High grading/culling - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

slapshot · 06-03-2006, 09:59 AM

There is a tournament series coming to the region that promotes catch and release. They want you to keep the fish alive in a tube similair to the tuna tubes people use off shore to keep small tunoid species alive.

My question is: is high grading/culling of live stripers allowed in RI, MA or NY waters? I am from CT, and it is not legal. However people fishing in LIS could easily be in RI and NY waters fishing, the border is that close to port. I think this tournament is also headed to MA, if I am not mistaken.

Maybe they will make an exception during the tournament I am just wondering how it will work.

Bigcat · 06-03-2006, 10:56 AM

High grading is not legal in Mass, I wounder why fish&game would make an exception for a very small group of people with nothing but
tournament money involved

Mike P · 06-03-2006, 11:41 AM

High grading is also illegal in NY. Don't know about RI but it's probably illegal there, too.

Swimmer · 06-03-2006, 11:54 AM

I thought of this when I read about the min/max on the fish weighed in. It slipped my mind though like many things. I wonder how it will pan out.

tattoobob · 06-03-2006, 12:05 PM

the FLW is having a slot limit between 28 and 34 inches, it was in The Fisherman Mag last week

Mike P · 06-03-2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tattoobob

the FLW is having a slot limit between 28 and 34 inches,

I guess they figure that the world has been waiting with bated breath for a tourney that'll get decided by a thousandth of a pound

BigFish · 06-03-2006, 12:50 PM

High Grading in Ma. = Illegal

Sweetwater · 06-03-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slapshot

There is a tournament series coming to the region that promotes catch and release. They want you to keep the fish alive in a tube similair to the tuna tubes people use off shore to keep small tunoid species alive.

My question is: is high grading/culling of live stripers allowed in RI, MA or NY waters? I am from CT, and it is not legal. However people fishing in LIS could easily be in RI and NY waters fishing, the border is that close to port. I think this tournament is also headed to MA, if I am not mistaken.

Maybe they will make an exception during the tournament I am just wondering how it will work.

Slapshot, what tournament is that?

slapshot · 06-03-2006, 04:30 PM

The FLW Striper Series. There is a tournament coming to Westbrook, CT as well as some other stops in the NE.

Team Rock On · 06-03-2006, 06:38 PM

I have heard that the FLW has permission to high grade during the MA tournaments. Boats will be required to use these striper tubes, and if a dead fish is weighed, 10% of the weight will be deducted.

tattoobob · 06-03-2006, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Team Rock On

I have heard that the FLW has permission to high grade during the MA tournaments. Boats will be required to use these striper tubes, and if a dead fish is weighed, 10% of the weight will be deducted.

I read in the article that 2 pounds would be deducted per dead fish

MakoMike · 06-05-2006, 09:49 AM

There was a long discussion about this vis-a-vis NY on Noreast recently. The consensus is that high grading is illegal, simply because you would be in possession of more than two fish during the time between when you caught one and released the other. But its not crystal clear.

BasicPatrick · 06-05-2006, 10:49 AM

"Striper tubes" are used a lot in the landlocked SB fishery. They enable anglers that want to weigh in fish and then release them to actually do so without killing their catch. I for one have harvested fish that I wish I could have weighed ad released. The tubes currently will only hold fish successfully up to I beleive 36". This is why FLW installed the slot limit for their tournament. We can not complain about kill fish tournaments and then criticize the first organization that wants a 100% catch and release tournament.

I also know that fisheries managers are interested in the use of these tubes but do not have the money to study that use in oceanic SB. I think it is a no brainer to grant the exemption to FLW and require them to make information gathering for the purpose of reveiw by MA DMF Biologists a part of that exemption.

Acting on behalf of MSBA and as a member of the DMF SB Advisory Panel , I encouraged that an exemption be given to the FLW tournament for more than the above reasons.

Gloucester2 · 06-05-2006, 10:54 AM

MakoMike - in MA there is nothing unclear about culling

To prohibit the practice of high-grading, recreational fishermen may not retain legal-sized striped bass and release said fish in favor of another larger legal-sized striped bass captured subsequently. It shall be unlawful to keep striped bass alive in the water by attaching a line or chain to the fish or placing the fish in a live well or holding car.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recre.../rec_index.htm

numbskull · 06-05-2006, 11:12 AM

I posted this recently, but years ago I met a rank novice fisherman at "my spot" who had gotten there ahead of me and had a legit #50 pound fish alive on a stringer, "in case I catch a better one". It still hurts to this day.

backbeach · 06-06-2006, 07:48 AM

Gee, just what we need... The tournament mentality on sw now too... BTW the FLW has to be the most boring fishing show on tv, a cure for insomnia. I can't wait to be buzzed by 60 mph tournament boats occupied by "patch testers" GRRRRRRRRR