Maryland to curb toothy critter fishing on AI

[DerrickT]

Anybody see this?

 

GEAR — Fishing in Assateague Island State Park

The Department is considering implementing restrictions on fishing methods at Assateague State Park during the April through October camping season which would be similar to restrictions already in place in the Town of Ocean City. The specific limits would be to prohibit the use of chum and to prohibit the delivery of bait by any means other than rod and reel when fishing from shore. In practice, this means that shore-based anglers would no longer be able to use kayaks, rockets, or drones to deliver baits. Those methods are currently in use to deliver baits further than anglers are able to cast with their rod.

Recreational shark fishing is a popular activity. Ocean City Town ordinances restricting shark fishing have caused an increase in anglers at Assateague State Park and put more pressure on an already limited space. The purpose of implementing the restrictions which are under consideration would be to reduce conflicts between shark fishermen and other recreational users of Assateague State Park. Over recent years, Assateague State Park has reported seeing an increase in complaints from other recreational users regarding certain fishing methods that have increased in popularity with shore-based shark anglers. Conflicts between user groups are higher at Assateague State Park compared to Assateague Island National Seashore because the state park has a much smaller footprint and no over sand vehicle area, which would otherwise allow user groups to spread out and minimize overlap. Furthermore, by adopting regulations for the state park which mirror the restrictions already in place in Ocean City, recreational users will have consistent rules in these two highly used spaces.

Comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. February 12, 2023.

Edited February 4 by DerrickT

[MDsurffishing]

I think it was posted on AI surf fishing FB. I wonder how many more people will be moving to the OSV. I agree with the change, I shark fish but never on a swimming beach where it is a hassle with crowds. A lot of people like having a crowd around as they pull in a 4' shark.

[DerrickT]

We dont do it near swimming beaches either.

 

The last few years the state has been putting signage up everywhere that has public swimming.

 

One spot we take the kids to swim on the back side was fished heavy at night for sharks.  I have seen 6 to 8 footers caught back there while back there trying to get bait at night.  The state pretty much kicked the guys out.

[Esoxhunter]

I support this. Should be in the osv area also. Learn how to read the water and cast. In short learn how to fish.

 

I did a little bit of the kayak thing way back but quickly learned there was no need.

[spinr0k]

I say they should just put a dummy shark out on the beach that the people looking to get a selfie with a shark can just do that.

[ReeferRob]

If people knew how close sharks were to them, they'd never go in the water. And if they knew how close Mr. Whitey came, OCMD would be a ghost town.

 

https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/

[MDsurffishing]

3 hours ago, ReeferRob said:

If people knew how close sharks were to them, they'd never go in the water. And if they knew how close Mr. Whitey came, OCMD would be a ghost town.

 

https://www.ocearch.org/tracker/

I'm still on the quest for my 1st, although not many people would ever know 

[ProSkateFisherman]

Lot of goofballs out there shark fishing. Lot of them don't have a clue what they're doing. Saw a guy last year with a sit in kayak paddling out baits. Luckily it was a calm day but a sit in kayak is never a good idea for the surf. Could fill up and capsize and whatnot. He was right next to a bunch of swimmers too. And he didn't have a life jacket on. 

 

I also support this. Might get rid of some of the hooligans out there who have no clue what they're doing, seeking clout on social media by posting their big shark pics. I think a lot of them think you need a kayak to shark fish because the farther out the bait, the larger the shark will be, in their minds. Like others have said, no need to yak out baits most of the time. The sharks are normally not very far out, and, with the proper gear and shark handling skills, you can land and safely release sharks without having to paddle out baits and go through that hassle.

Edited February 7 by ProSkateFisherman
added comma

[Joe]

16 hours ago, spinr0k said:

I say they should just put a dummy shark out on the beach that the people looking to get a selfie with a shark can just do that.

One time I caught a dogfish while fluking close to the beach off of Sandy Hook, NJ. they pulled everyone out of the water 

[DerrickT]

9 hours ago, ProSkateFisherman said:

Lot of goofballs out there shark fishing. Lot of them don't have a clue what they're doing. Saw a guy last year with a sit in kayak paddling out baits. Luckily it was a calm day but a sit in kayak is never a good idea for the surf. Could fill up and capsize and whatnot. He was right next to a bunch of swimmers too. And he didn't have a life jacket on. 

 

I also support this. Might get rid of some of the hooligans out there who have no clue what they're doing, seeking clout on social media by posting their big shark pics. I think a lot of them think you need a kayak to shark fish because the farther out the bait, the larger the shark will be, in their minds. Like others have said, no need to yak out baits most of the time. The sharks are normally not very far out, and, with the proper gear and shark handling skills, you can land and safely release sharks without having to paddle out baits and go through that hassle.

Aren't most ocean yaks sit on top?  

[spinr0k]

9 hours ago, ProSkateFisherman said:

Lot of goofballs out there shark fishing. Lot of them don't have a clue what they're doing. Saw a guy last year with a sit in kayak paddling out baits. Luckily it was a calm day but a sit in kayak is never a good idea for the surf. Could fill up and capsize and whatnot. He was right next to a bunch of swimmers too. And he didn't have a life jacket on. 

 

I also support this. Might get rid of some of the hooligans out there who have no clue what they're doing, seeking clout on social media by posting their big shark pics. I think a lot of them think you need a kayak to shark fish because the farther out the bait, the larger the shark will be, in their minds. Like others have said, no need to yak out baits most of the time. The sharks are normally not very far out, and, with the proper gear and shark handling skills, you can land and safely release sharks without having to paddle out baits and go through that hassle.

Hrmmm.. you sure you want to post that you know what your doing when it comes to sharks?

[Steve Coleman]

Although we have a large number of 6-8 ft sharks w/in casting distance (quietly mixing with the swimmers ), from what I've observed the bigger ones are usually beyond the bar.  And big shark baits like tuna heads and skates are hard to cast that far.  Hence the kayak thing.  

 

Edited February 7 by Steve Coleman

[ProSkateFisherman]

5 hours ago, DerrickT said:

Aren't most ocean yaks sit on top?  

Yes they are. This was a freshwater kayak that you would typically use on a lake though. Definitely not one made for use in the surf.

[ProSkateFisherman]

5 hours ago, spinr0k said:

Hrmmm.. you sure you want to post that you know what you’re doing when it comes to sharks?

I’d like to think I have more of a clue than a lot of the guys out there fishing for social media, but I’m no expert by any means. The experience I have with sharks is mainly with sharks under 5 feet. I still have a lot to learn about sharks and sharking. Lot of guys on here know a lot more about sharking than I do. I wanted to dip my toes into sharking last year but I’m still relatively new to surf fishing and I’d like to get some more experience under my belt before I actually try to target sharks, just to be safe.

[ReeferRob]

Here's one from 1979. Back then, you floated a bait out under a garbage bag and tore it off with another rod and reel and reeled the bag back in. I know some guys used Lifesavers candies to float them out. My rod and reel too. Props if anyone knows the significance of the rod and reel.