Dave Garzoli found bonito Sunday
off Charlestown Beach. He hooked three
of the speedster on a small Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow.
Commission
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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission (ASMFC) with a 16 to 0 unanimous vote Thursday, approved Addendum VI
to the striped bass management plan for public comment. The aim of the addendum is to reduce harvest
by 18 percent.
A number of reduction options will be
put out for public comment so new regulations for striped bass can be enacted
for the 2020 fishing season. The most
recent stock assessment shows the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring.
Both commercial and recreational
fisheries will be taking a cut, however, how much of a cut each sector takes is
outlined in Addendum VI options. One
option (2) calls for an equal reduction of 18 percent in both sectors, and in option
(3) the commercial sector takes a smaller percentage reduction of 1.8 percent
and the recreational sector takes a 20 percent reduction. The rationale for this option is that the
commercial fishery is managed via a static quota system which keeps effort and
removals relatively constant from year to year, while the recreational
management program does not have a harvest limit. This has allowed recreational
effort and, therefore, removals to increase with resource availability and
other social and economic factors.
Highlights of recreational options going
out for public comment between August and October include:
Option 1: status quo… keep things
as they are now which will do nothing in achieving the required harvest
reductions.
Option
2: Has multiple components. It calls
for the recreational and commercial sectors to both absorb an 18% harvest
reduction from 2017 levels. To achieve this in the
recreational sector they are offering three sub-options, all options would
maintain the existing season for striped bass, which is year round for
recreational anglers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Option 2-A1: One fish at 35" minimum for ocean states which would result in and 18 percent reduction
Option
2-A2: One fish between a 28"-34"
slot which would result in a 19 percent reduction
Option
2-A3: One fish between a 32"-40"
slot which would result in a 21 percent reduction
An
additional sub-option was suggested at the meeting, which is to include a slot
size limit with a 30” minimum size and a maximum size limit that meets the required
reduction. Circle hooks for striped bass
bait fishing is also offered in Amendment VI with three options for the public
to comment on. The Addendum also has
options for the Chesapeake Bay fishery, which historically have been different.
Patrick
Paquette, a fish advocate and former president to the Massachusetts Striped
Bass Association, commented to commissioners prior to their vote, “We
are wasting the public’s time if they are not able to comment on the fact that
Addendum VI has only a 50 percent chance of being successful in meeting
mandated reductions. The public should
be given the opportunity to comment on this as well.”
Visit
www.asmfc.org
for details on what was approved for public comment in both commercial and
recreational fishing sectors as the original Draft Addendum VI has changed via
striped bass board input and approval.
Where’s the bite?
Striped bass and bluefish. Capt. Rick Bellavance of Priority Too
Charters and president of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association,
said, “Striped bass fishing was fantastic his week at the southwest corner of
Block Island. The bite is good in the morning
as well as the afternoon. Polyjig
parachutes are working for us. Others
are catching bass on eels.” Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence,
said, “It’s been lights out striped bass fishing at Block Island with eels and
at the Cape Cod Canal for the past week.
Law enforcement has cracked down on poaching on the Canal and last week
issued over $8,000 in fines on the weekend.
The fishing was so good there bass were swimming between anglers legs as
the bass had pushed bait up close to shore.”
East End Eddie, noted Canal fisherman and author said, “I caught a 34 inch striped bass this
morning (Tuesday) on the Canal on an early west tide and the guy next to me
landed a 35 incher. I stopped at Red Top Sporting Goods (Buzzards Bay) and
while I was there owner Tom Coots told me that Jacob, an associate there,
caught a 50 pound fish last night at 5:00 p.m. in the Canal on a surface plug.
He released the fish, but it bottomed out his 50 pound BogaGrip scale so it was
probably heavier than 50!” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle,
Warwick, said, “We had a customer put out an eel while black sea bass fishing
at Seal Rock off Newport. Shortly after
a 50 pound bass bit the eel. It took the
angler 20 minutes to land the fish.”
John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said, “The snapper
bluefish bite has improved in our coves and estuaries.” Anglers have also caught
blues on the surface in the East Passage as well as in the Sakonnet River.
Summer
flounder, scup and black sea bass.
Balck sea bass fishing continues to be good at Block Island. Anglers are drifting on the southwest side of
Block Island and are doing well with black sea bass. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait &
Tackle said, “Shore anglers at Colt State Park, Sabin’s Point and other mid and
upper Bay areas continue to do well catching scup. Customers have not had a good week for summer
flounder as the bite seems to be off in the Bay.” Capt. Rick Bellavance said,
“Black sea bass fishing could not be better with easy limits of 18” to 20” blue
male fish common. A simple one hook rig
with squid is all you need. Monster scup
ae mixed in too. The summer flounder
bite has been difficult with some dog fish, however some sharpies have been
able to catch fluke.” Ken Ferrara of
Ray’s Bait & Tackle said, “The Bay is warm so angler are doing much better
south of the Newport and Jamestown Bridges and out in front. Scup, black sea bass are being caught at Seal
Ledge and Brenton Reef.”
Bonito have been
off the southern coastal shore. Dave
Garzoli said, “Two for three with bonito Sunday in the Charlestown beach area. Small Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow
worked well. First found a few birds
moving fast over them. Figured it was bonito. Stayed in the area and made a ton
of blind casts to eventually hook up.”
Freshwater. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait said, “A 6.5 pound,
25” largemouth bass was caught at Gorton Pond in Warwick. The customer was fishing from the town deck,
he saw the largemouth circle his bait but did not take the minnow. Shortly after a small turtle made a move
for the shiner and before he got there the largemouth came up and took the
minnow. That largemouth wasn’t going let
that turtle take ‘his’ minnow.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle
said, “Fishing for largemouth bass has been good. Last week we weighed in a seven pound bass a
customer caught at Only Pond, Lincoln Woods.
He was fishing for sun fish with his kids using worms and the largemouth
took the worm.” Dave Henault of Ocean
State said, “The largemouth bite continues to be good a Twin Rivers, Stump Pond
and Only Pond in Lincoln.”
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