Striped Bass Report, Jersey Shore

I know summer time there is sight fishing in jersey. Back behind IBSP and out front if it two. Very localized thing that only a few know how to do. But I read stuff about bob pop catching 20 pound bass in mid august. Same goes for behind sea isle and up in the hook.

By no means is it like cape cod but it there.
 
looking at the structure on LI - Orient Beach State Park looks VERY interesting for sight fishing for bass.

i might hit it one of the spring tides next May.
 
So did the fall run start? I'm joking. The fall fishery has turned into shell of its former self. Amazing, the people who make the decisions (ASMFC) it appears will need to fishery to completely collapse before they make meaningful management changes. Even with the talk of changes to the kill size, their is serious doubt that the stocks will be able to rebuild. It is really a shame. The for hire guys are not going to allow the fishery to rebuild. They need a kill two to justify guys paying for trips. And if one state allows a kill two, you better believe other states are going to want a kill two.

Sad state of affairs for the stripers along the east coast. Sorry for the doom and gloom but that is how I feel.
 
The reg proposals , including options, from each state will be presented, critiqued, and discussed by the ASMFC striped bass technical committee over the next few weeks.
 
The discussion I mentioned in #105 above regarding the reg proposals gets underway this Thursday and Friday. It also includes developing Chesapeake Bay striper population reference points.
 
http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2015/01/05/meeting-striped-bass-options-set-thursday/21316453/
 
http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2015/01/08/two-fish-striper-option-approved-nj-fisheries-council/21477145/
 
Really? What does this accomplish? It may cut the sheer # of stripers taken, but it seems to me like it will also encourage people to try to catch 43+ inch fish, most of which will presumably be big breeding cows, to try to catch their limit. Taking more big cows out of the population doesn't seem like a good idea to me at this point.
 
I wish it was just one but that's not the worst thing that could happen. honestly there's not nearly the numbers of breeding cows as the number of breeding fish in that what I would call bellow trophy size range 43"to 28" fish. anyone know if they are still doing a bonus tag?
 
Oh yea. Here we go. Guys need to kill fish. Could have told you this was going to happen.

 
Statistically speaking, regardless of which approved regs the states choose (the "B" group of regs in the plan....B1 for instance is 28", 1 per day), OR if the states have an alternative reg approved that is judged to be the "conservation equivalent"by the ASMFC technical committee, the regs have a 50% chance of achieving the effect of reducing fishing mortality and increasing spawning stock biomass to desired levels over the long term.

As for the comments above about the protection of the "cows," when you have seen the length frequency distribution of the stripers harvested along the coast, it is clear that relatively few are harvested above 35 inches in comparison to those harvested between 28-35". In other words, anglers are primarily harvesting fish between 28-35" or stated another way, the fishery primarily focuses on that size range of fish even if participants in the fishery are actually seeking larger fish. Read that carefully before you react; I did not say that the harvest of cows was low. I just said that the proportion is lower than you might think. A very substantial portion of the fishery is supported by fish in the 28-35" range.
 
Mike wrote:
As for the comments above about the protection of the "cows," when you have seen the length frequency distribution of the stripers harvested along the coast, it is clear that relatively few are harvested above 35 inches in comparison to those harvested between 28-35". In other words, anglers are primarily harvesting fish between 28-35" or stated another way, the fishery primarily focuses on that size range of fish even if participants in the fishery are actually seeking larger fish. Read that carefully before you react; I did not say that the harvest of cows was low. I just said that the proportion is lower than you might think. A very substantial portion of the fishery is supported by fish in the 28-35" range.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification Mike - this is important.

I'll admit to being a bit torn and confused over this issue. Like many of you, I too want the bigger fish released. On the other hand, reducing harvest of fish in the range described by Mike in the above post may in fact have a greater net effect in protecting the stock overall.

Perhaps, should protecting the smaller classes come to pass, an education effort could be mounted (placards at parking lots and access areas, this sort of thing) to educate the casual anglers about how long it takes for a bass to reach 40 inches and the value of releasing bigger fish.

I dunno....It's not a simple picture.
 
Would they ever considered changing the season mike? Spring catch and release like march to may. Give them june if they really want to kill some big fish. Personally thats where I think we loose the most of our spawning fish.
 
That could be done as a conservation equivalency measure under certain circumstances. It would be up to the individual states, however, and it would have to be demonstrated with data that such a measure would at least be equivalent to the impacts of measures being taken by the other states.
 
NJ COUNCIL SUPPORTS NEW STRIPER REGULATIONS
Proposed Limits for 2015 Must Now Be Considered by Legislature
The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council unanimously voted to support a two fish bag limit for striped bass beginning sometime in 2015, with one fish at 28 to less than 43 inches, and a second fish equal to or greater than 43 inches.

Yesterday's decision at the council's regular meeting in Galloway Township must now be picked up by New Jersey legislators, as any changes to striped bass regulations in the state must be made through Trenton by an act of law.

It is expected that both a Senate and Assembly bill will be adopted next week, with the appropriate committees in Trenton then responsible for reviewing, discussing and ultimately approving the change before it can be voted on by the full legislature.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) recently mandated a 25% or better reduction by all coastal states on striped bass harvest beginning in 2015, with ASMFC technical committee members approving New Jersey's proposal of one striper at less than 43 and one striper at 43 or greater as meeting that 25% reduction goal.

As for New Jersey's bonus striped bass program which utilizes the unused commercial quota of striped bass through a $2 tag system, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council also voted to convene their striped bass advisory committee to look at possible changes to the program.


State by State SB regs
 
Thanks AFish. I fear that much like the Susquehanna River and its smallmouth fishery - which I equate to watching a good friend die of a slow death - the striper fishery is going the same way, but for much different reasons. Can we not see the forest through the trees? Its so sad and a shame.
Anglers, do have a pulse on things. And the current trajectory for the bass fishery is not a positive one.

 
How did they (we) manage the weak fish population? That was a complete failure, sure you can still get them and nice sized ones but it is so limited it is crazy. I have talked with old timers about that fishery and it is not even 5% of what it was in the past. Is that what we should expect of the Bass populations? I know there is not a exact and or correct answers but something needs to be done, commercial, charters, and req anglers.
 
They just shut down the weakfish fishing. Limits used to be 5 fish now its one. Although I dont think you can compare the two. They are nit the same fish species. You notice that weakie population go down when there is a high bluefish population. When spikes they are just as good of a food source if not better as a bunker. They did also over fish them. I believe there was commercial fishing for a bit. The oast two years I have had decent years with weakies. They are a lot more predictable then stripers.
 
I will have to disagree, weakie fishing has been a complete disappointment in NJ.they are making a complete recovery with the current management, We caught well over150 weakies this year with 18 being legal "keeper size", that is disappointing to me. I think it is great younger fish are abundent, but the lack of management in the past has hurt the species.I was speaking of the management of fish not the specific species.

Not sure what you mean by predictable but for me stripers are by far the easiest species to catch, weakies on the other hand present a challenge. Not the dinks everyone brags about but the 10+ pounders.
 
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