I am SOTS: MAKE STRIPED BASS A GAMEFISH! - Page 2 - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

RIJIMMY · 06-13-2010, 10:51 AM

For fluke, I had no clue what I was doing, just drifted aimlessly under the Jtown bridge for a few hours. Got nothing and didnt see anyone get anything.
On a side note, I just think that its an off year for N. Bay. I did see thousands of bass on worm spawns - one in a harbor and another in a S. Count pond. Tons of healthy stripers. Just none on my line. It is odd that I have fished many hours the last 3 weeks with live bunker and have only 2 fish to show for it. Pretty sad. I look forward to fishing nights w/eels and hope things turn around.

RIROCKHOUND · 06-13-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

For fluke, I had no clue what I was doing, just drifted aimlessly under the Jtown bridge for a few hours.

Maybe before canyon season I can join you for a lesson....

did you try the southern spot I mentioned?

there are definitely less fish around this spring, however we have very little bait around local waters as well....

striperman36 · 06-13-2010, 11:52 AM

Almost makes me glad I've had to work all this weeks

Nomad · 06-13-2010, 12:13 PM

Maine is also having ANOTHER slow year....3rd in a row for us....save some for us up here guys

ProfessorM · 06-13-2010, 11:31 AM

I am pretty dedicate to a certain area in the month of May and early June. I live for this period of time each year fishing at least 3 day a week. I fish from a tin boat so I get to access and chase these fish around, not being stuck on land. I had no problem finding the fish this year and the pattern was the same as in many years past. It was quite impressive what I saw, size and quantity, all month and plenty of smaller fish too. The problem this year was getting the fish to eat. To see wave after wave of large fish move past you on the tide and not get a hook up was very disappointing. Thinking the next time out they will be hungry and eat but it just never materialized. No interest. What I threw the last several years, plugs that several fish at a time would fight over, would not trigger a response this year. They followed to the boat time after time but when they noticed me or the anchor rope they just wandered off. I would get a few to bite and I think it was more I was aggravating them, but compared to the last several years the hook up rate was way, way off. Plenty of quality fish but not much catching. I was not alone in this result. Heard the same thing over and over from some very accomplished fisherman. They were there in numbers, but just not interested. Still really don't understand why. That is the mystery of fishing. Eventually everyone gave up and the place is barren of boats now, very unusual this time of year, which actually is a good thing. Hopefully these newer guys, because of some loose lips, will go back to where they usually fish thinking all the raves were overrated, at least that is what I pray for.
I recently read Striper Wars while on vacation, truly a must read for any striped bass fisherman, and it really made me think about how I fish and what we are doing to my favorite hobby. I am thinking real hard about renewing my comm. license any more. Still up in the air. Deep down I would really luv to see all keeping of bass be done with and the taking of their food be a thing of the past too.

MikeToole · 06-13-2010, 11:43 AM

ASMFC is looking to increase the commercial catch by up to 50%. They are now accepting public input on addendum II until 10/1/2010. They will also be having public hearings. Now is the time to be heard. Send the letters and attend the hearings. Below is a list of the locations and dates of the hearings.

8/16 (6 PM):
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, Holiday Inn, 55 Ariadne Road, Dedham, Massachusetts. For more information, please contact Jared Silva at (617) 626-1534.

8/17 (6 PM):
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife, URI, Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island. For more information, please contact Mark Gibson at (401) 423-1935.

9/13 (7 PM):
New Hampshire Fish and Game, Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information, please contact Doug Grout at (603) 868-1095.

9/14 (6 PM):
Maine Department of Marine Resources, Town of Yarmouth Log Cabin, 196 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine. For more information, please contact Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6553.

stripermaineiac · 06-13-2010, 08:31 PM

It was interesting before the moritorium. i was doing pretty good as far as size an number of fish but I was mostly out in the boat. But from the surf it was getting harder an harder to find fish.I'd fish the Grave Yard and Fortunes Rocks and get some nice fish.Bob Pond would tell us that there was a big problem with the number of small fish and the spawning grounds were being contaminated with pesticides. at the hearings and meetings you'd hear all the comercial guys telling the same stories we hear now. Like back then the fisheries managers would only listen to the commercial interest with there high paid experts with fancy degrees tell the panels that the sportfishermen were greedy and didn't know what they're talking about and people like Bob Pond just wanted to save more fish so he could sell more plugs to sportfishermen and didn't really care about the fish.Few knew that most of the money atom lures made went right back into research and action to help save the striped Bass.I wish i had had a tape recorder back them because I could play back almost word for word what we hear today.Don't listen to the selfish sportfishermen and give the commercials more of the resourse. Well history does sure repeat itself. The difference this time is now we have to register to fish which will cut down the numbers of us fishing and give a larger voice to the commercial interest.There is no compromise as they won't give up anything till things get bad. Look what happened to the cod,halibut and haddock .Take till nothing left to take then switch to another species and do it again. Sad part is our infighting will help them. We were stupid enough to beleive they gave in on rod n reel commercial because they were being fair. LOL now we are fighting amoung ourselves instead of working together to fix the problem. The past has a way of coming around again. Ron

Nebe · 06-13-2010, 09:20 PM

Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

bill huki · 06-14-2010, 05:39 AM

More history on regulation meetings when the 2 fish at 28" decision was made. I was living in CT at the time. I made up a survey petition and left it in all the tackle shops from the CT river to The RI border. Got like 500 opinions and signatures from rec anglers. Like 5% wanted the change. At the meetings you know who wanted the change. Charter boat capts. Cap after cap got up there and said unless they had 2 fish at 28" they would not be in business. No offense intended to any Caps just saying that money changes everything and no one does the right thing till it is too late. Short term thinking rules.

BasicPatrick · 06-14-2010, 11:13 AM

Some thoughts:

The problem is not the amount of Striped Bass but where they are located.
and
The problem is not that the fish are not here but that they are wicked hard to catch because they are transitioning to forage that is hard to mimic.

I suggest the problem is that we have multiple crisis regarding forage species.

Some Examples:

The reason Buzzards Bay is spotty with big areas of bad fishing and a few good is because the Menhaden have been a target by rec and commercial operations for over a month.

I was recently speakign with Throsing Timber who informed me NArragansett was great fishign until the Menhaden operations went to work. After that, collapse of fishing.

The reason MV Sound/middleground/falmouth have all been sllllooooooww is that there have been very very little squid. Why? Commercial overfishing?????

Why is there a monsterous body of fish between Chatham and Ptown? Why have there been blitxes of twenty pounders on Race Poing for the first time in many years? The answer is the presence of sea herring. The seals are not the problem with back side fishing nor is it a lack of striped bass. The availability of bait is the problem. Right now the back side is loaded with micro to large sea herring and the stripers are there big time.

Why is there reports of great fishing in CC Bay. We appear to be off to a good start for sand eels.

Why no fish off the coast of Maine? It's a fact that the State lets every possible commercial operation beat the snot out of every possible species that can be used for lobster bait.

Why no fish off NC in January? Industrial trawlers work the three mile line off the NC coast for the full month of December and decimate mullet, menhaden, shad and all the other forage. The fishgin we keep hearing aobut in the EEZ dow there is a result of no bait inside 3 miles.

Why is there a major problem with shore fishing all over in late May and early June? I think the lack of River Herring might have something to do with it.

Besdies the bait problems...

Of course a commercial increase is insane and I continue to predict that once ASMFC scientists give an updated number for natural mortality caused by the evidence of mycobacteriosis in the coastal migrating population AND and increased number for fishing mortality that includes some estimate of eez poaching during the winter than we will get our cut back to one fish.

I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.

Please come fight for the bait...it's our key to a healthy Striped Bass Fishery

JohnnyD · 06-14-2010, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

Some thoughts:

The problem is not the amount of Striped Bass but where they are located.
and
The problem is not that the fish are not here but that they are wicked hard to catch because they are transitioning to forage that is hard to mimic.

How can you know that? Consistently, it seems as though scientists' estimates on biomass are terrible at best. A couple of large schools of fish in CC Bay and a couple of other areas doesn't make up for what seems like a lack of fish in many other areas.

I completely agree with you that cutting the rec take to 1 @ 28" would be ineffective. That's why I think at a minimum, both the commercial take should be reduced (instead of the nonsense opinion by ASMFC that it should be increased) along with the Recs being limited to 1 @ 34".

On these boards and especially during the SF bill, you harped on the idea that we should trust ASMFC and that they will make the right decisions when it comes to managing Striped Bass. However, they have consistently demonstrated and continue to demonstrate that they either manage through the best interests of the commercial industry or are completely incompetent.

If ASMFC approves an increase to the commercial bass quota, it should be the final nail in the coffin of confidence in ASMFC ever effectively managing any species. Should that occur, MSBA should really re-evaluate their support of the regulating body, else there won't be any more stripers to have an association for.

dannyplug1 · 06-14-2010, 12:26 PM

I am at the point where I say uncle. The commercials you know the ones who kill everything they can will eventually kill the striper. Literally every fish that has been commercially fished for is in bad shape. Look at the halilbut: up untill the late 1800's when had halibut on the east coast that were bigger than Alaskan halibut.... gone. Money wins over whats right finish off the bass and go on to the next species. Pretty soon we will be like england fishing for sand sharks and conger eels if any of them are left.

BigFish · 06-19-2010, 07:46 AM

Last I checked if you cut the daily rec take from 2 fish at 28 inches a day to 1 fish at 28 inches a day (1 @ 34" would be better) that equates to a half???????No???? If I put up 2 fingers.......and then put down one of the fingers......then I have half as many fingers as I did before?????

RIROCKHOUND · 06-19-2010, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFish

Last I checked if you cut the daily rec take from 2 fish at 28 inches a day to 1 fish at 28 inches a day (1 @ 34" would be better) that equates to a half???????No???? If I put up 2 fingers.......and then put down one of the fingers......then I have half as many fingers as I did before?????

The problem is Larry, while you are trying to be funny, most people don't take 2 fish anyways, either don;t need or can't catch two. so dropping it from 1 to 2 at the same size reduces it by some % less than half.... up the size.
1 @ 36", keep the comm open but crack down on enforcement.

Eric Roach · 06-23-2010, 06:11 PM

Spots in NH & ME that have held small schoolies since the recovery have been disturbingly quiet the past few years. To catch small fish is notable -- especially in abundance.

Our fall blitzing activity up here has really been minimal the past three seasons...There haven't been enough fish around to drive any widespread, sustained surface feeding.

Conservative measures are needed. Even if exactly what's going on is uncertain, wouldn't taking a conservative stance on striped bass mortality make sense?

One major concern is the Gulf oil spill. With a collapse of that region's fisheries, striped bass will be more valuable than ever. Think it's a tough fight against the $$ now? It'll get worse.

Surf Caster · 06-23-2010, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Roach

Spots in NH & ME that have held small schoolies since the recovery have been disturbingly quiet the past few years. To catch small fish is notable -- especially in abundance.

Our fall blitzing activity up here has really been minimal the past three seasons...There haven't been enough fish around to drive any widespread, sustained surface feeding.

Conservative measures are needed. Even if exactly what's going on is uncertain, wouldn't taking a conservative stance on striped bass mortality make sense?

One major concern is the Gulf oil spill. With a collapse of that region's fisheries, striped bass will be more valuable than ever. Think it's a tough fight against the $$ now? It'll get worse.

taking the conservative route would make way to much sense.... so you can count that out...

unfortunately, it feels like nothing substantial will be done about this until its too late.

BasicPatrick · 06-14-2010, 03:34 PM

Johnny,

I do not know what science you are referring. Biomass estimates are down, they are not "terrible at best". Is there a reason to be concerned...yep. Does that mean close the fishery...nope. If the arguements/theories in this thread were carried over we should all be argueing to close Tuna Fishing period, or at least demand Tuna are Gamefish.

ASMFC has taken no action as of yet. They are considering an action and just like before, this action will fail. Sure it's a PIA but that is what we get when we have a democratic system. Just because there is a proposal does not mean the sky is falling

One thing for sure is that if this was a legislative decision (ie...SF proposal) we would have already lost so I stand by all that I argued for in the S-F debate.

JohnnyD · 06-14-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

Johnny,

I do not know what science you are referring. Biomass estimates are down, they are not "terrible at best". Is there a reason to be concerned...yep. Does that mean close the fishery...nope. If the arguements/theories in this thread were carried over we should all be argueing to close Tuna Fishing period, or at least demand Tuna are Gamefish.

ASMFC has taken no action as of yet. They are considering an action and just like before, this action will fail. Sure it's a PIA but that is what we get when we have a democratic system. Just because there is a proposal does not mean the sky is falling

One thing for sure is that if this was a legislative decision (ie...SF proposal) we would have already lost so I stand by all that I argued for in the S-F debate.

What I meant by "terrible at best" is the way in which they estimate the stock and mortality. As you said, biomass estimates are down and there's a reason to be concerned, yet ASMFC has a proposal to increase the commercial take?? How does that even make sense?

Let me try and understand... biomass estimates are down and we should be concerned, but the problems people are having with catching fish aren't because of the number of bass around, it's because of the bait? 2 + 2 just doesn't = 4 for me here.

If this were a legislative decision, who exactly would have lost - recreational fishermen, rod & reel commercial, charters? In my opinion all of us (as in everyone that fishes for SB) and the striped bass population will lose completely if ASMFC is allowed to continue its reckless management of the species.

BatesBCheatin · 06-15-2010, 10:47 AM

Please explain why cutting the rec limit to 1 fish would not have a great impact on the total catch.

I understand why it would not be cut by 50%, but I would think that a 1 fish limit would be make an appreciable difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.

RIROCKHOUND · 06-15-2010, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BatesBCheatin

Please explain why cutting the rec limit to 1 fish would not have a great impact on the total catch.

I understand why it would not be cut by 50%, but I would think that a 1 fish limit would be make an appreciable difference.

For Rec and charter: 1 Fish 36"
Period

piemma · 06-15-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

For Rec and charter: 1 Fish 36"
Period

Bry, You got a better cance of shoveling snow in Narr in July. They just will not listen

afterhours · 06-19-2010, 07:28 AM

[QUOTE=BasicPatrick;773789]Some thoughts:
I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.

patrick, please correct this for me, i guess i'm under that misguided assumption. i agree on the bait issue.

RIROCKHOUND · 06-19-2010, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

Some thoughts:
I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.

broken record.
one fish @ 36"

if 1 @ 28 doesn't cut it, I bet 1 @ 36" does...