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Captains eagerly await new bass law
Senate approves 2-at-28 bill; Assembly to vote Monday
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/6/06
There will be few long faces among Raritan Bay charter and party boat captains when the new striped bass law goes into effect.
Capt. Sal Cursi, skipper of the charter boat Cathy Sea out of Sewaren, said the propsed law allowing the possession of two stripers 28 inches and over will make a big difference.
"It's absolutely going to help," he said. "Not being able to keep fish between 28 and 34 inches last year was ridiculous."
The bill that would change the law to two at 28 was passed by the state Senate on Thursday by a vote of 38-0. The bill, S-2470, and its companion bill in the Assembly, A-4470, are scheduled for a vote on Monday. If the Assembly also passes the bill, all that will remain will be for acting Gov. Codey to sign it into law.
One of the most annoying aspects of the current law was the problem of fishing in New York waters. It was illegal for a New Jersey boat to have a slot fish in possession when on the New York side of the bay, and illegal for the same boat to have a 28- to less than 34-inch fish caught in New York waters on board in New Jersey waters without a bonus card.
This year anglers in Raritan Bay will be on the same page whether fishing the New Jersey or New York sides of the boundary line with a fish from 28 inches up.
"If we had a 24-inch fish in the boat last year, we couldn't go into New York waters," Cursi said. "Guys used to call me, and say, "Come on over, we're really into the bass.' I couldn't go because I had one or two of those slot fish in the boat."
The New York rules for private boaters are one fish 28 inches and up and a second trophy fish 40 inches or better. Charter and party boats that participate in the trophy program and hold a New York license can land two fish 28 inches or better.
"I have the license," Cursi said. "I display the sticker in the port window of the boat, and I participate in the trophy bass program. I have to make out daily trip reports and file them once a month, but it's worth it."
Cursi is quick to defend the landing of two stripers 28 inches and over when preservationists and catch-and-release enthusiasts deplore the coastal standard.
"You have to remember that a lot of charters only fish for stripers once or twice a year, and they want to take home something to eat and put in the freezer," he said. "When a person caught a beautiful 32-inch bass last year, and I told them we had to throw it back, they couldn't believe it."
The bonus program that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife created last year was unfair and generated animosity and criticism from those who could not participate in it. This year, the state can go back to the old bonus program, and anyone who wants to take part in it can do so.
There will be no need to conduct a lottery or hold back a percentage of the bonus cards for those who participated the year before, since very few anglers want to keep a third bass, and there should be plenty of tags available.
Cursi admitted there was considerable charter frustration last year when they caught numerous fish measuring 28 to 31 inches, and had to go home with one 24-inch fish.
"You rarely found a fish over 34 inches in that early run of striped bass on Romer Shoal, Flynn's Knoll and the point of Sandy Hook," he said. "From May 10 through June, when we switched from clams to bunkers, we saw larger fish. That's when you see those 20-pound fish, and bigger ones ? 30-, 35- and 40-pound fish. They're not that common, but they're there.
"This year we won't have to deal with that problem," he said. "We can land those tweeners, and the people will be happy they can take them home."
Cursi blames the lack of big bass in the fall on the late run from New England, the absence of big bunkers in Shore area waters, and the stripers using the offshore migratory route south rather than bending in toward the coast after rounding Montauk Point.
There are still bass in the Mud Hole area, but most anglers are willing to give up access to them as a trade for keeping federal waters closed to the netting of bass in the EEZ.
These bass will probably winter over in the deep water, and Cursi said it is surprising how many bass are apparently going to winter over in the Hackensack River.
Cursi said he will still charter for winter flounders in spite of the increased minimum size to 12 inches, the possession limit of 10 fish and the season running from March 23 through May 21.
"I'm still going to do it," he said. "We can live with it. I'll start fishing for flounders in April, and stick with them for two weeks before the bass come in."
The minimum size on winter flounders will be 15 inches on the New York, but most of the action has been on the New Jersey side, anyway, in the last couple of years.
"The Keyport Flats, Union Beach ? the grounds on the Jersey side are better than New York, and there are enough big flounders that we should do all right," he said.
"When I switch over, I clam for bass from about April 20 to around May 8 as a rule," he said. "The bass fishing usually breaks wide open around May 8.
"Of course, four years ago the bass came in earlier, and New York changed its opening from May 8 to April 15," he said. "The Jersey boys were clobbering the bass in April the year before they changed, and New York was still closed for three weeks.
"And the best opportunity to catch a big bass is from May 8 through June 21," he said. "Usually the big bass fishery is on fire around May 18, and it stays that way until about the end of the first week in June, then it starts to taper off a little."
Senate approves 2-at-28 bill; Assembly to vote Monday
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/6/06
There will be few long faces among Raritan Bay charter and party boat captains when the new striped bass law goes into effect.
Capt. Sal Cursi, skipper of the charter boat Cathy Sea out of Sewaren, said the propsed law allowing the possession of two stripers 28 inches and over will make a big difference.
"It's absolutely going to help," he said. "Not being able to keep fish between 28 and 34 inches last year was ridiculous."
The bill that would change the law to two at 28 was passed by the state Senate on Thursday by a vote of 38-0. The bill, S-2470, and its companion bill in the Assembly, A-4470, are scheduled for a vote on Monday. If the Assembly also passes the bill, all that will remain will be for acting Gov. Codey to sign it into law.
One of the most annoying aspects of the current law was the problem of fishing in New York waters. It was illegal for a New Jersey boat to have a slot fish in possession when on the New York side of the bay, and illegal for the same boat to have a 28- to less than 34-inch fish caught in New York waters on board in New Jersey waters without a bonus card.
This year anglers in Raritan Bay will be on the same page whether fishing the New Jersey or New York sides of the boundary line with a fish from 28 inches up.
"If we had a 24-inch fish in the boat last year, we couldn't go into New York waters," Cursi said. "Guys used to call me, and say, "Come on over, we're really into the bass.' I couldn't go because I had one or two of those slot fish in the boat."
The New York rules for private boaters are one fish 28 inches and up and a second trophy fish 40 inches or better. Charter and party boats that participate in the trophy program and hold a New York license can land two fish 28 inches or better.
"I have the license," Cursi said. "I display the sticker in the port window of the boat, and I participate in the trophy bass program. I have to make out daily trip reports and file them once a month, but it's worth it."
Cursi is quick to defend the landing of two stripers 28 inches and over when preservationists and catch-and-release enthusiasts deplore the coastal standard.
"You have to remember that a lot of charters only fish for stripers once or twice a year, and they want to take home something to eat and put in the freezer," he said. "When a person caught a beautiful 32-inch bass last year, and I told them we had to throw it back, they couldn't believe it."
The bonus program that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife created last year was unfair and generated animosity and criticism from those who could not participate in it. This year, the state can go back to the old bonus program, and anyone who wants to take part in it can do so.
There will be no need to conduct a lottery or hold back a percentage of the bonus cards for those who participated the year before, since very few anglers want to keep a third bass, and there should be plenty of tags available.
Cursi admitted there was considerable charter frustration last year when they caught numerous fish measuring 28 to 31 inches, and had to go home with one 24-inch fish.
"You rarely found a fish over 34 inches in that early run of striped bass on Romer Shoal, Flynn's Knoll and the point of Sandy Hook," he said. "From May 10 through June, when we switched from clams to bunkers, we saw larger fish. That's when you see those 20-pound fish, and bigger ones ? 30-, 35- and 40-pound fish. They're not that common, but they're there.
"This year we won't have to deal with that problem," he said. "We can land those tweeners, and the people will be happy they can take them home."
Cursi blames the lack of big bass in the fall on the late run from New England, the absence of big bunkers in Shore area waters, and the stripers using the offshore migratory route south rather than bending in toward the coast after rounding Montauk Point.
There are still bass in the Mud Hole area, but most anglers are willing to give up access to them as a trade for keeping federal waters closed to the netting of bass in the EEZ.
These bass will probably winter over in the deep water, and Cursi said it is surprising how many bass are apparently going to winter over in the Hackensack River.
Cursi said he will still charter for winter flounders in spite of the increased minimum size to 12 inches, the possession limit of 10 fish and the season running from March 23 through May 21.
"I'm still going to do it," he said. "We can live with it. I'll start fishing for flounders in April, and stick with them for two weeks before the bass come in."
The minimum size on winter flounders will be 15 inches on the New York, but most of the action has been on the New Jersey side, anyway, in the last couple of years.
"The Keyport Flats, Union Beach ? the grounds on the Jersey side are better than New York, and there are enough big flounders that we should do all right," he said.
"When I switch over, I clam for bass from about April 20 to around May 8 as a rule," he said. "The bass fishing usually breaks wide open around May 8.
"Of course, four years ago the bass came in earlier, and New York changed its opening from May 8 to April 15," he said. "The Jersey boys were clobbering the bass in April the year before they changed, and New York was still closed for three weeks.
"And the best opportunity to catch a big bass is from May 8 through June 21," he said. "Usually the big bass fishery is on fire around May 18, and it stays that way until about the end of the first week in June, then it starts to taper off a little."
