SPEARGUNNERS FOR MA STRIPERS!

[Clogston29]

i've never understood why anybody who fishes with hook and line would be opposed to spear fishing. what exactly makes the fishing with hook and line so noble?

i'm all for legalizing spear fishing in MA if the rules are the same (and why wouldn't they be?) as for hook and line. if i had more free time, it would be something I would want to try.

[numbskull]

The two issues with spearfishing that bother me is the ability to cull the largest fish present and the ability to put out a dive flag and monopolize a spot. Add chum to the equation and the idea worries me.

[afterhours]

what's next...black powder and bow? in all seriousness i share georges concerns.

[Hooligans]

As a diver since 1976
The one thing that works against the bass for spear fishing
Bass being a real predatory fish often follow divers around
Slightly off in the distance looking for what the diver may stir up
The diver himself becomes the lure
I have often “kneeled” on the bottom and watch a school of them circling me
Which I think puts the bass at a disadvantage
Black bass, Cod, Wolf fish, Haddock, Lobster are all fish you have to look for
I.e.. Hunt. Stripers hear you and hover around you about 20-40 ft away if in the area
Stripers stalking instinct have been one of those things I have always enjoyed about
My dive experience here in New England I have often broken up small lobsters
And watch them dart by me scooping them up!

[Tagger]

yea .. my dive friends have told me stripers follow them .. Doesn't seem very sporting ,, more of a meat fishers thing . easy pickins imho

[Sea Flat]

To me, there is way too much of a guessing game while down there. Everything under water looks 20% larger than it actually is. I think a lot of mistakes would be made.

[DZ]

Originally Posted by numbskull

and the ability to put out a dive flag and monopolize a spot.

This has been a sometimes contentious issue around Block.

Spearfishing - seems every user group seems to want a piece of the striped bass pie.

Hopefully MSBA will rally the troops on this bill.

DZ

[Clogston29]

Originally Posted by Hooligans

Bass being a real predatory fish often follow divers around
Slightly off in the distance looking for what the diver may stir up
The diver himself becomes the lure
I have often “kneeled” on the bottom and watch a school of them circling me
Which I think puts the bass at a disadvantage

how is that any different than chumming. for that matter, bass are predatory fish and like to feed on prey that is swept up in currents - is drifting an eel in an outflow an issue since it takes advantage of the bass's nature and puts him at a disadvantage. is trolling for tuna and marlin an issue because they are attracted to the prop wash?

Originally Posted by Sea Flat

To me, there is way too much of a guessing game while down there. Everything under water looks 20% larger than it actually is. I think a lot of mistakes would be made.

i'd be willing to bet that alot more fish would die because inexperienced rod and reel anglers get excited by a 27" fish and have it out of the water for too long while searching for a tape measure and taking pictures. your making a big assumption that spear fisherman will not be experienced and aware enough to avoid or limit this.

Originally Posted by numbskull

The two issues with spearfishing that bother me is the ability to cull the largest fish present and the ability to put out a dive flag and monopolize a spot. Add chum to the equation and the idea worries me.

i can see the concern here. however, rod and reel fisherman can monopolize a spot too. you just need to get there first. and rod and reel fisherman can cull fish too. just release them until you get the size you want. not quite to the same degree, though.

also, i think spear fisherman will be a small group and have very little impact compared to rod and reel on stocks, etc.

note that all of this is said from a surf perspective, and i admit that i may be unaware or underestimating the effects on boat fisherman. but either way, i guess i do not see anything that entitles rod and reel fisherman to a resource that spear fisherman are not given access to. where's the line. what would be really good for the species is if we all stopped fishing for them.

[Gremlin]

Originally Posted by Clogston29

i've never understood why anybody who fishes with hook and line would be opposed to spear fishing. what exactly makes the fishing with hook and line so noble?

i'm all for legalizing spear fishing in MA if the rules are the same (and why wouldn't they be?) as for hook and line. if i had more free time, it would be something I would want to try.

How many can you release after you have shot the fish with a spear gun? That's the problem I have. And you can't say that all fish that were speared were of legal limit.

I have no problem if all they shot were keepers and could only keep the same as rod and reel guys.

[MikeToole]

Lets just keep welcoming in more and more user groups. Everyone knows there is an unending supply of stripers. Why not the dynamite group. just as sporting and selective as a net.

[keeperreaper]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

How many can you release after you have shot the fish with a spear gun? That's the problem I have. And you can't say that all fish that were speared were of legal limit.

I have no problem if all they shot were keepers and could only keep the same as rod and reel guys.

How many shorts are measured by fishermen, photos taken, passed around to buddies so they can take pictures or gill hooked or just kicked back into the water. How many bass are gut hooked by letting the fish "take the bait" or even yo-yoing? How many die. What about the masses of schoolies caught with trebles? They all dont survive trust me. There is no basis to the argument you make. We fishermen kill way more bass incidentally in a week than the whole spear community will kill in the season.

For reference I dive and catch lobsters. I am almost 99% correct on size before I measure them under water. The same goes for the spear fishermen I'm sure. How many shorts are killed during commercial season or winched in on wire and mutilated before being thrownm thrown back during any weekend ?