Who is the biggest offender?

[stripermania]

Is it a case that those who do not know the laws are the biggest offender of them? Or is it the average fisherman well adverse of the laws who couldn’t care less?

There always seems to be talk of people who toss a 27 1/2" in the cooler, "When no one is looking".

Somehow they must think they have a right to do this.

Who is the biggest offender?

[finchaser]

Laws are for honest people. Pretending to not know the law or just ignoring them is a major problem. Immigrants keeping everything they catch and playing dumb.


I saw the last collapse and it is happening again at a much faster rate since there are probably 75% or more people fishing for bass this time. The egotistical and wasteful slaughter of big fish down south in the winter and in the north in the spring will be there demise. The last collapse was mostly do to commercial guys this one is mostly on us.

I'm talking coast wide. In NJ and some other states there are no commercial fishing boats to do great damage except for the one that break the law. But take all the recreational's which is in the millions now times the keepers,shorts and there is a double problem. Plus how many people keep 3 a day with bonus tags.

It’s time we all take responsibility for our actions as the commercials are totally not to blame. IMO if they were out of the picture the collapse would still take place.:(

[surfwalker]

finchaser has it right-laws are for the honest- for people that have a concience, people that understand the consequences of overharvesting or have seen it, people that are dedicated and don't live just for today.

As he says- the fishing pressure is enormous compared to years ago.

I really can't say why people are determined to keep everything they catch. Weather it be for pictures, bragging rights, or just the mere money/greed factor, the reasons all contribute to the demise of a species.

I agree that the recs are certainly a tremendous factor in the taking of so many fish. After all, some states maintain game fish status for the Bass, no commercial harvest or SALE of said fish.

I am under the impression that many fishers just don't care about the laws or the fish, they just want to do what they want.

I am curious as to how many fishers fish for the pleasure of catching and just seeing Stripes. And what percentage could care less, but just wanna keep anything, regardless of the consequences.

Keeping a fish for the table once in a while is fine with me, but to feed the whole town every time out isn't.

In the the end we will all suffer if the trend continues.

[Monty]

To me, not knowing the laws, size limits in this case, is a double crime.
I'm sick and tired of ignorance.
Fine the ones who break the laws and confiscate their tackle.
Society is running amuck. Discipline needs to be restored.
On the bell curve we are way saturated to the corrupt side.
Now it is time to send the curve the other way (overcompensate). Heavy fines, take away the tackle. No excuses at all.

[nitestrikes]

Laws are for honest people. Pretending to not know the law or just ignoring them is a major problem. Immigrants keeping everything they catch and playing dumb.



It’s time we all take responsibility for our actions as the commercials are totally not to blame. IMO if they were out of the picture the collapse would still take place.:(


I really can't say why people are determined to keep everything they catch. Weather it be for pictures, bragging rights, or just the mere money/greed factor, the reasons all contribute to the demise of a species.

I agree that the recs are certainly a tremendous factor in the taking of so many fish. After all, some states maintain game fish status for the Bass, no commercial harvest or SALE of said fish.

I am under the impression that many fishers just don't care about the laws or the fish, they just want to do what they want.


In the the end we will all suffer if the trend continues.


:clapping::clapping::clapping: What they said, X2.

[DarkSkies]

As he says- the fishing pressure is enormous compared to years ago.
I really can't say why people are determined to keep everything they catch. Weather it be for pictures, bragging rights, or just the mere money/greed factor, the reasons all contribute to the demise of a species.

I agree that the recs are certainly a tremendous factor in the taking of so many fish. After all, some states maintain game fish status for the Bass, no commercial harvest or SALE of said fish.

I am under the impression that many fishers just don't care about the laws or the fish, they just want to do what they want.

I am curious as to how many fishers fish for the pleasure of catching and just seeing Stripes. And what percentage could care less, but just wanna keep anything, regardless of the consequences.

In the the end we will all suffer if the trend continues.


Society is running amuck. Discipline needs to be restored.
On the bell curve we are way saturated to the corrupt side.
Now it is time to send the curve the other way (overcompensate).


Laws are for honest people. Pretending to not know the law or just ignoring them is a major problem. Immigrants keeping everything they catch and playing dumb.

I saw the last collapse and it is happening again at a much faster rate since there are probably 75% or more people fishing for bass this time. The egotistical and wasteful slaughter of big fish down south in the winter and in the north in the spring will be there demise. The last collapse was mostly do to commercial guys this one is mostly on us.

It’s time we all take responsibility for our actions as the commercials are totally not to blame. IMO if they were out of the picture the collapse would still take place.:(


Some great comments guys. :thumbsup: The ones that ring most true to me is that we are ALL responsble. I know a lot of surf guys who want to put it on the boat guys, lots of boat guys who will put it on the comms. And comms will say it's all because of us and our bonus tags. :huh:

Meanwhile there are people in each group who have no conscience and refuse to acknowledge excessive behavior.

If bass fishing is ever shut down, this time it will rest squarely on shoulders of recreational fishermen. Anyone who doubts that, why not learn for yourself by hitting up a fisheries management meeting and talking to the everyday fishermen who go there? :learn:

[gjb1969]

lets make it plain and simple we all use the resource so its our problem everyone of us so if we dont do something we will be a$$ out and we all know it so lets stop with the finger pointing and look to see what can be do to fix the problem:rolleyes:

[Frankiesurf]

Well said.

[jonthepain]

slot limits
game fish status


no gill nets
more license $ towards enforcement (bycatch and recs) and actual science
epz's


i used to fish a spot with my sons and catch black bass and hybrids, mostly shorts, one after the other. it was great cuz the kids were little, and we'd throw em back.

then the cast netters found it, they just stripped it bare of everything, and mamacita would be filleting them and throwing them in a bucket as soon as they hit the bank. i'm told it's a cultural thing, but the upshot is, is that there are no more bass for anybody, including them.

i've lived thru a couple of striper crashes and restorations, and i can't help but wonder why we let it keep happening, when we should know better.

[plugaholic]

Meanwhile there are people in each group who have no conscience and refuse to acknowledge excessive behavior.


It's all about me, me, me. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[Surfcast23]

I think breaking the law is breaking the law if you don't know the regs you should not be out there in the first place.
I also think it is unproductive to point fingers at minorities. A case in point I was in M recently at a SS spot that you really need to have skill to fish. This guy ( Caucasian ) wades out to a rock catches a fish and walks it to the beach. Half hour goes by and he hooks another and does the same thing then proceeds to walk off the beach with two fish. Everyone needs to play by the rules in my opinion.

[nitestrikes]

I also think it is unproductive to point fingers at minorities. A case in point I was in M recently at a SS spot that you really need to have skill to fish. This guy ( Caucasian ) wades out to a rock catches a fish and walks it to the beach. Half hour goes by and he hooks another and does the same thing then proceeds to walk off the beach with two fish. Everyone needs to play by the rules in my opinion.


Poaching knows no color or race barriers.
That being said, you saw and observed that guy.
Did you try to stop or say something to him?
Did you call the DEC?
Or are you just here whining about it on the internet?:waaah:

[Surfcast23]

Had I known he was going to leave with two fish yes I would have said something.

[nitestrikes]

Had I known he was going to leave with two fish yes I would have said something.

You would not have known he was going to leave with 2 fish until the exact moment that he did. So how does that change the fact you witnessed it, did nothing, came here to rant about it, and didn't even bother calling the DEC?:huh:

[Surfcast23]

Lets see he walked a fish 50 yards to the shore so I am gonna automatically assume he is going to keep it. He could have been walking it to the shore to have an easier time unhooking, measuring, and releasing. So no until the moment he left I had no idea what he was going to do.

And where did I say that I did report it?

[nitestrikes]

So no until the moment he left I had no idea what he was going to do.

And where did I say that I did report it?

Nor would anyone else have an idea what he was going to do, until the exact moment that he left.
And you did not say that you reported it, in any of your posts.

All that I see from your post is that you used it as an example of poaching. Why even bring it up if you were unwilling to do anything about it? I carry the DEC numbers with me. When I see something like that I either say something to them, or get on the phone to the DEC and report them. Complaining about it after the fact does no good at all.
Some of us care and are willing to do something about it. Your first post said if you do not know the regs you shouldn't be out there in the first place. Who are you to determine who should and should not be fishing?
That seems like an elitist comment to me.
If it's possible that he did not know the regs, why wouldn't you have spoken up and said something ?

[Surfcast23]

Elitest no, but ignorance of the law does not excuse breaking it. Now if you read my post the spot we were fishing is 1. hard to get to and 2 hard to fish. I think anyone who fishes this spot knows full well what the regs are, and as I posted I was 50 yards from shore when he left so I think it would have been pretty hard for me to say someting to him.

[buckethead]

Reporting it is a good idea.

[nitestrikes]

Yes buckethead, reporting it is the way a real sportsmen handles it. Some don't have the balls to do that, but they can come here and make all sorts of boasts that the law should be applied equally, ignorance of said law is no excuse for breaking it, and everyone who fishes there should know the law. I think in ancient times people like this were called Eunuchs.;)

[Surfcast23]

Do you really want to start talking ****?

[dogfish]

I think in ancient times people like this were called Eunuchs.;)

we have eunuchs here now? I rather use the term "ball-less wonder"
Damn, there goes the neighborhood. There should be something in the rules about keeping eunuchs off of this site. No eunuchs allowed.:laugh:
11704

[Surfcast23]

You know what I'm not gonna get dragged in to an Internet pissing match. later

[BassBuddah]

When I was fishing growing up there was a kind of respect for others out there. I still see that now, but it's different out there. You have a younger generation that does everything based on the internet and phone technology. Many of these younger guys think they know it all. Meanwhile, they didn't have to earn much of it because they scooped it all up on the internet. We used to admonish any poaching we saw in the past, and sometimes unfortunate accidents happened to the people who showed no respect. Today, there is no fear of that, and you have a younger generation, who has only seen a few years of fishing, using the internet as their ranting mechanism. People are so used to being wrapped up in their technology that they consider it completely normal to complain on the iinternet after something happens. It never occurs to them that they could make a difference just by saying something.

I also agree with finchaser, where he said if there is another collapse it will be mostly the fault of the recreational fishermen. I have seen more fish wasted in the last 5 years than in all my years of fishing. I think we all need to bear some blame for that happening.