Re: Fluke regulations
 

Bill40 loves sort fluke... 14" fluke are the norm for him.
:)

Re: Fluke regulations
 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion! How about some suggestions to resolve the problem rather than being negative. It`s easy to be negative and harshly judge those whose opinion differs from yours.

Re: Fluke regulations
 

IMO... there are better ways to go about getting our point across.. Keeping a short fluke and telling the fish and game the time and place is not gonna stop them from ticketing everyone and the state making some more money at our expense.. all its gonna do is prove to them that they need to enforce the law more harshly.. Im not happy with how all this turned out by any means but we need to go about this differently..

Re: Fluke regulations
 

I am all ears. With all due respect, how would you go about it?

Re: Fluke regulations
 

To be honest I don't know what would work. A politician only cares about one thing..votes. What we need to do is research who is willing to help us with the regs and use our collective vote to get him/her in office. New Jersey is such a damn liberal state with all the special interest groups with the big bucks that the small guy has no chance. They certainly don't care about us lowly fishermen. Its very frustrating..seems like we have no recourse. The one thing we can't do is fight amongst ourselves. How about a petition? Can we get 200,000 names?

Re: Fluke regulations
 

Im not a 100% sure of what the best way to get our point across is.. But we have to be able to come up with a better way then just keeping a short fluke.. because that is going to get us no where..

Re: Fluke regulations
 

Mick got it right. Votes count.. We have to find someone who is in office that is either unawhere of what is going on or just can't be bothered.. e-mails don't work and the few letters of protest that is sent is probably never seen by him, but a mass mailing all delivered on one day would create havoc in his office. If not his office , then the PO in his home town..We need sacks of letters delivered on the same day..If you think he won't take notice then send them to News12 or even Eyewitness News..But we all have to get on the same page and it can't be done over night. We need the help of EVERY fishing group, tackle shops, boats. Maybe even gas stations and coffee shops..Now comes the hard parts;
1- Get someone to draft a letter explaining what is going on and if he wants our votes next time that he better get more involved in what is going on. Such as lost jobs, people going out of business and the loss of tax revenue to the state caused by the lack of people fishing because of these regs.
2-Find someone to donate a shit load of paper. I'm taking thousands upon thousands of sheets. We want to blanket the state with them. We want to give them to every store that will pass them out or put them in the bags of their customers.
3- Find a printer or printers that will print them, hopefully donate them. Maybe our special interest groups could help out here.
4- Set up points through out the state that vol. could pick them up and then they could pass them along to other vol. who would then bring them to their local businesses..After all this does affect EVERYONE.
5- set a date for them to be mailed and hopefully everyone will send them.
If sacks of mail are all delivered to one spot on a certain day then someone will have to take notice.

Re: Fluke regulations
 

Now this is a great suggestion that is greatly appreciated! The question is how can we implement it. I certainly am willing to help and do my part in some capacity. I would like to say that I could be the leader of the band, but this daunting task would put me over my head.
Without speaking for someone. We would need someone who is well known and respected through out the fishing community, along with having resources,time and great organizational skills. Again, Thank you very much for a constructive response!

Re: Fluke regulations
 

Ok Rum, I guess reality is setting in and a Boston tea party type rebellion won't get off the ground. 1,000 hits and maybe a scant 5 guys willing to actually participate. Of the estimated 1.5 million fishermen in NJ not very many give a crap. It is always the other guy who will do it.

Take the SSFFF for instance. This was probably the best cause thus far. But, the sponsor board shows a puny approx. 1,000 participants. However, it appears to be that the business end of the recreational sector is well represented, be it party and charter boats, bait and tackles, marinas and the like. They took the legal approach and it worked! Sure, it had it's detractors. Realistically, you will never be able to please everyone. But, this organization really opened some eyes. But, it came at a price. The legal arena can deplete a treasury at breakneck speed. And, professional scientists aren't cheap either. So, if you are looking for advice on how to start, whatever you decide to start. Contacting the SSFFF might be the place to begin,they might be able to steer you in the right direction.

In reality, has the fight been clearly defined? Not yet. The regulations aren't set in stone and will possibly changed. Are we looking for a longer season? Smaller minimum size? Increase to the bag? NJ state autonomy, break away from NY and Conn.? All of the above? No point in being rebels without a cause!

Politicians are the most fickle folks of all. We will get the world promised to us to get them in office. Then once in office it will go something like; Saltwater Fishermen? This state has saltwater fishermen? Tell them I'm not in. The dirtiest dogs in the world playing the dirtiest game.

Assemblyman Pallone, for my money, has always had the interests of fishermen at the forefront of his legislative agenda. But, he can't go it alone. Sometimes he gains allies, sometimes not. But, as NJ goes he's my man. Gov. Christie told us how he's on our side before he ever got elected. Maybe he meant if we ever got our Boston tea party type protest off the ground, he'd help get the harbor gridlocked with us.

Re: Fluke regulations
 

NJFishing.com Regular

" RFA? Senators, & Governor-Who helped?
So couldn't all these fishing advocacy groups and with the NRA come together as The United Sportsmans? I think that already exists? I guess more money goes to the lobbying of keeping guns than to keeping fishing rods. As been said, unity as the largest voting block will be the only means to political clout. The numbers should be there as I believe hunting but especially fishing is recognized as a larger sport / group participation wise, than even baseball. Have not heard any comment or posts from any of our advocacy groups, official or individual. Except Angler Paul - thanks!Thats it? a done deal?."...........

...... and not one reply? First this is all NIMBY. Every individual and group here has a "personal" agenda, of which there is disagreement amongst like mined individuals. All the individual fisherman advocacy groups here have a different specific interests and some in common. At last years meetings in Toms River this was very apparent (the disagreement over size and bag) The NMFS went with the majority - a voting block. So you would think this year our voice would be heard, except it was diluted with the interests of the other states. And Mickrazz you got it right. This is all about money and votes - "pay to play"... and politics...look at what just recently happened to our menhaden quota and Christie: "I want to be president"
As far as this short fluke revolt, I don't think so. Under many forms of government, petitioning must be legally recognized and acted upon as "initiative and referendum". This would possibly help. Consolidation as a lobbying and voting block of all sporting groups is the answer. Money and agenda is the problem. Government controls when apathy and complacency sets in - the ultimate failure and downfall of all democracy/ republic society. So who called NJ Senators Booker and Menendez? Who mailed them all the written comments against regionalization? Comments from our NJ fisherman"s advocacy groups? Haven't heard many? And a lawsuit? on what merit? but thats what it will take! as a start.