Asmfc- striped bass stock low?-jump on any charter or head boat - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

WESTWIND · #1 11-15-2019, 04:11 PM

Hey ASMFC- So your evaluation of the striped bass stock states that is low and must be cut back for future generations. Well it looks to me that you have never stepped on a charter or head boat from the NY Bight area. There are striped bass in the millions from Perth Amboy, to the Far Rockaways and down to Manasquan. Visit the captain helmarea and look at his fish finder. Today we had them stacked 15 feet deep all over our area. This is the biomass you are looking for. Right before you eyes. It seem to me that you must be sampling the Jersey coast in the middle of the summer when the bass have left our area. Get real, jump on any head boat or charter boat and take a gander at the fish finders and bent rods. What a joke...

fishunt · #2 11-15-2019, 04:34 PM

Your kidding go on a boat to south jersey or delaware bay and see how many bass are being caught down their. I could probably count on one hand how many. Fish the surf and back bay and you will see not many big fish being caught. I'm sure I'll get bash for this reply. But if you think the bass aren't in trouble then I must be crazy.

mjz157 · #3 11-15-2019, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishunt

Your kidding go on a boat to south jersey or delaware bay and see how many bass are being caught down their. I could probably count on one hand how many. Fish the surf and back bay and you will see not many big fish being caught. I'm sure I'll get bash for this reply. But if you think the bass aren't in trouble then I must be crazy.

nope you are correct. one biomass of fish that you can see on a boat/fishfinder doesn't mean all is well. thats the type of thinking that cause things to never change until it's too late.

WESTWIND · #4 11-15-2019, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishunt

Your kidding go on a boat to south jersey or delaware bay and see how many bass are being caught down their. I could probably count on one hand how many. Fish the surf and back bay and you will see not many big fish being caught. I'm sure I'll get bash for this reply. But if you think the bass aren't in trouble then I must be crazy.

Some areas are hurting that is for sure. The Hudson strain that invades Raritan Ban and it's adjacent waters is extremely healthy. One size does not fit all. Let the regs reflect the quality of bass fishing in each area. Release all fish over 38 in.

Togfather2530 · #5 11-15-2019, 08:06 PM

Fisherman lol. Have a good run or season and the act like there is no need for the restrictions. Same with the sea bass. I’ve had plenty of sub par striper fishing in the ny bight area the last few years.

bulletbob · #6 11-15-2019, 08:19 PM

yeah I dunno... back in the 80's there was NO striper fishery for the most part... Just not enough of them out there.. However, there were a very few guys that would catch them consistently and they were big,, For those guys the stock was healthy, because they knew where the fish were, and how to catch them.. Thats does NOT indicate a good population.. It meant that a small population was figured out by a few good fisheremen..
These days there are guys that go out and limit on big tog every trip... All that means is they know where there are good numbers in certain areas that will bite.. It does NOT indicate that the fish are in good shape population wise.. Just means there are pockets of fish where a few guys know how when and where to catch them...

I never considered stripers a fish that could be exploited by hundreds of boats packed with fishermen on a daily basis, and remain viable long term.. I just keep thinking of the weakfish I knew as a younger man.. Those fish were everywhere, until they weren't. They were over exploited for years, went away, and just never came back.. If that happens to Stripers..... well,,,, bob

dales529 · #7 11-15-2019, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulletbob

yeah I dunno... back in the 80's there was NO striper fishery for the most part... Just not enough of them out there.. However, there were a very few guys that would catch them consistently and they were big,, For those guys the stock was healthy, because they knew where the fish were, and how to catch them.. Thats does NOT indicate a good population.. It meant that a small population was figured out by a few good fisheremen..
These days there are guys that go out and limit on big tog every trip... All that means is they know where there are good numbers in certain areas that will bite.. It does NOT indicate that the fish are in good shape population wise.. Just means there are pockets of fish where a few guys know how when and where to catch them...

I never considered stripers a fish that could be exploited by hundreds of boats packed with fishermen on a daily basis, and remain viable long term.. I just keep thinking of the weakfish I knew as a younger man.. Those fish were everywhere, until they weren't. They were over exploited for years, went away, and just never came back.. If that happens to Stripers..... well,,,, bob

Again when all the reports say that the hundreds of boats killed the bite and put the fish down how was the fishery exploited? "had to get there early as traffic killed the bite" "fishing shut down as soon as the traffic built" "had to leave the fleet to find a few fish" Netting depleted bait and stripers not recs
Stripers when saved ate all the weakfish!

Capt Sal · #8 11-15-2019, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyS

"There are also tons of big bass outside of the 3 mile line", how do you know ?

Many times we had to watch the three mile line. Coming in from tuna fishing there would be big bass on bunker pods seven even ten miles off the beach. Years ago we did not have a three mile limit and nothing to worry but. This is how we know. Many PB and charter boats are hurt by this. If you put one striped bass in the box at 7 am you are not allowed to cross the three mile line. So the inshore bass stop biting and you have 75 patrons on board and you can see the bass and blues under tons of birds but they are 100 yards past the line??? Your screwed and a bunch of unhappy customers. Walk in the shoes of a for hire capt and maybe you will change your tune.

reason162 · #9 11-16-2019, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

Walk in the shoes of a for hire capt and maybe you will change your tune.

So much confidence based on anecdotal sightings of offshore bass.

If you're wrong and the stock collapses, everyone goes out of business, right?

You depend on a public, natural resource, and no one forced you to go into the fishing business. Honestly, you guys ought to be the most "conservative" when it comes to management, yet every single time the data shows constricting biomass you grasp at straws --- offshore bass, female fluke --- fighting tooth and nail to kill more fish.

It's as if the prior striper collapse never happened.

fishunt · #10 11-16-2019, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reason162

So much confidence based on anecdotal sightings of offshore bass.

If you're wrong and the stock collapses, everyone goes out of business, right?

You depend on a public, natural resource, and no one forced you to go into the fishing business. Honestly, you guys ought to be the most "conservative" when it comes to management, yet every single time the data shows constricting biomass you grasp at straws --- offshore bass, female fluke --- fighting tooth and nail to kill more fish.

It's as if the prior striper collapse never happened.

well said!