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bream....... FL saltwater fish regs ???
The state and Feds have very tight season and limits on Amber Jacks and Red Snapper. However, all I read on the local fishing boards say there are WAY too many already. Like this post from yesterday.......
So, are they protecting the fish or (as local recreational fishermen think) protecting the commercial fishermens profits.
The AJs and snapper were thick and made it hard to get baits down to the grouper we were after. Caught more snapper and AJs than we could count. Had to catch more bait, and finally found a school of cigars near shore. Only managed to bring home one Grouper but it was a nice firetruck!
So, are they protecting the fish or (as local recreational fishermen think) protecting the commercial fishermens profits.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson
Replies
The rec guys yell foul saying that the money behind the commercial fisherman is buying control of the fisheries and blocking the little guy and weekend angler off the water.
From what I see fishing, the numbers for almost all fish are down. We used to catch fish on every outing, throwing back shorts and keeping plenty to eat. These days catching a slot size snook is getting rare and while we catch numerous juvenal grouper, the keepers are farther and fewer between each trip this year.
Then the Japanese long-line fleet discovered the Gulf of Mexico. The fishery never recovered. Basically they ran trot lines a mile or more long, suspended by big glass balls, and caught everything down there. The bycatch was horrendous, and most of the fish they "released" were dead or dying. The party boat fishermen started carrying surplus 03 Springfields on their boats and shooting the glass floats. They called it "ocean skeet"!
Jerry
From what I'm reading, when the ''tax man'' shows up, you just pull up and move.
Yes, the regs favor commercial fishermen. They have a more organized lobby effort and put forth some bogus "science."
Offshore fishing brings a lot of money to FL but the federal regs have put a hurting on that in recent years. For example, this year's federal snapper season in the gulf was less than two weeks.
Jerry
Doesn't do any good to move, they're every where!! If you're fishing over structure, Flipper is close by!
Some think they are attracted to the sonar of the boats fish finder. Like ringing a dinner bell
I've fished on a lot of different types of boats and have owned quite a few different sonars and I don't believe that theory. I've got a commercial dual frequency Sitex unit on my boat and it runs at 50/400khz. Diesel engines emit a low frequency vibration that travels much further and while flipper is drawn to any boat, they can hear a diesel dinner bell from much farther away.