Saltwater Fisherman

STRIPER BAIT TIP - CHOP SUEY

2008-07-23T23:17:00.003-04:00

WANT TO CATCH MORE STRIPERS? TRY THIS

Not having live herring isn't good... but if you have fresh herring, try cutting slices in them to increase their scent. Extra chum never hurts!

VIDEO - 44 INCH STRIPER CAUGHT ON THE SUSQUAHANNA FLATS

2008-07-23T21:10:00.003-04:00

Know your live bait: Spot

2007-12-16T00:47:00.000-05:00

Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) belongs to the family of fishes called Sciaenidae. Spot plays a key role in the trophic dynamics of the Chesapeake Bay, as a predator of benthic invertebrates and as a prey species for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, shark and flounder. Like croaker, spot are opportunistic bottom feeders that consume polychaetes, crustaceans and mollusks, as well as plant and animal detritus. Although both spot and croaker have similar diet and habitat, they are able to coexist without directly competing with one another.

Mature spot are easy to recognize by their physical characteristics: they have a relatively deep, short, compressed body; a short head with a small, mouth; and a large, black shoulder spot. Other distinguishing characteristics include an absence of teeth from the lower jaw, a long pectoral fin extending beyond the tip of the pelvic fin, and a strongly notched but continuous dorsal fin.

Spot swim in coastal and estuarine waters from the Gulf of Maine to the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. The area of greatest abundance occurs from the Chesapeake Bay to South Carolina. They have been collected from the mainstem and all tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and have one of the most extensive distributions of any marine-estuarine fish species in the Bay. They are tolerant of a wide range of temperatures and have been collected in waters from 34-98 degrees.

Life Cycle

* Adult spot migrate into estuarine areas in the spring but are not as widely distributed as juvenile spot. They are generally found in the Chesapeake Bay from April through October.
* They are relatively short-lived; it is rare to find a f5 year-old. Ages 0 to 2 dominate the catch from populations along the Atlantic coast. Spot reach sexual maturity at ages two and three. Minimum size at maturity ranges from 186 to 214 millimeters.
* When the water temperature starts to decrease in the fall, adult spot move offshore to spawn. The spawning season extends from late fall to early spring. Spawning occurs over a broad area, and data indicate that they use deeper areas further offshore than other sciaenids.
* Fertilization is external, occurring at night in surface waters. Larvae grow rapidly in the warm offshore waters, but growth slows as they move into the cooler inshore and estuarine areas. This movement into colder water is a critical point in spot year class success, due to thermal stress at temperatures less than 10 degrees.
* Low salinity areas of bays and tidal creeks comprise the primary nursery habitat for spot. They are also associated with eelgrass communities.
* Young-of-the-year spot generally reside in tidal creeks and shallow, estuarine areas during the summer. When the water temperature begins to decrease in the fall they move to deeper estuarine waters or the ocean. There is some evidence that juvenile spot overwinter in the Chesapeake Bay in deep water. They are similar to adults in their ability to tolerate a wide range of salinities and temperatures.

The Fishery

Commercial landings for spot exhibit year-to-year fluctuations, which are attributed to the fish’s life history of spot and annual environmental differences on the spawning grounds. There are no apparent long-term trends. Within the Chesapeake Bay, the commercial harvest of spot usually begins during April or May and continues until September or October. The largest commercial catches are reported during fall when spot are migrating out of the Bay, and most spot are landed as bycatch from the pound net fishery in the lower Bay. In Maryland, commercial catches have ranged from 590,000 pounds in the 1950s to less than 100,000 pounds by 1990. Landings in Virginia have historically been higher than those in Maryland, ranging from 8 million pounds in the 1950s to approximately 150,000 pounds by 1990.

In Maryland, spot are one of the species most frequently caught by recreational fisherman. Spot ranked third in a 1980 recreational fishing survey with an estimated catch of more than 1.3 million fish. In Virginia, spot are generally larger, more abundant, and targeted by recreational anglers. Scrap catch, bycatch and discard mortality significantly affect the spot population.

Get Chummy

2007-12-16T00:42:00.000-05:00

There's a lot more to chumming than a load of ground-up or cut pieces of fish or shellfish tossed over the transom. In many ways it's an art.

There's a lot more to chumming than a load of ground-up or cut pieces of fish or shellfish tossed over the transom. In many ways it's an art.

While it is true that there isn't a gamefish in the sea that won't respond to chumming, if you don't do it right, you very likely won't get the results you have in mind.

First, you need motionÐsomething to take your chum to the fish. If you're fishing from a fixed location, like a pier, seawall, jetty, or an anchored boat, the key element in chumming is current. There must be enough water movement to carry the scent and food particles a good distance (except when you're trying to bring fish straight up from the bottom). If there is no current, you're better off chumming from a drifting boat, where a scent trail is left by the boat's motion.

Yum, Yum-Pick Your Chum
Chum comes in many forms, from fresh to frozen to dried. The most common ingredients include fish, shellfish, squid, and oil.

To attract fish from a distance or from deep water, fresh-cut chunksof chum are hard to beat. The process, called chunking, involves using a small amount of frozen or dried chum as a starter to attract baitfish, which are then caught, cut up, and immediately tossed overboard. This attracts even more baitfish, creating a mix of fresh-cut chum scent and a big school of baitfish. Reef and blue-water species simply cannot ignore the abundance of food. Chunking works especially well on the tunas, but I've also seen wahoo, king mackerel, sailfish, marlin, and dolphinfish lured by this technique.

With fresh chum, it's good to use a variety of ingredients. By-catch from commercial shrimp trawlers is a fine example. Usually the only way to get this is from a shrimp boat that's cleaning its nets; if you're willing to buy or barter, you're usually welcome. While you're checking out the shrimp boats, remember that even the heads from shrimp that have been cleaned dockside make great chum, although they spoil very rapidly if not kept on ice.

Live chum, including small baitfish partially crippled by bouncing them off the transom, works best when the gamefish you're after have already been attracted to the vicinity by other meansÐby the smell of dried or frozen chum, or by slow-trolling with a live baitfish until the first fish is hooked. It is important for the gamefish to be close enough to see the crippled baitfish hitting the water. This works best with aggressive species like bluefish, the mackerels, and billfish.

Frozen and Canned
Frozen chum typically consists of fish and shellfish that have been ground into small pieces and frozen in blocks weighing several pounds apiece. You can make your own or buy it in bait shops. Put the frozen block inside a nylon-mesh laundry bag, and hang it in the water. As the block thaws, the food particles drift away with the current. You can shake the bag to release chum a little faster. A block will usually last several hours, even in warm water. Some anglers add a little bunker oil to the mix to create a stronger scent trail.

You can even find chum on supermarket shelves. I often use cheap canned tuna or fish-flavored cat food, mixed with bread and bunker oil. Form the mixture into golf ball–sized chunks, and toss them overboard at regular intervals. To make them sink faster, add a little sand to the mix. It's a great way to attract baitfish and gamefish.

When and Where
Essentially, you need to chum in a location where tide or current will broadcast the scent over the target zone where you expect to find fish. Anchor up-current from a channel, reef, or other structure where you think the fish may be holdingÐfar enough away for the chum to be able to sink as deep as necessary by the time it gets there. The stronger the current, the farther upstream you need to be.

Current flow most frequently depends upon the tide. Be sure to use tides to your advantage. You may have to re-anchor as the current increases or decreases during the tidal cycle. Slack water is usually a poor choice because the chum doesn't spread far enough to attract fish.

Some species, like snappers, are easiest to attract at night, but as a general rule the morning is always a good time to chum. For others, like the mackerels, bluefish, and tunas, almost any time of the day is good if conditions are right.

Tossing Chum
You may be in the right place with the right chum, but if you don't dispense it efficiently, you're just wasting time. For example, use too much chum at once, and you'll send all the fish chasing a big mass of the stuff downcurrent. Or they will hang so far back that you'll never even know they are there. On the other hand, if you're too stingy with chum, fish may never show up at all.

The best approach is to start slowly. Gradually increase the flow until you start to get the desired results. When chunking, remember that as a rule the bigger the fish you want to catch, the bigger the edible pieces must be; scent alone may bring bait and panfish on the run, but the big boys usually want something they can chew on. In shallow water, like a bonefish flat, small pieces of fresh-cut shrimp, for example, serve as both scent and edible tidbits.

No matter which type of chum you use, it can unquestionably improve your success. Without using chum to bring them to your vicinity, catching pelagic species like the tunas, king mackerel, and other far-roaming fish on flies or lures would be an exhausting process with a huge number of casts per strike. And it's exciting to watch yellowfin tuna slow from their normal supersonic speed to a bare crawl when they get a taste of chum. Once big pelagic or reef species fall into a rhythm of taking chunks of fresh chum, the substitution of a fly or lure at some point almost always gets dramatic results.

Catch More Fish – Chum ‘em Up

2007-12-16T00:40:00.000-05:00

All game fish respond in varying degrees to chum. For some anglers chumming has become an art form, even a science. One thing is absolutely sure, effective chumming techniques produce more fish. Let’s discuss some of the most productive methods that will make you a more successful angler.

First, let’s understand that there are as many types of chum and chumming methods as there are fisherman that employ them. No one technique is the panacea. The way you choose to chum fish to your boat may be the very best technique, because you have confidence in “your” system and that makes you fish harder.

Over the years one chum recipe has worked for me. Following is my “Only Chum Recipe.”
Supplies & Ingredients:

* 1 box of heavy duty zip lock plastic freezer bags
* 1 five gallon bucket
* a garden hand rake or stirring implement
* Garden Hose
* 1 gallon pure pogy (menhaden) oil
* 1 - 3 pound can whole kernel corn
* Rice, oats, macaroni (optional)
* 12 cans Kozy Kitty cat food (sold at most stores 3/$1)
* 6 loaves of wheat or stone ground bread. Some bakery outlet stores sell old bread for 10 cents per loaf, you must ask for “critter food”.
* Food processor (Warning: You may burn it up and don’t even think about telling the wife what you need it for)
* Electric can opener

Recipe:

* Chop bread in processor
* Dump 12 cans of cat food into bucket, mixing in bread with small amounts of water. Consistency desired like thick soup
* Stir in 2 cups of Pogy oil, evenly distributed
* Take off gas mask and drink one cold beer a safe distance from bucket
* Fill freezer bags and double bag
* Lay bags flat in kitchen freezer (Warning: see Food Processor above)
* Transport chum in designated chum cooler with ice over and under
* Use ½ bag at a time ( fits perfectly into a standard nylon chum bag)

Depending upon your target species, chum deployment is the next issue. When anchored and wreck or reef fishing for bottom species like snapper and grouper, several methods will work. Hang your chum bag on a stern cleat and allow the current to create a “chum slick” behind your boat. Remember, your goal is to not to over feed the fish, just get them interested in your baits. Many species like mangrove and yellowtail snappers respond extremely well to this technique by coming up in the water column to eat your free-lined baits. Or, send your chum to the bottom on a hand line or use your downrigger ball. Dispensing a small amount of chum periodically will bring Kingfish in for a free lunch. They can’t resist the pogy smell. Neither can nuisance sharks, especially in summer.

Chumming up bait is another auxiliary use for your new chum recipe. All the best live baits will come to chum, like pinfish, hardtails, cigar minnows, ballyhoo etc. You can cast net them or catch them on hook and line. Having the most lively fresh baits sometimes produces when all else fails.

Chumming is a standard, integral part of fishing in many locations, while in others, it is non-existent. Local custom and tradition seems to dictate. For example, chumming snappers and groupers on the coral reefs of the Florida Keys is the accepted, modus operandi, but this procedure is virtually unused in the Panhandle. Sometimes necessity is the Mother of invention. Regardless of where you fish, do some chum experimentation. The results may surprise you.

Years ago while fishing in the British Virgin Islands, I learned a new, simple chumming technique that worked great for triggerfish. An elderly lobster fisherman showed us how to mix cracked crabs with sand to create a really effective chum ball. We thanked our new friend with some fish fillets. He reciprocated with a few lobsters. We all learn from each other.

Variations of the process are endless. Another popular method is called chunking or chunk-baiting. Again, this variation simply induces the fish to eat, by sight or smell or both. I learned how highly effective chunking can be on a tuna trip out of Venice, Louisiana. A friend and I were chasing tuna steaks in the Gulf, out of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The drill went something like this. First, we found a shrimp boat underway and dragging his nets in 200 feet of water. We would motor up behind the shrimper, so that you could literally spit into the cockpit. As we threw chunks of cut poggies directly behind the shrimper’s transom, we pitched a chunk with a 12/0 circle hook tied to 60 pound fluorocarbon on a 20 pound class Shimano spinner. The take was immediate. Blackfin tuna follow shrimp boats for the free by-catch that is shoveled out of the scuppers. We could see the tuna with their big eyes rolling over on their sides to watch the free hand-out hit the water. Gives a whole new meaning to Pavlovs’ dogs. Pumping and winding on Blackfins to 29 pounds will force you to sit down and drink a cold one. Guar-own-teed!

Mahi-mahi is another species that loves to be chunk-baited. Offshore in summer we just park it in a sargassum weedline and start chunking fresh-dead baits. Before long, mahi show up to investigate and the fun begins. Or, a speed-demon Wahoo shows up and wants to play. That’s the joy of it all, just like a box of chocolates, you never know just what you’re gonna get.

Live bait chumming is one of the most deadly of all methods. Many guides have perfected this to an absolute art form. Having the ability to keep large numbers of bait alive and frisky is the key. One of the best ways to catch snook is by live-baiting them with sardines. Virtually all sportfish can be caught in large numbers using the most natural of all presentations, a live bait. One of the really innovative patterns is live bait for billfish. Anglers in the Keys are super successful catching Sailfish on 12 pound class tackle using live Ballyhoo on small circle hooks. Around the worlds’ great billfishing venues, Marlin are being tricked with live baits. The list of live-baiting success stories is only limited by imagination and creativity.

Try chumming on your next fishing trip. You will catch more fish. And everyone knows that a day spent on the water fish catching is a day that does not count against one’s longevity. FISH ON!

Saltwater fishing licenses yield big returns

2007-12-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

via Burlington Times News

Someone from Iran has been fishing along the North Carolina coast. Someone from Israel has, too.

Someone from both nations bought a coastal recreational fishing license in the first year of its existence. They were among nearly 460,000 coastal recreational fishing licenses sold this year, the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture learned on Thursday.

According to the report on the coastal fishing license, the licenses have been issued to people in every county in North Carolina, in 62 U.S. states and territories and in countries throughout the world. The license has brought in $5.7 million in fees.

“Lots of people are coming from other countries,” said Louis Daniel, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries.

While the overwhelming number – 458,103 – came from the United States, 493 came from Canada, 97 from the United Kingdom, 43 from Germany and 40 from Mexico.

More than half — 306,901 — were residents of North Carolina. The most out-of-state coastal anglers came from states up the East Coast: Virginia 55,537, Pennsylvania, 20,916 and Maryland 12,386.

Wake County was the No. 1 county of residence with 23,115 such residents getting the license. Alamance County folks bought 4,181 of the coastal fishing permits to rank 23rd statewide. Caswell County ranked 82nd with only 554 licenses.

Commission member Sean McKeon, president of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a trade group representing commercial fishermen, asked Daniel if there is any way to tell how many people acquiring recreational fishing licenses had commercial fishing ties.

“Yes sir,” Daniel responded, noting that he could match the names up with people who possessed commercial fishing licenses.

Daniel said he didn’t have a way to determine how many recreational license holders were family members or friends of a commercial fisherman.

McKeon said he had a concern that eventually, fisheries would be allocated to recreational anglers at the expense of commercial fishermen.

The law requiring saltwater recreational anglers to get a license took effect Jan. 1.

On efforts to improve waterfront access, Daniel said that staff members and committees are already working to identify and gather information on proposed projects. He said he hopes to announce the projects chosen for funding by February 2008.

“These projects are outstanding projects, the ones that we’ve see thus far,” Daniel said.
Daniel said that statutes and funding mechanisms require that projects receiving the money be owned by the state.

He said that people using piers operated by the state would likely be charged an access fee so that the state doesn’t undercut privately operated piers. However, he said there would likely be no fee for people to launch a boat from a state facility.

State Works Fishing Angle

2007-12-03T20:20:00.000-05:00

via Courant

It's been more than 50 years, but Richard Roy can still remember the thrill of pulling his first fish from the ocean, a good-sized bluefish that as a 9-year-old he caught while fishing a deep cove off a West Haven dike early one long-ago Saturday morning.

"It used to be that it was hard not to catch a bluefish," Roy said. "But times change, and now we have to be careful and manage our fisheries if we want future generations to know what it's like to reel in a snapper blue. That means licensing and careful monitoring."

That young fisherman, now a state representative from Milford who is a chairman of the legislative committee that handles environmental issues, plans to revive an effort to install a saltwater fishing license program in Connecticut.

Connecticut requires those who fish its fresh waters to buy a $20 license each season, but it doesn't license the estimated 330,000 anglers who fish its salt waters. It's one of only eight coastal states that doesn't issue marine licenses, but, like it or not, that will soon change.

A new federal law will create a national saltwater fishing registry in 2009 to collect data that will be used to help the government manage the national fisheries. Anglers living in states without marine licensing must join the federal registry and, in 2011, start paying a registration fee.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection asked Roy's committee to create a state licensing program so the state, and not the federal government, could set the license fee and keep the revenue in Connecticut for local conservation efforts.

The DEP wants to charge residents $15 for a marine fishing license or $25 for a license that would cover both fresh and saltwater. The money would go directly into its conservation fund and be used exclusively for fishery management, conservation and education.

As the number of freshwater fishing licenses declines, the DEP needs that marine licensing money to maintain its current level of service, said Rick Jacobson, the assistant director of the inland fisheries division. Inland fishing licenses declined from 129,000 in 1996 to 112,200 in 2006.

Inside the fishing community, the marine license debate includes a lot of talk about equality. The DEP spends about $2 million a year on marine fisheries, most of which comes from fees paid by inland fishermen through license fees, Jacobson said.

After years of fishing for free, saltwater fishermen aren't thrilled about the idea, but nobody is organizing against it. The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, a group that has fought against past attempts, has even come around, said lobbyist Bob Crook.

Many saltwater anglers would prefer to pay a state license fee that would be used to protect Long Island Sound and its fish than a federal registration fee, which might be substantially more than Connecticut's fee and be spent anywhere in the country, Crook said.

But some saltwater fishermen are worried that Connecticut's neighbors are not considering similar legislation. Some Connecticut fishermen wonder if the money they spend on the saltwater license will end up benefiting unlicensed New Yorkers who fish Connecticut waters.

"To me, any conservation is a good thing, because it protects the fish, the thing we all love, but I wonder about the fairness," said Eric Johnson, who owns Westport Outfitters, a tackle and bait shop in Norwalk. "Why should we get a license if they don't have to?"

On a typical Saturday, half the boats in the waters off Johnson's shop are registered in New York, Johnson said. He doesn't think the DEP has enough enforcement officers to enforce marine license violations of state or federal regulations throughout Long Island Sound.

But fishermen acknowledge that the health of Long Island Sound is improving, and fishermen like Chuck DiGiovanna, who founded the Southport Striper Club, said it's worth a try to prevent a repeat of past fishing disasters, like the striped bass collapse of the 1980s.

The first attempt to create a saltwater license in Connecticut died a quiet death over the summer, when the legislature ran out of time to consider Roy's bill and others, but Roy plans to try again in the next legislative session.

Golden tilefish record broken in Va. Beach

2007-12-03T20:03:00.000-05:00

via WAVY

According to the Virginia Marine Resources Commision, a 53-pound, 8-ounce golden tilefish, caught on September 22nd by Charles Maresh of Norfolk, has been certified as the new Virginia state record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tilefish measured 46 inches (TL) and sported a 33-inch girth.

Maresh was fishing off the Virginia Beach coast at the Norfolk Canyon with Captain Joe DelCampo aboard the charter vessel Keyed Up.

The trip was arranged by long-time friend and fishing buddy Byron Waller in lieu of a bachelor party, as Maresh was scheduled to be married the weekend following the trip.

The pair even tied the deep-drop rigs they would use the night before the trip, using 100-pound mono and 8/0 Gamigatsu hooks.

The record tilefish was caught on a Penn Mariner Stand-up rod and a 4/0 High-speed Senator reel packed with 80-pound PowerPro braided line. Squid was used for bait.

Golden tilefish was added to the list of eligible species for state record consideration in November 2006 with an initial qualifying weight of 40 pounds.

Jeffery Dail was the initial and current record holder, with a 44-pound golden tilefish caught on April 29, 2007, although a 48-pound golden tilefish was caught August 5, 2007, but is still pending final verification.

Striped bass tips scale at 61-plus pounds

2007-11-10T14:59:00.000-05:00

via Newsday

Tangling with another big striped bass was Mike Milano's sole intent late Tuesday night as he pulled on a wet suit and eased out to one of his favorite rocks along Montauk's south side.

"Two weeks ago," said the Selden resident, "I released a cow that bottomed out a 55-pound scale because I already had a 37-pounder on the beach."

Hooking that whopper, which inhaled a live eel, turned out to be a practice run for the monster Milano claimed, "hit like a freight train" at the top of outgoing water around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning.

"I was casting a big yellow darter and had already released a few bass to 18 pounds when I set the hooks into something huge," revealed Milano. "The fish was simply unstoppable on its first run. She wrapped my line around a boulder and then held on before moving off with powerful burst. That fish was so strong, I could barely budge her."

The big bass fought hard for 25 minutes but when the battle ended, Milano's 30-pound test Berkley Fire Line had withstood the challenge and he had wrestled a 61.44-pound heifer from the sea. The trophy striper was officially weighed at Paulie's Tackle of Montauk.

Tight-lipped about his success, as are many Montauk regulars when it comes to surf fishing, the 29-year-old Milano did relinquish one tip for surf fishermen hoping to score with world-class bass:

"Be persistent," he advised. "Fish as much as possible." According to Milano, time spent in the suds helps anglers learn the variables and nuances of every place they probe. "Eventually," he explained, "you'll recognize which tidal and moon phases are best for each potential hot spot."

Milano fishes 15 to 20 hours a week and favors late night trips "coming off the full moon." With three bass more than 50 pounds already to his credit, his simple advice seems like a good starting point for anyone serious about advancing through the ranks along the striper surf.

While surf anglers continue to wait for the fall run to hit full stride, another bass battle has been brewing on the political front. This one concerns the selling of stripers and red drum, (aka, channel bass or redfish, and prevalent in southern waters) caught within the federally regulated Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The EEZ covers coastal waters from three to 200 miles offshore and has been off-limits to both recreational and commercial fishing for stripers since 1990. With striper populations in good shape these days, some user groups have queried about lifting the sanction.

Last Saturday, President George Bush signed an executive order prohibiting the sale of stripers and redfish caught in the EEZ. The redundant clause will protect both species from increased commercial exploitation if the offshore moratorium is lifted. The order also encourages states to consider granting game fish status to stripers and redfish in inshore waters.

Fishing pressure on stripers has risen significantly in recent years, exacerbated by shortened seasons and tighter restrictions on fluke and other popular inshore targets. Thus, careful monitoring and continued protection of the noble linesider in federal waters seems justified at this point. Anything less, to paraphrase the current president's father, George Herbert Walker Bush - a former president who occasionally finds stripers difficult to catch - wouldn't be prudent.

Preparing Menhaden/Bunker/Mullet bottom fishing Baits for Red Drum, Redfish, Striper, Cobia, Sharks, etc.

2007-11-04T19:37:00.000-05:00

Q: Howdy all.

As my name suggests I don't do a whole lot of bait fishing. Nothing against it, it's just not the most productive method for my homewater.

But I'm coming down for a few days in a couple of weeks and will be chucking chunks. I try to get around as much of the learning curve before I fish as possible. I know that like any fishing there are right ways and wrong ways to prepare and hook bunker chunks and that those ways seperate competent productive fishing from incompetency. I've got enough handicaps as it is, don't need to add improper bait presentation to the list.

Sure would like to hear everyones ideas on how to prepare and hook bunker chunks.

Oh yeah, I assume those little boxes y'all wear on your belts are bait canteens?

A: Hi Plug, I've been meaning to draw up this diagram for a long time so when I saw your post earlier tonight I decided now is as good as any (was supposed to be building reels :)

Yes, the "canteens" (bait box to us) are to keep bait in so you don't have to keep running back and forth up to the truck every time you need a new chunk of bait. Storing them in yer pocket could get kinda messy! :)

Make sure you drill small drain holes in each corner [of the bait box] so the water can drain out if it gets dunked. Most of us also keep our bait in a sealed bag of some type for protection from water and to help keep it fresh longer. Another tip with these things is to string 2-4 pieces of heavy mono through the top of the bait box and the rear wall, kind of like hinges. Doing this can save the top flap if it where to come off in the heat of battle.

Back to the bait....

Find the "firmest" bait you can find and then check the gills for bright redness, clear eyes don't always tell the true story.

Ok, this is how I steak a Fatback... or Bunker to you Northern boys...

First, no scaling is necessary. The less you do to it the better as far as I am concerned, I'm sure you know how soft it is to begin with. All I do is clear the hook point of any scales it might pick up as you bait it (very important!) and then flick off any scales that might be interfering with the hook or hanging off the edges of the steak. A large, very sharp knife is also a must, we don't want a mangled piece of bait that's going to fly off the hook on the 1st cast. A serrated knife as shown above is the best I've found for the job.

This diagram is for a fairly large Menhaden as is the head baiting method shown. You won't get this many baits out of a 8" fish. A smaller head can be baited through the eyes without obstructing the hook setting abilities of the hook but I don't recommend it on larger heads. You just want enough of the hook in the bait (head or steak) to keep it from coming off easily, no more.

The first thing I do is whack off the head (#1). If I'm using lots of heads I will leave a little more meat on it like in the hooked head diagram or even more. If I'm going more for distance and not using heads I make what we call a gill cut first, that's where you'll end up with a little of the gills intact on that 1st steak [between #1 and #3 above].

The next cut, #2, is to whack the stomach off in one fell swoop [Menhaden bellies make fine strip baits for Flounder, Trout, Blues, Sea Mullet, Toads, etc., so don't throw them away if you can use them]. No need in wasting time cutting the stomach flaps off each steak later, plus, that's just one more step where you can damage the steak.

The first steak resulting from cut #3 will look similar to the steaked hook shown, NO FLAPS hanging down and no stomach holes to aid the current in pulling your bait down the beach!

Follow the rest of the numbers in that sequence and DO NOT let the steaked bait see water until it lands in the ocean. In fact, the bait should never sit in water period, even when whole. A cooler that drains constantly is a must for me.

Cob and larger size Mullet can be prepared similarly except for cut #7, best to leave the head whole with these.

With Finger Mullet I'll make a single angled cut from about the top of #5 behind the dorsal down to the bottom of #1 just behind the gill plate and use only that head and dorsal section for bait.

Cut up only what you need for the next hour or so, no need to cut up more than will fit in your bait box. Plus, it will start going bad anyway. Store the rest whole and covered with ice until you need it. If bait is scarce and what you have begins to deteriorate, removing the heads and stomach sections can help delay the spoiling process. Rinsing the slim off in seawater or an icy salt brine when you first get them can also help delay the inevitable.

Good luck while you're down, hope this helped.

Protect rock as gamefish

2007-11-02T18:05:00.000-04:00

via BaltimoreSun.com

When President Bush signed an executive order in St. Michaels recently making it federal policy to conserve striped bass for the recreational, economic and environmental benefit of present and future generations, his action recognized the importance of recreational fishing to conservation and called for a change in how policymakers value our fisheries. Maryland's elected officials and professionals at the Department of Natural Resources would be wise to consider the benefits of prohibiting the sale of striped bass by designating the state fish a gamefish.

Instead, Maryland officials responded to the executive order by claiming to have effective management for striped bass. This knee-jerk reaction to protect the commercial fishing industry at all costs has a sad legacy in the mismanagement of striped bass, yellow perch, shad, sturgeon, crabs and oysters. It's time to accept that managing recreationally important finfish as a commodity no longer serves the public interest and comes at great social, environmental and economic expense.

Ten years ago, anglers of average skill commonly caught fish 25 inches or longer. Now they struggle to find the legal limit of two fish over 18 inches. This has arguably contributed to the precipitous decline in the sale of Chesapeake Bay fishing licenses and the reported troubles facing Maryland's charter boat industry. Between 2001 and 2006, the sale of Bay Sport fishing licenses declined by 39 percent - a loss of more than 86,000 anglers.

Consider the economic costs. According to a recent study by Southwick Associates, specialists in fish and wildlife economics, striped bass angling in Maryland is worth more than $640 million annually to the state's economy and supports more than 7,000 jobs. The decline in saltwater angling over the past six years has had immense costs to Maryland in jobs; income taxes; boat, tackle, bait and fuel sales; and sales taxes. Supporting businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, also have been affected.

The DNR's Fisheries Service has paid dearly too. The decline in license sales costs DNR almost $700,000 annually compared with 2001. Suffering from budget cuts that have left it underfunded and understaffed, and with no help in sight from a cash-strapped state, one would think DNR might reconsider its claim that its management of the most popular sport fish in Maryland is effective.

Other reactions to the president's initiative - that restoring water quality and habitat are more important, or that gamefish status for striped bass only changes who gets to catch them - demonstrate a lack of appreciation for America's sportsmen and women and their history as stewards of the environment. As overfishing depletes our oceans and bays, fewer recreational anglers experience our natural resources firsthand. The loss of saltwater anglers in Maryland means fewer citizens have a reason to care about dissolved oxygen, diseased fish, bay grasses, menhaden depletion, the failure of oyster restoration and other environmental factors that damage striped bass populations.

Long after the sale of wild game, waterfowl and freshwater fish such as trout and largemouth bass was outlawed, sportsmen have remained at the forefront of environmental protection. They have done so by supporting restrictions on their own catch, practicing and promoting catch-and-release fishing, and supporting wetlands, forest and waterway protection and restoration.

The nation's demand for striped bass no longer can be satisfied by the natural environment. More than 60 percent of consumers get their striped bass from aquaculture. In light of the availability of an alternative source of striped bass for the marketplace that is more reliable and consistent, the continued commercial catch of striped bass comes with unacceptable social, environmental and economic costs.

Commercial exploitation of waterfowl, wild game and freshwater fish was banned decades ago in recognition that the industrialized catch of wildlife has never proved sustainable. Six Atlantic Coast states and the District of Columbia have recognized that the same holds true for the continued commercial catch of striped bass by declaring the most valuable sport fish in America a gamefish.

Our organization applauds the president for his attention to history and vision, and hopes Maryland officials will display the same courage when it comes to protecting rockfish.

Robert Glenn is executive director of Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, a conservation organization for sport fishermen. His e-mail is info@ccamd.org.

Get ready for fall run of big striped bass, bluefish

2007-10-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

via PressOfAtlanticCity

There are more than a few signals that a fall run of heavyweight striped bass and slammer bluefish is about to bust loose.

Several 30-pounders and at least one 40-pound bass have been caught over the past few days, plus Long Beach Island had an attack of bluefish approaching 20 pounds in the surf.

Birds are working over bait fish all along the coastline. Mullet, bunker and herring are on the menu. The fish keeping them company are mostly small-to-medium bluefish.

Except over the weekend when blues weighing between 15 and 19 pounds moved into the surf at Ship Bottom, Beach Haven Terrace and elsewhere on Long Beach Island. The monster blues mostly were taking lures.

That's the third or fourth blitz of big blues on LBI over the past few weeks.

Matt Slobodjian at Jim's Tackle in Cape May reported that there was a striper invasion in the surf at Stone Harbor "as we speak" on Wednesday afternoon.

Plus, some of the pods of bait with birds over them have weakfish lurking underneath the blues.

The message is clear: Make sure to investigate the water under birds because stripers and weakfish might be mixed with the blues.

Striper fans will be excited to know that 40- and 39-pound striped bass were caught on LBI. Josh Falcone at Barnegat Light Bait and Tackle watched as Kevin Wong of Philadelphia hauled a 40-pound, 4-ounce bass up on the beach at Loveladies on Sunday.

That was the heaviest bass listed for the first week of the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic.

Bob Misak Jr. of Waretown pulled in a 39-pound bass while fishing at Surf City on Monday.

Wreck Inlet north of Brigantine produced a 36½-pound striper for Jimmy Lynn. He was fishing for weakfish with mullet on 12-pound test line, according to Andy Grossman at RipTide Bait and Tackle in Brigantine. Grossman fished with Bob Paxson using live spot to catch stripers on the Atlantic City side of Absecon Inlet. RipTide weighed a 34½-pound bass Wednesday afternoon for Bill Farrell of Williamstown. He, too, was using live spot. Those fish were all caught from boats.

Big kingfish have been reported all along Absecon Island. Kingfish anglers are smacking them from the inlet in Atlantic City to Margate.

One-Stop Bait and Tackle in Atlantic weighed in two 2-pound kingfish this week. Richard Coles of Atlantic City took an early lead in the fourth week of the Atlantic County/Atlantic City Surf Fishing Derby with a 2-pound, 17½-inch kingfish. Noel Feliciano at One Stop weighed in another 2-pound king for a Philadelphian not in the contest.

Josh Sheffel of New Gretna caught a 2.02-pound kingfish in the third week of the Derby. Pat Cooke of Brigantine caught an 18.5-pound striper and Rick Daily of Absecon got a 4.5-pound tautog in the third week of the Derby. Gary Rzemyk of Ventnor caught a 7.8-pound weakfish.

The six-week Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic was dominated by bluefish in its first week. Sunday was amazing. The contest had 82 bluefish entries that day. The smallest fish entered was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and the heaviest was 17-2. Saturday's LBI haul was 44 fish.

Saturday's heaviest weighed 18-6 and was caught by Dave Lugo of Lawrenceville. The heaviest blue in the first week of the Classic went to Dennis Stepien of Marlton with a 19-pounder.

Offshore fishing is still hot. One example: Slobodjian was fishing with Tom Swider on the Salty Susan on an overnighter Monday to Tuesday at the east wall of the Wilmington Canyon and got into a variety of big-game fish.

They pulled in a 9-foot swordfish and three others they released, five tuna to 90 pounds, 15 mahi to 15 pounds, plus tilefish and a big ling.

Fishermen at odds over tighter bass regulations

2007-10-30T21:55:00.000-04:00

via Newsday

Long Island's commercial and recreational fishermen are divided over a recent presidential order directing federal agencies to prohibit the sale of striped bass caught in offshore waters. The rift is expected to generate debate this week at a meeting of Atlantic state fisheries managers.

Commercial fisherman say the executive order is redundant -- an existing moratorium already bans the harvest or possession of striped bass in federal waters. And they chafe at the part of President George W. Bush's order that urged states to consider making striped bass a gamefish in coastal waters, a move that would put them off limits to commercial fishermen.

Sportfishing groups pushed for the order. They say the added layer of federal protection will help ensure the full recovery of striped bass, which suffered dramatic population declines in the past.

"The idea is to keep the species healthy, and take away elements that might endanger it in the future," said Charles Witek, state chairman of the Coastal Conservation Association of New York, a nonprofit group of saltwater recreational anglers.

Despite their anxiety, New York commercial fishermen won't be affected by the order in the short term. "We have no plans right now to end our commercial fishery," said Steve Heins of the state Department of Environmental Conservation's bureau of marine resources. "The stocks right now are in very good shape."

The other fish Bush named in the order, red drum, is more prevalent in Southern waters.

Prized for their size and their firm, mild flesh, striped bass have bounced back remarkably from their low point in 1982. Back then, scientists estimated there were only 5 million left in Atlantic waters. Now there are as many as 65 million: they are no longer considered overfished.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which manages marine fisheries in near-shore waters from Maine to Florida, placed strict limits on the harvest of striped bass in the mid-1980s. A 1990 federal moratorium followed, banning commercial and recreational fishing of striped bass in federal waters -- 3 to 200 miles offshore.

"If and when those prohibitions are removed, the executive order would ensure that striped bass and red drum remain reserved for recreational catch as a conservation measure," Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said at an Oct. 19 press briefing.

About 60 percent of the striped bass sold in the United States comes from fish farms, with the other 40 percent caught wild, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Arnold Leo, a commercial fisheries consultant to the Town of East Hampton and a member of the commission's striped bass advisory panel, said he expected the issue to come up at today's meeting of the commission's striped bass management board.

Leo called the president's order "a completely unjustifiable reallocation of a public resource to one user group."

Commercial fishermen are restricted to a quota based on historic landings, while recreational anglers face a limit on the number and length of fish they catch each day. In times when striped bass are abundant, that means recreational anglers can conceivably catch far more fish than commercial boats.

"We're stuck with like one fifth of what the recreational guys have," Leo said.

Tarpon run yields bonanza around Interstate 75 bridges

2007-10-28T15:44:00.000-04:00

via Herald Tribune

Brian Pollice of Detroit and Steve Miggs of Atlanta probably didn't have a clue what they were in for when they stepped aboard Chris O'Neill's boat Saturday.

They knew they would be fishing in the dark because O'Neill, who runs Tail Chaser Charter Services, has been on a hot bite at night.

They found tarpon rolling all over the place as they neared the Interstate 75 bridges up the Peace River.

"Tarpon were busting ladyfish and pilchards as far as you could see," said O'Neill, who lives in Englewood. "They were so thick that it looked like Boca Grande Pass during the full moon in June."

Pollice and Miggs landed three fish -- all of which were 100 pounds or more.

In addition, they landed a number of black drum to 53 pounds.

While the night bite was hot, action just after dawn wasn't too shabby, according to O'Neill. Pollice and Miggs landed three more tarpon over the century mark on live shrimp in the Peace River.

Mike Balfe of Venice and James Walsh of New Hampshire fished with O'Neill on Monday. They got out a couple of hours before dawn and landed 12 tarpon to 50 pounds and five black drum from 35 to 57 pounds on hand-picked shrimp.

After dawn, they caught redfish to nearly 10 pounds on shrimp around mangroves in Bull Bay.

The bite in the inshore Gulf of Mexico has also been hot.

Robert Lugiewicz of Fishin' Frank's in Charlotte Harbor said kingfish, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and a variety of sharks have been cooperating.

"You can find them from just off the beach out to 2 miles from Captiva Pass north," said Lugiewicz. "The farther north you go, the better it is."

Guide Robert Moore, who operates out of Fishin' Frank's, took his sons out Saturday and had nonstop action. They caught 12 kingfish to 15 pounds, little tunny to 12 and sharks to 7 feet in length.

Mike Mahan of Castaway Charters out of Fishin' Frank's has also been doing well on kingfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, according to Lugiewicz.

Spanish mackerel are starting to move into the harbor.

"Most are just inside Captiva Pass," Lugiewicz said.

Ladyfish and bluefish can be found in schools in the open harbor. When you find them, you will also find tarpon and sharks just underneath.

Tarpon also can be found at night around the U.S. 41 bridges between Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda and at El Jobean.

Angel Torres of Vicious Strikes Charters out of Fishin' Frank's had tarpon tackle, but he did not expect to use it on a snook outing early in the week. However, his clients kept getting manhandled by snook.

So, he went to the heavier tackle and they landed snook to 12 pounds, according to Lugiewicz.

Anglers are the Placida trestle are encountering snook, tarpon, shark, sheepshead, redfish and whiting.

At Jobean, it has been tarpon and a few snook.

Offshore action slowed because of rough seas after Wednesday's cold front.

In fresh water, bass are rated good on shiners and plastic lizards in the North Port canals and around Rotonda. Bluegill are hitting worms around culverts and spill dams.

The accompanying map is designed to help readers find out what fish are hitting where.

1Gulp Shrimp are producing redfish around mullet schools on flats along the west wide of Lemon Bay.

2Kingfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny are hitting live baits and lures within 2 miles of the beach.

3Spanish mackerel are plentiful in and around the pass.

4Snook, tarpon, shark, sheepshead, redfish and whiting are cooperating at the Placida trestle..

5Redfish, snook and spotted seatrout are available in the backcountry.

6Snook and tarpon are hitting at night.

7Tarpon and snook are the best bets around the 41 bridges.

8Tarpon, snook and black drum are rated good on large live shrimp.

9Redfish and snook are rated good along the east side of the harbor.

10Tarpon, shark, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel can be found in the open harbor.

Man Sets New Record With Shark Catch

2007-10-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

via ShortNews
Florida: Destin lived up to its nickname of the world's luckiest fishing village Saturday when Adlee Bruner and friends hauled in an 844-pound mako shark while competing in the decades-old Destin Fishing Rodeo, beating the old record by 338 pounds.

The 47-year-old Bruner said "It was tense. I've fished for 40 years. I've never [seen] one that big." It took over an hour to reel in the shark, and another four hours to go the 70 miles back. It was too big for the boat, so they tied it to the side.

Initially out on a charter boat to catch grouper, the shark kept eating fish they were catching. "It was like Jaws," said Capt. Robert Hill. He threw out a two-foot amberine and eventually got it to bite. It still weighed 638 pounds after gutting.

Presidential order gives additional protections for striped bass

2007-10-28T14:55:00.001-04:00

via boston.com

Maine U.S. Rep. Tom Allen is applauding a presidential order that gives additional protections to striped bass.

The order designates striped bass as a game fish, rather than a commercial fish, in federally protected waters and encourages states to do the same in state-regulated waters within three miles of shore.

There is currently a moratorium on striped bass fishing of all types in federal waters, but Allen said President Bush's order should still be a welcome move for sportsmen.

He said there should be a ban on all commercial fishing for striped bass, which were nearly wiped out in the 1980s.

In New England, Allen said Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut currently prohibit commercial fishing for striped bass in state waters, but that Massachusetts and Rhode Island still allow it.

New record-keeping will improve saltwater fishing

2007-10-28T13:54:00.000-04:00

via Daily Press

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has established new restrictions on striped bass fishing this fall to protect this magnificent species from being overfished. At a recent hearing on the proposal, several recreational anglers voiced concerns about the data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service that are the basis of this decision and other fisheries decisions.

Recreational fishermen have good reason to want to see data on recreational fishing improve as both state and federal regulators strive to do the best job managing fish for recreational and commercial fishing.

Congress, through the newly reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act of 2006, called on NOAA Fisheries Service to get a more complete picture of recreational fishing and its effect on the marine ecosystem. In cooperation with coastal states, we have done surveys of recreational fishing for 28 years, but the way in which this survey is done has not kept pace with the evolving need for more complete information on fishing practices and fishing results.

The existing angler survey was analyzed by the National Research Council in a recent report. The independent panel of scientists advised NOAA Fisheries to redesign its recreational fishing surveys to create more complete, transparent and usable information.

At the heart of getting better information is creating a national saltwater angler registry. This would be a type of telephone book of all those who fish in federal waters beyond three miles or fish in the waters off states where they are likely to encounter fish such as striped bass, shad and river herring that spawn in fresh water and spend much of their lives in the ocean. The federal registry, to be instituted beginning in 2009, will be the foundation of improved surveys of recreational fishermen and more complete data on recreational fishing.

Currently, there are eight states that have no license for saltwater fishermen. By establishing a license that collects the same contact information required by the federal registry, a state can help NOAA meet Congress' mandate for a national registry by 2009. However, with or without a state license, NOAA has promised Congress it will create the registry over the next year and a half.

Virginia already has a saltwater license, and recreational fishermen have suggested that it would be far better to survey all license-holders than the current survey method that involves random interviews by telephone of people who live in coastal communities. Going directly to fisherman for information about their fishing habits makes sense to us, too. Such an approach will only work if we have a complete listing of who is fishing. That is why NOAA Fisheries is working closely with the state of Virginia and other coastal states to ensure that every saltwater fisherman is counted.

The registry of recreational fishermen, and surveys based on this national telephone book, will help decision-makers gain a far better understanding about how much fishing can be sustained without damaging the ecosystem. High-quality data on anglers' catches and their effort will also allow more timely, fine-scale adjustments to regulations.

Ultimately, this method of collecting data will help all of us who care about the health of ocean fisheries and the sport of fishing.

With better information, NOAA Fisheries and its state partners can conserve healthy marine ecosystems for present and future generations.

Hogarth is the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service.