EVERYONE READ THIS

[SeaIsleMike]

I am posting this on a few boards to amke sure it gets exposure. A buddy of mine was in his boat about 2 miles off of Sea Isle. He said the bunker schools were as thick as he had ever seen. All of a sudden a plane starts circling overhead and a little while later 30 large(70') commercial netters show up. Soon after a 4th huge ship shows up. The 3 smaller boats proceed to decimate all the schools of bunker an load them onto the larger ship. This is a reduction fleet, probably from Virginia, that is destoying our fishery. If this keeps up we will have no need to fish because there won't be anything to catch. SOmething needs to be done!!!

[Bob ECT]

Tell him to report it to the CG if he thinks they were inside 3 miles.

[SeaIsleMike]

He is making a few phone calls today to report it. The problem is that these boats know that the Sea Isle C.G. base is closed for the winter. They were definitely inside of 3 miles.

[JMurph25]

call Cape May, or AC...i'm pretty sure they're there year round

[yellowfin37]

Was he able to pick up any vessel names?

[metal.man]

Need names of vessels if ya have them- then call Cape May CG/they should be there. If inside 3 miles, they need to be reported!!

[Fishpicker]

Please Please Please

Thank you very much for the complement I'm one man on a 42 foot boat the the two other smaller boats look just like me. The two larger boats are there carry boats.

Was your buddie in a 24 foot mako ????? Who ever that guy was received a lesson of a life time. He crashed my party that I was having for Mr Bunker.

BTW all of us are perfectly legal !!!!

[Brian E. Mullaney]

And they would be the first to whine if there was no fresh for sale :D

[Fishpicker]

The guy in the mako was the best ever except for the day that I caught Walter Cronkite and then the coast guard in the same set.

Here I was just below the others pickin away at smaller schools being responsible only taking what we had orders for. BAM a nice spot pops up nice color and moving just right. I toss my ball and let the top drum eat The gobbler was being called into action. I had this school perfect all I had to do was close her up ( finish my circle ) and head for home. Out of the blue here come this mako flying right into the school which was in my net. I really don't see how he didn't ram me. So I figure close it up the guy will realize that he not going any where and relax. Wrong I tried to tell him to wait but he didn't want to listen. So, he tried to let himself out dumbest thing I have ever seen. He pushes the floats down so the boats half and half. Then he fires up the motor and rams the net. Choppin the top line all to hell twine and corks flyin. Motor stalls I honestly didn't know what to do after waiting a second I just started laughing my a$$ off

Now if the guy would have just been payin attention this would Have never happened.

Here is a clue for those that don't have one. If ya see the water acting funny flips almost like rain and there are no birds over it then unless your a spotter for Omaga YOU DON'T WAT IT !!!!!

[ 10-20-2005, 11:16 PM: Message edited by: Fishpicker ]

[mako6950]

The guy ran into the middle of your set as you were closing up?? :rolleyes: :eek:

What's a 24' mako bring on the market these days?? Will it fit in your well?? :D :D

[waterman482]

picker i feel for you, some people can never seem to mind there own buisiness and never seem to know all of the laws what alot of these people don't realize is that with legal gear you are allowed to net bunker legally within 3 miles how do they think all the bait shops get their bunker snagging them,i hope the guy will compensate you for the damage he did to your gear

[Younger]

Picker,

Are you stealing MY bunker AGAIN???

[SeaIsleMike]

Picker, do you have a spotter plane? Do you have a huge ship that follows you around? This was a reduction fleet. You guys can joke around but than don't go bithchin when ther are no bass, trout or blues around. This is a serious problem. I have seen the reduction boats run aground in the OBX chasing bunker. They are not aloud inside the piers but the fine is so small that they just pay the fine for the week up front. Take it for what you want boys. I just know that being a local I have seen the fishing take a turn for the worse and one of the reasons is the reduction fleets that work the east coast. That is not an opinion, that is fact!

[Fishpicker]

Yes I was using the plane the other day just like the Two other bunker operation. Which for the record are bait operations.

When ya pushed the reduction boats out of the Chesapeake Bay where did ya think they were gonna go ???? I myself didn't see them up there nor did I hear them up there but whatever. I fished everyday up there so perhaps I missed them.

[Timmy T]

the weak fish population was wiped out by the commercial fishing a couple years back, I have not even bothered the last couple years.

[Fishpicker]

The gobbler was built by a old timer who has passed away a few years back I spent the yesterday afternoon mending it back to it's original killin self. It's not a net it's a myth that parents tell their children about when there bad. For some reason fish find The gobbler.

[fishpole5]

Geeze, its a shame they kicked them out of the Chesepeke, wasn't any bunker left anyway, now, how could that happen, the boys down in NC know how to handle the situation, everytime they see a bunker boat, they run the bunker down so the boat can't get to them. I know a few captains down there and they just want to protect their fishery-- they call them pogies and use them for about everything down there, Kindmacs, offshore deep for grouper and such. How many bunker are used for bait and how many for reduction----not even close---just wish people up here would wake up before it's too late.

[Fishpicker]

I truly think that either the guy in the Mako was the dumbest man on earth or he was trying to Run the school. I would hope that this is the last time that this kinda thing happens.

[Fishpicker]

Timmy there are many threads about weakfish. You might want to read them and then make your comments.

[Bob ECT]

Bait boats do use spotter planes at times. They're also bigger boats then most people think. Reduction boats are usually easy to spot by their method of operation and size of the boat. If I remember correctly NJ's law is written with the size of boat in the code. Next time try to get the name of the boat and that'll make it clear who they were.

Fishpicker, I thought Mako season was over smile.gif

[waterman482]

become a better fisherman and you will catch more weakfish plain and simple me, and my buddies have had no problems, buisiness as usual

[Bob ECT]

You're fishing in Barnegat, little different for us when it comes to weaks.

I'll pass on your advice to the comms along the coast who's catches have crashed the last few years.

[ 10-21-2005, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: Bob ECT ]