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 .

[Tomm24]

Just call me Darwin but I have a theory that short of spawning Stripers will become a slightly offshore fish due to natural selection

[Walleyed]

Originally Posted by Tomm24

Just call me Darwin but I have a theory that short of spawning Stripers will become a slightly offshore fish due to natural selection

No such critter as an offshore striper. The stripers simply follow the bait fish during their migrations. Some years they stay close, other years they move out beyond the 3 mile line. All stripers procreate in freshwater.

[Capt. Debbie]

I don't think the Coast Guard serve the junkies in your town. Their job is on he water and maybe even prevent drug smugglers

REALLY....
The whole idea of conservation is good, as long as it doesn't apply to everyone?

No one thinks they'll get caught. And when they do, there should be HOLY HELL TO PAY. They deserve it.

Should be a $5000 fine, jail and seize the damn boat the second time it happens.

Originally Posted by AndyS

I think this whole EEZ thing has ran it's course. I'm all for conservation but gawd forbid some one wants to go out in the ocean and catch some fish using a rod and reel. Nothing like drawing imaginary lines in the ocean.
FastEddie said it best. There are people dropping dead in the streets from heroin overdoses but we have to call out the US Coast Guard because some caught and kept a fish using a rod and reel.