# slamin blues at rudee!!



## catchinabuzz (Jul 29, 2002)

got out there about 3pm, sat a good hour when wham!! caught back to back blues one 18 one 22. thought i was lucky but an older gentleman walked by with a bucket no kidding a full 5 gallon bucket of big blues smallest being about 18 biggest a good 28. he said they rolled in and out about every half hour. i was slaying them dont eat them but you guys are making me think i need to. in an hour i caught about 20 -30 blues all on cut squid with a bobber. alot of fun on a 5 foot ugly stick!

i need a digital camera!!


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## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

I'm not sure I understood the post completely(how many in a 5 gallon bucket?).
But just as a FYI the limit on Bluefish is 10 per person per day. Also if you give away 2 fish that counts against your limit.
Here is a link to the reg. http://www.mrc.state.va.us/fr450.htm 
Sounds like you had fun.


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## firedog (Apr 27, 2003)

Was anyone using lures or just cut squid?


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

> *Also if you give away 2 fish that counts against your limit*


Hmm I dont see in there anywhere that says 2 fish given away counts against your limit. Not to be Lawyerly, but if you caught 20 fish but gave away 10 then you would only be in "possession" of 10 fish.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

"Stepping up on th soapbox"
Technically you are right but you are screwing th system an I fully disagree with your thinking.

"Stepping off th soapbox"


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## firedog (Apr 27, 2003)

I tink all of us when cathin fish and the guy next to you is getting skunked we feel obligated to offer him a fish or two, this does not come of off our limt, it comes off of his. this is just concidered sportsman concideration. Lets think about the other guy? Tell me what you think.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

With Croaker (that there is no limit) sure I will pass on when they ask.As far as a fish that is regulated than [email protected] no. Lets take Bluefish for example.Lets say I catch 10 but I have 6 friends with me.I give 10 to friend A an so on. Well I just killed 60 blues an its*OK*.Hmmmm,an people are [email protected] cuz th blues aren't what they were 10yrs ago. Wonder why?


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

LOL...yeah CDog in the case you gave I guess you would be stretchin the rules. Though if you have 6 people each paying the money for thier pier pass you are ENTITLED to keep 60 fish between you. Thats how it works on the charter boats. If 10 people are on the boat and the limit for each person is 10 fish then legally the 10 people are allowed to keep the 100 fish and shouldn't be looked down upon by anyone. In the case of catching 12 blues but giving away 2 I dont think I am killing the population too much. Me and 2 friends caught 30 fish altogether the other day and they are feeding everyone living in my house tonight. From what I have seen at the pier the last few days the blues are out there in full force. Besides, if I kill and eat a couple of blues I save the lives of a few mullets and other bait fish!  

Naw but on the real I am a conservation advocate. I think its always best to follow the rules. But - when the blues are biting good and someone next to me caught no fish after paying 6 bucks to fish I am going to have no guilt over catching 12 or 13 and giving him the ones that are 'over my limit'.

If you are looking for someone to bitch at THESE are the people you should be concerned with -


> *A. During the period of January 1 through December 31, commercial landings of bluefish shall be limited to 1,138,412 pounds.*


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## rhino7628 (Sep 3, 2002)

Personally, I could care less if the bluefish population is depleted. It seems like everytime I'm trying for trout or drum, bluefish come in and scare/eat them all out of there. They eat up all the better tasting fish.


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## catchinabuzz (Jul 29, 2002)

he was definitly over the limit in the bucket but hell i didnt know. i dont eat them so i have no clue on size and limit. but hanks for the info. 

o yea all of mine were on squid but the oldman was using a pink and white jerk jigger


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

GraphixDude,nothin personal but this a subject that p!sses me off.We(th recs) are always so quick to blame th comms.As you did,but lets look at ourselves.Th blues will be around till what Sept.?Lets say you fish with your 3 friends everyday an take 30 an they avg. 2#'s.Well that comes out to 3000#'s of blues that you killed alone.Legally I might add.Add into that mix giving 2 fish away here 3 there.And on top of that th guy that either dosen't know or dosen't care an you can see we are doing our fair share.
Add on top of that that th people keeping too many or "bending" th rules prolly do it with th more tasty fish also. Th rules are th rules either follow em or don't fish. JMHFO.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

"*Personally, I could care less if the bluefish population is depleted. It seems like everytime I'm trying for trout or drum, bluefish come in and scare/eat them all out.*

Some of you younger dudes might not remember the moratorium that Maryland and New York had years ago. After the commercial netters slayed all the cow female stripers on the Sesquanna Flats in MD, and the power company (Consolidated Edison) in NY killed all the striped bass fingerlings in the Hudson River, fishing for blues was all they had. The moratorium (No striped bass fishing allowed) in the Cheasapeake lasted for almost 10 years and only recently has the striper come back to the Huson River to spawn.

I usually do not give away any fish away to anyone who is fishing. I would rather give away fish to neighbors and they count as part of my limit.

Obey the law and take only what you need.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

I love catching Blues!! I'm not too vain to say I'm old enough to remember the beach blitzes down on Hatteras Island. On 5 or 6 days of any week in October to December you could count on finding a blitz somewhere between KillDevils Pier and the Point, just had to drive and look for the birds. I also remember people stacking them up like cord wood on the beach as they caught them only to throw them away later at the cleaning station when they got tired of filleting. Now a blues blitz on the beach is just about unheard of. And I'm not talking about the ones I see in the pictures, I'm talking about 3 footers that go 15-18 lbs. so thick they'd turn the water dark!! I'm steping off my soap box now but I hope you see my point. Oh yeah, it is possible to catch other fish when there's Blues around. I was in Rudee last night fishing with a friend and whenever the tailor-blues started biting the Grays seemed to be right there with them ( I've still got a nice 6 lber on ice in the box ), then this morning we were at the Lesner and I caught a couple 3-4lb Blues and a 15 in Flounder using the same Cast-master.


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## *BRANDON* (Dec 2, 2001)

Hey everyone makes mistakes dont they!! Its just learning from your mistake that counts.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

That's what's so good about this board, we can help each other from repeating those mistakes by educating each other. Didn't have this "back in the day".


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

What you say makes a lot of sense Cdog. First of all NO ONE unless they are dirt poor and catching fish to survive needs 30 fish a day -- not even 10 fish a day. Personally I never want to clean more than 5 blues again ever, and I wouldn't THINK of throwing away any fish I killed (or any other wildlife) without eating it. The 30 fish I cleaned (again totally legally between 3 people) will probably be a once in a life time thing.

It seems to me that your bitch would be with the law - not those who catch and eat thier limit. Maybe the law should be changed to only allow 5 blues per person if the population is in danger.

The education I am getting from your posts and others is a great thing, and I am definately listening. When someone old enough to have seen a population of fish disapear talks, it has got my attention, and I will do my part to try to preserve them.

I still think that over a million pounds of fish caught for commercial reasons is who we should focus our efforts to change on, but I also realize that the fish being caught there are feeding familys. Its a complicated subject.

I guess the bottom line is that we all need to be respectful and conservative of all wild life - sometimes to the point of being even harder on ourselves than we legally have to. I for one want the fish to be abundant for my sons and grandsons and so on.


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## Surf and Turf (Oct 1, 2002)

I have never met a TRUE sportsman that did not care about the environment nor the animals that live in it. A TRUE sportsman knows that the enjoyment he has is because those lands, waters, fish, fowl and animals exist, but only by a delicate balance.

We all know there is ALWAYS someone out there bending the rules to their own self gratification and the excuses abound. A TRUE sportsman doesn't need excuses or rules. He understands how delicate nature is and handles himself accordingly.

Something you young bucks need to understand or you'll be sitting in front of your computer on some message board one day saying I remember when we used to catch 60 or so a day and now... like some of us who can remember sometimes do here.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

oK....My turn on the subject......every species caught in our wonderful Bay some how some way,interacts with one another.If the Blue were done away like Rhino would wish,wouldn't that somehow affect the food chain for the fish or creatures that depend on the scraps that fall from what is not gobbled up?
It goes the same way with menhaden,crabs and mullet.If these creatures are over fished or have a spawning year,all fishermen in the Bay would suffer.
So when you wish a creature away,your effecting the Bay's food chain.

With that said,I don't see the problem with sharing your creel limit with friends or strangers that willingly accept it.As long there are no size limits or laws broken,why not share your creel,with friends that aren't having the same luck that you are having pulling up fish.
Take for instance,Flounder fishing.I was on my buddy's boat last year with 2 other friends.If I remember the creel limit last year was 7 per person and they have to be 17 and a half inches.Fished the islands,the channels.Unfortunately I still had yet bagged my first fish and my other two friends were tearing them up,and had gotten there limit,7 fish.Well I finally hooked up with 2 and still had 5 more fish to bag.The capt was getting ready to head back,And my 2 other buddies helped me get my limit.With the Capt,2 of my friends and me,we coulda kept 28 fish.So if you have a creel limit why not use it?

The only thing that ticks me off is people that I do not wish to give fish to.People that talk junk when I throw back a 17 1/4 flounder."I woulda kept that fish",they boast.People like that,and I know alotta of these folks on this board have met or seen them,disgust me and wouldn't give them any fish even if I met my creel limit,and they were hungry and living in a box.
sorry to be so long winded,but....Off my soap box now.


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## OBXFOOL (Aug 27, 2002)

Amen Surf and Turf,
I too am old enough to remember the Stripers in the bay in the late 60's where it was nothing for a charter to boat 30 or 50 fish. We all thought it was great, then they were gone. As for the Blues I too remember the blitzes at the banks where you caught the 15, 16 or 20 lb blues. Those days are gone, but if we are careful with the small guys today and only take what you need, they could come back. No care and they will be gone forever, or we will have to live with the same closure we just got over with the stripers. Lets all stick to catching only what we need, regardless of the limit and release the rest. Just my 2cents.


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## rhino7628 (Sep 3, 2002)

"oK....My turn on the subject......every species caught in our wonderful Bay some how some way,interacts with one another.If the Blue were done away like Rhino would wish,wouldn't that somehow affect the food chain for the fish or creatures that depend on the scraps that fall from what is not gobbled up?
It goes the same way with menhaden,crabs and mullet.If these creatures are over fished or have a spawning year,all fishermen in the Bay would suffer.
So when you wish a creature away,your effecting the Bay's food chain."

Never in my post did I wish that bluefish did not exist, but I do wish that there were less of them. The fact is that vmrc studies show that they are over-abundent and eating all of the other fish. The problem is that very few, if any, commercial fishermen, target them due to thier low food value. So they are more populated than other fish that are desired for food value. Also, if you are considering the food chain, we are part of the food chain, so if we quit catching blues, we are upsetting the ecosystem. So do your part and catch a blue.


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

I'm not sure the Bluefish are as big of a problem as the Blue-Channel Cats that have infiltrated the brackish water this spring due to the excessive amounts of rain we've had. Hard to get rid of, eat everything, and adapt to the water they're in even after it gets salty again. And we thought the Snake-Heads were bad!!


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## Surf and Turf (Oct 1, 2002)

Not trying to start a flame, but.....

"Never in my post did I wish that bluefish did not exist, but I do wish that there were less of them."

"Personally, I could care less if the bluefish population is depleted. "

rhino, what does "depleted" mean to you?


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

No need to start a Bluefish war.My Folks (Filipino Family)love Blues!More so than any saltwater fish in the sea.So throw them all back.Let me add them to my creel limit.


Another secret:I caught my largest flounder on fresh blue fillet on a flounder rig.

Don't need to dis-respect anyone,Just the ones who keep undersized fish.


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## Jake Ace (May 4, 2000)

Just because there is a LIMIT, on flounder or otherwise, you have to KEEP the GOVERNMENT MANDATED LIMIT ... or give any away. 

On flounder, for instance, my LIMIT happens to be ONE and that's only if I'm eating it that day.

Many days, my LIMIT is ZERO, which means everything is simply tagged and released regardless of size. And, ONE is generally all that it takes to feed my wife, myself and my son.

As far as giving a keeper sized fish away ... I have never given away a keeper sized flounder regardless.

But that being said, even though I won't give away the keeper-sized fish, I have never turned down a request for help.

And I will 100% take time to show anyone who asks me for the fish, how I caught it. And I will give them a duplicate of the lure and tie it to their line if they like, so they can have the thrill of catching their own.

I don't think that it's the 8-fish limit on flounder that bothers me and I don't know if 1-person can make a difference, because honestly from the pier or the surf, it's a very, very rare day that you can get 8 17 1/2" fish.

But there are a lot of folks keepin' 15" and 16" fish ... and maybe, if some of my 19" fish go back, it will help balance out those folks who are cheating.

THROW MORE / SOME / ANY? BACK

Jake Ace


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## rhino7628 (Sep 3, 2002)

depleted: to lessen markedly in quantity, content, power, or value

source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

exactly what I meant

not meant to be hostile either, just clarifying my post.


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## GuppyMeister (Apr 4, 2003)

Breaking limit laws is plain and summed up in one word, "POACHER".

If you take more than your limit you are a poacher and can be turned in an busted.

A poacher is the lowest form in this soceity and rates right there with thiefs, felons, etc...

You may not think so but next time you want to keep a short fish, an extra fish, or one out of season, be a man and go to the local warden and see what he says.

I can't stand poachers and will tell them in their face. 

I don't mind reminding a greenie about the regs,but an old salty should know better.

I don't want to hear the pathetic, lame excuss, "My family needs to eat." Well, what are you doing fishing and not looking for a job? 

Follow the rules. You are not special.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Graphixdude,I'm not upset about th 10 fish per day.Actually I'm not upset about anything anymore.  But what I was trying to say is th giving other people fish is illegal when there is a creel limit.If someone is standing beside me an not catching than I will tell them what I am doing,show them my rig,help them to catch fish but not give them fish.But hey this is just my opinion and remember opinions are like....


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## poleant (Sep 26, 2002)

Technically I think it may be illegal to give any fish away or even sell without the appropiate license. I seem to have vague memory of a thread awhile back like this one about the regs.


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

> My Folks (Filipino Family)love Blues!More so than any saltwater fish in the sea.


Hey NSerch4 - You need to qualify that statement by saying blues with their heads on. 
I was telling Bucket the other day at Lynnhaven pier that my mama's gonna love me when I show her my catch.
And yes, I too have fond memories of the blue blitzes on the outer banks. Driving up and down the beach spotting birds. Let's hope they make a comeback.


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## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

Looks like I touched off a fire storm here.
Well the rules are the rule. Transferring fish is technically a no no. I have no problem with nor have I seen the Marine Police bother anyone if they stay within their limit. I have seen people busted giving fish away after they reached their limit. If on a boat you can fish for "The Box" by law but a pier is not a box.
Now to a 10 fish limit with a couple of people filling the same cooler I don't believe the Marine Police would bother you even though they could.
Basically police your selves before the Government has to is my view. I do remember catching 10-20 pound blues this time of year back in the seventies. They were fun and I always had steel leaders in my tackle back in those days because if they showed up you needed it to even try and catch "better species". By the way I believe we have fewer blues today than we did then.


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## AlaskaLane (Mar 4, 2003)

Where I come from(AK) the fish and game division is VERY specific about catch and possession limits...You can surely give your fish away, but it will ALWAYS be counted on your daily limit. I believe this is as it should be. Doesn't it cheapen the charitable aspect of giving away some fish when part of the reason(whether you admit it or not) is so you can catch some more?

I'm not too familiar with blues, but it seems to me that if they are considered good enough to need managing with a limit, the limit should be obeyed. The math posted earlier showing thousands being taken is extreme but logical. VA fishing regs are very simple and easy to follow, seems like they could answer this question in a future printing. 
But beware, when too many people need to "clarify" what seems like obvious limits and rules just to see if they can get around the system, you end up with what we deal with in AK: 5 different magazine-size regulation books that will answer your questions whether you like the answer or not!


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

I was gonna add to this again but I lost my train of thought after reading everyone elses posts. Sure was a heated debate for a minute wasn't it? Glad you didn't stay mad Cdoggy Dog!  

Oh yeah I remember what I was gonna say - Look at the difference between the reg on flounder and blues (as far as number you can keep). Someone told me the law is more specific about the catching and giving away extra fish when it comes to flounder but not with blues.

Either way I wont ever want to clean 30 blues again even if 100 people were to give me thier fish! lol...that was just too much time in the bloody blue mess and my kitchen still stinks. I am limiting myself to 5 per slay session from now on partly because of the education we got from the above posts and because I'm just too lazy to clean more than that!

Question - when blues are caught I notice that the hooks on lures like mirrolures, gotcha plugs and others really tear up the fishs mouth. Will the fish survive if caught and released if the hook tears up thier mouth? I know in fresh water with bass fishing a lot of times when anglers hold Bass by the jaw and lift them for photos etc. the jaw is broken and the fish die from not being able to eat. Any thoughts on that?


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

GDude,good question.Alot of people who are fishing for fun ie releasing blues will remove some hooks.In some cases they will remove th trebles an replace it with one circle or J hook.It reduces your hookup ratio but less harm to th fish.

BTW in mini blue blitzs on Hat. I have caught blues that their mouth was already tore up from someone just releasing them.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

> Question - when blues are caught I notice that the hooks on lures like mirrolures, gotcha plugs and others really tear up the fishs mouth. Will the fish survive if caught and released if the hook tears up thier mouth? I know in fresh water with bass fishing a lot of times when anglers hold Bass by the jaw and lift them for photos etc. the jaw is broken and the fish die from not being able to eat. Any thoughts on that?


good question. Two things you can do:
1 Mash the barbs on your treble hooks
2 Replace all trebles w/single hooks

I use method 2


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

wow, C

we must've been typing at the same time, and I'm obviously slower.......


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## Surf and Turf (Oct 1, 2002)

Ok another good subject. What size circle hook do you replace your treble with?


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

I actually use j hooks for treble replacement. I'm sure a circle would work fine, but since you're actively fishing a lure, there really isn't much chance for gut hookings.

In terms of size, I try to use something similar to the size of the original trebles or something I feel is appropriate for the fish I'm targeting. Since I don't use j hooks for bait fishing anymore, I've gone thru all the j's I've got and attached them to the appropriate lures in my box. I generally prefer the j hooks without the offset shank. Just straight j's.


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## catchinabuzz (Jul 29, 2002)

man do i regret this post my topic has put p & s at war!!! 


everyone sit back and catch a buzz!!


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## BigIsland (Apr 10, 2002)

WOW, we have skirted some pretty treacherous waters here. Worse than Oregon Inlet in a Nor'easter. Let me count 'em

1. Eating Blues
2. Giving away fish
3. Commercial limits
4. Sportsmen vs Meat hunters
5. Endagered Species
6. overfishing and reasonable limits

LOL

My 2 cents on blues. They are the meanest fish in the water and would kill you without thinking twice if they were holding the pole and you were on the hook. 

It wouldn't matter how good you tasted, how many of us they had already caught/eaten or what time of year it was whether on a pier or on a boat.

In VA it is illegal to catch more than a days (between 1:00AM and 12:59PM)limit. Period. This is a "creel limit". "Posession limit" is what you may have after an overnight or weekend trip. It is soley for transport between the place where the fish were taken and the point at which they will be consumed. If you give fish away it counts toward your limit and the person to whom you give it to. Remember this as well if you accept a fish from someone else! You can get a ticket for possession of a fish you didn't even catch. There are Marine conservation officers who will be "nice" and overlook a person giving a few fish to those who are not as fortunate but that does not mean they have too or that it is leagal. If you wish to give fish away give them out of your limit.

On a charter boat you are permitted to pool the catch for a Boat limit. This is because the boat has a limited capacity and is chartered for a limited time.

As to fishing for blues, mashing the barbs and changing to single hooks is not only a good way to limit damage to the fish but also a good way to save your fingers! I have gotten bitten numerous times while trying to remove stubborn trebles on a gotcha from a flapping blue.

The hookups you miss will quickly be made up for by the speed with which you can remove hooked fish and get your line back out during a blitz.

As for eating blues I find that the samller ones are quite tasty. When we are at the beach I make it a point to go down each morning and look for a school of blues. I catch 4 for breakfast and fry them up right away.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Doc,Great minds think alike????  

S&T like Doc says I try to match th hook size to target fish size.I also so far have used J hooks.

Buzz,this has settled down to a nice informative thread.No regrets, thanks for th post.


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## Guest (May 2, 2003)

I saw the pic that somebody posted with all the blues thrown on the pier floor. I have to say, and I like to keep and eat blues as much as anyone else, but that picture really hit me. I'm not a pier dweller, so maybe thats just the way its done, but my impression was nothing but gluttony.

I recently went wading on the James and the Rapp and saw at both places people filling their 5 gallon buckets full of fish (mostly herring, but definitely some shad mixed in.) Despite the fact that shad are illegal to keep...which is a different point here...why would anybody need to keep a bucket of fish? It's plain gross gluttony. Report them if you see it. And don't let the "skinny stomachs" stop you.

Just because there is a limit does not mean you have to fill it. 

Just because you paid for a license or pier fee does not entitle you to fish.

I think that all fish should have a creel limit...whether or not their specie's populations demand it. Better now than later...or when it's too late.

If you fish...respect, support, and help enforce the laws. Obviously the laws work...look at the return of the striper! Neither VMRC nor VDGIF has the funds, manpower to enforce the laws everywhere. If you want fish to be there next year...call it in. Fish are a natural resource that belong to all of us...so if somebody takes more than their catch or gives fish away, they are stealing from the rest of us.

Maybe these are harsh approaches, but I think the current state of fishing demands it.

Whewwww! Ok, I'm off my box.


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## Guest (May 2, 2003)

The image of a slaughter house did come to mind when I saw the pics of all those decked fish. Fishing sure was hard and heavy to have that many lying around. Fortunately for all, there were no gulls in sight. Sorta like the saying, "out of sight--out of mind." Same would have been true if those blues were inside coolers and not visibly lying around for all to witness. 
Hey it could have been worse. What if Peta had happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Now that definitely would have made for some serious conversations and a very long thread. 

And "blues" would no longer have been the main topic of discussion in this thread.


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## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

My turn.

A couple of things. The only fish that I am aware of that it is illegal to give away while on the water, pier, jetty or beach is striped bass. I am pretty sure that other fish can be transferred within the bounds of personal limits.

The saltwater fishery laws in VA are all written as possession with fish over your limit or out of season to be returned to the water immedeately. Striped bass carries the additional wording of possession while fishing if you are on a boat. This allows one to fish in the ocean during a closed bay season and return to Lynhaven Inlet with fish in the cooler.

Bluefish creel limit of 10 is low from the standpoint of what recreational fishermen are harvesting and the fishery can stand. In fact ASMFC allows VA to have a 15 fish limit. 

Here is a rub for me. A few years ago the the recreational fishery for bluefish under harvested from that which was allowed by a bunch. Yea, we all conserved the species for what ever reason. What did ASMFC do? They transferred that quota underage to the commercial sector!

The law in VA is pretty clear about holding fish in common, on a boat. In that case the Captain is responsible (i.e. gets the ticket) to insure that the the number of fish is equal to the number of legal anglers times the limit. I suspect that is why head boats want you to use your own cooler. Then it is not their problem if you go over you limit.

Legal to catch two limits and give half away. Let's see . . . everybody on one boat one cooler -- Legal. Standing on a pier with two coolers -- probably illegal. Would you get a ticket . . . only if the man saw you transfer your fish. 

Certainly you can give fish that you catch within your limit without a commercial license. It becomes illegal if you sell or barter the fish without a commercial license.

Tom


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