Fish Report 3/26/2013

Toggin Along

Better Plan

Big Three

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The Boat Is In Sunset Marina At The End Of B Dock While The Channel's Being Dredged. Reservation Staff Will Have Directions & GPS Info.

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Long Tog - Friday, Saturday & Sunday - 3/29, 30 & 31 - Cbass Closed - 6AM to 5PM - $150.00 - 14 Passengers Sells Out - Even Very Good Anglers Could Be Skunked - Only Tenacious Anglers Need Apply; Unyielding & Unwavering Fishers Able To Stare A Skunk In The Eye..

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Reservations Required @ 410 - 520 - 2076.

LEAVE YOUR BEST POSSIBLE CONTACT NUMBER - Weather Cancelations Are Common - I Make Every Attempt To Let Clients Sleep In If The Weather's Not Going Our Way..

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No Live Fish Leave The Boat - Dead & Bled - Period. (I Believe The Live-Fish Black Market Is Hurting The Tog Fishery)

All Regulations Observed - 4 Fish @ 16 Inches.

Green Crabs & Shrimp Provided. You're welcome to bring any hard bait: Lobster, White Crab, Blue Crab, Hermit Crab: Even Gulp Crab .. No Squid, No Clam = No Dogfish.

Be A Half Hour Early - We Like To Leave Early.

Clients Arriving Late Will See The West End Of An East Bound Boat..

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Will Open Reservations For Summer Sea Bass (Soon I Hope) When (the really nice people at) NOAA & NMFS (who I never-ever bicker or quarrel with) Have Given Approval To The Council's Sea Bass Plan.

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3,936 "Oyster Castle" Reef Blocks By The Rail. (1,144 @ Jimmy's Reef) (Unchanged Because Of Dredging)

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Greetings All,

Had 18 tog Saturday. Only 3 of them were under 20 inches. Most were about 10 pounds.

Sunday I had a light rail of regulars. The forecast was NE wind & rain - same forecast I'd cancelled for a week ago.

Not a drop of rain.

Blew 20 for about an hour then fell out pretty.

Sizes more mixed; we got back early with a boat limit and 20 tags by the rail..

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People often ask, "When's the best time to go?"

I suppose the answer is, "When they're biting"

..but you won't know if that happened until we pick up anchors and head in.

A lot of my winter clients are super-dedicated tog fishers. If there were bluefin tuna & 30 pound striped bass bumping into the hull, they would calmly bait-up with crab and drop straight down..

Indeed, several times earlier this winter I had incredible sea bass fishing on the jig; yet guys were mostly baiting up with crab.

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Easter's coming. Spring fever will leave a burning desire to go fishing in some: We're Still Tog Fishing.

Last Saturday I had a few VERY SKILLED anglers watch while other skilled anglers caught well.

Tog fishing should loosen-up as waters warm ..but its still tog fishing.

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You can't imagine the changes in my life since the recreational sea bass fishery lost stability in the fall of 2009.

Things are very bad.

I remain convinced recreational catch-estimate data has hijacked true science from reef fisheries management.

For now I just wish they'd announce a season.

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MRFSS & MRIP somewhat-accurately have Party/Charter sea bass landings now falling far below historic lows.

We were CATCHING while sea bass populations were growing to a multi-decadal high in 2003. Party/Charter were catching millions and the population grew every year.

Now, inexplicably, MRFSS & MRIP have private boat landings rocketing to where one state's private boats can outfish ALL U.S. Party/Charter - sky high landings where, just a few years ago, private boats accounted a much smaller percentage..

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Below are a few MRIP tables where I have calculated a state's private boat landings by day. Just how fantastic these assertions of the last few years are becomes more evident in this fashion.

I've also included Mid-Atlantic Party/Charter estimates back to 2000.

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Many managers now grasp how its perfectly possible for an estimate to be so wrong --either too low or too high-- that it is random & in no way indicative of any real fishing that took place. I also think many in management's camp realize MRFSS/MRIP are based on extravagant participation data; numbers of anglers far higher than state license sales & FWS surveys would have.

We're almost at a tipping point; a place where these estimates will be formally viewed in a different light. If the Omnibus Amendment for Recreational Accountability Measures passes the Mid-Atlantic Council, regulators will be able to realign data in accordance with its "Margin of Error" or PSE.

For now the estimates remain a crushing weight on recreational commerce.

We'd make so much more progress in sea bass restoration if they'd consider instead where sea bass feed, shelter, spawn & grow to maturity.

Consider too at what age they spawn.

Current Plan: Choke Catch Off By Regulation Until Effort Is Minimal.

Better Plan: Make billions more fertilized eggs with more & more places to feed & grow in restored habitat...

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Managers should very carefully consider why sea bass populations peaked in 2003 in just the second year of a creel limit & a 12 inch size limit. The population had rebuilt wonderfully with no closed season and with only a 9 & 10 inch limit.

Managers should ponder why cbass are not at peak now despite habitat expansion to our north & far tighter recreational restrictions.

Reliance on bad data hides opportunity for fisheries science & habitat restoration to make true progress.

The estimates holding Party/Charter down sure look like random numbers to me.

Regards,

Monty

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Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservation Line 410 520 2076
http://www.morningstarfishing.com/

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New Jersey Private Boat Catch Sept/Oct.. Not Party/Charter

Estimate StatusYearWaveCommon NameLanded [open season & catch per day]PSEFINAL2007SEPT/OCTSEA BASS7,239 [60+ days - 120 daily]83.9FINAL2008SEPT/OCTSEA BASS288,409 [60+ days - 4,800 daily]56.9FINAL2009SEPT/OCTSEA BASS37,269 [35 days - 1,070 daily]37.4FINAL2010SEPT/OCTSEA BASS392,432 [30 days - 13,100 daily]47.6FINAL2011SEPT/OCTSEA BASS1,119 [11 days - 102 daily]104.8PRELIMINARY2012SEPT/OCTSEA BASS238,010 [23 days - 10,350 daily]41.5

MA Private Boats Only - Not Party/Charter

Estimate StatusYearWaveCommon Name# Landed in MA @ 20 per-person per-day until 2011 -- then 10 fish per-person]PSEFINAL2007MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS30,335 [ 61 days, 497 daily]79.2FINAL2008MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS54,678 [ 61 days, 896 daily]65.6FINAL2009MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS34,493 [ 61 days, 565 daily]51.3FINAL2010MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS448,181 [ 40 days, 11,204 daily]68.6FINAL2011MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS77,397 [ 40 days, 1,935 daily - @ 10 fish limit]42.9PRELIMINARY2012MAY/JUNEBLACK SEA BASS275,657 [ 44 days, 6,264 daily - also @ 10 fish limit]

NJ Private Boat Only - Not Party Charter

Estimate StatusYearWaveCommon Name# Landed in NY @ 25 per-person per-day until 2010 -- then 20 per-person in 2010; 10 fish per-person in 2011 & 15 per-person in 2012PSEFINAL2007JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS37,686 [61 days, 617 daily]55.8FINAL2008JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS39,834 [61 days, 653 daily]51.2FINAL2009JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS183,775 [61 days - 3,012 daily]59.7FINAL2010JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS83,513 [40 days - 2,087 daily @ 20 per-person]48.7FINAL2011JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS53,740 [16 days - 2,985 daily @ 10 per-person]52.5PRELIMINARY2012JULY/AUGUSTBLACK SEA BASS129,441 [18 days - 7,191 daily @ 15 per-person]57.7

All Mid-Atlantic Party/Charter - All Year Combined

Estimate StatusYearCommon NameTotal Harvest (A+B1)PSEFINAL2000BLACK SEA BASS1,730,58113.1FINAL2001BLACK SEA BASS1,776,2138.1FINAL2002BLACK SEA BASS1,975,2587.2FINAL2003BLACK SEA BASS1,959,1356.0FINAL2004BLACK SEA BASS599,91222.4FINAL2005BLACK SEA BASS516,97514.4FINAL2006BLACK SEA BASS636,45111.6FINAL2007BLACK SEA BASS856,83411.2FINAL2008BLACK SEA BASS341,75111.1FINAL2009BLACK SEA BASS343,83113.2FINAL2010BLACK SEA BASS358,70415.6FINAL2011BLACK SEA BASS218,46020.2PRELIMINARY2012BLACK SEA BASS326,11016.7