[CapeMayRay]

Just got my latest issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Water.

The Striper Quandary Stock is healthy on Paper, But Anglers know Something is Wrong.

Interesting article on. What the scientists are saying and what the fishermen are saying plus the mixed conflicting data. Some showing good and some showing poor.

Very strange that most of the guides from Maine south that fish tons of days every year are seeing a decline in stripers. Numbers and size. I guess we are all wrong in our observations. How can we see things so differently than what the scientists tell us.

 

[dano1801]

Just got my latest issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Water.

The Striper Quandary Stock is healthy on Paper, But Anglers know Something is Wrong.

Interesting article on. What the scientists are saying and what the fishermen are saying plus the mixed conflicting data. Some showing good and some showing poor.

Very strange that most of the guides from Maine south that fish tons of days every year are seeing a decline in stripers. Numbers and size. I guess we are all wrong in our observations. How can we see things so differently than what the scientists tell us.

Ray, maybe because the science doesnt acount for the significant amount of illegal catches (poaching), especially down south during the winter.

 

[Narragansett]

These are the same people that were that were telling you 25 years ago that we had no problems. The same people that are not enforcing the 3mi. limit on stripers.Everybody , if they can should read the dec/jan issue of " Fly Rod and Reel". The multi page article by Ted Williams about conservation. This is not about just Striped bass. It is about Tuna, sharks, billfish, and countless other species.

We do not have proper conservation, enforcement, or laws.We let other countries deplete fish stocks( japan), and we treat them with open arms.

The 1970 OSHA act established an occupational safety law that governs manufacturing and construction safety practices. They are now, and have been for a long period self funded through fines levied. Maybe the NOAA enforcement division should be self funded through boats, equipment, homes, and fines collected as a result of poaching and and other illegal activities.
Look at your congress, you got 1 clown in Kentucky holding up money for 400,000 American people, and you expect these people are going to take care of fish?
Makes me want to puke, the whole bunch of them, from the top to the bottom.

If I were running NOAA, they would be turning a profit

 

[Supafly]

I fish from the Cape to NC and talk to alot of different fisherman in these areas. We are definitely on a downward slope. It makes me sick to see so many big breeders killed in the last couple years. Maybe by the time the Stripers are gone the weakfish will be back?

 

[sparse grey]

They will kill the weakfish just as fast---again.

 

[jschmidt63]

We humans can put the hurt to fish, that's for sure, whether by harvest or habitat.


Just for reference and discussion, some info. I was looking at

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...ts_recreational_commercial_fishermen_at_odds/


http://www.chesapeakebay.net/stripedbassmanagement.aspx?menuitem=15379

Va Commercial harvest 2009 all fishies
http://www.mrc.state.va.us/Bulletins/20092ndq.pdf

 

[fishhard]

Several reasons why this is happening and one thing not mentioned is the lack of bunker. We must have better regulations on these as they are the single most important food source for many species. The past two years I have one seen one nice size school of bunker, we have to stop the reduction boats, bottom line, NO FOOD NO FISH.

 

[Narragansett]

This is a complex issue for sure, and one that will be dealt with slowly, as they all are. The water quality is an age old issue, but the food supply seems to be on the newer side. CMR and I commented a few months ago that the water looks lifeless when you look into it. This needs to be addressed soon, and hard. I think we need a slot limit, and cut the posession limit in half. The breeders have to go back into the water. The commercial quotas need to be cut or ended, and the commercial depletion of the food supply needs to stop. RI waters used to be thick with weakfish. It is rare to see one now. It is such a shame

 

[teedee]

I'm with Fishhard. Someone has to protect the bait.

 

[OVER THE RAIL]

It really disturbs me that some groups claiming to represent Joe the Plumber fishermen are now aligned with the commercial fishing industry.

 

[Greenie]

The whole mess is causing regulators and pols to take a short sighted dodge. Funny, I have not seen any mumerical or other credible data reported in support of some current claims that the bait has gone way off shore and the Stripers followed... if they don't come back, what will the coms and regulators say? The whales ate 'em!

 

[Narragansett]

aybody been reading that out of control 550 post thread in the striped bass forum? What a joke.

 

[CapeMayRay]

Just talked to a fly fisherman from Cape Cod this morning. He was is coming down to Ocean City Maryland in early April. He wanted to know what kind of action was around at that time. He thought he might like to try some fly fishing there or in the Chesapeake. I didn't have much information to help him, but we dicussed fishing.

If anyone has any ideas I can pass it on to him or give you his email address.

He said bass fishing up there has been getting worse each year. He is seeing less fishing in general and much less bait fish. He relates lack of baitfish to the lack of bass and has seen a definate decline over the last three years. He is seeing the same type of reduced bait that we are seeing down here. He said his dad who is retired and fishes all the time, keep accurate fish logs and it has been going down for 8 years in a row.

He also fishes that one fly tournament in Marthas Vineyard and say the catch number are going down each year and with the poorer catches less are turning out to fish it.

 

[Narragansett]

Just talked to a fly fisherman from Cape Cod this morning. He was is coming down to Ocean City Maryland in early April. He wanted to know what kind of action was around at that time. He thought he might like to try some fly fishing there or in the Chesapeake. I didn't have much information to help him, but we dicussed fishing.

If anyone has any ideas I can pass it on to him or give you his email address.

He said bass fishing up there has been getting worse each year. He is seeing less fishing in general and much less bait fish. He relates lack of baitfish to the lack of bass and has seen a definate decline over the last three years. He is seeing the same type of reduced bait that we are seeing down here. He said his dad who is retired and fishes all the time, keep accurate fish logs and it has been going down for 8 years in a row.

He also fishes that one fly tournament in Marthas Vineyard and say the catch number are going down each year and with the poorer catches less are turning out to fish it.

Well the govt scientists and the commercial fisherman say we are OK, so we must be. I saw 3 little bait fish yesterday. It is early for them.

 

[KeysKid]

Several reasons why this is happening and one thing not mentioned is the lack of bunker. We must have better regulations on these as they are the single most important food source for many species. The past two years I have one seen one nice size school of bunker, we have to stop the reduction boats, bottom line, NO FOOD NO FISH.

One school of bunker in 2 years, really? Not trying to be wise but, how often do you fish and where?

 

[rob]

Have to say we had an absence of *peanut bunker* along the northern nj coast in the fall the past two seasons.

There have been plenty of adult bunker schools though.... not sure if the absence of the peanuts along the beaches was due to the stormy weather or a reduced spawn/stock, though.

 

[CapeMayRay]

I saw zero along the beach and around the inlet where as in past years they would come along in waves and with them there would always be bass and blues chewing on them. Not last year.

The back areas where I fish use to be loaded with them in Sept and last few year you have to struggle to find a few.

Hoping this year will be better, but I am not holding my breath.