Stripers are in

The only provision I agree with is the no gaffing rule.

The slot is stupid- tell me how this will protect the striped bass population? Not picking on the commercial guys, but putting more limitations on rec fishing at a limit of 1 per day is a ridiculous way to protect the resource if it's getting tight. Commercial take is where the numbers are. Not saying to shut them down, but that's where you pull the levers to find the right balance between harvest and conservation.
 
Mountain said:
The only provision I agree with is the no gaffing rule.

The slot is stupid- tell me how this will protect the striped bass population? Not picking on the commercial guys, but putting more limitations on rec fishing at a limit of 1 per day is a ridiculous way to protect the resource if it's getting tight. Commercial take is where the numbers are. Not saying to shut them down, but that's where you pull the levers to find the right balance between harvest and conservation.
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No. Very wrong but commonly assumed.

The commercial fishery is peanuts and the lions share goes to the recreational fishery in MA. Literally the science says the dead recreational fishery throwbacks are more poundage than the entire commercial quota.
 
Gaffing stripers is more of a Cape cod boat fishery thing, ya its stupid. I have a net that is about 4 ft wide with an extending 8 foot handle and it is much more effective without killing any fish I put in the boat.
 
teamRR said:
No. Very wrong but commonly assumed.

The commercial fishery is peanuts and the lions share goes to the recreational fishery in MA. Literally the science says the dead recreational fishery throwbacks are more poundage than the entire commercial quota.
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Just numbskulls catching outside the size limits and not doing a good job of release, or is it purposeful jackasses tossing back a dead 28" because they keep fishing and catch a 30"? Maybe both?
 
So I'm pretty ignorant to all this as a freshwater angler - but if you gaff a fish that's outside the slot requirements chances are it may not survive?
Two years ago I was out on a charter off of Monomony with a friend that had chartered a boat for the day. Right out of the gate we were nailing 40"+ on the surface with plugs.
It was crazy action...We all caught a bunch and kept 2 fish per man. I had never fished with plugs before and it was a blast....
The charter captain said this was the end of the era and likened it to "shooting buffalo out the train car window"....He talked about how hard it was for the big females to migrate up the coast and the huge hit all the fishing was having on the population....Thanks dude...What a buzz kill that was...
 
Mountain said:
Just numbskulls catching outside the size limits and not doing a good job of release, or is it purposeful jackasses tossing back a dead 28" because they keep fishing and catch a 30"? Maybe both?
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Bottom line, and this sounds stupid/obvious, but we are killing too many fish compared to what the stock can reproduce.

My understanding, and I am not real up to speed on current striper science findings, their reproduction is getting messed with due to problems in the Chesapeake area, combined with our regulations being a bad fit.

Based on studies, a little nick in the gill of striper is basically a death sentence. So the circle hook business tries to combat that. My experience is maybe it helps a little but it's like arguments that reduced magazine capacity save lives in mass shootings - is beating around the bush.

Mostly, aside from doing what we can to let them bread right down south, I think what's not being done that may need to happen is a closed season on them (ie no targetting them at all), for a few weeks of the summer. This works the best in pretty much all fisheries because it literally cuts all the killing by a percentage.

Changing regulations like they are doing today isn't going to do squat because of the number of fish killed via throwbacks. Looks good on paper, likely does nothing but nip at fringe situations.
 
ccm75 said:
So I'm pretty ignorant to all this as a freshwater angler - but if you gaff a fish that's outside the slot requirements chances are it may not survive?
Two years ago I was out on a charter off of Monomony with a friend that had chartered a boat for the day. Right out of the gate we were nailing 40"+ on the surface with plugs.
It was crazy action...We all caught a bunch and kept 2 fish per man. I had never fished with plugs before and it was a blast....
The charter captain said this was the end of the era and likened it to "shooting buffalo out the train car window"....He talked about how hard it was for the big females to migrate up the coast and the huge hit all the fishing was having on the population....Thanks dude...What a buzz kill that was...
Click to expand...

I don't think it's true as far as the buffalo comparison. They said the same thing about bluefin tuna being like the buffalo and now the problem is we have so many it's too easy to catch them and it messes with the commercial aspect (ie supply too good).

In the mid 90s I want to say we had similar striper crisis, then for about 5 to 8 years around 2005 to 2013 or so the fishing was phenomenal. Ebb and flow. Regulations are not reactive enough if you ask me.
 
Wow that's some bullshit.

Last year was probably the best striped bass season I've ever seen in my 25+ years of fishing. My dad also said the same and he's been fishing for 50+ years.
We were getting trophy 45+ inch bass right in the outer harbor in Gloucester, it was nuts.
 
Dennis in MA said:
And this year you'll be throwing those 45's back. LOL
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Except for commercial fishermen, they can keep those 15x, 2 days a week (but only fish > 35 inches)..

My comments were basically, commercial fishermen don't care about trophies, recreational fishermen do, you are writing the laws backwards and creating what is nearly entrapment when a recreational fisherman does catch a trophy.
 
But short of eating said-trophy, what's the point? A few pix from your cell phone and a tape measure is going to get you the same mount from BPS. Possibly a better mount. It ends up being a couple of lbs of meat that you lose, in the end versus that 34" fish. (Assuming you catch another that day. Yada yada, fishing. LOL)
 
Dennis in MA said:
But short of eating said-trophy, what's the point? A few pix from your cell phone and a tape measure is going to get you the same mount from BPS. Possibly a better mount. It ends up being a couple of lbs of meat that you lose, in the end versus that 34" fish. (Assuming you catch another that day. Yada yada, fishing. LOL)
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True. Can still have a blast reeling those monster bass in but just can't eat em. Not the end of the world I suppose.
 

Recreational Bluefish Regulations for 2020

content.govdelivery.com content.govdelivery.com


Recreational Bluefish Regulations for 2020
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries sent this bulletin at 04/17/2020 11:49 AM EDT
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.​
Recreational Fishing Advisory Image
April 17, 2020​
New recreational bluefish limits effective in 2020.
The Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission has approved DMF recommendations to adjust the recreational possession limit for bluefish. Effective May 1, 2020:​
  • Recreational anglers fishing from shore or a private vessel are limited to harvesting and possessing 3 bluefish per day.
  • Recreational anglers fishing from a for-hire vessel during a for-hire trip are limited to harvesting and possessing 5 bluefish per day.
These regulations reduce the recreational bluefish possession limit from 10 fish for all anglers to either 3 or 5 fish depending on fishing mode. This action is consistent with decisions of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to reduce coastwide harvest in 2020 so as to not exceed the recreational harvest limit. Massachusetts’ recreational bluefish season remains open year-round, with no restriction on the size of bluefish that may be retained.

For more information, please visit our website: www.mass.gov/marinefisheries​
 
My thing with the big stripers is the few times I get a 50 inch fish, they are pretty much dead when they get to the boat..

The bluefish thing irritates me, similarly submitted comments on it, because they are telling us if you pay someone to take you fishing its 5 fish and but if not its 3. Basically they are creating an elite class..

In groundfish, ie cod/haddock etc, in the gulf of maine (which is basically everything north of Cape Cod), the charter boats have asked for this (more fish than a private boat) but it is so controversial/public that we have been able to fight it off (doesn't pass the votes it takes). These are federal regulations via New England Fishery Management Council.. I don't think they care to do things so fairly/transparently on the state level.
 
kope said:
1776- nice kayak setup. Is that Scusset?
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2nd beach Middletown RI
IMG_0204a.jpg IMG_0221a.jpg Very nice fishing machine, and fast.
P1020611a.jpg Shoulder pouch is a 1911 mag pouch for an ICOM M88
DSC04079a.jpg DSC04085a.jpg
Lip Grip and Gaff are on the boat. The blues have nasty teeth that have inflicted severe hand/finger damage on not to careful fishermen.
I use the Gaff to hook under the gills without causing damage, to keep them alive on the stringer until I get to shore, which might be 3-4 hours.
 
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