After months of wrangling, New Jersey has new, and more stringent rules for summer flounder/fluke fishing. In an effort to protect declining fish stocks, the NJ Marine Fisheries Council has reduced the length of the season and increased the size limit. This year, the season will open on May 26 and end on September 10, several weeks shorter than the season in previous years. Anglers will still be allowed to keep 8 fluke, but the minimum size has increased to 17″.
With this size limit, it will be very unusual for anglers to fill their limit. If last year’s ratio of throwbacks to keepers holds in 2007, many anglers will go home empty handed. These rules will undoubtedly hurt the charter and party boat industry, not to mention those who own and run boat rental establishments. Without fish to take home, many anglers may forego fishing, taking money out of the shore economy. The ramifications of this ruling will be felt up in all coastal communities.
We can probably also look forward to changes in blackfish/tautog recreational fishing. With stocks of blackfish apparently declining, the NJ Marine Fisheries Council is considering reductions in that fishery. The limits for recreational anglers has decreased over the past few years and the size limit has grown to 14″. It seems that recreational anglers don’t have much input into the regulatory process in New Jersey.
My own take on the new fluke regulations, as well as other rulings that are now being discussed, is that it may be time for a saltwater fishing license in New Jersey. Currently, sport anglers realize that they don’t have a voice in Trenton, but they have been unwilling to act on this problem. As with all other regulated activities, those who don’t contribute financially, generally are disenfranchised.
Licenses have done wonders for anglers in states like Florida and Texas. In fact, the licenses have resulted in increased economic benefits including the charter and party boat industries, boat rentals, and tackle shops. By developing a constituency and a pool of money from that constituency, recreational fishing has improved dramatically. State regulators now listen to recreational anglers in those states, which doesn’t seem to be the rule here in NJ.
I have heard angler after angler in NJ say that they fear the state legislature will raid funds generated from saltwater fishing license fees and use those monies for the general state budget. This is not a fearful fantasy because it could happen (again). If anglers are proactive and work with their legislators, the laws will protect the license fee funds from a hungry government. Just as the federal excise taxes from hunting and fishing paraphernalia (caled Pittman-Robertson and Dingle-Johnson excise taxes on hooks, rods, bullets, guns, etc.) are dedicated almost entirely to the state fish and game agencies for use in recreational fishing and hunting programs, so too could the license fees from NJ saltwater anglers be dedicated to improving our fishing here in NJ.
Until NJ anglers pay for a saltwater license, they won’t have a voice and they won’t be heard. Is it time to bite the bullet?
By day, Patti Sinclair is a nurse taking care of sick people at Burdette Tomlin, but on her day off she is a world class angler. On the March 10, 2007, while fishing with her husband aboard the Atlantic Star (Starlight Fleet http://www.capemaytimes.com/fishing/fishing-wildwood.htm) 18-hour offshore trip, Patti Sinclair caught an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record sea bass. The record has yet to be certified by the IGFA, but there is little doubt that the record will go to Ms. Sinclair. Her fish was 5 pounds 13 ounces,caught on only 8 pound test line. In other words, although it wasn’t the largest sea bass ever caught, it was the largest ever caught by a woman using only 8 pound test line.
This Burdette Tomlin nurse, believe it or not, caught a world record fish on a previous offshore sea bass trip. According to Captain Jim Cicchitti, on a similar offshore trip in early 2006, Ms. Sinclair caught an even larger sea bass. That fish was about 6 pounds and was also caught on 8 pound line. Unfortunately, she lost the rig later that morning and couldn’t submit her record to the IGFA.
Undaunted by her 2006 “almost” record, Ms. Sinclair tried again. And, she succeeded with her first fish of the day. While others were catching more fish, because they were using heavier rigs, Sinclair was fishing for quality. With her 8 pound test line, she used only an 8 ounce sinker. Others were using 16 ounces. Their heavier rigs and sinkers enabled them to get down to the 250 foot depths and brihg their fish up faster than Ms. Sinclair. With her lighter rig and line, she really had to take her time. Patience and a gentle retrieve allowed her to dredge her record from the bottom, without breaking her delicate line.
After catching her record fish, Ms. Sinclair switched to a standard bottom fishing rig, saying that she wanted to catch a few more for her and her husband to take home. Ms. Sinclair and her husband can regularly be found fishing. They often fish the wrecks for sa bass and tog, as well as fishing offshore for tuna and mahi in the summer.
It pays to be persistent and Patti Sinclair deserved her record! Congratulations! With sea bass of 6 and 7 pounds or more being caught on the offshore trips, it is likely that Ms. Sinclair may try to break her own record!
Paul Kerlinger - Outdoors Editor
With inshore fishing still cool from a series of late winter cold fronts, offshore sea bass fishing continues to be red hot. Captain Jim Cicchitti of the Atlantic Star reports great sea bass fishing on the 18 hour offshore trips that leave, weather permitting, each Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from Wildwood Crest.
The highlight of the past week was a world record sea bass (see Cape May Times fishing reports), taken by one of Captain Cicchitti’s fares on March 10, 2007! The fish weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces and was caught on only 8 pound test line. Many bigger fish have been taken with a few over 7 pounds. Anglers who brave the 18 hour ordeal often have limited out (25 fish) on sea bass, many of which are over 4 pounds.
A few other fish have been caught on trips this winter, although sea bass are the number one fish landed. On the March 10 trip, 2 cod and 1 pollock were caught. Earlier this winter, a few more cod, pollock and ling were being caught, along with the occasional blackfish and dinner plate sized porgies (now out of season). Captain Cicchitti is now focusing on sea bass because they have cooperated so well on most trips this winter.
Although the trip commences at 2 a.m. and take 18 hours, Capt. Cicchitti reports that he cruises only about 4-5 hours depending on sea conditions and distance from the dock. That means that fishing starts at or before 7 a.m. and a full day will yield 8-9 hours of actual fishing. After anchoring up, anglers are using 12-16 ounces of lead to get their baits to the bottom, which is about 250 feet deep. A few anglers have tried jigging near the bottom, a technique that often yields cod, pollock, and even bluefish, if they are around. Some sea bass have been caught using this method, although most fares simply use bait.
The 18 hour trips on the Atlantic Star will continue until mid-April, so there aren’t too many trips left. Book your reservations now (http://www.capemaytimes.com/fishing/starlight.htm) reservations are required. If you miss those trips, the Starlight Fleet will commence inshore trips for sea bass, ling, and blackfish in April.
Paul Kerlinger - Outdoors Editor