Fluke. Seabass, Porgy Regs 2024

[george]

@captmike28 I was quoting our friend overboard. I heard today that they may change the season around slightly to keep the bag where it is.

How does the fed opening help Mike? Don't those fish have to travel through state waters?

 

[OVERBORED]

That's the key comment. Can't treat any resource, no matter how plentiful it seems, to be infinite or you're doomed to failure.

Considering the biomass, I would even venture to say that stricter regs on scup and Sea Bass has the potential to throw everything out of balance. Especially Sea Bass that will eat anything in sight especially the larvae of other species!

 

[pequa1]

True, but $75 for a skunking hurts a lot worse.

I've learned to never calculate how much my "caught" fish dinners actually cost. It's a number I don't want to see, but when looked at as how much does it cost enjoy being on the water, it seems to be quite a bargain...

a non-hunter asked me a few years ago how much I paid to have a deer butchered (no way in Massapequa could I avoid LEO involvement if I hung a carcass from a stepladder or tree and did it myself) and how many pounds of venison I got. He was obviously equating hunting with shopping for chicken in ShopRite and wanted to know what I was paying per pound or something. Since I sold my last boat and only kayak fish and occasionally surfcast, my fishing expenses are minimal, but I never calculated the cost effectiveness of a filet. However I can definitely see far fewer "fishermen" paying a couple of hours of their salary to come home with just a sunburn. I have catch and release friends on private boats but know of no one who does the same on a party boat. Two fluke at 20"means a few more catch and release fish for me off the yak, but no season until July ? As others have said, may as well have a moratorium.

 

[longcast]

Well said @captmike28

And this too is my struggle -

But I also have a few groups that are really scraping together every dollar and count on making a big catch to offset some their own costs to feed themselves and their families. In fact, I often give these guys a break on the fare just to make things bit easier on them. Given the size of most Scup, even our spring Jumbos, it takes a lot to make a decent meal. A severe reduction in bag limit would definitely be a hardship on those folks.

One of the neighbors across from my parents house was the one who really got me into hunting, etc. The neighbor was ok, monetary, but the rest of his extended family was not. That whole family went up into the woods "praying" they filled every tag so their freezers had meat for the year. I kept a fraction of the deer I harvested, and assisted feeding those families. Little different, but the same in a way.

 

[Roccus7]

Well get involved and state your thoughts, instead of dazzling us with your brilliance...

We Need Your Feedback on Recreational Summer Flounder and Scup!​

DEC will hold a public meeting to review potential 2024-2025 recreational saltwater fishing regulation options for summer flounder (fluke) and scup. The hybrid meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at 6 p.m. at DEC Division of Marine Resources, 123 Kings Park Blvd. Kings Park, NY. Visit DEC’s website for additional information.

REGISTER FOR WEBX MEETING​

Anglers are encouraged to review the options below and complete the Recreational Summer Flounder and Scup Feedback Survey to provide feedback on potential regulations for 2024-2025.

The options for 2024-2025 recreational summer flounder, that will achieve the required 28% reduction are:​

	Possession and Size Limit	Open Season
Option 1	3 fish at 19 inches	May 1 - Sept. 8
Option 2	3 fish at 19 inches	May 5 - Sept. 14
Option 3	3 fish at 19 inches	May 17 - Sept. 20
Option 4	3 fish at 19 inches	May 1 - July 24 and Aug. 4 - Oct. 9
Option 5	4 fish at 19.5 inches	April 1 - Oct. 31
Option 6	3 fish at 18.5 inches	June 12 - Aug. 28

The options for 2024-2025 recreational scup, that will achieve the required 10% reduction are:​

	Shore	Party/Charter	All Others
Option 1	30 fish at 9.5 inches May 1 - Dec. 31	30 fish at 11 inches May 1 - Aug. 31 40 fish at 11 inches Sept. 1 - Oct 31 30 fish at 11 inches Nov. 1 - Dec. 31	30 fish at 11 inches May 1 - Dec. 31
Option 2	9 fish at 9.5 inches May 1 - Dec. 31	9 fish at 10.5 inches May 1 - Aug. 31 20 fish at 10 inches Sept. 1 - Oct. 31 9 fish at 10.5 inches Nov. 1 - Dec. 31	9 fish at 11 inches May 1 - Dec. 31
Option 3	20 fish at 10 inches April 1 - Dec. 31	20 fish at 11 inches April 1 - Aug. 31 40 fish at 11 inches Sept. 1 - Oct. 31 20 fish at 11 inches Nov. 1 - Dec. 31	20 fish at 11 inches April 1 - Dec. 31

Complete The Feedback Survey​

 

[pequa1]

Just submitted. Would rather have seen the fluke bag limited to two with a little less restriction on size and season but since that might be better for me, it would not be better for the overfished fish, if one can believe the data.

 

[captmike28]

@captmike28 I was quoting our friend overboard. I heard today that they may change the season around slightly to keep the bag where it is.

How does the fed opening help Mike? Don't those fish have to travel through state waters?

Thanks, George. I now understand the source of the 15 fish estimate. Actually, although I had heard rumors, this is the first time, I have seen the actual options being proposed for the coming changes to Fluke/Scup regulations.

Frankly I have no problem with moving to an 11" minimum for Scup as long as we can keep the bag limit at 30, especially early spring when the focus is the strongest for my customers. At that level they would actually go home with slightly more fish as the average size would be larger. I believe any smaller bag limit would drive some of the boat fisherman away due to the cost/catch ratio. With that option people could actually fish from shore and retain a similar bag limit with smaller sized fish. That would not help the already struggling for-hire industry, for sure.

To answer your other question, I don't' see how reopening the federal waters to recreational harvest helps anyone other than the larger offshore party boats who target Scup in those areas. You are obviously correct that during their migration virtually all of our Scup do transit those waters on the way to the bays and LI Sound.

I plan to fill out my survey and be at the DEC meeting on 1/31. Hopefully it will result in a solution both the fish and fisherman can live with.

 

[pequa1]

Without getting emotional about it, why with regard to fluke is the proposal (argument) always size or season and not bag limit? We have lowered bag limits on weakfish, striped bass and bluefish. If the goal is reduction of fish mortality, why not limiting the fluke bag down to two or maybe three? It would certainly lower the amount of death due to mishandling as well.

 

[george]

Without getting emotional about it, why with regard to fluke is the proposal (argument) always size or season and not bag limit? We have lowered bag limits on weakfish, striped bass and bluefish. If the goal is reduction of fish mortality, why not limiting the fluke bag down to two or maybe three? It would certainly lower the amount of death due to mishandling as well.

Have you read the options? All but one is bringing us down to 3 fish. I was speaking with our angler buddies in NJ the other day, and they're floating a slot option for part of the season that could keep them at 4 fish. I'm not sure if ASMFC will allow a slot for conservation equivalency.

 

[pequa1]

Well, I really think it should be two, but I could have sworn that I read somewhere that the majority of the options were for four.

and this was my first post in the thread:
"Just submitted. Would rather have seen the fluke bag limited to two with a little less restriction on size and season but since that might be better for me, it would not be better for the overfished fish, if one can believe the data."

 

[george]

I do want to add that this is the first time where they are looking to set a two-year plan in place. Are they thinking that the micro-managing of changing rules each year is bad for anglers and the fish?

 

[pequa1]

I doubt they are considering it being bad for anglers as first and formost, lol. Another idea I have yet to see is similar to what was done with stripers. Using marine baits and targeting bass now requires circle hooks. I know that since I switched over to Gulp on bucktails 15 years ago I have not gut hooked a single fish like I did years ago dragging squid and spearing. No pity for the fluke ?

 

[magictoo]

well as far as fluke im sure the powers that be will push for option 5. that way they can appease the head boat captains by starting the season so early-even though it raises the size to 19 1/2". for most that is a ridiculous start time for the season. as we all know there will be very few fluke caught in April. the extra 1/2", though it doesn't sound like much, will make catching legal sized fish that much more difficult. opening the season on 4/1 is only justifiable so the head boat captains can advertise 'fluke fishing' even though the catching would be minimal. trading that for another 1/2" to 19 1/2" is another slap at all the Long Islanders except the head boat captains. its will be especially tough on the bay fisherman.

 

[pequa1]

The head boat captains will all be in attendance. As often happens, bay fishermen will be screwed by the changes. The little guy with the smaller bay boats won't show up in person and, becoming more and more cynical over the "changes," will just go to work.

 

[hartattack]

....I was speaking with our angler buddies in NJ the other day, and they're floating a slot option for part of the season that could keep them at 4 fish. I'm not sure if ASMFC will allow a slot for conservation equivalency.

2023 NJ fluke regs are 2 @ 17<18", 1 @18 or >.
Many options now being kicked around for 2024 but it looks like our slot is not currently in favor by anglers or regulators.

Here are the 2 current well received NJ options:
Option 23) 5/24-9/4 (3) fish at 17 1/2”
Option 30) 5/5- 9/23 (3) fish at 18”

 

[pequa1]

Yikes. They fit on dessert plates !

 

[longcast]

A good knife and some skill, those fish make a delicious meal!! Get em before the nets do!

 

[pequa1]

Good thing our shorts don’t swim west across state lines! But seriously, why is this not like stripers with the same guidelines?

 

[Snapprhead27]

I think a April start is crazy.

 

[pequa1]

Useless