Striped bass busts gone wild !!

[captainrich]

I don't know why but I am going to stick my two cents into this issue:

- first, for all of you who want to extrapolate numbers - no one talks about the days we drive all over the ocean and can't catch very many or any for that matter - so put that into you calculation - it will drastically change it

- you right NJ has no commercial fishing for them but the last time I checked Stripers don't really read the sign on the nets that say "don't swim in we can't catch you" - so when this happens they are released but a good percentage are already dead or too hurt to make it

- yup I agree with the post about NJ boats going out the east beach - on the way up we can take the short route but not on the way home - I always believed there should be a way that we can just "transit" waters over 3 miles

[Capt Sal]

So your the capt. of a party boat coming out of Belmar. You head North staying two miles off the beach. The birds start working and there Stripers rolling on top. You stop and have good fishing for an hour and it drops dead. You make a move furter North and 2.8 miles off the beach. You look out East a half mile furter out and Gannets are diving and there is white water everywhere! The forty customers see it to and start screaming"Let's go into the birds Captain! You say by law that you can't because you have retained Stripers already. But there blues not bass? Does not matter YOU CAN'T GO THERE!!!

[bowhunter]

Made that mistake and luckily didn't get caught. Spring time on way out for Ling We stopped on the knoll and jigged a few bass then headed out to Scotland for ling with Bass in the box. Didn't realize at the time we were in violation.

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by bowhunter

Made that mistake and luckily didn't get caught. Spring time on way out for Ling We stopped on the knoll and jigged a few bass then headed out to Scotland for ling with Bass in the box. Didn't realize at the time we were in violation.

If you run a head boat sometimes you have to straight off shore to the blues and bypass the bass. If it is an all day bass bite then that is what you do.When i use to charter in the winter we would try to get bass on thknoll on the way home. Same thing when i go to Louisiana where my youngest son is a capt. Red Fish can only be retained in state waters. We fish the oil rigs that are 10-15 off the beach. I let some real beauties go but it did not bother me. Here in Florida Cobia was closed in Federal waters. Let some beauties go again along with Red snapper and Amberjack and groupers. It is nation wide not just NJ. Iam all for conservation but realistic conservation.

[tuna john]

what stinks is North and central jersey get to catch these fish for a long period of time, unfortunately when they start heading south they head offshore past the eez. i am pretty confident its the same body of fish that have migrated from the north. While I don't advocate breaking any laws, cant blame guys who do it. The law needs to be changed as its antiquated and in reality doesn't protect the species

[Angler Paul]

Protecting the stripers in the EEZ is a good law as it applies to both recreational and commercial fishermen along the entire east coast. The stocks would be devastated if we opened the EEZ to fishing for them as many winter off Virginia and North Carolina. There they would be easy targets for the netters who would wipe them out in no time.

Paul Haertel

[Capt. Lou]

I agree with Paul , in the past these fish were slaughtered , offshore protection is a must or else it would repeat itself ! Plenty fish inshore in most years to catch .

[Capt. Debbie]

Aren't you in charge of your boat and paying attention to how far off shore you are for that exact reason?

And then you retain the bass you see come over the rail 3.1 miles out?

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

So your the capt. of a party boat coming out of Belmar. You head North staying two miles off the beach. The birds start working and there Stripers rolling on top. You stop and have good fishing for an hour and it drops dead. You make a move furter North and 2.8 miles off the beach. You look out East a half mile furter out and Gannets are diving and there is white water everywhere! The forty customers see it to and start screaming"Let's go into the birds Captain! You say by law that you can't because you have retained Stripers already. But there blues not bass? Does not matter YOU CAN'T GO THERE!!!

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by Capt. Frank

Aren't you in charge of your boat and paying attention to how far off shore you are for that exact reason?

And then you retain the bass you see come over the rail 3.1 miles out?

NO! If you have a bass on board you do not go over the three mile line.

[Capt. Debbie]

Like the sea bass season. Fed rules are different.

Running the boat you should know that before you stepped on the boat at the dock. So what's unfair about the rules? You knew that before you had breakfast the day before.

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

NO! If you have a bass on board you do not go over the three mile line.