Help Save The Striped Bass - Take The Pledge

[jffoley]

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/0...re-county-men/

[DOGFISH]

Thanks John. Perfect timing. 500lbs found, millions more to find.

[MetroMan]

Luckily for the rockfish, I:
(a) suck at catching them with any sense of consistency;
(b) don't get out on the yak often to fish for them;
(c) prefer other species for table fare.

That being said, I am down with the zero limit for 2014 while on the kayak...

[sparky1423]

I pledge a one keeper limit for 2014. This is going to be tough for me having a culinary background. Bringing fish home, cleaning and preparing them is a huge part of my personal fishing experience. Last year being my first true striper season, it became a new addiction. It's really something seeing that rockfish do a few head shakes next to your kayak and seeing that beautiful purple hue.

My day usually wasn't complete until I got that second keeper. Now after reading so many articles on this precious Chesapeake staple, I want to conserve what's left for my two children and yours. I stay away from politics, life is too complicated....so hopefully my little bit of consciousness will compound into something rewarding for future generations.

I better get that Bubba knife now...looks like a lot more White perch are coming home with me!

[M_Duong60]

In Florida didn't they make it illegal to keep snook after the cold snap they had a few years back and I believe they recently added a narrow season for them to be kept? Is there a way to do that here?

[chex]

I'll keep 0.

Well... maybe 1 per month... Man, my girlfriend is gonna be maaaaadddd! She thinks I go fishing to catch her dinner... because, uh, that's what I tell her. I guess it'll be largemouth bass for her from now on. I don't even like eating fish

The whole daily limit thing is whack anyway. I understand that it's the only practical way to realistically attempt to enforce limits, but the guy who goes out a couple times a year should be able to keep his 2 fish per day. His impact is nowhere near that of a guy who goes out twice or more a week, every week, and keeps the same amount of fish per day. And charter boats scare me with their 36-rod spreads and the large amount of huge fish they catch. I've been on those boats, and it's fun, and I've taken home some of that meat. But I think that needs to be looked at too.

I've been told why a slot limit would not work for stripers, but I forgot what the reason is, and I didn't get it. We really should not be killing the big breeders. At all.

[Pinch]

Striper limits are good but we should also look at the outrageous trout limit. Who really needs 10 trout per day?! Trout are a great table fare but like a lot of fish they do not taste good frozen. Where is the campaign for trout? I know Walleye Pete is working to lower the limit from 10 to 4. I would love to see a slot limit imposed on both striper and trout. Worked wonders for the drum.

[chex]

I believe CCA is also working on reducing the trout limit.

[kevinfry]

I dream of the day when I could catch a 10 fish trout limit! I
would never keep it, however, since trout is the local fish that keeps the worst. Not a great fish for smoking either.
I always eat same day/ 4 fish trout limit would be a fine day for me...heck, this year I never acheived a 1 fish day

[M_Duong60]

I think slot requirements would be good for a lot of the species. Bringing tog back to the topic I know that they are very slow growing fish and takes a little under 7 years to get to the keeper size of 15 inches or at least thats what a quick internet search said.

[scorpioreno]

i wish more people would keep only one, or zero, and/or just leave them alone but that's just my opinion. and i try to have respect for anyone fishing legal even if it's not my way.

as far as i can tell, this is what the best available science is telling us and (absent stronger scientific evidence to the contrary) gets credence in fisheries mgt decisions - http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass

ps - while looking for current state of affairs, i found another asmfc document reporting on a multitude of species. come to find out - a LOT of species really are in the toilet by asmfc accounting. but i didn't realize tog was one of them.

Wow, I read Addendum III: Measures to Address Illegal Striped Bass Harvest (August 2012) that problem is exponential. That data is only from criminal data. Just think about the other tons of Illegal Bass that went unreported. I hope that those numbers count against the state or local quotas'. The measures or recommendations hopefully will eliminate this problem. Thanks for posting the link.

[Hemingway]

Striper limits are good but we should also look at the outrageous trout limit. Who really needs 10 trout per day?! Trout are a great table fare but like a lot of fish they do not taste good frozen. Where is the campaign for trout? I know Walleye Pete is working to lower the limit from 10 to 4. I would love to see a slot limit imposed on both striper and trout. Worked wonders for the drum.

Ditto to all the above, Pinch. Tony from CCA, told everyone at the Crisfield Tournament that they are lobbying for the speckled limit to be reduced to four.

[Redfish12]

I believe they are also pushing to raise the minimum size to 16"? I may be wrong but a 14" trout is not much for the table.

[J.A. Veil]

I have similar concerns about the current tidal water pickerel limits -- 10 fish/day above 14". I cannot imagine keeping a 14" pickerel (or one of any size for that matter, given the restricted populations in our tidal tributaries). But someone who is food-oriented rather than conservation-oriented could put a serious dent in a creek's population in a few trips -- and do so legally.

About a year ago, I and several others met with Marty Gary, who was a manager in DNR fisheries at that time (he has since left DNR to work at the Potomac River Fisheries Commission). Marty expressed willingness to explore some changes during the legislative session, but told us that DNR has only so much political capital to expend. He was not sure if spending a chunk of it on a relatively minor species like pickerel was really in DNR's best interest. In fact, by highlighting the loose creel limit, it could have actually encouraged some subsistence fishermen to target pickerel. In the end, no changes were made.

Like most things in which government plays a role, there is rarely a unanimous opinion on how things should be done. Pickerel regs are no different.

[buzz]

...great table fare but like a lot of fish they do not taste good frozen.

Agree. So I never keep more fish than I will cook up that night. Most of the times my lady is already cooking dinner by the time I get home.
Frankly, I'm not a limit fisherman. My rockfish limit for 2012 was 2... for the entire year. My rockfish limit for 2013 was zero. Granted I didn't get out that much last year but its rare that I keep a fish. Been practicing C&R since the late 70's.

But in all honesty, I cannot take the pledge. This year I'm shooting for a citation. And I hope to bring home a couple in the mid-20's this summer for the smoker.

I really don't think any of us here are part of the problem. From what I've seen so far Snaggedline members are some straight-shooting stand-up anglers. But my hat's off to those who have taken the pledge and are setting a good example for everyone else.