Capt Neil Faulkner

Flukinoff,

Please go to www.mels-place.com When the home page comes up go to the bottom of the page and click on the box with red lettering and words about fluke.

Please read all about the fight we (fishermen) are in. Maybe then you may have an appreciation of what is happening.

It is not about saving fluke that are not there. As I stated the scientists say that there are more fluke in the sea than they have ever recorded.

I am sure that you think I am some arrogant boat owner just as I think you are an arrogant angler just like 99% of anglers who will not step up to the plate and spend some bucks to fight the cause. Most won't even do a little research to see what is happening.

So I guess we nulify each other.

So who am I? Among other things I am supposedly retired, Ha! In order to stay on Long Island near my children I have to work. Yes, I do have a very small legal rod building business. Yes I am a relief capt for pb owners. I also run a launch for a local YC. I guess you would say I am am in the business and part of the problem. If I have to I can work at many other things to hustle a buck. God has blessed me with good health and many opportunities.

First and foremost I have been a salt water fishermen for over 60 years. I love to fish for fluke. I want my children and their children to be able to fish for fluke if they so desire. I want yours and everybody elses families have the choice to fluke fish if they so desire.

If you are looking for a reason to jump into the fight I hope you found it by reading the info on Mels-place.

Do you like having "do gooders" spending rich peoples money dictating to law makers arbitrary numbers that are ridiculous and affecting the fishing regulations? Well, I don't and I am a very conservation minded person.

Yes, I am very concerned about the economic impact this will have up and down the East Coast. It goes way beyond the fishing boats, rec and comm, and the tackle shops. How about tourism, hotels, motels etc and all the folks employed in those places. The list goes on and on.

Yes, I know many of these fine boat owners and crew members who have not sailed since Sept 12 which was the closing day of the NY fluke season. About 90% of fishing trips or anglers taget fluke in NYS. I have lost a career and I do not like to see others loose their businesses and livelihoods when it is for all the WRONG REASONS.

I have very little to lose by all this. The last 6 weeks of running around listening to retorts and rejection from anglers has not been fun. I don't need this crap! I wish I had not volunteered to do it. What a jerk I am! However, you can bet your last dollar I WILL NOT do it again in the future.

I have been very thankful to the 150 plus folks who have stood up to be counted and mailed in the checks to buy raffle tickets. They are the cream that rises to the top along with all those who donated the fantastic prizes.

That's right only 150 plus checks for how many hundreds of thousands of anglers?

I apologise as I am normally a very positive type person. Yopu post happened along at the wrong time.

I hope you have a meaningful fluke season next year and there after.

Capt Neil

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049

Possum

Wow, for something that is not a "hot" topic, this has gotten interesting.

Neil is a good driver for and supporter of the Recreational Fisherman. While he may relief captain some PBs, they are NOT the problem in the Fluke fishery. The commercial draggers are what has decimated the population. Yeah, this will hurt the PB industry, and in all honesty, I am personally not concerned with that (as "cold" as it may sound).

I want the right to fish for and catch a reasonable legal limit of Fluke during the summer months. It is my family's primary focus during the mid summer months, and my wife and kids all love it. We don't keep that many, maybe 4 when we go out, which is well below what we could for 4 anglers.

The commercial industry is decimating our fisheries and it simply must stop. The recs are not the big contibutor here (PBs included).

I respect your right to an opinion Flukinoff, as we all have them, but if you like Fluke fishing, it's time to stand up, or it will likley be gone for a few years (or more, depending on the unquantifiable biomass that is sustained).

Neil, sorry to see you are so "beat down" but I can't blame you.

__________________

Capt Neil Faulkner

Hi guys,

I like to say the cream always comes to the top. Well I went to a local fc meeting tonight. Just got home with $300 in my pocket to go into the fund to send our reps tp Washington DC. Great group of guys.

This closure or reduction is an issue that affects both the recs and comms equally. Also all the States that have a fluke fishery on the East Coast. No one gets a by on this one.

The enemy is the Pew Charitable Trust, Sunoco family money, and its sister organizations that they give millions of dollars to every year. By forcing arbitrary numbers such as 204 million pounds of fluke in the ocean they set limits that are not obtainable easily. Therefore there will be closures. When something is closed it is very hard to get it opened again. In this way they are taking away our right to go fishing.

Now don't forget that bluefish, porgys and sea bass are also included in this Magnuson/ Stevens Bill. They will come up in a year or two.

I care and I am trying!

Capt Neil

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049

Flukinoff

WOW ! Captain Neil yor passion has motivated me. I am going to research those links & rethink my position. I almost want to join the fight based on your tenacity and desire. :-D

__________________
You can respect the sea or she can take the respect from you.

Capt Neil Faulkner

Flukinoff

Good Morning,

Thank you for reading my post with an open mind. I appreciate that. Please let me know what you think after reading as much as you can. Please look into the RFA literature as they are on the leading edge of all this for us recs. They are set up like the NRA and can legally lobby.

Many anglers want nothing to do with the United Boatmen of NY and/or NJ. There is definitely a bias against pbs. Yes, they are fighting for their livelyhoods BUT they are trying to save all our rights to fish. Yes, you can make a case that it is an indirect way. They stepped up to the plate and took the Federal Commission to court, forgive me for not knowing which one. The word I get is that even though they lost, they have gained a tremendous amount of respect in the Commissions. They now get recognized when they attend the meetings. And, that is good.

A couple of important facts;

1. The scientists say that there are more fluke in our ocean than they
have ever recorded. Yes, there can never be enough.

2. We are for conservation. We want more fish. We are willing to work
towards the 204 million pounds of fluke just give the scientists/mgrs a
flexible schedule in order to accomplish this.

3. As recreational anglers we have been giving back every year. Just
think back to all the regs the past 10 years.

4. It is important to have as long a season as possible even if the size is
increased and the quantity is decreased. The season gives us the
opportunity to go fishing.

Once again thank you for being willing to do the research.

Capt Neil

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049

Capt Neil Faulkner

Flukinoff

Hi,

I was checking out some info tonight and I came across this,

http//www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/crd/crd0514

This is a report and the first section is about summer flounder. I try to read this info and I will be the first one to admit that I DON"T understand what the heck they are saying. Maybe if I was a marine scientist I could tell you what it says.

Take a look and hopefully you can educate me on the overall finding.

If you also have a problem understanding it you are with me and probably 99% of others that try. I believe many reports are written like this.

I guess we can add this type of report to insurance policies and legal info.

Capt Neil

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049

Flukinoff

Holy crap Captain Neil ! I can barely read the newspaper and I am expected to understand that ? Could'nt they at least put a couple of pictures in there ? Mom was right I should have stayed out of Kuwiat and went to college !

__________________
You can respect the sea or she can take the respect from you.

Capt Neil Faulkner

Flukinoff

Hi,

Now you get an idea why these fish regs are in the state they are. Ha.

A friend and fellow capt, an ex commercial fisherman, called from Florida today and told me of an article in The National Fisherman. He said it was a good article about the state of affairs concerning our dearly beloved fluke. That publication has very interesting articles, even for a rec to read. I tried to pull the article up from their web site but I was not successful. I wanted to post it on line for all to read. Will try to find a copy of the mag in a local store. www.thenationalfisherman.com

Recently heard that the Feds might come up with a total of 13 million pounds of fluke for 2007. I have not been able to pin down where that rumor came from.

My copy of this weeks The Fisherman just arrived. There is an article on page 14, Magnuson Stalls: More Summer Flounder Questions. An informative read. See if you can get a copy.

Capt Neil

Ps, they did give us some graphs and I gave up on them also.

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049

plugmeister

Capt and Flukinoff, I fished out of Pt Juduith twice in August and we caught 116 fluke. They didn't seem too endangered to us!

Capt Neil Faulkner

PlugMeister

Good morning,

The scientists say there are more fluke out there than they have ever recorded.

This is all about "National Environmentalists Groups" bringing this down on our heads for all the wrong reasons. Their goal is to eliminate fishing. By getting such large arbitrary numbers written into the Magnuson/Stevens Bill that can not be met by the 2010 deadline they will acheive this by the closures.

These same groups have gotten 2 areas off California and one area near Hawaii closed down. Once someting is closed or stopped it is extremely difficult to get it open or started again.

Remember than sea bass, porgys and bluefish are included in the same Bill. My feeling is that if we lose fluke the other fish will go the same way.

If these groups were really interested in conservation they would work with the scientists and fishery mgrs. They use their power,$$$$$, and threats to bully to get their way. And to think they get paid for doing this.

Stay awake guys or else you will wake up one morning and find out that your fishing rods will not be used again.

AND THEN!!!!! I bet they go after all the pleasure boaters. They won't go after all the rich folks houses that have been built on the water where there use to be an environment for fish to hatch and thrive. Maybe by then the boaters will wake up.

These groups are going to save the planet. Ha, for whom???

Yes, I am sure that during this process they do stumble and actually accomplish something worth while once in a while.

Agrrrrrrrr! I'm getting tired of all this!

Time to turn on some soft music and wrap rods.

Capt Neil

__________________
Custom Fishing Rods by Capt Neil
Home of The Long Islander Series of rods
Sayville, Long Island, New York

(631) 567-8049