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How will the slot limit effect the way you fish?

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2 hours ago, Roccus7 said:

  I'm confident that my C&R mortality is nowhere near that high, but since that's how my ME State log data will get transposed into MRIP, (Yes Mike, Maine does take the accumulated volunteer log data and use those in their MRIP submission), let's stick with that. 

What MRIP submission is that? Just for S&G I ran a query of the MRIP database to get angler effort in Maine for all of 2018, this is what I got:

 

 
Year       Angler Trips   PSE  FINAL
2018     1,626,150     10.6
Including this footnote: "Beginning in 2018 wave 1, all estimates of shore and private/rental boat fishing effort are now based on the FES."
 
FES = is the fishing effort survey, e.g. the mail survey that MRIP mails out.
 
So what is Maine reporting?
Edited by MakoMike
====Mako Mike====
Makomania Sportfishing
Pt. Judith, RI
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12 hours ago, MakoMike said:

What MRIP submission is that? Just for S&G I ran a query of the MRIP database to get angler effort in Maine for all of 2018, this is what I got:

 

 
Year       Angler Trips   PSE  FINAL
2018     1,626,150     10.6
Including this footnote: "Beginning in 2018 wave 1, all estimates of shore and private/rental boat fishing effort are now based on the FES."
 
FES = is the fishing effort survey, e.g. the mail survey that MRIP mails out.
 
So what is Maine reporting?

According to the person at Maine DMR who handles the logs, they will incorporate the Volunteer Angler Logs into the 2019 MRIP data.  If I don't see that in the 2019 summary, I'll stop with the hassle of measuring every fish...

 

In 2018 they used  APAIS, FES and FHTS for the data.  As you can see below, the APAIS intercept points are heavily biasted to southern Maine and loses continuity once you get above Portland.  I was led to believe that that they would take the VAL data and add it to APAIS, which makes sense; the questions are right off the APAIS script. 

 

For a person who averages over 100 fishing trips a year, it's kind of insane for me never having been interviewed for APAIS.  On the other hand, I've never encountered a DMR warden when fishing either.  In a state with not more than 100,000 registered salt water anglers, doesn't seem possible that I nor anyone in my family has never gotten a FES survey in the mail, and yes, everyone is registered...

 

2018APAISInt_000.jpg

Edited by Roccus7

Shall I go to heaven or a-fishing? - H. D. Thoreau

 

Veni.  Vidi.  Cepi. - with apologies to Gaius Julius Caesar

 

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7 hours ago, Roccus7 said:

For those of you pooh-poohing the flavor of striped bass, a fish that I enjoy dining on, when a former NY Times cooking editor, Craig Claiborne  was asked to formulate a "Most Memorable Meal Menu" the fish course happened to be "Striped Bass with Champagne Sauce", a dish I've made and enjoyed quite a few times.  

 

LMB - Not even close, even the ones from spring fed lakes.  ONLY fresh water fish I consider "good eatin'" is a Walleye, which is damn good.

 

So which of my split personalities is more evil?  The 71 fish I killed last year assuming the 9% mortality figure on the 787 shorts I caught, or the 2 keeper fish I caught and harvested?  I'm confident that my C&R mortality is nowhere near that high, but since that's how my ME State log data will get transposed into MRIP, (Yes Mike, Maine does take the accumulated volunteer log data and use those in their MRIP submission), let's stick with that.  I don't go out to target keepers; if I was targeting them, I'd switch to drowning mackerel.  For me catching a keeper is just a pleasant surprise once in a great while, so I guess that makes me a C&R fisherman who inadvertently kills a crap load of bass enjoying my fishing.

 

Go fish for something else you might say.  Up in these parts the only other inshore fish is mackerel, not even a close substitute; we don't have BSB, fluke, bluefish, blackfish, etc., that our Southern colleagues enjoy.  We used to be able to target cod, but now that's limited to 2 weeks in ;ate September when I do take a 2 week sabbatical from bass fishing to enjoy catching some cod.

 

So here I am, retired with a crap load of fishing time on my hands.  I will continue to do my almost daily striped bass fishing. I'll probably keep most of the legal fish I catch and, by virtue of where and how I fish, I'll regrettably kill more fish through C&R than actual harvest. 

 

I guess I'll continue to sin with both "Recreational Fisher Sub-Classes" and follow the written rules like a good boy, and practice the unwritten rules for more effective releases.

 

 

What about crappie, white perch and yellow perch?  I think those are better tasting than most saltwater fish. 

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8 hours ago, z-man said:

What about crappie, white perch and yellow perch?  I think those are better tasting than most saltwater fish. 

All three respectable dining, but due to their size, you need a mess of them for a decent feed. I've never lived close enough to productive waters for these, even when I lived in the Midwest.  

 

Walleyes and Yellow Perch are closely related, both in the Perch Family.  White perches are not true perches, but very close cousins to striped bass, both members of the genus Morone.  That leaves us Crappies, which have the fighting characteristics of a small clump of pond weed, which totally turned me off to fishing for them.  I'd rather catch sunnies, which aren't bad to eat either...

Shall I go to heaven or a-fishing? - H. D. Thoreau

 

Veni.  Vidi.  Cepi. - with apologies to Gaius Julius Caesar

 

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13 hours ago, pogie_boy said:

LMBs taste like dirt

Taste is a personal thing. I was making the point that better alternatives exist for eating to those who believe stripers need a break.

 

I personally target LMB to eat, but only ice fishing and only certain ponds. In those circumstances, sticking with the smaller legal sized fish and prepared in a traditional way I've used for 30 years, our fish fries are gourmet events that brings my large family together and everyone including women and grandchildren takes seconds.

 

On the other hand, a LMB from a dirty mudhole caught in summer and left on a stringer or livewell all day tastes worse than dirt.

 

Still, it's my belief that the majority of the striped bass taken home by rec anglers are killed because of the mystique and glory of a "keeper", not because they taste so good. And most definitely no way anyone goes hungry without striped bass. 

 

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2 mins ago, mikez2 said:

 

 

 

 

Still, it's my belief that the majority of the striped bass taken home by rec anglers are killed because of the mystique and glory of a "keeper", not because they taste so good. And most definitely no way anyone goes hungry without striped bass. 

 

I might agree with that, but only to a point.  I've been eating striper for over 50 years. Is it the tastiest fish in our waters? No, not even close. But it's still a nice fish to eat. Not to mention I enjoy eating a fresh fish that I caught and prepared myself. We all have different tastes.  

 

The Sultan of Sluggo

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2 mins ago, mikez2 said:

Taste is a personal thing. I was making the point that better alternatives exist for eating to those who believe stripers need a break.

....

Still, it's my belief that the majority of the striped bass taken home by rec anglers are killed because of the mystique and glory of a "keeper", not because they taste so good. And most definitely no way anyone goes hungry without striped bass. 

 

You're right about taste being personal. Some people don't like seafood - they don't have the taste for it. I grew up eating seafood and I have an appreciation for it. Nothing else tastes like fresh striper (caught the same day) on a charcoal grill - nothing. I don't freeze or stockpile any fish I keep - I consume it or I give it to friends/family.

 

If I catch a keeper, I stop fishing. That's how my mindset works - everyone is different. I have left many blitzes, because either I had a keeper in the cooler already or it was all sub-keeper fish. I fish from a boat and a kayak. I can tell you that in the past 4 years, I have yet to be skunked from my kayak (using a tube & worm) where I go out. I only stop because I got a keeper or, most of the time, I get sick of catching sub-keeper fish and don't see the pointing of hurting more for the thrill. I know many C&R anglers in my area, including fly fishermen, who boast of catching 20+ plus fish at an outing. You see many C&R anglers take time to pose for a photo, delaying a good release. Boasting happens on both sides. My goal is the food and the taste - the thrill of the hook-up is a by-product. To each his own and it's all allowed by the regulations. If you really don't want to hurt the stripers, just stay home.

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19 hours ago, Roccus7 said:

 

So here I am, retired with a crap load of fishing time on my hands......I'll probably keep most of the legal fish I catch....

 

 

 

 

So you thought it through, researched the state of the resource and came to the conclusion that your legal right to kill fish because you're bored in your retirement takes precedence over the need of the striped bass to reproduce for future generations. 

 

We have different personalities. I will never be ok with that mentality. 

I guess being retired, maybe you just want yours now. What happens later isn't your concern.

 

I spawned a whole crew of future Striper fishermen. Already grandkids are being taught. I would prefer they could experience the kind of fishing they hear about in my stories. 

Since it's obvious the current legal system is failing the stripers, I had hoped the managers would grow a set and make the hard decision of a length limit increase. 

Since they caved to pressure from user groups, I got pissed which triggered this long riff.

Bottom line, the managers failed to protect the stocks. Now the future of the striped bass continues to be decided by those who want them dead.

Only the conscience of individual anglers working on their own volition can bring the reduction in harvest we all agree is needed.

How badly do you need to kill all those fish?

That's what we all should be asking ourselves. 

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15 mins ago, bob_G said:

I might agree with that, but only to a point.  I've been eating striper for over 50 years. Is it the tastiest fish in our waters? No, not even close. But it's still a nice fish to eat. Not to mention I enjoy eating a fresh fish that I caught and prepared myself. We all have different tastes.  

 

Not everyone wastes them but I do believe more killed for glory. 

The younger guys especially can't resist a "keeper" and god forbid they get an actual big fish. Most of those fish are not being killed for a good meal.

 

To be clear, I wanted the increased length limit. I'm pissed they whimped out.

I wouldn't be sitting here irritating the meat eaters if the limit went to 35". You'd all be welcome to legally harvest your one at 35" whether it's because you're starving, bored, or sincerely enjoy eating it. I'd consider it a victory. 

 

Also, back in the day, I ate maybe 4 or 5 36" bass per season. During the brief slot limit in Maine I ate maybe a dozen little slot fish.

Since my grown sons started fishing in the 28" era, I have killed a few 28-32 inch (best we can do these days), mostly for family events.

Just saying, I'm no saint. I'm not intended to be self righteous despite how it sounds. I used to eat striper. I also used to eat wild native brook trout. In my old age, maybe getting soft, turning Snowflake, I came to the conclusion I don't need to kill those fish. In fact in the case of native brookies, I don't need to hook them at all.

I haven't suffered one bit for those decisions. It's easy. 

That's all I'm trying to say.:howdy:

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20 hours ago, Roccus7 said:

For those of you pooh-poohing the flavor of striped bass, a fish that I enjoy dining on, when a former NY Times cooking editor, Craig Claiborne  was asked to formulate a "Most Memorable Meal Menu" the fish course happened to be "Striped Bass with Champagne Sauce", a dish I've made and enjoyed quite a few times.  

 

LMB - Not even close, even the ones from spring fed lakes.  ONLY fresh water fish I consider "good eatin'" is a Walleye, which is damn good.

 

So which of my split personalities is more evil?  The 71 fish I killed last year assuming the 9% mortality figure on the 787 shorts I caught, or the 2 keeper fish I caught and harvested?  I'm confident that my C&R mortality is nowhere near that high, but since that's how my ME State log data will get transposed into MRIP, (Yes Mike, Maine does take the accumulated volunteer log data and use those in their MRIP submission), let's stick with that.  I don't go out to target keepers; if I was targeting them, I'd switch to drowning mackerel.  For me catching a keeper is just a pleasant surprise once in a great while, so I guess that makes me a C&R fisherman who inadvertently kills a crap load of bass enjoying my fishing.

 

Go fish for something else you might say.  Up in these parts the only other inshore fish is mackerel, not even a close substitute; we don't have BSB, fluke, bluefish, blackfish, etc., that our Southern colleagues enjoy.  We used to be able to target cod, but now that's limited to 2 weeks in ;ate September when I do take a 2 week sabbatical from bass fishing to enjoy catching some cod.

 

So here I am, retired with a crap load of fishing time on my hands.  I will continue to do my almost daily striped bass fishing. I'll probably keep most of the legal fish I catch and, by virtue of where and how I fish, I'll regrettably kill more fish through C&R than actual harvest. 

 

I guess I'll continue to sin with both "Recreational Fisher Sub-Classes" and follow the written rules like a good boy, and practice the unwritten rules for more effective releases.

 

 

It’s people like this who will have no right to complain when we lose the fishery.......

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2 mins ago, john1234 said:

It’s people like this who will have no right to complain when we lose the fishery.......

Right.

Or the ones who insist on using live bait, target small fish and brag about their numbers.

 

Using sea worms to wrack up big numbers of shorts for example. Great for boredom and for feeding seals with the discards. For the future of the stocks, not so much.

But hey, it's legal! We trust the managers to make the correct decision, right? Leave it to them to decide. What can go wrong?

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4 mins ago, mikez2 said:

Right.

Or the ones who insist on using live bait, target small fish and brag about their numbers.

 

Using sea worms to wrack up big numbers of shorts for example. Great for boredom and for feeding seals with the discards. For the future of the stocks, not so much.

But hey, it's legal! We trust the managers to make the correct decision, right? Leave it to them to decide. What can go wrong?

I love the logic of “everything else is gone so this is all we have left” like how dare we have a thriving fishery they need to pillage this one until it’s “ Gone” as well.......look at winter flounder. I believe a lot of it has to do with how popular fishing for them has gotten..... as much as I like seeing new guys doing the right thing part of me cringes when I go to places I’d never seen another “serious” angler and now there’s 5 guys dripping l with brand new gear and the newest logo hats lined up. It’s becoming very mainstream even in the obscure places.......Can’t even imagine the canal or Montauk.....

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