I'm really confused now
 

Catch and release is bad - but keeping them is good.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...DSCN0573-1.jpg

Great picture there Skip. The DNR loved you pics last year. I hope they see this one and think about it.

I am totally in agreement with Shawn about not killing the females about to spawn. It has nothing to do with the method of fishing. All legal methods are OK with me. I would rather see the very low C & R mortality this time of year than the intentional killing the females about to spawn. We are not only killing these females but killing the future of our sport.

The Susky flats is very spotty this year with far fewer fish and drastically fewer large fish. Most of the boats are fishing in the middle of the southern end of the flats catching schoolies. I have an idea when the trophy season is over, those who are honest about it will report there were far fewer fish.

BTW, I am not arguing with anyone about my above statement. Arguing on the internet is like arguing in an insane asylum. Even if you win, what have you really gained?

Blast away.

I was confused about the same thing this past weekend Skip when i found similiar looking "stuff" inside the rockfish I was cleaning... And yet I'm the one who's wrong for catch and releasing them..weird...
Oh, BTW, I never did catch up with that school of 40's that were laughing at me :rolleyes:

Wow, that is a shame to see. Let me preface this by saying, I am not controversial, or trying to be so, but if you are concerned about roe in the females, why are you keeping them? Why not C&R through the season and save the keeping until summer? I am very new to these websites, so forgive my ignorance!

You have said numerous times, that you don't keep Striped Bass, so your opinions are biased against catch and keep.

BTW, I am not arguing with anyone about my above post. Arguing on the internet is like arguing in an insane asylum. Even if you win, what have you really gained?

There's a rather long history behind Skip's posting. In a nutshell, there were restrictions put in place on C&R so that C&K could be strong while at the same time increasing the commercial quotas. Absolutely zero logic/science behind the C&R restrictions.

No commercial quotas were increased. As a matter of fact, Maryland's was decreased 6 percent for 2010.

Decisions decisions......

Bake, fry or grill....

It is true I no longer keep any striped bass personally for myself or neighbors, etc.. Most of my buds do not either, however, I do occasionally take guys who want to keep their two fish later in the year and I let them do it on my boat. I have nothing against killing a few fish to eat, but do not think we should be intentionally killing roe laden females ready to spawn. I think that is very short sighted. It is like eating the seed corn.

The above statement is a clarification of my position. I am still not going to argue about the wisdom of killing pre-spawn females. Some think it is fine and others do not. As the larger fish get scarcer, a few more guys will come down on the side of preserving the breeding stock. Other guys will never see it.

Not officially, no. But the ASMFC has a proposal on the table to increase them in coastal waters under it's cog.

See Addendum II (section 6 of link).

http://www.asmfc.org/meetings/spring...ementBoard.pdf