WINTER FLOUNDER MORE LOST$$$$$please read

[Capt Sal]

with the bag limit of 2 flounder this spring we will not flounder fish.this will be the first time in 50 years that i will not fish raritan bay for one of my favorite fish .they are close and it is something that was done from boats 14ft.to large party boats.just one more fish taken away from us!!!!my dad who passed away 5 years ago taught me how to catch them at the early age of 5years.dad if you can hear me we are trying to get our fishery back from the big bad government.i am trying everything i know to change the MSA.there are a lot of good people working hard to protect our fishing rights.

dad i hate to give you more bad news but your favorite fish in the world the weakfish has a bag limit of 1 per day.i know it is incredible but we are trying hard to change things.fact is we need more help.we are going to march on washington on feb.24 to appeal to our elected government officials for help.

dad i remember a lot of things you taught me when i was a young man.if you belong to an organization or fishing club and do not go the meeting,don't bitch.what i can't understand is the people who make there living fishing here in new jersey are not ''all' on board.many tackle shops where you bought your bait are not going.i hope every charter and party boat will. be represented.dad you were right when you told me family comes first.if you have to work feb24 it is your obligation.dad i hope your great grandson NICO has the opportunity to catch some fish with me.dad thank you and all of the veterans for fighting in the wars to keep our country free.i guess the ball is in our court now.mom is ok and i will carry on the tradition as long as i breath.

[RBC67]

So very true,I was reminiscing just the other day similar thoughts to my dad.

[1captainron]

Capt.Sal,
When my dad first started in business, the spring flounder run was the kick off to the season. Back then most of the fishing was done in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, as far back as Ocean port and almost to Red Bank for those who braved the shallow water.
Local steamers, (piss clams as we called them) that had been broken during harvest and couldn't be sold for food were saved for us as bait and chum.
Worms were inexpensive and we supplied them ALL DAY!!
Double headers were the norm and it wasn't uncommon to fill a 5 gallon bucket with those tasty suckers.
At that time there was no commercial pressure on the fish as they were considered "MUD BACKS" or "BLACK BACKS" and the fact that the Whiting were abundant kept the Flounder off the radar.
The big slap in the face is the fact that they just didn't close it, but think they are throwing you a bone by letting a fisherman keep two fish!! What an insult...who the hell is gonna pay to catch 2 Flounder, who is gonna fish off the dock or the beach for them?
What once was the official start of the season has now gone the way of everything else, gone and probably soon to be forgotten, kinda like us.

We don't have an endless supply of SOMETHING ELSE to fish for...The pressure on the Striper's will only end that fishery now that the flounder are done. Rest assured also, now that the Weakfish are down to 1 fish....Raritan Bay will explode this fall!!!!!!
From the way I figure, if you stand to loose 20-25 charters for Flounder and 25 or more charters for weakfish, you may just very well be out of business!!!
Sad to say but I know your Dad and my Grandfather are turning over in their graves!!!!! See you on the 24th. Capt.Ron

[Capt. Lou]

I loved fishing for those winter flounder, my uncle took me back in the fifties bulkhead fishing @ SR. Even from shore in late February, March you could ctach a dozen or so easily.
Later on, boat fishing like Capt Ron related to in the rivers you could load up in short order. I always kicked off the flounder season arround mid March, we don't have to worry about that any more! From filling a cooler with fish to zero, great fisheries mgmt. In fact fron Barneget Bay north all sustained decent flounder runs, now alloed two fish, what a joke & it's on us for allowing this to happen, remaining silent!
How the hell did we all let this happen? I hope it isn't too late for all of us!!
See ya' on the 24th!!!

[Tin Squid]

Having a "bag limit" of 2 fish is a crock and an outright insult. I can remember putting 50 + flounders in our boat in the Navesink in the mid 1970's in just about 2.5 hrs. Unfortunately "night dragging" in Raritan Bay in the early 1990's contributed significantly to a decline in the flounder population.

What a shame that yet another valuable resource is being lifted from rod-n-reel folks.

[MartyS]

Originally Posted by Tin Squid

Having a "bag limit" of 2 fish is a crock and an outright insult. I can remember putting 50 + flounders in our boat in the Navesink in the mid 1970's in just about 2.5 hrs. Unfortunately "night dragging" in Raritan Bay in the early 1990's contributed significantly to a decline in the flounder population.

What a shame that yet another valuable resource is being lifted from rod-n-reel folks.

That bag limit of two fish is just about right to discourage most people from fishing. They are effectively closing the season without actually doing so.

We used to have great catches of flounder in the bays and channels of the south shore of LI when I was a kid. Those days are gone.

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Tin Squid

Having a "bag limit" of 2 fish is a crock and an outright insult. I can remember putting 50 + flounders in our boat in the Navesink in the mid 1970's in just about 2.5 hrs. Unfortunately "night dragging" in Raritan Bay in the early 1990's contributed significantly to a decline in the flounder population.

What a shame that yet another valuable resource is being lifted from rod-n-reel folks.

There is the real problem. Those pricks ruined it for us and we have been paying.

Leif

[TurboDan]

I'm only in my 20s and every year (including 2009) my Dad and I would always kick off our season fishing for winter flounder. Some years it was warm, other years we were freezing. Ironically, our best catch ever was probably '08 under the Mantoloking Bridge out with a local charter capt. who has since moved out of NJ.

While I'm never a fan of ANY fishing being taken away, they had to do something about winter flounder. Unfortunately they can't do it regionally within the state in order to leave more northerly locations in Monmouth County open. But below northern Barnegat Bay they have been decimated. The aforementioned Mantoloking Bridge is about all she wrote the past few years. Forked River will produce some, but not in the numbers that really make it a sustainable fishery in that area. When I was really little, we'd even catch them at the LBI Causeway Bridge!

[frugalfisherman]

Laws were made to be broken.

[Solemate]

Fish for whatever you want to. Tell them there are plenty of fish and that you keep none. There are not enough police to stop us.