe mas bill being dead. For now possibly, the special intrests win but the mass of the people eventually forces the issue in a democracy. Make stripers a game fish!