tunaless

Scup,

Luckily, the guys who set, usually are on the radio to other guys that have tags. So if there is a big set, they are 10 minutes away to get to the beach, so there is not much waste in that regard. The bigger waste is that in ny, you can only sell fish that are 24-36 inches, so a 36 and 1/4 inch fish is illegal. Since a 35 and 11/12 fish is the most valuable (since it weighs the most and fetches the same price per pound), high grading does occur. Joey B has handed out quite a few tickets in the past for "shortened" bass that had part of there tail nipped off to get under 36 inches.

Yes, the weakfish massacre of the mid 80's contributed to not seeing them.
11 truck loads was one day. That whole summer they were doing 2-5 truck loads(real #). I'd love to see the pack out sheet for that summer (where cartons going to fulton fish market are logged). The ugly part was the were real big fish (10-15 pounds). never the same since then.

I'd like to see mass switch over to N.Y's commercial bass style. This "kill the big fish" style (34 inch and over) does not make sense. There is a reason they catch the big fish up in the rivers in the spring......they are spawning!

Scup

CT used to have slot requirement for recreational striped bass a few years ago. I thought it made good sense. If I went out just to recreational fish, and I caught a 24 inch bass and a large female keeper, I would let the bigger female go and keep the smaller bass. Striped bass to me are like a $500 Madison Ave model, they are sort of plain until an expert fixes them up. A 24 inch bass is more than enough to feed me and my family. Now, I have to keep a 10 pound plus fish if I wish to take one home. I usually end up asking my neighbors if they could use some fish. I think the reason why they did away with the slot limit is too many anglers wanted to be able to keep a trophy fish. I used to think that way too, until I found out what it costs to have one mounted.

JackC

Just a fast comment on the slot limit on bass in CT. It was "done away with" because the only other state with a slot was Maine. The DEP thought that a few other states might follow "our lead" but it did not work out.

Other problems with the slot - catching fish under 40 inches in the summer that did not "make it" - I did see many floating bass (fish well over 20 pounds but not over 40 inches) that died when the water was warm. I had to "release" a big fish that did not make it in the summer and I still remember it to this day (it was a hair under 40 inches).

CT public was also upset that the charter boats could keep the 2 fish and the general public had slot limit. Problem gets compounded with part time charter guys with little boats who basically had a "free for all" keeping fish that the average guy couldn't.

Jack

Scup

Jack,

I do not ever remember killing a bass that I have released. I do not ever remember catching one that went much over 40 inches either. I tend to have my commercial mentality surface too when I have a bass on. I do not screw around with light tackle hence I usually get the fish to the boat quite rapidly. Perhaps the big ones die because recreational anglers use too light a tackle hence it takes far too long to boat the fish. The CO2 levels must build up in the fish's blood that is just too high for him/her to survive. It was interesting the reason you gave for the demise of the slot limit which I thought was a dam good idea. I could see where there would be a lot of bitching going around when different limits are set for different groups. I know the CT commercial guys, including myself, are upset because we are not even allowed one bass (any size) per day while our neighboring states do. About the only species that appears to be in good shape is the Striped Bass.
However, after seeing that horrible film clip, and I learned from reading this thread that the commercial guys still seine (or gill net) bass by the hundreds off Long Island I surprised that the bass population is still in good shape. The entire mentality of how our regulators (state and federal) go about managing fish stocks is really screwed up. I guess I cannot complain much because I cannot offer any positive suggestion on how to fix things up but in our hearts we know there just has to be a better way for keeping our fish stocks healthy. It hurts to see so many species go down the tubes that used to be so plentiful. I miss catching weakfish and winter flounder. Hell, I remember catching Cod off Sarah's Ledge! What is going to be next on their list; they seem to have their sights set on doing in the togs and fluke.

tunaless

Scup,

The gillnet fishery is very small(so don;t lose any sleep), due to each fishermen only getting approx 200 tags (# of tags was based on historical catch, so I believe if you did not fill out your taxes on the fish, and have a log, you did not get tags). you could fill all your tags in a few days. I will tell you that offshore cod nets up here in cape cod bay wipe out far more. I shuttered to think how many big fish got plucked from the nets, with the big (and I mean thick) population of bass that showed up to Stellwagen in june the last 2 yrs.

I think this next yr will be interesting, as there should be 6 billion 24-28 inch fish returning (since there were so many 18-24 inch fish around). I think it will be another slow yr on the bigger fish, compared to what we had in 2001-2005.

My personal opinion is that the big bass population is going to keep sliding down. It is all Al gores fault, as the internet has sped up the education of so many fishermen, and transition to properly using live baits effectively... ala commercial guys. Too much pressure on them..... I'll shut up now.

fishcounterbob

It seems the bass have been ranging farther north each year. I do not remember them being up in Maine in the 60's. I just figure the biomass is greater now than ever and is following the herring and macs up the coast. I also believe the sea bass and stripers are doing a number on the inshore lobster stocks.

Scup

I have a gill net! It is 110 feet long by 10 feet deep. I am totally inept at using it. I never put it out except just before dark and retrieve it the following morning. I try to pick areas in which the tide or boaters is not much of a factor. The last time I used it, it sorta got away from me and I was glad to get it back undamaged. I ended up catching several of my own scup pots, somebody's lobster pot, a discarded shower curtain, and big mass of eel grass that a dragger must have plowed up and it drifted into the net. The net must weigh less than 20 pounds in air, but once it gets in the water the forces on it become so great it seems to want to go where it wants to go even with two cement blocks at each end. I am not an angel, and would use it more often if I was more competent at it, but it is bitch for a novice to get the hang of it. I really do not enjoy using it, and because the DEP requires that I use such a fine diameter mono, this net scares the living S##T out of me. It snags anything that comes close to it, my outboard, any rivet holding my aluminum trim on that sticks out more than 1/64 of an inch, the buttons on my shirt (I will never ever wear anything with buttons on it again), my velcro shoes, any hardware on the boat such as rod holders or cleats, and I am sure it would snag me as well. Since I fish alone, I get some bad vibes that if I should accidentally go over the side and get afoul of my own net, that would be it. I carry two razor sharp knives, belt and ankle, but I do not think I could quickly get out of this net on dry land if someone dumped it over my head, much less in the water. Basically I am a recreational fisherman with a commercial license that allows me sell my catch. I enjoy using rod and reel, scup pots, and even small cast nets, but when it comes to big time fishing nets, I know I am out of my league. I just acquired a fyke net in a yard sale, so now I have another toy that can do me in. When I put these nets out, I think I am in more danger than the fish. If they should pass a no net law in CT, I think I would breathe a sign of relief. The only reason I use these nets and pots, is because the CT DEP dictates what fish quotas are allowed for each method employed. Somehow, I think the CT DEP is going to be responsible for my demise.

Bob & Mag

Jack or anyone, Do you foresee striper regs eventually going regional? There was talk at both the fluke and tog meetings that they could see us going to 4 state regions, all having the same regs.

__________________
Smoke free 6+ Months!

JackC

Don't hold your breath. Problem is the historic split between the states and "producer states" get to keep little fish during special seasons. If it where to happen they would have to revamp the entire management scenario. SW License may end up changing things but it will take many years.

Commercial bass in CT will not happen either - why? CT does not have a share of the commercial catch - it would have to come out of the recreational harvest - or another state will have to give some of "their" bass to CT.

In the "big picture" , I think bass will become a sport fish during the next 20 years (that's a fairly long time). I could envision a trophy limit (1) and a smaller fish for the table (pure speculation).

Scup - the big fish that left a tear in my eye was caught on 450 of wire line - the water was very warm the the fish had a long fight and came from 60 feet of water. I have also had a hard time reviving many big fish caught on eels (July/August). Big fish do not handle catch and release in the heat of summer. Sad but funny scenario for me - dad likes to fluke fish off Hammy Beach - so I do enough fluke fishing on the weekend to avoid the bass crowds that tend to "put down the fish" - on an incoming tide (down tide of my fluke grounds) I usually pick up a live but dying fish down tide of the bass fleet on the way back from fluke fishing. I have picked up as many as 3 bass (swimming in circles on the top with gulls getting friendly) on the way in. Biggest fish I have taken this way is about 30 pounds - no joke.

Jack