# Spring C&R striper regulations



## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Gotta' love how Maryland DNR is finally posting public notice of the meeting for proposed spring striper regulations the day _after_ the meeting occurred.

I read today that commercial charter boat captains are behind the effort to close the spring C&R season. If that's the case, then we may need to reconsider whose side they are on.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

These charters (not all of them) are simply using their clout to ban competition. They are mad that some folks don't need their services to go have fun so they try to ban what they can't or won't provide: catch and release fun. They are doing this in the name of conservation. It really stinks. If they were really concerned about the fish stocks they would push for opening the catch and keep date to about May 15th. I hope the DNR reads these boards.


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

sand flea said:


> Gotta' love how Maryland DNR is finally posting public notice of the meeting for proposed spring striper regulations the day _after_ the meeting occurred.
> 
> I read today that commercial charter boat captains are behind the effort to close the spring C&R season. If that's the case, then we may need to reconsider whose side they are on.


That posting has been there for awhile. *Follow the link to view the proposals being considered*
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisherie.../StripedBassSpringCatchandReleaseProposal.pdf

*Send the DNR your comments*.
Address for electronic comment to DNR:
http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/draftregulations.html

Make your voice heard


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

*DNR: Show us the science!*

Tracker1, thanks for those links. Every sportfisherman out there who loves to shake off their cabin fever with a cold and rainy March trip for stripers needs to take the time and respectfully weigh in. Neither proposal is good but Proposal 1 seems like the least restrictive. And not trying to be argumentative here, but the fisheries front page didn't announce the Annapolis meeting until late yesterday afternoon, almost 24 hours after it was held. Probably more of an oversight than deliberate secrecy, but it doesn't look good.

The vast majority of us are careful with these fish and are serious about conservation but there must be science to back up these recommendations. What's particularly annoying is that any fisheries biologist will tell you that release mortality rates are at their _*lowest*_ in winter and early spring, since colder water holds more dissolved oxygen and reduces stress on fish. It's the summer and early fall releases that are hell on them.

If a majority of fisheries biologists said that the fish were on the verge of collapse and we needed a moratorium, I'd back them up in a heartbeat. But until that science is shown this is nothing more than an attempt by commercial interests to maximize their profits, and a government agency is helping them. In fact, I'll propose this to both the DNR and the commercial charter captains: *ban ALL harvest of stripers during the spawn period, from March-June in the entire Chesapeake*. Nothing will help these fish more than allowing every single one to spawn and leave the bay so they can come back and spawn every single year.

Today they ban catch-and-release for stripers; tomorrow it'll be drum.


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

Sand Flea, You make very good points. Please don't just voice them here. Send your comments to DNR. They are the ones who really need to hear them.

Thanks,

Tracker


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Done. Just making sure everyone here does the same.


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

there is no commercial fishing in the bay or its tributaries from the end of feb-june 1st accept on the ocean. so yallare off base on the commercial guys harvesting during march and april and may. I have seen very very few charter boats do preseason catch and release accept for the day before opening strickly to check the rig and make sure all the tackle and the boat is set up.


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

Bass, Striped
Bay Pound Net 18" - 36" Jun 1 - Nov 30 
(including Saturdays)
Maximum 4 nets/licensee Permit required. Licensee assigned multiple striped bass pound net allocations on a permit, or a seasonal allocation of at least 6,000 lbs. the daily limit is 1,600 lbs/day. Licensee with a single allocation, the daily limit is 800 lbs/day. 
Bass, Striped
Bay
Haul Seine 18" - 36" Jun 8 - Nov 30 
Mon thru Fri

Permit required. Participants must have a Dept. sealed haul seine.
1,250 lbs/licensee/season - 750 lbs/licensee/net/day 
Bass, Striped
Bay
Hook & Line 18" - 36" Jun 15 - Nov 30 
Mon thru Thu 

Closed effective 12:01 a.m Nov 11, 2009. 


1,500 lb/weekly-500 lb/licensee/day - No more than 4 persons/boat
2 crew/licensee. Check in 3 hours after trip or by 9:00 pm day of harvest OR by 9:00 am the following day
Permit and flag required.
Call 1-800-999-2800 for season updates 
Bass, Striped
- Bay - Drift Gill Net 18" - 36" Jan 1-Feb 28 and
Dec 1 - Dec 31
3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Mon thru Fri.

Permit required-4 permits/boat max. Harvest must be checked in 3 hours after trip or no later than 9 pm the day of harvest.
500 lbs/licensee/day 2,500 lbs/licensee/week


Bass, Striped
Ocean Trawl
Drift Gill Net
24" Jan 1 - Apr 30 and Nov 2 - Dec 31
Mon thru Fri. 

Permit Required-1,950 lbs/licensee/season 






those are the current seasons for commercial fishing in maryland for stipers directly from dnr's we page


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

transamsam98, thanks for the statistics. When it comes to harvest, recreationals are just as responsible for taking fish as commercials and we all need to be aware of that.

But this isn't about harvest. This is about the early spring when none of us wants to kill a single fish. It's about being so dedicated that we use circle hooks, call DNR the second we see poachers, and nearly freeze to death waiting for hours for a single strike. When it comes, we take a quick picture and get the fish back in the water. And commercial charter captains want to take that right away so they can stack dead fish up on a dock a few months later.

Sorry, but anybody advocating banning fishing isn't going to make any friends here.


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

sand flea said:


> transamsam98, thanks for the statistics. When it comes to harvest, recreationals are just as responsible for taking fish as commercials and we all need to be aware of that.
> 
> But this isn't about harvest. This is about the early spring when none of us wants to kill a single fish. It's about being so dedicated that we use circle hooks, call DNR the second we see poachers, and nearly freeze to death waiting for hours for a single strike. When it comes, we take a quick picture and get the fish back in the water. And commercial charter captains want to take that right away so they can stack dead fish up on a dock a few months later.
> 
> Sorry, but anybody advocating banning fishing isn't going to make any friends here.




Sand Flea I could not have said it better if I tried..


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

Tracker16 said:


> Sand Flea I could not have said it better if I tried..



well than I guess I shall not make any friends here and that is fine. But I will add this in anyone whom is rockfish deliberately during the spawn is not keeping the fishes best interest in mind as all it is doing is stressing them out regardless of the precautions taken to not "harm" the fish. The reasoning behind charter guys as you so bluntly putting supporting closing the spring catch and release is so that we can catch them and their offspring at a later date. not so we can gut hook or stress out the fish when it is not legal to keep them. now as with all recreational guys cannot all be lumped together on their feeling neither can charter or commercial guys. there are lots of people out there that just want a good time or just want money and dont or wont think long term.


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## Axon (Sep 8, 2002)

Sorry guys but I cant get to upset about this proposal. It seems to be directed at "trolling", not shore fishing. Someone explain to me how this will effect shore fishing C&R.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Axon said:


> Sorry guys but I cant get to upset about this proposal. It seems to be directed at "trolling", not shore fishing. Someone explain to me how this will effect shore fishing C&R.


From the DNR page Tracker16 pointed to: Proposal 2--_Prohibit fishing for (targeting) striped bass three days on Mon, Wed., and Fri._ Not a word about the method used to target the fish--clearly a blanket ban.

Seriously, everyone please go visit those links to make sure you're not just operating off of rumors from internet boards.


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## Axon (Sep 8, 2002)

Not to be argumentitive........
can't do a cut and paste from my phone, but the proposal states "the impact of trolling on c&r". Look at the first sentence of the 2nd para in the posted link.

Please correct me if I'm wrong


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Transam, if you want to protect the spawners, open the catch and kill season after the spawn to say May 15th or even after that.

Axon, this is from the latest DNR meeting as printed in an article from the Sun: "Exercising caution, the Fisheries Service proposal most likely will eliminate the use of bait and certain kinds of hooks that cause deep wounds, limit the number of rods on each boat to six and reduce the number of fishing days each week to three from March 1 until the third Saturday in April."


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## TimKan7719 (Apr 4, 2008)

I have Mixed feelings about banning Striped bass fishing. Really and truely I think they are a fantastic fish to catch and eat and I hope they are around for many many future people to enjoy. Now on to my mixed feelings.

Being in the military I fish all over with many diffrent people. I know they are many great fisherman that can handle the responsibility of catching a fish and treating that catch carefully and returning it to the water unharmed. Then there are guys I have seen fishing at one of my fav places to fish using J hooks and gut hooking Stripers before the season even opens. I also feel the same about guys that troll and use stinger hooks on thier rigs some times gill hooking fish. There is alot I would suport (death penitaly for poachers) cause I have seen the bad, but I feel for the people that get short changed because of bad people. I would support a long list of things i seen that causes a large list of damage to fish that I have seen, these would include Only using circle hooks for bait fishing durring the closed striped bass season, ban the use of stinger hooks or trailing trebble hooks. Its a shame but I last fished the spring season 2 years ago and the number or fish i seen that got gut hooked and gill hooked was sad. I would also like to see people learn how to hold a fish they plan on releasing, even though i dont promote taking a large female out of the water if you plan on releasing her. it makes for cold hands but its better for them in the long run. Also if they do put a ban on striper fishing in the closed season i would like to make it the rule like with the gag grouper that none can be pulled from the watrer they must be released in the water.
Tight Lines,
Tim


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

Lipyourown said:


> Transam, if you want to protect the spawners, open the catch and kill season after the spawn to say May 15th or even after that.
> 
> Axon, this is from the latest DNR meeting as printed in an article from the Sun: "Exercising caution, the Fisheries Service proposal most likely will eliminate the use of bait and certain kinds of hooks that cause deep wounds, limit the number of rods on each boat to six and reduce the number of fishing days each week to three from March 1 until the third Saturday in April."


DNR has two proposals that they are taking comment on (ends today by the way) It appears we are going to get one or the other no matter what. Here is a link to the DNR webpage.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/draftregulations.html

If you want to comment, today is your last chance to be heard.


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

I must say the response of postpoing the catch of striper till may 15th is a great idea and even though it would kill the charter industry or hurt it realy bad(the majority of my 70-90 trips a year are in the trophy season ) I think that would be a very good and viable solution. however being that the migrating stock is the 27+ inch fish and the migrating stock is also the spawning stock to truly have an impact you wold need to shut down fishing for 26+ inch fish across the entire east coast. I realize what I am saying is a contradiction in itself but hear me out and feel free to argue with me so that i know you read my posts rather than over look them. if you catcch the spawning stock in their spawning waters while on their way to spawn you re catching them as they are just about to create more life. however if you catch them directly after ( wich the marland trophy season is set up to cach the last 20% of the spawners or the post spawners unlike virginia) you are still hurting the spawning stock but not to a point where you are severaly hurting the numbers. however is you are catching these fish with no intentions of keeping them and no legal way to keep them during the spawn you are depleting the nummbers even when released alive strickly due to stress(would you stress your preganant wife? would you work her hard ? no you let her take it easy n do the bare minimum) and run the possibilty of killing them with no use going to their carcass. these are my feelings and some of these are facts but hey you guys think and say what you want as ive said in previous posts im not here to make friends any more as yall are attaching my livelyhood (some of you not all) anyways thanks for reading


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## transamsam98 (Sep 21, 2009)

I personaly would model the rockfish program after the red drum program if i had the choice and feel there should be no spawning time catch and release allowed. however this will never catch on even tho red drum charters down south are still strong and red drum population is high.


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

transamsam98 said:


> I personaly would model the rockfish program after the red drum program if i had the choice and feel there should be no spawning time catch and release allowed. however this will never catch on even tho red drum charters down south are still strong and red drum population is high.


All since they gave red drum gamefish status.. Like I've been sayin all along


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Transam, you seem reasonable but I gotta say it doesn't matter when or where you kill a fish, it won't spawn again. Catch and release needs to be a part of fish sustainability, banning it is not in the fishes interest. FYI, those redfish charters are thriving....because they practice catch and release. MD Charters can adapt.


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## 9 rock (Nov 30, 2008)

transamsam98 said:


> I must say the response of postpoing the catch of striper till may 15th is a great idea and even though it would kill the charter industry or hurt it realy bad(the majority of my 70-90 trips a year are in the trophy season ) I think that would be a very good and viable solution. however being that the migrating stock is the 27+ inch fish and the migrating stock is also the spawning stock to truly have an impact you wold need to shut down fishing for 26+ inch fish across the entire east coast. I realize what I am saying is a contradiction in itself but hear me out and feel free to argue with me so that i know you read my posts rather than over look them. if you catcch the spawning stock in their spawning waters while on their way to spawn you re catching them as they are just about to create more life. however if you catch them directly after ( wich the marland trophy season is set up to cach the last 20% of the spawners or the post spawners unlike virginia) you are still hurting the spawning stock but not to a point where you are severaly hurting the numbers. however is you are catching these fish with no intentions of keeping them and no legal way to keep them during the spawn you are depleting the nummbers even when released alive strickly due to stress(would you stress your preganant wife? would you work her hard ? no you let her take it easy n do the bare minimum) and run the possibilty of killing them with no use going to their carcass. these are my feelings and some of these are facts but hey you guys think and say what you want as ive said in previous posts im not here to make friends any more as yall are attaching my livelyhood (some of you not all) anyways thanks for reading


Well living here also in chesapeake beach I have seen alot of what goes on first hand, 
First I will say there are only a very small # of boats that go out before opening day , commercial or private since the price of fuel went up boat trafic has gone way down, to begin with

The spawn can be early or late and no one realy knows when that will be 
some years just about every fish you catch has roe other years none or inbetweeen. 
Two problams I have is, 1 CR before the season starts by method of trolling
and 2 is CR after the boat has limited out


9


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