GAMBLER --Striped Bass Report

[captbogan]

Overall, the striped bass fishing has been pretty good so far. Some days better than others but plenty of big bass around to both the North and South.

The Gambler guys and gals are catching them on swim shads and live bunker.

Releasing a lot of bigger stripers.

It seems ashame to me that the bio mass was steadily increasing for years with the regs being two fish at 28" and over --but fisheries managers had to keep messing with it. They really need to look at the fact that stripers spend a lot of time outside the 3 mile line.

[Ol Pedro]

We are fortunate that the bait is inside three miles this year. It sucks that you can't go outside the eez to fish for other species if you have Stripers on board. We have seen birds working outside the line and can't check them out without risking a citation. What about catch and release outside the line? I don't think that it's legal. You can't even fish for them. You can't retain incidental catches outside the eez even if the Striper is legal size. The managers not only complicate the regulations they limit access. Why don't the managers look into the commercial bi-catch that is just wasted? They can't retain them to sell so they go back. If they die then too bad. It made me sick when I saw dozens of large Stripers floating North of Manasquan Inlet one Striper trip with a gillnetter working close by a few years ago. Why don't they manage the waste better instead of limiting the sport catch. I agree with Bob that 2@28" has been working. I guess that the managers use Politically Correct Voodo Science to base their decisions on.

[Gumada]

They still use the science that decimated flounder, fluke, whiting and other game fish ! No it was not the recreational sector that caused the bio mass to crash ! They learn nothing !

This year's run of big fish and the size body of fish is one of the best fall runs in years. Being an inshore stock, stripers get pounded year round from North Carolina to Maine and need some protection. For years, people on this site when they saw monster bass, spawners, lying on the deck for the hero shot said just wait and see what happens to this fishery. We're killing too many spawners, the future of the stock. Well what happened, recruitment plummeted 50% and so did the stock. We brought this on ourselves.

Best thing to happen to this fishery was the introduction of a slot and mandated circle hooks. Leave the EEZ zone for the protection of migrating stock otherwise we all know it'll turn into a shit show.

Personally I believe this is a fishery that the states and fisheries management got right. How can you argue the results we're seeing. Would rather release the breeders, have a good chance catching a keeper or two, as opposed to fishing in a dead ocean. How many reports have there been this year with PB mentioned? A lot. It'll bring people back even if they can't keep those larger fish while still having a good chance to bring home dinner Not a bad trade off and circle hooks are significantly reducing release mortality in the fishery.

This isn't the same science or better said management philosophy that killed flounder, fluke , whiting etc. In the case of fluke, it's the exact opposite. We're asking for a slot which till now has fallen on deaf ears. With whiting and winter flounder, commercials found them offshore and took everything. Killed the smaller fish and harvested the larger higher market value breeders. Wiped out both stocks. Year round harvest, no protection whatsoever to the stock. With fluke it's the polar opposite of bass, were harvesting all the breeders and killing already greatly reduced recruitment classes in the process of that harvest. If it doesn't change, summer flounder will follow the exact track as winter flounder for all the same reasons. It's already happening. Someone tell me one fishery where the philosophy of harvesting older sexually mature breeders while killing sexually immature fish, the farm system, in the process works. You can't because it doesn't, it's a formula for disaster.

If we don't start focusing on recruitment, protection of the spawning stock and long-term management practices for every stock, there won't be long-term fisheries. It's that simple.

[hammer4reel]

The old limit was fine for the Hudson run fish ,.
It’s not for the. Chesapeake run fish .
Those stocks have been crushed by the 6 months of getting pounded south of us for too long .
There are high dollar tournaments down in VA that didn’t even have a legal fish weighed in .
No sense in those states changing their limit to try and rebuild the sticks to have us beat them up here .

What’s wrong with actually having a species we promote as a catch and release fishery that will last decades .
And just keep smaller fish for the table ?

Best thing for long term fishing for stripers was to have to release these fish full of eggs to continue the stocks

[Billfish715]

[QUOTE=dakota560;564737



This isn't the same science or better said management philosophy that killed flounder, fluke , whiting etc. In the case of fluke, it's the exact opposite. We're asking for a slot which till now has fallen on deaf ears. With whiting and winter flounder, commercials found them offshore and took everything. Killed the smaller fish and harvested the larger higher market value breeders. Wiped out both stocks. Year round harvest, no protection whatsoever to the stock. With fluke it's the polar opposite of bass, were harvesting all the breeders and killing already greatly reduced recruitment classes in the process of that harvest. If it doesn't change, summer flounder will follow the exact track as winter flounder for all the same reasons. It's already happening. Someone tell me one fishery where the philosophy of harvesting older sexually mature breeders while killing sexually immature fish, the farm system, in the process works. You can't because it doesn't, it's a formula for disaster.[/QUOTE]


That's a very good assessment of the contrasting and convoluted philosophies of those in charge of our fisheries. Will they ever look into a mirror and see themselves as having no consistency in their decision-making? Some might call them hypocrites while most will charge them with uncompromising self-righteousness.

In any case, if there is so much concern and social empathy for the esteemed striped bass, why can't there be the sane feelings and dealings for the lowly summer flounder? in a time when so much social and political interest is directed toward social justice and class, the same attitudes are being directed toward our fisheries.

High up on the social class of fish is the striped bass. Very low on the list is the flounder. Which species do you suppose gets the most attention? Those that fish for stripers might be considered a bit more elite than those who fish for fluke. Who would a politician likely support and which fish would those bureaucrats most likely protect? It's just a theory but money and social class get every politician's ear. Stripers rate. Flounder don't. There is more status in catching a big striped bass than in catching a lowly fluke.

All of this matters when it comes to making fisheries' decisions and regulations. Again, it's just theory but once those managers raise their evaluations and status of flounder to the levels of striped bass, they will always be relegated to second class status.

[Skolmann]

Why does it seem that in general anglers in the southeast have no problems with slot limits (on gamefish species such as redfish, snook, sea trout), having no problem with a catch & release fishery and only take 1 for the table (instead of whatever the legal limit is)-while anglers in the northeast feel as if they always have to keep their legal limit, have no regard for the breeding stock & frown upon having slot limits ?

[Ol Pedro]

I'm ok with circle hooks. The conditions are changing with more Bunker live lining/chunking. A lot of boats on this site have promoted releasing larger fish even before the slot. Over 90% of my Stripers are caught on jigs anyway. I remove the treble hooks on all my jigs and replace them with single hooks. Most fish are liphooked. I prefer to eat Stripers on the small side as they taste better. I'm not ok with the eez regs. Not being able to go over the line to switch species if you have Stripers on board sucks. We used to be able to find Bluefish further offshore when the Stripers were difficult. With the slot limit in place why not drop the eez restriction? The bi-catch issue goes on both inside and outside the eez. This is just my opinion. It's all right to disagree.

I agree nothing wrong with a healthy debate and opposing views. Open up the EEZ zone and you open it to commercial as well. As it is already, many boats fish beyond that line. Give the green light and you're going to see culling increase as well as release mortality which means two things. More bass killed and stricter regulations in the future. At the same time, you remove the one safe harbor this inshore stock has. The long term consequences to this fishery would in my opinion overshadow the short term benefits.

[spc06]

Originally Posted by captbogan

Overall, the striped bass fishing has been pretty good so far. Some days better than others but plenty of big bass around to both the North and South.

The Gambler guys and gals are catching them on swim shads and live bunker.

Releasing a lot of bigger stripers.

It seems ashame to me that the bio mass was steadily increasing for years with the regs being two fish at 28" and over --but fisheries managers had to keep messing with it. They really need to look at the fact that stripers spend a lot of time outside the 3 mile line.

Fantastic you are still hitting them.