Got to the boat at 5:15. Let me first say that I have a few general rules about fishing weather: if the leaves are rustling- I fish, if the branches are swinging I make calls but usually fish, when the bushes are moving- I usually go home. The bushes were moving- so I went to work. The bouy(Gray’s Reef) was 3.9’ w/ 15.5 Kts. out of the ESE. I knew when the sun came up, the wind would lay off. I left the shop and got in the boat around 9:30. Got some nice pogies on the first throw up the beach and headed through the still confused sea to my first spot 15 miles off. Bumped around a bit and let a few BSB live another day, the first spot was for cobia, I didn’t see any so I moved out another 6 miles. Still bumpy but it was better than work so I rolled slow, noone with me so I didn’t have any pressure to put someone on the fish. This spot is also a cobia spot and I drifted around a bit accompanied by a 12’ hammerhead. No brownies visible so I started checking my bottom spots in the area. Finally found the fish around 1:30. Got my personal best grouper today in 65’ and was home by 4. Pretty happy with the results for a solo, still in a cast(leg), 1/2 day fishing.
The snapper(for size reference) is just legal(20")
Boat weight-#25, Dock weight-#20(31"), Internet weight-#30+
Totals:
5 ARS- 2 legal(1 kept)
1 Groupa(gagged 2 times same spot)
2 dozen BSB(all released)
30 gallons of go juice
1 day with no headaches
You catch your share of bottom fish. Congrats and good job. How do you feel about losing your privileges?
I read today in the councils document on ARS that that one of their proposal is to stop all bottom fishing to protect the endangered ARS.
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Nice Groopa!
2005 236 Sailfish
225 Yamaha 4-stroke
P1- Thanks, I try.
Second thing- I have tried to keep my nose clean on the bottom fishing closure arguments. I am a member of various organizations that fight the fight for recreational fishermen. That being said, I don’t honestly feel that I have enough knowledge to make a valid argument on the subject here. Sometimes people are passionate about things and argue points that are unfounded speculation(witness Phin’s and Skinnee’s multi-page tirades), no offense guys. Both are very passionate about what they do, and have strong feelings likewise, both are correct to a certain extent but after many pages of banter, neither has swayed my opinion on whether you can see a snapper on the fishfinder.
To fight a fight with your heart and not your head can do more harm than good to your cause. In NJ we could “see” the bi-planes flying overhead in the spring and summer calling the bunker boats in to where the schools were. This was a visible action that everyone could grasp. The RFA would follow the boats and take pictures of the haul, and bycatch (many state/world record stripers were in those nets) and thats how we got the inshore boats shut down. They now need to be 3 miles off the beach. Stripers are a coastal fish so that was a big thing for us. I can’t see the bottom, I catch a few fish but I don’t know how many are there. I have fished here for only 18 months, but in that time I have only seen one commercial boat. I find new bottom every time I go out, but I’m just one small boat that only needs a few fish to make a good day a few times a month. I can see both sides.
A few points to make:
- Pictures speak louder than words. Get some video of some spots loaded up with whatever they want to protect.
- Follow the $. That is where everything goes. You will find your answers where you find the guy with all the $$$$$.
- If you can’t make an intelligent arguement pay someone else to do it.
- You have to use your “head” not your “heart”. This doesn’t mean you can’t be passionate, but you can’t be emotional
Courland, nice fish! Were the pogys on the south end or the north of the beach? I think you fish out of hilton head, right? Thats nice to be able to catch nice bottom fish in 65’. Must of been near the hump.
P-O-D- Yes, HHI. The pogies were between Monarch and PD, scattered b/c of the chop. The hump is 80-90’, I was inside of there. Caught a #7.5 scamp in the same spot last week. I think the fish are in to spawn? Or maybe I’ve been overfishing(in depth) for the last year. I still have alot to learn, but it was a nice surprise.
Yeah, I have some numbers near the hump in that depth that I kingfish over, but have never caught any NICE bottom fish over them.
I think these guys pictures from spearfising speak volumes!!!
Redstripe- I agree that the haul from the spear guys is impressive. Yet fishermen are on this site not beaurocrats. I mean video of an eco-system, an entire reef, large schools of fish. You could still argue that they are shooting the only fish that are there. Without “seeing” the whole picture it is a tough call to make. As I said, I don’t KNOW enough to make a good arguement either way. Just b/c one diver or fisherman can load the dock doesn’t mean much to me. I got an e-mail from a guy who has yet to catch a legal snapper or any kind of grouper, and he tries. You probably couldn’t make the case to him that the sea is full of them. The underwater world is only visited by a few, some of them need to be enlisted in this fight. I am interested in protecting my right to this fishery, believe that.
Again- Tell me where to send the $, b/c in the end, that is what this is all about.IMO.
Hey Skinnee- Nobody said I’m right in how I handle things. As with most of the stuff on here it is just opinion. Definitely not an expert on the situation, also I won’t be strapping on a tank anytime soon, good on ya Phin.
quote:
Originally posted by Courtland
Hey Skinnee- Nobody said I’m right in how I handle things. As with most of the stuff on here it is just opinion. Definitely not an expert on the situation, also I won’t be strapping on a tank anytime soon, good on ya Phin.
Didn't say you were wrong. Just pointing out that too many people have stood by for too long letting "other people" handle the situation.
We are not experts either. We just realize that if the 10 of us didn’t go to the meeting, then no recreational guys would have been there. The commercial guys are trying to avoid getting cuts again. They will ask the SAFMC for more quota on the commercial side and smaller quota on the recreational side. It will happen unless we speak up.