How many bass is enough? How much can you eat?

[hookset]

There was a boat out today where all 6 guys kept thier limit plus bonus tags. Not really news worthy until you consider the bass were 30 lbs and up.
So thats 18 bass at 30 lbs or bigger (some were 50+lbs)
At the very minumum it was 540 lbs of fish. assume 1/3 of that is fillets and you have 18 lbs of fillets (at least) for every man on that charter. ***?:huh:
How much meat can you eat? Sorry but to me thats way too much and the captain should have encouraged them to release some especially since they caught some 50lb bass. jmo of course

[hookset]

15315
here is the report, came from the barn. dark you can delete it if you want.


Well today we had a great crew aboard. Consisted of John, Andrew, Mike, Allen, Jim and Pop. Broke the inlet at the *** crack again. Finally found some bait and had fish on in seconds. Couldnt even snag a bunker and hand it to the customers! Rods were going off like crazy. These guys BEAT THEM UP today. Had our boat limit + 3 bonus tags by 8:15am. Then C&R till the guys gave up around 9am. Most fish we in the 30lb class, some around 40lbs, 1 fish around 48lbs, another at 52lbs and another at 55lbs+!! At 9:30am we started fluking. Boated some shorts and 5 keepers to around 5lbs. The guys MADE me go in at 11am and we were at the slip by 11:30am. Other then it being hot as **** out it was an awesome day for these guys.

Ended the day with 19 stripers, with 2 over 50lbs and 5 fluke to 5lbs. Great day on the water, see ya tomorrow. Thanks again guys!

[Monty]

In my opinion this is what is completely wrong with striped bass fishing. The regulations should not allow this because such a huge percentage of the USA public is stupid, clueless, selfish and inconsiderate. Laws and regulations need to protect them from themselves.

Its disgusting. Limit should be ONE bass per person. What a waste.

[gjb1969]

not cool!!!

[voyager35]

I would like to chime in here. I eat a lot of bass. Generally we keep one or 2 a trip. We never use bonus tags. My feeling is that if you have a few 20-25lb bass, that is enough. The bass pictured, if divided 6 ways, could have yielded a lot more than 18lbs of fillets. Closer to 25+lbs of fillets per man.
I understand the keeping of the 50 and 52 lb bass, When a man catches a bass that size it is natural he wants to show it off. Family, friends, etc, nothing wrong with that. He should be proud. I don't blame the guys fishing, I blame the captain. He has not been in the charter industry for too long. Putting that many bass on the dock is perfect advertising for him. If you want meat you should book him. For me, after seeing this, and even though I love to eat bass, I will never book him. Folks want to blame the cheaspeake gillnetters, the guys in north carolina and virginia, because every year tbey slaughterr the bass all winter. Well I say to you that this Capt is no better. In fact he doesn't deserve to be called a captain in my opinion. A guy like that will kill every last bass, until there are none left.
Very poor sportsmanship in my opinion.

[basshunter]

I don't blame the guys fishing, I blame the captain. He has not been in the charter industry for too long. Putting that many bass on the dock is perfect advertising for him. If you want meat you should book him. For me, after seeing this, and even though I love to eat bass, I will never book him. Folks want to blame the cheaspeake gillnetters, the guys in north carolina and virginia, because every year tbey slaughterr the bass all winter. Well I say to you that this Capt is no better. In fact he doesn't deserve to be called a captain in my opinion. A guy like that will kill every last bass, until there are none left.
Very poor sportsmanship in my opinion.


voyager, there was just a post on another website where a guy said "You are the best striper fisherman out there!"
It doesn't take long to generate the drooling posts for the hero captains. This guy is no hero, and when the striped bass are gone he will be one of the biggest whiners. Or maybe by then he will have made so much money he can retire. He knows exactly what he is doing.

[plugaholic]

Re biggest whiners - but by then it will be too late.:mad:

[clamchucker]

Just remember that this catch was within the law. Personally I have never kept such limits of bass. Like voyager said we keep what we can use without it getting freezer burn. I think when a Captain posts pictures like that it is all about the free advertising. I would think if he has fishing for more than a few years and if he fishedduring the moratorium he could understand what an effect taking such numbers of bass will eventually do. I don't want to disparage the Captain because he was not breaking the law. I feel he could put more emphasis on educating his customers.

[jigfreak]

Re biggest whiners - but by then it will be too late.:mad:


The Capt is 26. By the time there are no bass left he will be able to still get another job. Personally, I dont think he did anything wrong as he was not breaking the law. I still don't like his attitude and think he is a doosh. Dark you can edit that if its too harsh.

[finchaser]

Head and charter boats can no longer use bonus tags each angler has to have one which i doubt. IMO most of that fish if probably spoiled plus big bass eat like sh_t. Also lets not forget the skilless/ brainless method used to catch them the end is near.

[cowherder]

. I feel he could put more emphasis on educating his customers.

Then why doesn't he?
I'm sorry clamchucker I don't agree with you. Even though this is not against the law I think the practice of filling the box with limits of bass every day plus bonus tags is eating away at too many of them. Like dark, and you, and finchaser keep saying they can't just make more like they are potato chips. I think that cap is an idiot and I would never recommend him for a charter to anyone I know.

[Monty]

Then why doesn't he?
I'm sorry clamchucker I don't agree with you. Even though this is not against the law I think the practice of filling the box with limits of bass every day plus bonus tags is eating away at too many of them. Like dark, and you, and finchaser keep saying they can't just make more like they are potato chips. I think that cap is an idiot and I would never recommend him for a charter to anyone I know.
Cowherder I'm with you on this. That bonus tag is totally screwed up. There is no good reason for it.
No reason to kill so many big bass, its wrong. The people doing it are wrong. The captain is an idiot.

[finchaser]

The quota that supports it was the commercial quota when NJ became a game fish state.With out it the quota for it would go to the commercials of another state since we have no commercial fishery in NJ

[surfwalker]

I wish it was just as easy as saying "Use your common sense", but apparently many lack that trait. The greed, the bragging and the disreguard for a natural source is rampant. The appreciation, respect and enjoyment I get from this fish is enough satisfaction for me. Not many know of my catches, I have my fun and it stays within mostly. I don't expect many to feel as I do.

I don't do the boat thing, nothing against boat people, but I do resent how many Bass are kept. I have experienced the excessive keeping of Bass on boats, to my vocal objection, to no avail. The same said for some surfcasters. I also do not object to the keeping of a Bass for the table, but take what you can use for now and release some. I am not impressed when I see a quantity of Bass layed out at a dock. I am impressed by someone who catches and has some respect for this fish, much respect.

I know what the law states, it's varied so much over the years that it makes me sick. Just because the law states something, doesn't mean it is a 100% correct.

I am afraid that as each generation comes up that they will be taught to keep everything they catch, that mindset went out in the seventies (to some). I guess our society is leaning more and more to the "I don't care attitute", as long as I get what I want. Until the resource runs out, and then they can just tell stories. Educate yourself and respect the Bass, and it will reward you with a healthy population.

[Monty]

The quota that supports it was the commercial quota when NJ became a game fish state.With out it the quota for it would go to the commercials of another state since we have no commercial fishery in NJ
Just eliminating it would make to much sense? :mad:

[Monty]

I wish it was just as easy as saying "Use your common sense", but apparently many lack that trait. The greed, the bragging and the disreguard for a natural source is rampant. The appreciation, respect and enjoyment I get from this fish is enough satisfaction for me. Not many know of my catches, I have my fun and it stays within mostly. I don't expect many to feel as I do.

I don't do the boat thing, nothing against boat people, but I do resent how many Bass are kept. I have experienced the excessive keeping of Bass on boats, to my vocal objection, to no avail. The same said for some surfcasters. I also do not object to the keeping of a Bass for the table, but take what you can use for now and release some. I am not impressed when I see a quantity of Bass layed out at a dock. I am impressed by someone who catches and has some respect for this fish, much respect.

I know what the law states, it's varied so much over the years that it makes me sick. Just because the law states something, doesn't mean it is a 100% correct.

I am afraid that as each generation comes up that they will be taught to keep everything they catch, that mindset went out in the seventies (to some). I guess our society is leaning more and more to the "I don't care attitute", as long as I get what I want. Until the resource runs out, and then they can just tell stories. Educate yourself and respect the Bass, and it will reward you with a healthy population.

:HappyWave:
Great post, I am with you on everything except I absolutely cannot stand most boat fisherman.
I think you nailed it with the "I don't care attitude". It really annoys me.

[jigfreak]

I am afraid that as each generation comes up that they will be taught to keep everything they catch, that mindset went out in the seventies (to some). I guess our society is leaning more and more to the "I don't care attitute", as long as I get what I want. Until the resource runs out, and then they can just tell stories. Educate yourself and respect the Bass, and it will reward you with a healthy population.


80% of the youngest kids out there think they can get to be president without any work. Why should it be any different with fishing. btw that cappy is the most arrogant of the new guys out there. Even more than renegade, Hero of the stupid.

[nitestrikes]

I dont understand the mentality in nj. For LI we have a 2 fish lmit one at 28" or better, one at 40".
That is enough for me, and most occasions my bass are released. Why the greed for 3 fish?