# 33" For Rock Now



## catman (May 28, 2001)

"The Maryland DNR has just announced the Rockfish regulations for the Spring 2006 season. The minimum size limit during the spring Trophy season will be 33 inches. This is hot off the press from the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meetings yesterday in Virginia. Please see the DNR and MSSA websites in the next few days for full details."


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## Hat80 (Sep 22, 2002)

*More good news!*

The down side is I think we we'll see allot more poaching. Time to drop that dime guys! .....Hat


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## Big Rad (May 19, 2003)

*oN THAT NOTE*

I now have the hotlines programmed into my cell phone.


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Hat80 said:


> The down side is I think we we'll see allot more poaching. Time to drop that dime guys! .....Hat


Yeah the increase from 28" to 33"
will put a lot of fish out of the legal
category. I have kind of mixed feelings
on this one. I think a slot from say
26" - 36" would be a good thing. The
smaller fish are better eating...let the 
larger ones go.


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

I have to agree with Tilapia on this one at least on the slotting issue. As for taste I personally have not caught a striper over 33" but I have eaten many in the 40-46" range and it was wonderful. They were ocean fish which may be the case. I don't have enough evidence to make this case but many anglers believe that ocean stripers taste way better than their bay counterparts.

Slotting is an EXCELLENT idea. I do not know the science but I would assume a larger cow would produce more eggs and thus more baby stripers.


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

cygnus-x1 said:


> I have to agree with Tilapia on this one at least on the slotting issue. As for taste I personally have not caught a striper over 33" but I have eaten many in the 40-46" range and it was wonderful. They were ocean fish which may be the case. I don't have enough evidence to make this case but many anglers believe that ocean stripers taste way better than their bay counterparts.
> 
> Slotting is an EXCELLENT idea. I do not know the science but I would assume a larger cow would produce more eggs and thus more baby stripers.


I actually had a thread going a while back
on why I thought ocean fish in general 
taste better than the fish in the bay.
i.e. ocean caught croaker vs bay caught
croaker, etc. Basically I thought it was their diet
and the quality of the water.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

When does the season start?


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

I suscribe to those theories as well except I require personal experimentation =) if ya know what I mean. I don't get to catch and eat ocean fish as much as i would like so most of my fish caught are from the bay. Maybe this year will be different =)

But common sense would tell you that the ocean waters are much cleaner than the bay and its tributaries.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

*Poachers...*

More at the Narrows and Matapeake...

IRI has it's own share of tog poachers too...

Sandcrab


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## hookem (Mar 27, 2001)

*Real research*

Doesn't it make more sense to catch the small ones and the largest ones and leave the breeding ones alone. The older ones are going to die anyway, the young ones get eaten by bigger fish, but the ones that breed keep supplying the fries. I think more research needs to be done. Either way I'm on the water come spring w/ respect for the law.


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## Dae (Jun 25, 2002)

Folks, I don't think the decision was based on taste or breeding stock. I think the decision was based strictly on numbers, numbers of fish that will be caught and kept. 

You have to remember that ASMFC is trying to reduce the number of fish being taken during the Trophy season because the Recs went over the limit in '05. 

What better way then to just increase the minimum size? If you use a slot limit like 26-32 inches, I'll bet lots more fish will go into the cooler then if the minimum was 33 inches. 

Think about it, it's the TROPHY season. Why would you want to catch a 26" fish as a Trophy, only to have to throw back your 34" fish?

If you want to catch smaller fish to eat and you don't want to possibly hook a fish to large that you feel is better breeding stock, why not wait another month when the larger ocean fish are pretty much gone and the smaller residents are left and become legal the catch?

- Dae


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Dae said:


> Folks, I don't think the decision was based on taste or breeding stock. I think the decision was based strictly on numbers, numbers of fish that will be caught and kept.
> 
> You have to remember that ASMFC is trying to reduce the number of fish being taken during the Trophy season because the Recs went over the limit in '05.
> 
> ...


Dae, just think about how many more fish
will have to be caught and thrown back 
now in order to get that one legal fish.
There will be a higher number of fish
fatalities because of it. I am aware of how
they get thier numbers.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Last year I saw very few rock under 36" during trophy season. It got to a point where we were releasing anything under 40". It was a slaughter last year.


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

Dae said:


> If you want to catch smaller fish to eat and you don't want to possibly hook a fish to large that you feel is better breeding stock, why not wait another month when the larger ocean fish are pretty much gone and the smaller residents are left and become legal the catch?
> 
> - Dae


Personally I am not a trophy hunter so I could care less how big the fish is as long as it is legal and tastes good. As far as waiting for ANOTHER month come on we are fishermen, many of us are going through withdrawal =)

In my experience it is harder to get decent sized stripers (26-32) in the bay from the shore in the summer months so the trophy season is an opportunity for many people to get a chance at a nice sized fish without having to crawl all over AI.

But I do agree with Tilapia, it won't stop people from catching stripers and the throwback rate will just increase.


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## shaggy (Jun 18, 2003)

Well, one would think, that time of year, with water temps and hopefully using circle hooks, fish mortality wouldn't or shouldn't be that much of a factor. Catch measure, decide to keep or release, and let it loose.

Now, if it was dead of summer, then I may see a problem. Just make sure, If you aren't going to keep, wet your hands before handling the fish, and get it back in the water quick.

Have Jeep will travel


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## Big Rad (May 19, 2003)

*My .02*

I went out during trophy season a couple (cough cough) of times. During my time there the folks who were catching fish were out numbered by those who were not. As was noted, it was rare to see a rock smaller than 33 inches. I know that this year I will be monitoring my fellow fishermen and advising on the rules and handling techniques as much as possible.

I will be taking an active interest in "MY" fishery


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## Dae (Jun 25, 2002)

Folks,

I believe, like Shaggy, mortality should be low due to the water temp and I also believe most of the fish caught during Trophy season will be 33+ inches. I don't think they call it Trophy season just for kicks.

This argument over changing the rules to suit a given want should not be happening. We, as recs went over out alotment of fish last year, so this is what needs to be done.

I understand that folks want fish in the 26 to 32 inch catagory to eat, but you can have that if you just wait a month. If you feel your primary goal is to catch and eat, then fish for something else. Stripers are NOT the only fish out there.

If your reason for being against a 33" minimum is because of breeding stock, then don't fish during Trophy season. It's not like the Striper fishery will collapse due to that minimum.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now, but let me say one last thing. Last year I only caught one, yes one, striped bass and it was just over 18 inches. Believe me a slot limit at 26 - 32 inches would proberbly help me but I know it's "Trophy" season so a high minimum size only makes sense.


- Dae


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## Gas$4Less (Oct 11, 2005)

*Take catman with a grain of salt*

Catman,
since I know you have crossed-over what so many on this board consider the dark side (boating), could you specify...when you talk of mostly 40 inchers during the trophy season, you are talking from a boat right?

I saw lots of 30-40"ers early (as in before it was legal to keep them), but as soon as the season stated, there weren't too many big ones to be had from the shore.

Which brings up the question--do any states have different regulations for surf fishing than for boat fishing? 

A 33" limit makes it tough for a surf fisher to go home with anything unless its the first week the season opens up.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Gas$4Less said:


> Catman,
> since I know you have crossed-over what so many on this board consider the dark side (boating), could you specify...when you talk of mostly 40 inchers during the trophy season, you are talking from a boat right?


Hey dude, I really don't give a flying f%#* how you take me. Yea I'm a boater but I also fish from shore. If you read between the lines you would have seen that the boaters probably account for 95% of the over catch and actually abuse the size limit by culling fish. It's just the nature of the type of water they fish and the techniques used. 

So what's all this stuff about the dark side?


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

Fishing is fishing no matter how it is done. Either by boat by pier by shore or by tossing lures or dunkin bait. Catman ... don't worry 'bout that dark side stuff ... wait a minute I feel a surge in the force ... I am detecting a bit of boat owning envy with this one ... ;^)


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## Dae (Jun 25, 2002)

Here's something that might be seem odd to those that have not fished from a boat on a regular bases.

I was a fisherman for years working shorelines and always thinking, if I could just get my bait out a few more feet or if I were on a boat, I'd catch more and bigger fish. How could I have been so wrong in my thought.

I can honestly say, I've caught more and consistently larger fish, on average, from the shore. I must admit that my largest fish did come from my boat, but I'll bet if I hadn't been using 4lb test on my trout gear, I would have had a larger stiper from shore. I lost that dang fish because I wasn't expecting to catch anything that size so I didn't have a net with me and I was sitting at the end of a friends pier on Middle river.


- Dae


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

When I did a lot of bridge and pier fishing I used to cast way out thinking that's where they were. Now I can't get the boat close enough to what I used to fish from. It's hard to match the excitement of hooking a 28" striper in 18" of water on a jerk bait. Everything is about structure. Now I'm in the market for a second boat so I can fish skinny water. Go figure.


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## Surfbass (Feb 15, 2006)

Dae said:


> Here's something that might be seem odd to those that have not fished from a boat on a regular bases.
> 
> I was a fisherman for years working shorelines and always thinking, if I could just get my bait out a few more feet or if I were on a boat, I'd catch more and bigger fish. How could I have been so wrong in my thought.
> 
> ...


my biggest have been from shore too, and ive been on boats my whole life

structure is everything


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

Dae said:


> Folks,
> 
> I believe, like Shaggy, mortality should be low due to the water temp and I also believe most of the fish caught during Trophy season will be 33+ inches. I don't think they call it Trophy season just for kicks.
> 
> ...


Dae, the beauty of this site is everyone 
is free to express what they want. If 
you do not like someones opinion then
just move on along. You do not have
to like it, it is not "your" opinion. P.S. we 
are all friends here and we do not argue
over stuff like this. We do not always
have to agree on everything and often 
times we agree to disagree.


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## MANDINGO (Apr 4, 2004)

*I Motion*



Talapia said:


> Dae, the beauty of this site is everyone
> is free to express what they want. If
> you do not like someones opinion then
> just move on along. You do not have
> ...


FOR TALAPIA TO BE P&S SPOKESMAN TAP YOU GIVE GREAT REPLIES AND KNOWLEDGE AS WELL AS HELP KEEP THE PEACE KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT JOB.


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

*its like the lottery*

Catching big fish is like playing the lottery, got to play to win. I fished a good share of weekends last spring, summer and fall and landed my share of dinks, keepers and trophy rock. Yeah I am relatively new to fishing seriously, and yeah last year I caught my 41" from shore one weak before opening season. But opening day+1 I landed a nice 36" rock from the same spot. 

Hey, I fish because I enjoy it, It is fun to be able to brag about a cow that you caught. I dont fish to feed myself or my family. 

Hey it is a fun sport. It is supposed to be fun.

Enjoy yourself.

Jeff


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## fishrmnnj (Mar 3, 2006)

*once again*

hi guy I am new to this board I fish Snj and once again the powers that be can not get it right .. I see Maryland set its size to 33'' while NJ just set theres to 2 @ 28'' go figure


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

I am not sure about NJ but MD has a 2 for 28 Striper limit as well but its only in the ocean. This NJ reg may be for the Ocean as well. Whats the reg for the Delaware Bay?


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