Fish Report 6/9/09
Sea Bass
Timers
First Flounder
Hi All,
Cbass bite has improved this week. Keeper ratio hasn't, but when you can work on 'em awhile you'll end up OK.
High hook's been in the mid/upper teens and that ain't bad this year.
Were the size limit unchanged from last year we'd be limiting some out nearly everyday.
Back up the clock to the 11 inch limit and we could be home for lunch..
No time machines - 12 1/2 inches.
Laid a base for sea bass release mortality in this neck of the woods on Monday. Fisheries staff from MD & DE timed the exit from the water through hook removal and then 'float' time as they drift away, reequalize their air bladder and swim down. It was a perfect day for low mortality - cool, little breeze - only three didn't make it down. Even in 120 feet the majority went straight down with no float.
Will do it again in July - right thru November probably.
One of the biologists aboard anticipated a lot of mortality from gut hooking with small J hooks. Kahle --AKA 'wide gap' or 'flounder' hooks-- are all I use. Performing very much like a circle hook; we get 4 or 5 gut-hooked small cbass a year.
NJ/NY should do a 'hook to the protruding stomach' study. Seems a lot of anglers from up that way pop the belly with their fish hook. You'd have to tag 'em - a lot of 'em - to see whether they survive that wound long.
Bad way to vent I expect.
Did nick a few flounder, couple keepers - mostly taggers.
Not many, but a sign.
Flounder closure still stands for September 13. Hope to get a good lick on 'em before the shore fishers start stacking 'em like cordwood on the piers and jetties.
MRFSS has shore fishers getting zero fish some years and as high as 53,488 in 2007 - party boats didn't kill 10,000 fish in all of the same 4 year period put together.
Miserable data makes for bad management; creates irritated fishers.
Fishers that then lose faith in the system..
Those spikes in private/rental and shore catches did not happen.
We've never caught our quota.
Needs to get fixed.
Soon.
Regards,
Monty
