StripersandAnglers yearly coastwide fish stock assessment, state of the fishery

[finchaser]

At the most resent meeting it has been deemed by government that STOCKS ARE NOT IN TROUBLE and the 2 fish limit will stay in effect in 2015 with adjustments to size only. Main issue is elimination of bonus tags because of charter and head boat abuse. No one monitor them do to budget cut and then again no one sends them in because of this. Problem is how to keep tag quota from going to commercial in other states as we are a game fish state here in NJ.

So all these posts are now basically useless until reassessment around 2016/2017. If stocks drop below the Menendez line in the interim the fishery will be shut down or adjusted accordingly with out any intervention. Period end of quote so move on.

[DarkSkies]

At the most resent meeting

1. it has been deemed by government that STOCKS ARE NOT IN TROUBLE and

2. 2 fish limit will stay in effect in 2015 with adjustments to size only.

3. Main issue is elimination of bonus tags because of charter and head boat abuse. No one monitors them do to budget cuts and then again no one sends them in because of this. Problem is how to keep tag quota from going to commercial in other states as we are a game fish state here in NJ.

4. So all these posts are now basically useless until reassessment around 2016/2017.

5. If stocks drop below the Menendez line in the interim the fishery will be shut down or adjusted accordingly with out any intervention. Period end of quote so move on.

Fin, I don't have to tell you...that what you posted is not true [Stocks not in trouble] ......(I know you and others your age know differently) and agree the ASMFC statement is politically controlled....I get your sarcasm here.....but I'm surprised you have given up so easily, though.....

1. The ASMFC has been discussing concerns about a decline since 2009.
The latest wrinkle to this saga, is that they are counting on one year class, the 2011 strong YOY numbers, to save this fishery.
It ain't gonna happen that way...they are playing a game of Russian roulette, gambling with a notable decline, hoping that one year class will pull the entire fishery up.......



4. For the last 5 years the ASMFC has been coming up with excuses as to why not to change the regs....
Yet for this year their target discussion was a 31% reduction in harvest.....

5. If the SSB biomass declines one million pounds more, the ASMFC will be mandated to declare they are overfished...... as I highlighted in your post.
(It's my contention that with the poor statistical calculations they use to extrapolate SSB, we could be at that number right now, and not even know it)


They wouldn't be even discussing a 31% harvest reduction, if there wasn't a problem with the bass stocks....














So for years you have been ranting to me about the corruption and political maneuverings...
ranting about how corrupt and politically subservient the ASMFC is...
How corrupt Tom Fote is....
And how misguided the JCAA has become (You should know you were one of the original founders)

And now you want to recommend for us all to lie down like dogs, and take the beating?


Sorry pal, no can do.....
A. The old timers I'm talking to are still complaining about a decline in bass numbers...
B. I see it yearly as well.....
C. I don't care what any one else does....or says......
I'm staying the course here....and will continue with this Yearly Assessment...

You can give up...if you want.....

[DarkSkies]

I've been in countless of these threads/arguments across the internet, about what folks are seeing. It's been my experience that anyone who would claim that there are not less bass....

1. Often has a hidden agenda
2. Has a financial incentive for doing do
3. Has a political reason at the ASMFC, or is bowing to pressure from Commercial and Party Boat/Charter interests

















This is just but one comment, of many, that I run across regularly........(from a LI fisherman)
and my response......

"Interesting year, no bass inside, no bass outside, no fluke, only blues.

It's usually the bass first, then the fluke then the blues"

That's because the bass biomass has shrunk drastically.

I have been noticing this in my trips for the last 5-7 years...
Some deny this, but if the SSB biomass declines one million pounds more, the ASMFC will be mandated to declare they are overfished......

For the last 5 years the ASMFC has been coming up with excuses as to why not to change the regs....
Yet for this year their target discussion was a 31% reduction in harvest.....

They wouldn't be even discussing a 31% harvest reduction, if there wasn't a problem with the bass stocks....

Food for thought..........

[cowherder]

Sorry pal, no can do.....
A. The old timers I'm talking to are still complaining about a decline in bass numbers...
B. I see it yearly as well.....
C. I don't care what any one else does....or says......
I'm staying the course here....and will continue with this Yearly Assessment...

You can give up...if you want.....

Thanks for the effort ds!
finchaser please don't tell us you're giving up. I have read so much you posted over the past years and learned from it. When you give up its like the communists have won.

[dogfish]

And now you want to recommend for us all to lie down like dogs, and take the beating?

Sorry pal, no can do.....

This is the dark I remember. Colorful and crusty as ever. Keep up the good work.

[finchaser]

There will be no reduction in NJ or else where as in their eyes stocks are fine along the entire striper coast. In NJ it will remain at 2 fish undetermined size seems 1) at 24 to 28 and 1) over 34 or 36" is rumored. Bonus tag is a major concern and should go in 2015 that is all that is undecided. Then the next assessment and input will be in 2016 or 2017 until then it is what it is. They have made their decision so everything you have posted above is interesting but useless. To recap 2014 will stay the same and minor changes will be implemented in 2015 so no one gets to keep more than 1 fish over 34 or 36 inches per day.

Saddens me but that's how it is, you will be preaching to the choir

[Monty]

There will be no reduction in NJ or else where as in their eyes stocks are fine along the entire striper coast. In NJ it will remain at 2 fish undetermined size seems 1) at 24 to 28 and 1) over 34 or 36" is rumored. Bonus tag is a major concern and should go in 2015 that is all that is undecided. Then the next assessment and input will be in 2016 or 2017 until then it is what it is. They have made their decision so everything you have posted above is interesting but useless. To recap 2014 will stay the same and minor changes will be implemented in 2015 so no one gets to keep more than 1 fish over 34 or 36 inches per day.

Saddens me but that's how it is, you will be preaching to the choir

So if they keep the Bogus Tag the end result is likely that more bass will be killed in 2015 with the lower size limit. Brilliant. #ucking morons!!!

[finchaser]

No - bonus tags are going in 2015. The prolific breeders in the 28 to 36' size will all be spared to breed and sustain the fishery like last time you get to keep 1 smaller and then you can only keep the second if its over lets say 36" with a 2 fish max bag limit

[captnemo]

Chesapeake Bay Spring 2014......(March - July)

By most accounts, the spawn was not great compared historically to other years.....the most common responses I heard from Capts and seasoned anglers was the cold Winter affected the early movement of the fish into the river spawning areas.......

Those who were fishing around the time of the spawn (remember that Maryland now has a closed season in the Bay during the time frame spawning is most likely to occur) have told me that they felt the fishing was slow.....

1. It seems to them that less large bass (Citations) were caught and recorded this year....
2. And there was concern among some of them that there are gaps in certain striped bass year classes.







Down in that area, they also reported a lot of smaller fish...which is something we have not seen as much up North...more on that in the

"NJs resident bass why have they abandoned us" thread...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...y-abandoned-us


** Remember that with the 2011 year being relatively good, we should be seeing greater numbers of small bass, coastwide, because of that.....however, 2011 is one solid year class, and not a specific indicator of the relative health of the striped bass fishery.

I can add to this, dark skies. I read this on the internet. I have friends down there who said the same thing:

The Chesapeake bite was not very good and that hurts us as those fish travel through our waters. Spoke to fellow charter captain's who make the run there and to NC too and it just was not as good as prior years. Up north the Hudson fish are helping but I agree with Sudsy, the past 2 years where we had some epic April/May windows of Bass on a variety of baits with gannets diving etc...is not what is going down this year unfortunately.

[buckethead]

Dark thought you and the folks here might appreciate reading this. Spot on imo.





Capt. John McMurray

Admitting this is without a doubt bad for business, but let me be frank: The striped bass fishing so far this spring just sucks. Yes, I’m still able to put guys on fish, and out of the eight trips I’ve done this season I’ve had a handful of “good” days, but it’s been ******* hard. A lot harder than it used to be. A lot harder than it ever should be.

We can try to blame it on this year’s weather and what appears to just be a “late start.” Yet given the steady downward spiral we’ve seen over the last several years, the later in May it gets the more it becomes apparent that this is pretty much the new “normal”. Even if we are a month behind, we still should be seeing lots more fish. Maybe it will get better, but I dunno man…

There are indeed some isolated bodies of fish around, but there is very little if any consistency anymore. You may find a few fish in a particular spot and be on them for a couple of days, but rarely more than that. Used to be, if you were on ’em, you were on ’em, usually for weeks.

I can already hear some people howling about the small body of fish in Raritan Bay, which everybody and their mothers have been knocking the **** out of. I can’t even bear to go over there anymore. But there simply is not the distribution of fish you would see with a “healthy” stock. Even just a few years ago, when you had good fishing in Raritan, you would also have good fishing from Jamaica Bay to Western Long Island. That’s just not the case anymore. It’s a huge bummer.

I used to hit the alarm clock every morning during the season and hop out of bed with a sense of anticipation because I knew there was a reasonable chance that we would have good action. Most of the time we did. It was an ego boost to effectively and consistently put anglers on fish. They thought I was good. I thought I was good.

Now, when that alarm clock starts buzzing at 3:30 a.m., I have to force myself out of bed. And the stress of putting anglers on fish, anglers who pay me a lot of money to do just that, starts even before I can get caffeine into my veins. It’s just not that fun anymore man. Over the weekend one of my best clients, who sensed the obvious anxiety, suggested I get a prescription for Xanax. I laughed out loud, but perhaps he wasn’t kidding.

I got into this business because, well, because I just loved striped bass fishing. I would have given up anything and everything to do it, and, as my sordid past indicates, a lot of times I did just that. Sounds kind of pathetic, but I built my life around striped bass. Now it’s disappearing before my very eyes… And it f’n hurts, man. All while a couple dozen jokers sit around a table in a stuffy room in Alexandria and make excuses to avoid taking action.

Getting the play by play at last week’s Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission striped bass board meeting via text while I was getting skunked on the water was disheartening. So, let’s talk a little bit about that meeting. While I’ve covered it in other posts, I should provide a just little background here without getting into too much detail.
David Bailey with a nice striper. Photo by Capt. John McMurray

David Bailey with a nice striper. Photo by Capt. John McMurray

Last year a new striped stock assessment, using up-to-date data and better science, was peer reviewed and released to the public. In short, it recommended new, lower fishing mortality “reference points.” In other words we should be killing fewer striped bass every year. I know, right? Duh! It also made clear that the “spawning stock biomass” is continuing to decline and that it will almost certainly fall below the threshold that defines an overfished stock – if not this year then certainly the next. (Note: striped bass has not been deemed “overfished” for more than two decades.)

In case you didn’t get that, unless we reduce fishing mortality significantly – like right now – we will likely be “overfishing” and the stock will be “overfished” as soon as this year. Pretty damn clear what the right course of action is right? Not if you’re a commissioner …

Instead of accepting the assessment results and taking action the moment they were presented, ASMFC did its typical ******** and moved to further analyze (read, delay). It tasked technical folks to write two addenda. The first would simply propose accepting the newer/best available science and the new reference points (e.g., the lower fishing mortality target) presented in the assessment (why the hell they’d need an addendum to do that I don’t know). The second would propose management alternatives that would get us to the required reduction, which appears to be approximately 30 percent by the 2015 fishing year.

So, back to last week’s meeting. These two addenda were finally presented to the commissioners, and there was the usual BS about how such a reduction would be too drastic and would hurt the fishing industry too much. What about my/our industry? It’s unquestionable that the light-tackle industry is beginning to suffer due to a declining striped bass fishery. Not just guides, but also all those manufacturers of 8- and 9-weight flyrods, light spin gear, soft plastics and plugs, as well as those who sell them. I haven’t done the research, but I have to imagine that there are fewer Bass Assassins, Slug-Gos, etc. sold. I know that I’m certainly not making orders like I used to. And the plug manufacturing industry? Those guys really must be taking a hit, because the surf fishing has just sucked for the last couple of years. Surf fishermen are losing access to this fishery very quickly. Ask any surfcaster who made the annual pilgrimage to Montauk last year how it was. Expect a lot of expletives in their response.

Back to the meeting. There was talk about how the decline is just a “trend.” I should note here that it is quite true that the decline is not entirely due to fishing. We’ve had about a decade of average to well-below average spawns in the Chesapeake or, perhaps more accurately, bad conditions for recently spawned striped bass survival (with the exception of one good year class in 2011). From what I understand, it’s been pretty bad in the Hudson also. This is likely climate related. There was a comment at the meeting that reducing fishing mortality isn’t going to bring those poor year classes back. Well, of course it won’t! But it will help protect those weaker year classes by not exposing them to excessive fishing mortality. It just seems like common sense that when the stock is experiencing a downward trend, no matter what the ultimate cause is, you’d want to reduce pressure on it. But that ain’t the way a lot – I believe most – of ASMFC commissioners think.

It’s interesting that there wasn’t really all that much talk of the viable alternatives themselves save the “slot limit” option, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Even then it seemed like the discussion was more about how to game such a limit to maximize harvest rather than making a real good-faith effort to seriously reduce fishing mortality to the point where it might actually make a difference.

What I found most irritating was the motion to achieve the fishing mortality reduction in three years vs. the originally intended one year – in other words, incrementally ratcheting down fishing mortality until the target was achieved in 2017. That is complete crap, man. Just more delay with a fishery that needs decisive action now, before we get into even deeper water and I end up having to sell my boats.

And, as an aside, the striped bass management plan requires managers to end overfishing in just one year. But the ASMFC commissioners apparently ignored that technicality.

We were assured at the last two meetings that they would achieve the fishing mortality reduction in 2015, and a lot of us felt like even this was an unreasonable delay given they could have taken action in time for the 2014 fishing year – before overfishing occurred and before we had an overfished stock.

Of course the motion to drag out the harvest reduction passed and will be considered as an option in the addendum when it goes out to the public (presumably after the August meeting). There were other options that will be added to the document before it goes out to the public, each one a seemingly new and creative way to delay or weaken any real effort to prevent the stock’s further decline. Most of it is difficult to understand stuff that will make your head spin, but trust me on the intent. Reading between the lines, it all looks like more analysis/more delay.

Given the conversation that took place last week, I’m gonna be damned surprised if they agree on anything constructive that will benefit the striped bass stock (not to mention businesses like mine who depend on it) by the 2015 fishing season. These guys couldn’t even agree to use the best available science (e.g., the reference points from the benchmark assessment) without doing a darn addendum and putting it out to public hearing first. By the way, they were supposed to do this back in February (see At ASMFC Last Week, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly) but then had some sort of convoluted conversation about how it should be put off until this meeting (last week). Yet they still didn’t agree to put it out to public comment! Seriously man… it would be funny if it wasn’t so F’n infuriating! Maybe they will put it out in August, but at this point, delay seems to be the best way to maintain the status quo and allow overfishing. Sad, but I’m afraid it’s true.

Of course, striped bass, or any species that the ASMFC manages, isn’t bound by the same sort of firm rebuilding goals and deadlines (specified in the Magnuson Stevens Act) that federally managed species have to comply with. If they were, the best available science (aka the new reference points) would have been accepted as such without question. Regulations that would achieve a 30 percent reduction and prevent overfishing and an overfished stock would have been promptly put in place, certainly by the 2014 fishing year.

But that’s obviously not happening now, precisely because the ASMFC has the “flexibility” to delay, delay, delay. And that’s exactly what they do. As a result, the great majority of stocks they manage are in pretty bad shape.

So why are parts of the recreational fishing community asking for that sort of flexibility in managing federal stocks!? Yeah, yeah… I’m not gonna harp on that again, as I’ve done it in post after post, but it really is ridiculous, especially since the recreational sector benefits from the sort of abundance that comes from rebuilt stocks. Instead there are people out there who are willing to **** it all away over stupid red snapper, which only a small fraction of anglers fish for anyway.

At any rate, striped bass continues to tank, and I’m pretty damn sure that all these substandard trips I’m running, along with the ever increasing skunkings, is gonna crush businesses like mine. Meanwhile the national “conservation” organizations that claim to represent recreational fishermen promote “flexibility,” which sells guys like you and me down the river so narrow special interests can benefit. It’s pretty ******* depressing. Maybe I should add Prozac to the Xanax prescription.

Yeah, I know this is somewhat of a rant (if you want a more rational description of what’s going on I suggest Reading Charlie Witek’s blog: ASMFC Shows Us Why Even Striped Bass Should Not “Be Managed Like Striped Bass”). But I’m tired and disappointed. At the fishing, at the managers, at ASMFC, which is supposed to represent the best interests of the public but which so obviously doesn’t, at those recreational fishing organizations that used to be the “good guys” who seem to now be dumb enough to promote just the sort of flexibility that is messing up my striped bass fishery. (Note: It’s kinda funny that they are using striped bass as an example of successful management, which should tell you that they just don’t know what the hell they are talking about.) I’m tired and disappointed at myself for not just canceling my charters and going down there last week to at least try and convince some of those people that this decline is real and that it’s affecting a lot of people, like me. Something must be done … soon. And it can’t be a half measure. I’m gonna do my best to make it to the August meeting. Stay tuned..

In the meantime, please call or email your commissioners. Insist that they stop dillydallying and making excuses for delay. You can find their contact info here: ASMFC commissioners.

[nitestrikes]

^^^Good read by McMurray. Thanks for posting that. Here is something similar. Don't know if you folks have had a chance to meet Rich Troxler. I have, and he is all about fishing, and analysis. Has decades under his belt. Good stuff he recently posted on the internet:


"Look at the Big Picture and Trends
"it's the big picture and the trends that have been developing that are interesting and disturbing. There are always going to be some bass to catch, the question is how many and how widespread. The last 4-5 years it's been the sand eels that have drawn every fish in the area to them. We had them 2 years. Jersey had them 1 year. We had some last year, but other than that, we don't have anywhere near the distribution of fish we had in the late 90's.

If you were fishing back then, then you remember that in the fall the bay would be loaded, the inlets would be loaded, the beach would have fish in every hole. Up north they'd be beating on them, Jersey, Del Marva, everywhere would have fish. I didn't / don't fish Montauk, but you couldn't help but hear about the catches there, the white bait runs in Sept, the late season herring.

It's been a slow taper off ever since. And the data that's available to everybody online supports this. I still keep in touch with a lot of my fishing contacts up north (not just on LI) and they all say the same thing. Fewer bass to catch, fewer small bursts, shorter runs, complete no shows on traditional, dependable bites. Same thing down here from those who I have engaged in conversations with. Throw the log out the window because it's basically catch where you can now.

Sooner or later (and it's going to be sooner) it's going to happen. The ASMFC will have to flip the idiot switch, and when that doesn't work they're going to have to shut down the fishery, cross their fingers, and HOPE that a year class survives to rebuild the stocks off of. Instead of being proactive and managing the trends as they occurred, the ASMFC has sat on it's ***, year after year, stared at a single point on a graph, given in to special interests, and done NOTHING but provide lip service. It's incredible how stupidly this resource is managed

To your initial question, ALL of the data available has pointed to decreasing stocks and bad recruitment since 2000 or so. The numbers were still above threshold (the idiot switch I alluded to in an earlier post) but all the data pointed to a decline, and nothing was done. You can't keep taking and not replenish, and as there has been very bad recruitment from the Chesapeake stock which makes up roughly 3/4 of the biomass, it's simple math. And as I stated, just because you caught some good fish last year doesn't mean anything, anymore than me getting on some good bites and managing to put together some numbers would. It's coast wide that people need to consider, not just a small isolated sample.

As for your question "Why do we think there are a decline in fish stock numbers?" We don't think, we know. The data shows this very clearly. By next year we will most likely drop below target and they'll start messing with the regs then. My point is WHY WAIT SO LONG! The data has been pointing to this for a while now. Manage the resource based on what the data tells you, not what suits special interests.

And as for 2 fish a day, you had far less people fishing bass back in the day, as compared to now. Over the last decade bass have been pounded very hard, especially when the regs on other fish have driven 6-packs and party boats to fish for them in order to make a living, and I have nothing against them for doing it. This is So not a comm / party boat / rec fishing argument, this is my angst against ASMFC.

The answers are in the data, as well as the proof being in the pudding. In the 90's the entire coast was raving about how good the fishing was, and it was. The entire coast is not raving anymore, just little isolated pockets where the fish pass through. Got sand eels, then you'll have some bass. I always like to point out that during the height of the bass collapse in the mid-80's Block Island had a run of big bass that has never been matched. There were 19 fish over 60 weighed in 3 weeks time, and more 50's than got counted. But that didn't mean the stocks were in good shape. So the real point is that you have to put all the data together and look at the trends they show and manage from the trends. You have to look at the whole range, not just one individual or one location."

[nitestrikes]

Additional feedback coming from a different guy who only fishes boats:



"Hi Guys, boating angler but I come in peace. I have been following this thread and felt compelled to add to it.

About 6 seasons ago a friend invited me out on his small boat to fish Moriches inlet. I had been out of fishing (former surf rat/tin boat owner) for close to 15 years as working nights made it impossible.

My friend employed tactics I could relate to. Drift fishing at night with artificials only. 99% of our fishing centered on an East/West rip located at a spot we could fish comfortably in his (and soon my) small boats. (no where near the mouth)

For the past 6 years it was mostly 1 cast drifts as working non-productive spots were a waste of time. Moving from East to West along this rip we would eventually find fish in the short tide window (2 hours max) this rip would produce. If the Rip refused to give up a fish we could usually find them in another hole or cut.

I could take almost anyone out, hand them a rod and put them into fish. I expect many not to believe what I’m typing however with no witness (we had the inlet to ourselves most nights) I don’t blame you. This is not bragging, this is an effort to show how good the fishing was. I am no expert.

Fishing off peak weeknights, and staying away from the full moon tides we were nearly invisible. We fished alone till the hordes of eel draggers showed up each fall. Even then we usually doubled their numbers concentrating on the rip while they drifted the entire inlet.

If the fishing were still good I would not be writing this. Purely for selfish reasons as my small boat doesn’t take kindly to the massive wake many larger hulls make blasting through the inlet. Or worse yet having to play dodge the anchored dummy is no fun either. Most would agree my fishing partner would excommunicate me for giving up “our” spot and “our” tactics.

Point of all this is up till Sandy and the breach our numbers grew. When I tell you we had better then 400 fish (seasonally) I don’t say this to brag. Rather I say this to show just how “good” the fishing was for us. (just to note our numbers were GROWING not falling each season, just a FYI. I say this as I agree the stocks are down.)

We weren’t hogs either. Many nights were catch and release. Other nights we would “split” a fish between us and it was always a “slot” fish. I’ve seen my Partner release fish to 50lbs, myself to 43. I think the smaller ones taste better anyways.

Since the breach @ Moriches and the complete topography change of the bottom (bye-bye East to West rip) the fishing has been awful for us. 15 Fish total last May-June and if not for the sandeel run in the Fall we would have never reached our measly number of 150 fish, give or take. We joked 2014 couldn't be any worse.

This year IS worse. Dozen or so trips to the inlet and not a tap. (discounting bluefish)

I know my area was affected via the storm in a lot of ways others were not, however I find it hard to believe (or comforting!) so many others see the same exact thing as us.

I’m all for a limit, 1 fish 36”s and that’s it."

[buckethead]

Good points made above NS. It seems that instead of being pro active we are drifting towards an after the fact solution. This despite feedback from a lot of folks. When they finally move for the change I fear it will be too little and too late and not enough.

[hookset]

If it is taking so long to get things done that are so obvious I'll bet some of the people on the asmfc have to be taking bribes.

[DarkSkies]

Very informative thanks for posting. Any thoughts on LI for 2014?

Willie, haven't had time to do the LI Assessment area-by-Area...but from all the contacts I have there, fishing has been poor.
For the first year in many, even the boat guys are complaining.
Some are catching, this is true. But generally speaking, as of a few days ago...the LI boats that usually fish for bass this time of year are still fluke fishing...
Even the best surf fishermen, are complaining of lack of bass in the areas they usually are found......

[DarkSkies]

This is a response I posted to someone I know who fishes both the NS and SS of Long Island regularly.....

Still slow as molasses for me and everyone I talk to. What do you think might turn this thing around?

Just keep at it persistence will pay off.

IMO it's not a question of persistence.

They're all dead, or at least many of them are.

1. The charter and private boats hammer them with "legal limits PLUS BONUS Tag" whenever possible.

2. In NJ we have charter capts who drum up business by advertising they had "Limit++ Trips" filling fish boxes up with 3 bass per man when the fishing is good.

3. There was a recent High Point tourney out of LBI - scores of entries, only 7 bass weighed in.

4. Another one, the Berkeley Annual spring surf tourney - I know the guys who got the top half of the leaderboard positions...and half of the fish in the tourney came from exactly one area in NJ... many other areas of Jersey are not yielding quality fish.

5. Another Example- Monmouth Beach Cartoppers Tourney - June 2014
Spring Lake Live Liners 83 Points
Asbury Park Fishing Club 36 Points
There were no other weigh-ins.

To put this in perspective, each pound was worth one point....the total points for the contest were 119.....meaning out of all the clubs involved, fishing all the holes, cuts, points, inlets, and back bay sloughs they know very well, and have caught countless fish from before....
The best of the best, the old salts from these clubs....some with over 60 years of fishing experience....could only manage to find and catch,
119 lbs of fish.....for the whole weekend....

To me....that says a lot....about the reality of how poor our striped bass fishing (from land, and Overall) is, right now...



6. Jamaica Bay, which each year has yielded scores of bigger fish in the 40 and 50 class, did not produce those bigger fish this year to the extent that it has in the past....(despite being one of the most fertile estuaries in the NY Bight area.)....

7. The SS LI boats which normally fish for bass are now fishing for fluke (as of a few days ago) because there are currently not enough bass concentrations to make a trip worthwhile (with the exception of the small charters that are catching in the lower NY Bight and outside of Jamaica Bay at night...)

8. Montauk Capts just started catching bass, but the numbers and quality are down - look how many of them who usually fish for bass are advertising fluke trips...or combination trips....



9. What's the solution? ....let's all take a road trip up to MA and the Canal?...
Well. I have friends who fish at night regularly up there....and they claim this is the worst year ever for them....
"The bass are just not there" is what they are telliing me....And anyone who has gone up to the canal...has seen that for themselves, first hand.....



These bass have been hammered too much, from too many states..and it's not the fault of the netters.....the fault for this one,...lies squarely on the shoulders of the recs....and the ignorant and uniformed out there who continue to claim....

"There is nothing wrong with the striped bass fishery!!
It is as healthy as ever!!!
I will continue to take my full limit each and every time. It's my right to do this, even if I am catching 40 pounders!!!!"

The arrogance and apathy of the present day fisherman is doing us in....too much denial out there....





















Meanwhile the ASMFC plays political doublespeak, says the striped bass are not "overfished", but has slated reductions for next year, as we are within 1 million lbs (SSB) of them being mandated to shut down the fishery.......


Sorry for the long winded rant...
But many out there....are just not aware because they only fish one little area...

I'm still catching bass at night...but am working harder than I ever have to get just one or two.....
I have dozens of locations that should produce for me this time of year...and now have only consistently been able to find bass at a few....



IMO this will not end until some out there, look beyond the areas they fish...and try to see the big picture....
1. Gaps in striped bass year classes.
2. Significant dead zones for those who fish the surf..
3. Miles of bunker and forage fish, with no bass on them...the guys who loudly shouted "We must save the BUNKER!" forgot to mention that we are also over-harvesting bass, beyond a sustainable limit....
4. The people talking about the large bodies of bass beyond the 3 mile limit are also ignorant...what they fail to realize is that a certain % of bass will and have always taken that path.....looking back 5-8 years, we had bass in greater numbers both beyond the 3 mile limit, and abundant in inshore locations as well.

5. What has happened is the biomass has shrunk, and folks are now seeing large groups of bass tightly concentrated. which is a similar parallel to conditions before the moratorium.

To learn more about this - do a Google search for:
"Honey the striped bass are shrinking"

"m&m theory striped bass"


Thanks for reading., folks...
Best of luck this season...

[buckethead]

No need to apologize for the rant, DS. It's all true. Friends of mind just came back from a Block Island trip. They caught fish but said it was a slow pick. I wonder if the folks who say the fishery is healthy were all put together in one room, maybe they could tell us where all the fish are. Because they certainly are not where I and all my friends are fishing. The stock is now closer to collapse than it ever has been. I fished those years I should know.

[nitestrikes]

you are spot on with your analysis. There are tons of bunker just off the South Shore right now. Not very many bass under them. The striper reports have gotten better in the last few days particularly from debs to moriches, but not by much.
Thanks dark for doing all the categorizing and keeping it real. It is appreciated. Here is a report from today - you folks can decide if he had good fishing or not -

"When out on my friends boat today and fished Debs Inlet for the first time. We woke up at 430am but didnt get out to 745 and had a late start. We broke the inlet and it was windy and choppy out. It was hard spotting the bunker pods but we managed to pick out a few. Then it cleared up and the ocean became as flat as a lake. There were bunker pods all over the place. We livelined, through chunks under and around the pods, and threw plugs on the pods but you couldnt hookup. We tried many different pods but none of them were schooled up and didnt look like there was any fish on them. After going on the pods we anchored outside the inlet a the end of the incoming and chummed and caught loads of sandsharks, couldnt hold it down long enough before they took it. Had a really nice run off but the line snapped\, probally a bluefish. After that we trolled umbrella rigs and fished some more pods for nothing. At the end of the day we saw loads of dolphins swimming all over the boat. Saw atleast 15."

[rockhopper]

Another thumbs down for the south shore. I can't catch a striper to save my life! This might give you an idea how bad it's been here.
"all the Captree PB are fishing state channel to the west. No reports mean no fish !"

[DarkSkies]

Estuaries and Estuary Systems and their importance to our fisheries.....


Folks have heard me talk about Estuaries.....which by my definition are back bay nurseries, for forage and smaller gamefish.....this is where they grow up and spend most of their young lives......

Great South Bay, and Jamaica Bay, are 2 examples of the largest and most diverse estuaries in that area.
The Meadowlands and Newark bay areas are one NNJ estuary.
The Raritan River back creeks and coves and marsh areas beyond the river is another.
Shrewsbury and Navesink river back areas are another.
The Barnegat bay and back bay creeks and coves are another.
The Ocean City river and back bay marsh system is another large one.
And the Wildwoods/Cape May area has another system of marshes and back bays that is another.

There are others, but the ones named above are some of the most notable and largest for our area....