Catch & Release vs. Catch & Keep of Legal Striped Bass

[BlueFen]

It is clear that there are some strong opinions out there.

Everyone is definitely entitled to their own opinion.

Everyone is entitled to have their opinion respected.

Everyone is entitled to avoid being force fed a contrary opinion.
(I violated this with the Golden Hookers catch last week - my bad).

The question for this thread is:

"How many of us relase stripers which we could keep under the regs?"
"If so, how often?"

[fdformicola]

I release about 75% of fish i catch which lately has not been many that is why I got recipe on how to cook dogfish. Stripers I might keep 1 or 2 all year usually the ones that are just legal weakies very few if any and flounder maybe 10 to 12 all year it also depends if they are injured or not if they are then I always keep them :)

[BigSexy]

I keep at least one or two for the boat every trip. If others on the boat want to keep em all, ok with me. Personally I keep enough to keep me in bass filets for the winter

[Don C]

I keep one a trip in the 30" range because one fish is two meals. One for me unless I'm having a BIG family meal with in-laws and such, then I'll keep two and we'll all have striper, they don't get it much and they all go crazy over it.

I don't keep any to give to freinds or family. If they want it they can come fishing.

Don C

[smellinfishy]

I keep my fish if I go out on a charter boat or fish a tournament, if not I release them with a little yellow reminder of our encounter;) If they are full of roe, they, without a doubt go back.

[fishypete]

I very rarely keep a keeper bass from the surf. I'm too lazy to carry it back to the truck and clean it when I get home especially if I'm fishing at night. Plus I plug and move. It's bad enoght carrying my plug bag filled with every lure I can stuff in there:eek:

I will keep bass from the boat but If I get back to the dock at 3am there'e no way I'm cleaning a fish. One again I'm too lazy. When I do keep bass it's nothing bigger that 34 inches cause those are the tasty ones. This year my daughter is two and my wife is pregnant so not keeping too much bass. I will tell you that when I catch my first 50lbr I'm keepin it. I have released more than my fare share of keepers.

I have no problem with the guys who keep thier quota. Would I rather they realeased the bigger ones, yes but it's their right and who am I to question them. I don't have a soapbox;)

[backpain]

Don't believe I have ever caught a legal sized striped bass so i will have to cross that bridge when i come to it haha:D

[Captain's John & Diana]

We really do not like fresh striper that much so it makes it easy to release all of them when we are not charter fishing. When charter fishing we let the charter determine what they keep up to the legal limit. I also do not believe in the NJ bonus tags and do not allow them to be used on my boat as I feel two keepers over 28 inches is enough if you are lucky enough to catch two keepers. We had a little party the other evening where we cooked up some fresh striper given to us right off the boat a freind caught and had 5 family members over for a fresh caught striper dinner that same evening. We all agreed it tasted a little too rubberey for most of our tastes and prefer other fish to stripers overall. Our fillets came from bigger stripers over 30 lbs so that may have added to the taste issue. I would love to see a slot fish be allowed again and any conservation on bigger spawning stripers is a good thing in my opinion and I have been striper fishing going back to the early 70's when I lived in Narragansett, RI where 30-40 lb stripers were commom place all summer and fall. I would also like to see more conservation on Black Drum and offshore Yellowfin Tuna but that is another issue. One problem about C&R is many of the stripers we have thrown back over the years were bleeding and I really doubt they survived and in this situation keeping them is probably in order. We will shortly be the proud grandparents of four young ones and I want them to enjoy striper fishing like my wife and I have and not see it go the way of the weakfish.

[mary c]

I only keep enough to get us thru the winter. This spring we didn't have the opertunity to catch or release a stripedone, four skunks spring isent over yet maby next trip.:)

[DEER CHUM]

We Only Get Out A Few Times During The Spring And Fall Run So We Keep Anything Thats Legal.

[Skmag357]

I keep my fish if I go out on a charter boat or fish a tournament, if not I release them with a little yellow reminder of our encounter;) If they are full of roe, they, without a doubt go back.

same exact thing:D

[Groggy]

i catch like 3-4 stripers a year. So I keep mine. By the time I finish hugging and kissing the fish its dead.:D If I caught more I would release of course.

[Bob ECT]

If you never release a 28+ inch bass you must not be catching many

[BlueHurricane]

I used to keep them but after seeing some of the bacteria on them recently I have stopped.

[bigfish4me]

I only target them a few times ayear, so when i get keepers they go in da box,

[Catty]

If It's 28 Inches Or Above, It's Gonna In Da Box!

[Steve Wdz]

I'll let you know if and when I catch one:mad:

[bornband]

I only keep one or two a season. My son and I are the only ones in my family who will eat Striper and I am one of the rare people that enjoy the taste of bluefish much more. If the striper gives me the chance to be a weekly winner in the Striper Cup I will keep it and eat it with my son over the course of a couple days.

[earlybird]

I haven't kept a bass in over three years now. I enjoy catching them too
much and I want to do my part to ensure my kids can as well! That being
said, I'm not condemning anyone for keeping their legal limit. Every
persons situation is different. Some guys only get out a few times a year.
I'm fortunate enough to be able to fish 3-4 times a week.

[JAY MAN]

I keep 'em, and I eat 'em! Only time I release 'em, is if I reached my bag limit, including my bonus fish.

[BlueFen]

Almost 600 views, but only 94 poll participants....good start, but let us know what you do.

[cc19]

I keep what I am allowed. The whole family enjoys fresh striper. Vacum packed, it freezes very nicely. I also don't bring fish into the boat I'm not going to keep. I don't see a problem with keeping what the law says while at the same time being very careful with the fish you put back.
BlueFen, don't forget that alot of us will check this thread several times:rolleyes:

[smooth67]

Fished the Maurice river today for the whole outgoing tide, Short action was unbelievable!! Speaking of Catch and release i havent tasted a striper in about a year now and let me tell you when that 27and a half inch football hit the deck man was i tempted!! I didnt let my hunger get the best of me though, after i swished him back and forth a few times he turned and almost took my thumb with him!!!:D I think that was his way of telling me not this time buddy... Days like these make me wanna retire early!

[The Producer]

I only keep what I am going to eat in the near future. I am usually only feeding myself. Maybe I will surpise a friend or two with some fresh meat now and again. Most of my fish go back.

[MikeD.]

I would like to reply but flyguy might jump in. In fact I wonder why he hasn't shared his wisdom as of yet.

[cc19]

I would like to reply but flyguy might jump in. In fact I wonder why he hasn't shared his wisdom as of yet.



Hey Bigsexy.................here's some of the community for ya:D

This a respectable poll with some respectable posts.....we know what Flyguy's stance on the subject is. So why try to bait him if you'll pardon the pun:D

[Sir Reel]

Bob, I don't think he meant do you ever release stripped bass that are of legal size. He meant do you ever release a legal sized fish that you COULD keep.

I rarely release a legal size bass if I have not met my limit. When you fish 2 or 3 times a year, and like seafood, there isn't a whole lot of reason. I'm going to buy it if I don't catch it.

I would bet that a lot of the people who release many of their fish either (a) get to fish quite a bit or (b) don't eat much seafood. There isn't much reason to release a fish if you will eat it. Something has to die for you to eat it, right fishpicker? "A dead fish is a dead fish."

That being said, I will release a fair amount of tuna. It's my thought that no one can possibly handle more than 1- 80 pound tuna worth of meat per trip. I can only give away so much tuna, freeze so much, and eat so much at a given time.

I think an interesting question would be how many stripers you keep per year. I bet even though I rarely release a bass, I still have less impact than people who release almost all of them.

[smithwa]

If I dont feel like cleaning them. They go back in the drink.

[JoeyZac]

The only time I release a keeper is if I am sure I am going to catch my limit and I want to wait for a better one to come along.

Other than that, anything legal is kept and usually given to family/friends.

[fishindick]

I may keep one or two a year and I may land 20 keepers a year, I'm trying to raise that number but with a young family, me time is tough to come by.

If I'm keeping one I try for a 28 to 32 incher because this is the "better one" when it comes to eating.

I will not keep an egg laden cow during the spawn ever. Only a fish I'm sure is not full of eggs.

For everyone who says that they don't see anything wrong with keeping anything the law allows, I don't get it. All I see on every fishing web site is how the government doesn't know how to manage a fishery (case in point, the fluke debocle and stripers back in the day when they had to shut down the fishery all together). Also, I keep seeing reports about how numbers seem to be down and there seems to be less cows around. So I ask myself, why would anyone trust the government to understand and properly manage a fishery? If you're on the net reading this then you've probably already seen many of the posts refering to this issue and if you have any common sense then you should know to be conservative with the fishery and treat yourself to the occasional keeper but put most of them back. If you can't see that I'm afraid you might be stupid, or just selfish. I even read one post (I can't remember who posted it) where some guy said that the cost savings from catching his own food helped to offset his fuel costs. I find this to be unbelievable. If you're relying on your catch to offset the cost of fishing you need a new hobby. Fish will always be much cheaper at the market, I'm 100% sure of that.

OK, hit me with it cause I know you will. But I will still only keep one or two a year.

[JoeyZac]

.......................if you have any common sense then you should know to be conservative with the fishery and treat yourself to the occasional keeper but put most of them back. If you can't see that I'm afraid you might be stupid, or just selfish

...............OK, hit me with it cause I know you will. But I will still only keep one or two a year.

You deserve to be hit with it. The insults are not neccessary.

[md10392]

I may keep one or two a year But I will still only keep one or two a year.


If the striped bass population was so depleted, why don't the government make it one fish per day? Please don't kid yourself and try to make others beleive that striped bass are rare. If they are so rare, please explain the decline in the shad/herring populaion and the Chesapeake blue crab problems.

Do the math. Six pack charter. They don't even limit out but get 10. Hundreds if not thousands of stripers are being slaughter everyday right uder your nose.

[Wardog]

I would keep two every trip but i am not that lucky. I only kept one last year the stripers are safe around me. The tuna on the other hand all get the knife!

[Re-Bait]

Kind of a garbage poll, because it doesn't take into account the bag limit. I almost always keep the first one, and almost always release what would be the second keeper. I let ALOT of fish go, in good condition. But I almost always keep the first....

[BlueFen]

Kind of a garbage poll, because it doesn't take into account the bag limit. I almost always keep the first one, and almost always release what would be the second keeper. I let ALOT of fish go, in good condition. But I almost always keep the first....

Actually the poll is directly on point. The question is do you ever release a fish that you are otherwise allowed to take. So however often you find yourself releasing keeper #2 would be your answer.

Guys this has been pretty good so far. But there is a difference between stating your opinion and simply name calling. Points made without name calling are typically more persuasive.

Lets try to let our members have a say- particularly those who stay out of the fracas and the lurkers who can vote anonymously without fear of reprisal. Those are the guys and girls who should be heard.

[Flyguy784]

I would like to reply but flyguy might jump in. In fact I wonder why he hasn't shared his wisdom as of yet.

Glad you're thinking of me. I voted, just didn't feel like getting into a pissing contest over this. Here's a shocker. I won't tell you how many keepers I catch every year, I know where that would go. I kill two or three Striped bass per year. I do kill a half dozen Blues each year, I like them and have a friend who loves Blues.
I'm sorry if you feel that me voicing my opinion is forcing anyone to do or not do anything. Is you telling me that you kill every legal bass you bring to boat forcing me to do the same? Is me telling anyone that I believe the wholesale slaughter of large spawning females, during the spawn, forcing anyone to stop?
IT'S AN OPINION

Because I see the decline of the Bass population, and voice my opinion, that too many large, fertile, spawning hens are being killed each early season. I've been called a "flower picker", "tree hugger" etc. My OPINION is just that, my OPINION.
I' again, have never said it is wrong to harvest fish from a healthy, viable population of any species of fish. I do think it is wrong to bury your head in the sand and not look at the long term effects of removing the very fish that produce the healthy, viable population. It is as well short sighted to see the decline and say "well the Govt will take care of it, if the stocks get too decimated they'll change the rules. Unfortunatly the Gov't will allways be a day late and a dollar short. Hence, the severe cycles various species go thru. So here we go again. Now the stocks are declineing and will continue to do so for another year or two. Then the ruling body will shut the fishery down completely for a couple years. Then the stocks will start to come back, then they'll authorize the killing of the very fish they just waited a couple years to rebound. Then we'll have a few good or even great Striper years, then the stocks will begin to decline etc. etc. etc.

Waiting for the Gov't to fix the problem? Checks in the mail.

Just my opinion.

[luke11.9]

I live in lancaster county Pa Iget doen to fish only several time when the stripers are running good. so for me I keep what is legal for me to keep.which was 3 fish last year. If I fished often and had fish in the freezer I would then begin to release them. I don't like to have very much fish in the freezer. SO my answer to the poll is no I never release legal stripers but then again I don't keep many either

[StevenKoz]

Most of the fish I catch are released, every once in awhile if im lucky enough to catch a keeper ill bring it home for the table.
This way my wife doesnt have to wonder if I really was out fishing all night

[Sir Reel]

Flyguy... you really think that the population is in such a position that the government will be totally shutting down the fishery in " a couple years?" You really think that they are going to close down the striper fishery? Do you really think that that even needs to be done?

Numbers may be down on catches this year so far... that could be from any number of reasons- including less fish. So maybe they change the rules, go back to a slot fish, close part of the season, or reduce it to 1 fish per person.

I do not see a total closure of the fishery in the next couple years. The first two of my three options above I could see happening.

[Flyguy784]

You're right, didn't mean closure would be the first attempt at a fix. Look, I could care less if all these guys start spearing striped bass with a stick. I'm not here to argue. If the striped bass get into trouble again, I'll go south and fish reds, or I'll fish smallmouth or I'll get a bigger boat and fish Tuna. I really don't care. Striped bass are not my life. Yes I'd kill Tuna now and then and have. I fish quite a bit of the entire east coast, I'll find something to get pullage. Spanish Mac, Cobia, maybe I'll start making more trips to the keys. It's not going to effect me that much.
What I'm trying to get across is that this fishery, the one that many of the guys on here rely on for fillets and fun need to watch the numbers. Use rationale, look at YOY numbers, breeding stock numbers. Think logicaly, I have no axe to grind here. If the stripers go away, believe me, it'll effect many more on here, far more, than me. I don't understand why there is such a viseral reaction to a statement like " keep killing the major egg layers and we won't have as many eggs".
For those of you that enjoy catching bass, enjoy bass fillets, good for you, but your fishery is going to get into trouble if the spring carnage continues. Now go out and kill some bass, it's your right, our highly effective, timely, no agenda governmental agencies are on top of the cituation. It'll all be ok, have fun, Uncle Sam is taking care of it.

[Bet On It]

Don't catch enough to release. We never limit but if we did it would be released. I like the large bass, but nothing like a 30-32 incher dredged in flour, salt and pepper and fried in hot olive oil with a splash of lemon when cooked to just done. The larger ones if you cut all the red out it minimizes the "woody" taste and I usually make a cream sauce with marsala wine or sherry, mushrooms and onions. I don't care how big the fish is that tastes great.

[Creek Duck]

I keep about a dozen a year between 28"-38". I had an tough year in 2007 and caught 72 bass, 2006 was better for me totaling 158 bass. This year will probably be another low catch for me because I skipped spring river fishing all together. I know sharpies that catch 200-400 bass a year & keep less than 10. I like to eat striper but I'm not a fan of freezing fish, so I keep what I'm going to use in the next few days.

[Olbarney]

Keep only what you can reasonably eat and please let the bigguns go . No need to showboat your cow for the sake of letting everyone at the shop know how awsome you are . And PLEASE let those big weakies everyone is running to the shop with go . I watched a guy weigh in 6 weakies over 10lbs the other day , and at the table , he sez " you guys want any fish , i really dont like the way they taste " :mad: . Loser .

[MikeD.]

Hey Flyguy- I didn't actually tell you anything one way or the other. Was just wondering where you were with your seemingly endless fount of wisdom. And just like Batman when we shine that image of a Striped Bass in the sky, you show up to save the world. Thanks, I can sleep tonight knowing that the world is once again safe!

[fishindick]

FlyGuy, thank you for making my point in a more comunicative manner than I did. I agree with you all the way. If we keep slaying the cows during the spawn, bass will become a delacacy for real. Come October, go nuts! In May, let a cow swim by for a change. And you know the charter guys are the only ones who will truly suffer when they close spring bass fishing. Not many people are going to pay $500 to bag a few flounder in April. And if things keep going the way they seem to be for the summer fluke, many of the captains will have to hang up their raincoats and get regular jobs like the rest of us. I'll still have fun sticking anything that will put up a fight.

[catfish holiday]

I just joined the barn recently as you can see by the number of posts. Please forgive me for pissing anyone off until I gain a full understanding of the sarcasm and sensitivity of its members. I fish both the beach and the boat. I probably enjoy the beach a little more for the challenge and the solitude. FUEL PRICES DON'T HELP!!!
This all being said, I agree with Olbarney. Eight out of ten fish (obvious exaggeration) are pulled in be some googan with not respect for their surroundings. The ninth and tenth are bass kept by dudes that love to see their name on the leader board. I honestly don't think the money even matters. Now - If you are into tourneys that's cool. I for one enjoy the challenge (probably because I suck).
Point of all this.....It drives me crazy when a pre-spawn fish is drug off the beach. I guess with all the spring tourney's it's just a fact of life. Sorry, had to vent.

[Sir Reel]

Flyguy, fair enough reponse...

But I have to ask those proposing letting the spring stripers going but "going nuts" in the fall. As a famous member once said "a dead fish is a dead fish."

I suppose the logic is that a prespawn fish WILL spawn, but the same fish, post-spawn, caught in the fall, MIGHT not? But if she is a big cow, do you really think she has that much of a chance of NOT breeding the following year?

If we need to protect the big breeders, we need to protect the breeders. Slot or "upper limit" protection year round.

Then there is the whole argument about the viability of the eggs for large female fish, but that's for another time.

[JoeyZac]

I just joined the barn recently as you can see by the number of posts. Please forgive me for pissing anyone off until I gain a full understanding of the sarcasm and sensitivity of its members...........

.....It drives me crazy when a pre-spawn fish is drug off the beach. I guess with all the spring tourney's it's just a fact of life. Sorry, had to vent.

Welcome to the Barn. Pissing people off is part of the deal. You should fit in just fine around here.

[Flyguy784]

Hey Flyguy- I didn't actually tell you anything one way or the other. Was just wondering where you were with your seemingly endless fount of wisdom. And just like Batman when we shine that image of a Striped Bass in the sky, you show up to save the world. Thanks, I can sleep tonight knowing that the world is once again safe!

Mike, if you read the post you see that the striped bass is far more important to many on here, than I. For many guys on the board, bass are their main quarry year after year. It's really the guys that count on this particular fishery that should be up in arms. I fish 150 days a year, because I fish fly rod and 99% of my fishing is catch and release. I'm just as happy to run up to the hook tomorrow and slam blues on lite tackle all day, no bass, no problem. Couple weeks I'll hit Cape Cod and fish Blue Fin, no bass, no problem. Today I think I'll walk out back and wack some smallmouth, no stripers, no problem. July I'll be running down to Sandbridge or CBBT for reds and Cobia, no bass no problem. Fall, Albacore and bonita, it won't make that much of an impact on me Mike.
I appreciate the fact that you admire my wisdom, it's not really wisdom. I fish stripers enough to see there's been a decline over the last few years. I enjoy the fishery, it's close, easy and used to be far more productive than it has been in more recent seasons.
I also have enough common sense to know that to rely on the fisheries people is naive. I'm not even saying the guys in Jersey are the real problem. The fact is that the boys down south hammer the big girls all winter. I keep tabs on a number of sites down there. They harvested thousands and thousands of 30-40-50-60 pounders all winter. When the remaining population finaly make it to their traditional spawning grounds up here, they get reduced every year as well. It's not wisdom, it's common sense.
I'd like nothing more than for the guys that target this species regularly to have a fishery that can support unlimited harvest. I'd like nothing more than for you guys to be posting these great reports with striped bass hanging heavily from both your sore arms with big grins on your faces. I fear this picture will all to soon be a thing of the past.:eek:
I'm not saying that you should release every bass you hook, but again, to kill the very fish that are on their way to make YOU more fish, is short sighted to say the least. Keep waiting for the fisheries people to take action, they will eventualy, they will when the bass fishing is so abysmal no one will bother going out for YOUR most prized catch. Oh, like it was not so many years ago.:cool:

[MikeD.]

Flyguy- Thanks for the reply. You almost got the personal stuff out of your posts. Glad to see that. I too started flyfishing long ago (before it was cool to do it) so I also release alot of fish but you never bothered to ask. By the way, also released all my striped bass this year so far. Actually your last post was pretty good (except for the personal stuff) so once again, you didn't let me down. MD

[Flyguy784]

What was personal?

[md10392]

Looks like Captain Timmy did a CLEAN SWEEP on some of those cows yesterday up to 38lbs. Bunker was the bait of choice. All bass were eaten!

[MikeD.]

What was personal?
The Capital YOU and YOUR

[Flyguy784]

Mike, meant nothing personal by it. Just again trying to emphasize that the Striped Bass population is far more important to alot of respondents than me.

[surfrod22]

I keep one or two a season out of hunreds that I catch.

[Keeper Seeker]

If you never release a 28+ inch bass you must not be catching many

What the point of a statement like this is, besides being an exersise in redundancy, escapes me.

There are many different types of anglers on this site. We all fish different places and use different methods, at different times of the day, night, and season. So naturally we will have a different opinions and answers to this poll. As we should. Quite naturally, a guy fishing in the spring up in the Bay on any regular basis at all is going to, and should be releasing more keeper fish than a guy who fishes the beach or is out sod hopping at night in the local backwater. Is one of these anglers more skilled than the other? Probably not. They are merely different types of anglers, with different results, fishing for different reasons, and giving different opinions to this poll.

Personally, when I catch a legal keeper fish, it's throat is cut before my lure hits the water again.

[TrentonMakes]

There are many different types of anglers on this site. We all fish different places and use different methods, at different times of the day, night, and season. So naturally we will have a different opinions and answers to this poll. As we should. Quite naturally, a guy fishing in the spring up in the Bay on any regular basis at all is going to, and should be releasing more keeper fish than a guy who fishes the beach or is out sod hopping at night in the local backwater. Is one of these anglers more skilled than the other? Probably not. They are merely different types of anglers,

I think that was the point.


I wouldn't dismiss the backwater fishing so easily, I tend to do pretty well and release a few " Legal " bass in them waters.

In all, I release most to all the bass i catch and when i do have an urge for a good meal or to restock the freezer, I keep 'em around the 35 inch range.
It's enjough for what i need it for and I simply enjoy the bend in the rod more than anything.

If i go out, specifically to target a good eating fish, I'd go out for wallerye, or fluke!

[vannstandsmerke]

It depends on my mood and what else is going on! if me and the boys are havin a cookout then yeah we'll go out and kill 10-12 bass if not then i migh only kill one or two or if one of my non fishing friends wants fish then i'll go kill a few for them! it really doesn't matter, I'd rather see em killed and eaten than released in poor shape like alot of them are.

[Keeper Seeker]

I think that was the point.


I wouldn't dismiss the backwater fishing so easily


Don't think that I said I did...And I certainly don't....;) :)