There is pleanty of access to continued to catch and keep fish where it’s not so easy to intercept the breeders. After many years of putting pressure (read Stripers Forever plus many others) on the MA Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) to take conservation measures to reduce released striper mortality the Division itself is finally proposing new striped bass regulations to address the wasteful loss to C&R. Please address all written comments to Director Pierce and submit to DMF by e-mail at marine.fish@state.ma.us or by post to 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114. The only reason circle hooks will drop mortality is because they land fewer fish, period. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/01/29/DMF_Omnibus%20Public%20Hearing%20Notice_Advisory%20Revised_0.pdf.

The amendment allowed slight increases in fishing mortality and broadened states' options for meeting management goals while preventing overfishing and maintaining self-sustaining spawning stocks. My personal preference for THE fish to catch these days is sea robin. My two cents worth. Crimp the barbs on the lures used for schoolies, get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible and live to catch and be caught another day. And I dont lose many fish . The 2016 ASMFC stock assessment indicated that the coast-wide striped bass population is declining, although it is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. Our anglers release about 93% of all the striped bass they catch. Massachusetts: 1 fish, 28 - <35 inches. Yep – with all the great whites around in our bay and outside the bay, I always worry about them going for a bass I am lipping boatside. It's easy!

Started 12 hours ago, By

Winter flounder never rebounded. I have been using circle hooks for a few years now and they work great. I began using circle hooks a few years ago while fishing out of Plymouth. Who gave you the indication that the stock was coming back? Make the canal catch and release only. The float keeps the bait away from the bottom-dwelling crabs and skates. For instance, should the gaffing and circle hook rules apply to the recreational, for-hire, and commercial sectors universally or should some groups be exempt; should artificial lures with bait (e.g., tube and worm) be included? Be open minded gang – it’s so our kids can have the same experiences we did !! Fishermen who fish from shore use plugs and live eels and some prefer a 10-12 foot surf rod and reel with 30 to 40-, Other fishermen like a medium to heavy rod with 12 to 20-pound test line and consider it ideal for plugging, jigging, or offering bottom-fished baits to bass, When bait fishing, the preferred rig has a pyramid sinker attached as a fish finder, and a long leader with a colored float attached close to the hook. I believe the bigger mortality issue is with the schoolies being hooked by surface poppers or swimming plugs with multiple barbed treble hooks. Striped bass are rarely found more than several miles from the shoreline. There are many studies that demonstrate the efficacy of circle hooks in lowering release mortality in striped bass and other species. However, individuals larger than 50 pounds are rare. No person shall possess any striped bass less than 28 inches or greater than or equal to 35 inches measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/01/29/DMF_Omnibus%20Public%20Hearing%20Notice_Advisory%20Revised_0.pdf. Any Massachusetts resident or non-resident may fish for striped bass but either a, The striped bass is so prized for its size and battle on the line that many anglers consider it the best game fish in Massachusetts. Each of the suggested measures reduces fish mortality. all said in good , We need our government to push china and other countries further away from our shore lines. see my videos secondchoice jeff. No person shall possess any striped bass less than 28 inches or greater than or equal to 35 inches measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Also circle hooks are useless fishing clams for bait. 2,3,sometimes 4. Several most likely bc it’s never as easy as one two shots.

All recreational anglers fishing from shore or a private vessel are required to use inline circle hooks when fishing for striped bass with whole or cut natural baits, except when fishing with a natural bait attached to an artificial lure that is designed to be cast and retrieved, trolled, or jigged. Keep ’em wet — do I have to explain this at this point? This is GOOD for the resource, and thus for the folks who fish for them. Mass.gov® is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. in my opinion), but I hope this is a helpful summary. The float keeps the bait away from the bottom-dwelling crabs and skates. Discards in the commercial striped bass fishery, though difficult to quantify, are also believed to make up a significant share of the catch, especially given the larger minimum size for that fishery. Yeah! The striped bass is so prized for its size and battle on the line that many anglers consider it the best game fish in Massachusetts. Yes to no gaff. Do not include sensitive information, such as Social Security or bank account numbers. No circle hooks. Striped bass is by far one of the most important fish to local anglers. The Division of Marine Fisheries will also accept public comment through 5PM on Friday, March 1, 2019. Any commercial Striper Fisherman that says he makes a living off the Striper fishery is lying. DMF's FAQ provides additional information on the new recreational striped bass regulations for 2020. He went back in the water to certain death, when he could have gone do my dinner and left his big brother alive that I caught later. Changes Coming for Striped Bass Fishing Regulations . I bought a net when I got in. This prompted the ASMFC to develop and approve Addendum VI in 2019 for implementation in 2020. From tagging research, we have learned that striped bass migrate northward in the spring and summer months and return south in the fall. c. 130 §100B). Permitted for-hire vessels may fillet striped bass for their customers. Because striped bass are so abundant in Massachusetts waters during summer, their feeding can impact populations of prey important to other fish species.

Controlling the seal population will go a long way toward saving the stripers. This prolonged period of reproductive failure had caused a steady decline in striped bass numbers. The fish industry is strong. Maine: 1 fish, 28 - <35 inches. gov the MA commercial striper fishermen will be … I badly gut-hooked a black seabass last year that was only 1″ undersized. The [35-inch] minimum size limit for commercially harvested striped bass all but ensures every striped bass caught for market in Massachusetts is a …

Fishing at dusk or dawn is the best time to catch them, but fishing at night is often good during midsummer. DMF will be bringing the proposal to implement these two conservation regulations to public hearing this winter. Most of us on this site have experience in this matter or give a call to Mass DMF and they will tell you how. Imagine if we could reduce the number of release deaths from over a million fish to 100,000!

I have never liked circle hooks. i bridle my live baits with a 5/0 offset wide gap circle hook, Now imagine if they also got rid of all the catch and release tournaments. The only rule for circle hook use on striped bass should be in chunk baits or live mackerel. Leave it alone!! My son and I are ” meat” fishermen 2 14″ schoolies is enough to make a meal for my wife and me

Started Monday at 08:28 AM, By Fishing with bait or lures from the shore is best in areas where currents occur. Many fishermen have great luck using live bait such as herring, menhaden (pogies), or mackerel. On the Water has a helpful summary which you can find here. Good point Anthony. Stripers reproduced in rivers and the brackish areas of estuaries. Today, striped bass supports both recreational and commercial fisheries that take over 175,000 fish each year. Today, they support both recreational and commercial fisheries in Massachusetts. linesiderdemdnj I will begin fishing with that hook this year for all live bait. Prohibit J-hooks with live bait – stupid. This form only gathers feedback about the website. Just as effective, no gut hook ups. All you need to do is take a stroll down the canal during a blitz and see how many fish the illeaglas are taking. The amendment required that striped bass must be managed to first restore the spawning stock biomass and then to support fishery yield. Of course it should be a law. Something’s FISHY !! The fishery gang isn’t working against us – they’re trying to inform us to keep those experiences alive and be the single source for whatever facts exist.