2014 Fluke and Sea Bass Regulations Set

[Angler Paul]

2014 Fluke and Sea Bass Regulations Set

At the NJMFC meeting on 4/3/14 the council voted unanimously in favor of the following regulations for fluke and sea bass.

Fluke - 5 fish, 18" size limit, season 5/23 -9/27

Sea bass - 12 ½” size limit, 15 fish bag limit from 5/19 – 6/30, 3 fish bag limit from 7/1 –8/31, 15 fish bag limit from 9/1 – 9/6 and a 15 fish bag limit from 10/18 – 12/31.

Additionally a presentation about a special pilot program that would allow 2 fluke at 16" to be kept by shore based anglers at Island Beach State Park was made. This program could possibly be expanded further next year. JCAA, NJBBA and NJSFSC all supported the concept but also requested that it be expanded to include a couple other areas particularly in southern New Jersey this year as well.

Paul Haertel
President, JCAA

[SaltLife1980]

Thanks for the info

[njfisherman1975]

Thanks for the info Paul...I guess it is what it is. If that pilot plan goes into effect for IBSP...would you be allowed two fluke at 16" and then three others at the set regs? Or two fluke at 16" and then five more at the set regs? I know the likelihood might be slim to none...but I was wondering if you knew what they might do. Thanks again Paul!!!

[Angler Paul]

Actually the size limit would be 16" and you will only be able to keep 2 fluke period. Previously, I asked the state two allow 2 fish of the 5 fish bag limit to be 16-18" but the state does not want to do it that way. Personally I would rather have 5 at 18" than 2 at 16" but JCAA is suppporting 2 at 16" because it will help casual fishermen, kids, etc.

Paul

[njfisherman1975]

Thanks again Paul!!! I appreciate the answer...

[jmurr711]

at least we finally know

[Ryelof]

at least we finally know

jmurr's least fun post of the year!!!

Thanks for always being there, Paul.

[PALMERS TACKLE]

Thanks paul for your hard work! Belows statement are in no way directed towards you--You work hard and are the messanger i don't shoot the messanger.
these are my feelings on the state of our fishery.

The sea bass regs are a joke. Why not eliminate the july / aug period when little to no one is fishing for sea bass and the 5 days in september.
Start the season the day fluke ends to give fishermen and party/charter boats capt"s something to fish for. Three weeks of no fluke, no sea bass, and added pressure on stripers most likely. A fishery in distress already!
As far as 9/27 being the end date it really doesn't matter what date they set as fluke will determine when it is over --usually the hurricane or storm that hits nj shore around labor day or so. Rarely have i had a chance to really see fluke that late in any numbers. Yea you get the occasional fish or two but mostly they boogied offshore before then.
Guess porgys , dogfish or yellow eyes are all we get.
Managment of our fishery is getting is getting to be real nonsense.
I need to carry a laptop to go seabassing so i don't break the stupid regs.
This year i talked to a ton of Capts who reported seabass 30' off the bottom in huge schools offshore. There is no shortage of sea bass yet we still get scraps.
Damn shame we can't get a fairly managed fishery.
This regionalization plan is going to kill us..does anyone really think that New york who had 2 fish and now has 5 will not be counted as overfished. Resulting in reduced bag limits for the REGION ---(NEW JERSEY) won't come out next year?
You will start hearing rumors of 2-3 fluke @ 18.5" for NJ in November for 2015. Count on it!
Sorry if my thoughts offend some of you folks it is just my opinion and lets hope im wrong but i highly doubt it.

[gomarfish]

Thanks. I will be sure to carry the sea bass info close to my heart.

[frugalfisherman]

[QUOTE=PALMERS TACKLE;350524]Thanks paul for your hard work! Belows statement are in no way directed towards you--You work hard and are the messanger i don't shoot the messanger.
these are my feelings on the state of our fishery.

The sea bass regs are a joke. Why not eliminate the july / aug period when little to no one is fishing for sea bass


You catch some big ass seabass drifting the rough stuff for fluke in july and august.

[CaptTB]

The sea bass regs are a joke. Why not eliminate the july / aug period when little to no one is fishing for sea bass and the 5 days in september.
Start the season the day fluke ends to give fishermen and party/charter boats capt"s something to fish for.
Not sure what ocean you fish in but there are hundreds of boats out every weekend and many boats out every day all through July and August catching Sea Bass every day. When no one is fishing for sea bass? July and August?

How about the single busiest time of year for the sea bass boats bar NONE!!!

How about letting the bottom fishing boats fish for the fish they fish for and not alter their regs to accommodate fluke fishermen?

Owning the two only full time, year round bottom fishing boats in this area who carry more people and catch more sea bass in the two months you claim no one fishes for sea bass I can say without a doubt July and August are the busiest time of year for sea bass boats, period. Talk to Billy at Spring Lake and ask him how much bait we buy from him in July and August compared to the rest of the year. Ask how many more clams he sells then.

But, why not just take away the two busiest months of the year from the sea bass businesses, who cares right? :rolleyes:

[HDMarc]

The sea bass regs are a joke. Why not eliminate the july / aug period when little to no one is fishing for sea bass and the 5 days in september.

I'm guessing the sea bass bite in Pennsylvania is different than in NJ:D

[Fish Tank]

seems everybody thinks the cbass regs are a joke.They are right,but the joke is on us.Just another examble of depleting another species,namely fluke.By having a three fish bag limit in the middle of the summer is going to put all the pressure on the flatties. why not keep the fleet split,some bottom fishing and some fluke fishing. Guess that makes to much sense for the powers that be,another great decision guys.Keep up the good work soon there will be no recreational fishing,it will belong to the commercial sector.MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. CAPT.TOMMY JOSEPH

[PALMERS TACKLE]

Not sure what ocean you fish in but there are hundreds of boats out every weekend and many boats out every day all through July and August catching Sea Bass every day. When no one is fishing for sea bass? July and August?

How about the single busiest time of year for the sea bass boats bar NONE!!!

How about letting the bottom fishing boats fish for the fish they fish for and not alter their regs to accommodate fluke fishermen?

Owning the two only full time, year round bottom fishing boats in this area who carry more people and catch more sea bass in the two months you claim no one fishes for sea bass I can say without a doubt July and August are the busiest time of year for sea bass boats, period. Talk to Billy at Spring Lake and ask him how much bait we buy from him in July and August compared to the rest of the year. Ask how many more clams he sells then.

But, why not just take away the two busiest months of the year from the sea bass businesses, who cares right? :rolleyes:
Capt with all do respect to you and your business Yes i realize you guys fish for them , but most boats are concentrating on blues or fluke in july august (party boats) Charters is totally differnet--fluke seabss, tuna, blues, tile, etc
I just felt that the majority of fishermen concentrate on sea bassing in the fall and winter months when we used to have a winter fishery
Can you catch sea bass drifting rocks sure i do it all the time out of shark river
while fluking..but by far my better and bigger catches came in nov/dec last year mid to offshore.
You guys lost the winter fishery and yes i used to go out on your boats for them years ago. Hell I sell Capt Howard jigs for the Big J...Guess i misunderstood --as i felt your winter boats did as much or more business than summer..but only you know that. If i'm wrong so be it i stand corrected.
Frustrating to say the least are the regs for sea bass. Just offering my humble
view..i am no expert..just my thoughts
As a small tackle maker i can tell you for a fact i sell no sea bass rigs in 8 yrs in july and august. used to sell 1000's from oct-feb.
So from that and my personal fishing experience is where i came from
Certainly not meant to start a fight--love your fleet and fish it when i can.
This is why our fishery is so screwed--so many different opinions and no one agrees on anything ..post and opinion and get slammed for it. I can't be the only guy who thinks the seabass fishery starting 3 weeks after fluke closes and having virtually little too fish for is a good thing.
I fish from sandy hook to cape may as i support my charters and am invited by many boats to fish--all the party boats have their signs out on their boats
in july august i see none saying seabass--but tons saying bluefish--fluke all day and only a handfull if that saying bottom fishing..I don't want to take any fishery away --i want all our rights to fish a fully developed fishery given back.
I understand the tackle business and its trends and sales what/when. You are the pro in the Party baot arena so i defer to you.
It was an idea--not a shot across the bow. Sorry if i offended you!

[PALMERS TACKLE]

Quote:
How about letting the bottom fishing boats fish for the fish they fish for and not alter their regs to accommodate fluke fishermen?

Owning the two only full time, year round bottom fishing boats in this area who carry more people and catch more sea bass in the two months you claim no one fishes for sea bass I can say without a doubt July and August are the busiest time of year for sea bass boats, period.


As i'm thinking more on your statements i wanted to point out my observations and my thought process behind my oroginal post.
The southern party boats (full time) miss chris, porgy etc all switch to fluke by mid june as the seabass fishery is not at its best..barnegat light they are fluking or blues, belmar is fluking or blues. point pleasant is fluking or blues..
you guys are the only full time (party boats) as you stated doing seabass
in these months..so on a coast wide basis i would have to say the direct fishing for seabass in july and august coast wide has less people than the fall fishery --or what used to be a great winter fishery.
Rocky bottom areas like the shrewbury rocks can and do produce some real nice seabass during July and August--but as bycatch while fluking as has been stated in previous posts.Not direct targeting. Sure there are private boats drifting and dreamin that will put together a good catch as well..
But coast wide i think more people fish for seabass in the fall/winter

[CaptTB]

Quote:
But coast wide i think more people fish for seabass in the fall/winter
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

My post actually was not just about partyboats, hence the "100's of boats on the weekends" etc.

The piece I quoted above is where I totally disagree. Our boats carry far more people in June, July and August than we do the rest of the year combined, specifically talking Sea Bass fishing (although it is true for most other businesses at the shore, whatever the case may be)

Those three months are prime time, summertime, tourist, bottom fishing, whatever you want to call it. Lose July and August, lose your most profitable time of the year, period.

And as to other boats fishing, talk to a sea bass captain about how many spots he can't acnhor on because of all the little boats fishing them for sea bass. Not complaining about people fishing, making the point that there are so many boats bottom fishing during the summer (these are not fluke grounds, although like many fish you might catch a fluke while sea bassing just like you might catch a seabass while fluking) that many spots are covered with boats.

Many of those same people and boats are not even in the water in the fall/winter.

My next comment is not directed at you or anyone in particular, simply a statement backed by 80+ years of our boats fishing from our inlet.

July and August are the two busiest months of bottom fishing, period. Last year we died on the vine because our two best months were closed. What we got was a great fall season with shit weather (not uncommon) no one on vacation (not uncommon) schools in session so no kids during the week (not uncommon) and we were told "but you got your fall fishery."

Yeah, great.

When the largest number of people are on vacation and the Jersey shore is at its busiest and schools are out and the weather is nicest, Sea bass is closed (or in this case it is open, but not really with 3 fish)

THAT is what the bottom boats now have to look forward to again.

Last year I heard so many people ask "What will we fish for when Fluke closes?"

Unfortunately I have yet to hear "What are the Sea Bass fishermen going to fish for during Sea Bass season??"

[irishc]

I'm not real happy with the Sea Bass regulations either.... I would like to have seen something that is more in line with the seasons of other species and what is best for the majority of anglers etc. For example:


15: 5/19 - 8/1
3: 8/2 - 8/24
15: 9/28 - 11/15
3: 11/16 - 12/31
_________________
15 fish – 107 days
3 fish – 68 days

vs.

Approved Regulations:

15: 5/19 – 6/30
3: 7/1 – 8/31
15: 9/1 – 9/6
15: 10/18 – 12/31
_____________________
15 fish – 113 days
3 fish -62 days


Justifications:

• My thinking is more in line with other fish species seasons and their bag limits.
• Fluke closes on 9/27 and Sea Bass would open back up @ 15 fish on 9/28.
• The tog limit increases to 6 fish (hopefully) the same day Sea Bass goes to 3 fish. People could still keep a few Sea Bass on an offshore trip.
• For the most part, Sea Bass are gone from inshore waters by early Nov. so having a higher bag limit in late fall/early winter isn’t going to benefit the majority of anglers.
• Being able to target Sea Bass longer in the summer months will take some pressure off the fluke population.

Negative impacts:

• For hire boats would not be able to target Sea bass on their offshore trips. However, they will still have cod, Pollack, ling, and/or porgy to fish for.
• Having the higher bag limit during a time when more people will be on the water increases the chances of overfishing.

I digress, I did not go to the meeting yesterday or get involved in any other way to help our cause so I will stop complaining. Maybe next year because this shit can't continue!

My comments in no way are meant to offend the people who made sure we even have a Sea Bass season or diminish their efforts. Your time and hard work is greatly apprechiated.

[captmark]

Not sure what ocean you fish in but there are hundreds of boats out every weekend and many boats out every day all through July and August catching Sea Bass every day. When no one is fishing for sea bass? July and August?

How about the single busiest time of year for the sea bass boats bar NONE!!!

How about letting the bottom fishing boats fish for the fish they fish for and not alter their regs to accommodate fluke fishermen?

Owning the two only full time, year round bottom fishing boats in this area who carry more people and catch more sea bass in the two months you claim no one fishes for sea bass I can say without a doubt July and August are the busiest time of year for sea bass boats, period. Talk to Billy at Spring Lake and ask him how much bait we buy from him in July and August compared to the rest of the year. Ask how many more clams he sells then.

But, why not just take away the two busiest months of the year from the sea bass businesses, who cares right? :rolleyes:

Tony you are so right, that is the best time of year to get customers to catch fish, its going to be an ugly year, just my 3 cents

[Skolmann]

Might be a dumb question but I just read (& it might be mis-information) that the NY fluke season starts 1 week before NJ and ends 1 week before NJ's--Does that mean they can fluke fish in NJ waters 1 week before theNJ season opens and continue to fluke fish for 1 week in NJ waters 1 week after the NY season closes ?

[italianfisherman]

don't think so.

[Angler Paul]

The NJMFC did the best they could with sea bass given the low target quota that was mandated by the ASMFC and the MAFMC. Everyone at the meeting and I mean that literally, supported the sea bass option that was approved. The alternative would have been to have a 15 fish bag limit in July and then it would have been closed from the first week in August until October 18th.
This fishery is being mismanaged by the feds and thier quotas are ridiculously low. Further this is compounded by the fact that we are in a regional plan. Last year NJ caught only 61% of its target, NY caught 125% and Ct. caught 150%. Guess what? We all had to cut back by 7% from what we had last year. How is that fair? Now the same thing will probably happen with fluke as well next year.

Paul Haertel
President, JCAA

[frugalfisherman]

Just talked to Al. He promises to only keep 3 seabass.