Spear Fishing Stripers

[Rockfish9]

spearfishing for bass is only going to benifit a very few selective people..the fish they kill wont amount to anything compared to some of the damage that is done during the early spring in the canal alone ... my point is why....why add another method of killing... unlles s the fish stocks are in such good shape that we feel the need to harvest more... thus my comment on opening the beach seines and dropping the size limit ( which I said to be a wise @$$) ... either way.. it's not going to effect what I do... except maybe go back to comercial fishing.

[Got Stripers]

I guess everyone is entitled to the water, we all have that right, no one party or interest should be able to lay claim to it. I've run from Falmouth to the Vineyard to fish a wreck only to find I can't get near it with a dive boat anchored up right on top.

It's not just the dive boats causing me grief, I like to drift and jig for black sea bass or fluke in season and too many times I've had commercial's or rec's. come right in on top of my drift line and drop a hook without so much as a mind if I anchor up here. Doesn't seem to matter to them how small the spot is.

Then there are the lobsterman, oh my god there is one off devils bridge near Gay head that will damn near board your boat if you so much as drop a jig near his precious gear. He is a friggen lunitic.

God help you if your jigging bait near the yaught clubs boat slips, or going after stripers hanging there early spring, the harbormaster will be on you in short order, trying to enforce rules that don't apply.

How many of us have had a school of stripers or albies put down, because of idiots running and gunnig.

How many among us have had their lines cut by yahoos cutting across your lines no matter how loudly you yelled or how wildly you waved your arms.

Yup sometime those relaxing days of fishing are more like stress filled work days, with some of the BS you have to deal with.

[Clammer]

Yep MA will pass spearfishing for bass .................&&& then all B/S when .they see the lastest YOY numbers .

Catch them large while you can ><><><><><><.

[JoeBass]

It's good to see that my kill rate while fly fishing for stripers has gone from 25% to 2% just in the course of this thread.

[rockdoc]

Interesting situation in NY state where as far as I can tell it's not really clear whether spearfishing for stripers is actually legal or illegal. But it is being done.

What's the law in RI?

I can see big trouble if it becomes legal here in massachusetts, in a number of ways.

Steve

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by rockdoc

Interesting situation in NY state where as far as I can tell it's not really clear whether spearfishing for stripers is actually legal or illegal. But it is being done.

What's the law in RI?

I can see big trouble if it becomes legal here in massachusetts, in a number of ways.

Steve

It's legal in RI. I used to do a ton of boat fishing in RI before I had kids, both rod-n-reel and spearfishing. I don't have any secret spots, I went to the most popular places. I haven't seen any major problems, but some minor arguments.

Nothing a little courtesy can't fix, combined with admitting that others have just as much a right to the resource as I do, even if they go about it differently. If I want to jig on a rock and there is a diver there, too bad for me. If I want to spearfish and there's a rod-n-reeler near where I'd like to hunt, too bad for me.

It's not that hard. But based on my limited observations, I sense a lot of people feel they are more entitled to others, and that their way i sthe preferred way.

Most of the problems I saw occurred when R&R guys crowded spearfishermen who were there first. I have never seen spearfishermen attempt to elbow their way in between a bunch of R&R guys, I would never do it out of safety for myself. I'm sure it happens, though.

[J_T_R]

Truthfully, using the argument that spear fishermen are going to shoot anything close and sink short fish is not fair. Are there a minute amount of guys with total disrespect for the species? Absolutely. But, there are 100 times as many rod and reel guys with the same disrespect as there are spear fishermen. To categorize all spear fishermen as poachers is completely disrespectful and I personally take offense to that.

I spearfish and I r&r fish. I have an enormous amount of respect for the fish and game that I kill. If I killed it, it gets eaten... period. I'm not a trophy hunter or a trophy fishermen. I get a lot of satisfaction from just being on the water or in the woods, and if I can bring something home for the table, then that is a bonus.

I can't understand how some guys have the nerve to tell others that they shouldn't be allowed to spearfish because the species is threatened, and then go out and fish all night, killing at least 10% of their catch in the process. It is completely hypocritical and nonsensical.

Furthermore, I can't stand the argument that spearfishermen will crowd out rod and reel guys. If you want a spot, then get there first. It is that simple. The guy who gets there second has no right to crowd the other person out. It is no different than the canal. People can fish in harmony, or they can be #^&#^&#^&#^&s about it and cause all sorts of problems. I take every possible measure to avoid rod and reel guys when I am in the water. I would hope that they would pay me the same respect.

The bottom line is that I love fishing for bass, whether I do it with a rod or a spear. Unlike the majority of rod and reel guys, I'm not out there praying for the 50 to swim by. I'm out there to relax and hopefully put food on the table. If I want to swim with the fish and choose exactly which fish I want to kill, then I should have that privilege. Just as rod and reel guys have the privilege to kill whichever fish they choose (plus the % that are killed just because they were caught).

The large majority of spearfishermen are good guys, who love and respect the fishery just as much as rod and reel guys. I'm not sure why they are considered the enemy, but those who dislike them should seriously consider reexamining their point of view. I can promise you that the percentage of bad eggs between the rod an reel guys is the same as the spearfishermen. However, EVERY SINGLE GUY that is a "good egg" in both categories kills fish, regardless of whether you are c & r or not. Why not band together and help the species, rather than splitting hairs about how you kill fish?

[Peter D]

JTR:
I'm not a spear fisherman and think you present a most reasoned and fair argument.