I know I'm beating a dead horse

[BoatGuy]

But how does this make sense?

Black Sea Bass New Jersey Regulations:

10 fish at 12.5 inches May 17 – June 19

1 fish at 12.5 inches July 1 – Aug 31

10 fish at 12.5 inches Oct 1 – Oct 31

15 fish at 12.5 inches Nov 1 – Dec 31

https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/wp-content/uploads/njfw/attention-anglers-2025.pdf

Black Sea Bass New York Regulations:

3 Fish at 16.5 inches June 23 - Aug 31

6 Fish at 16.5 inches Sept 1 - Dec 31

Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Find information on Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations and fishing limits.

dec.ny.gov

 

[Snapprhead27]

Yup same goes for Fluke. I was fishing out of East Rockaway last year and saw NJ boats fishing NY waters for fluke

 

[BoatGuy]

Yup same goes for Fluke. I was fishing out of East Rockaway last year and saw NJ boats fishing NY waters for fluke

Their regs must have changed. NJ has 3 fish at 18 inches
NY has 3 fish at 19 inches.
They would have been better staying in Jersey

 

[poorrichard]

what are the Conn regs?

 

[BoatGuy]

what are the Conn regs?

Fishing Regulations

Official regulations for recreational fishing.

portal.ct.gov

 

[OVERBORED]

When it comes to regulations, beat the drum as much as you want.

There is absolutely no logical explanation for the regs in NY & NJ being so different!

What ever happened to being penalized for non-compliance?

 

[george]

That’s crazy. I’d love to hear what @Leprechaun and @captmike28 think. In New York we’ve always taken a conservative approach, cutting back, making sacrifices, doing what we thought were told was right. New Jersey, on the other hand, has done a great job standing up for their recreational anglers and it’s paid off. It’s a great place to fish. But here’s what doesn’t make sense. We’re fishing the same fish, in the same water, using the same gear, yet they get more days, more access, and more reasonable limits. Sometimes it feels like we’re doing all the saving and they’re getting all the benefit.

 

[OVERBORED]

I remember back when NY fluke were 14". NJ was 13".

 

[hartattack]

What ever happened to being penalized for non-compliance?

The 2025 NY Fluke regs allow 4 keepers with 19" minimum size, but > 19.5" after 8/2 :-o The 2025 NJ Fluke regs allow 3 keepers at 18" all season.
The difference in NY/NJ fluke bag limits began in 2019 when NJ was penalized 1 fluke when NJ went out of compliance with ASFMC guidelines.....

 

[Snapprhead27]

The 2025 NY Fluke regs allow 4 keepers with 19" minimum size, but > 19.5" after 8/2 :-o The 2025 NJ Fluke regs allow 3 keepers at 18" all season.
The difference in NY/NJ fluke bag limits began in 2019 when NJ was penalized 1 fluke when NJ went out of compliance with ASFMC guidelines.....

NY is 3 keepers.

 

[hartattack]

NY is 3 keepers.

Thanks. You're right NY is getting screwed...

 

[captmike28]

That’s crazy. I’d love to hear what @Leprechaun and @captmike28 think. In New York we’ve always taken a conservative approach, cutting back, making sacrifices, doing what we thought were told was right. New Jersey, on the other hand, has done a great job standing up for their recreational anglers and it’s paid off. It’s a great place to fish. But here’s what doesn’t make sense. We’re fishing the same fish, in the same water, using the same gear, yet they get more days, more access, and more reasonable limits. Sometimes it feels like we’re doing all the saving and they’re getting all the benefit.

Sadly, this is a very old and painful story for all the NY Anglers who feel cheated by fishing the same waters as our neighboring states that have more favorable regulations.

The one that burns me the most is Sea Bass. Fishing the North Fork and eastern LI Sound I am constantly frustrated that our season begins a full month later than CT with a smaller bag limit and larger minimum size. To add insult to injury, I pay for separate permits to fish both NY and CT waters but because I am docked in NY I must still abide by our regulations! And I can assure you that I have seen CT registered boats "skirt" the law by taking Sea Bass in the Peconics once their season opens on May 17 hoping that they do not get boarded before the reach their home waters again. Coastwide management for these species is the only fair way to divide the resource IMHO.

 

[BoatGuy]

Sadly, this is a very old and painful story for all the NY Anglers who feel cheated by fishing the same waters as our neighboring states that have more favorable regulations.

The one that burns me the most is Sea Bass. Fishing the North Fork and eastern LI Sound I am constantly frustrated that our season begins a full month later than CT with a smaller bag limit and larger minimum size. To add insult to injury, I pay for separate permits to fish both NY and CT waters but because I am docked in NY I must still abide by our regulations! And I can assure you that I have seen CT registered boats "skirt" the law by taking Sea Bass in the Peconics once their season opens on May 17 hoping that they do not get boarded before the reach their home waters again. Coastwide management for these species is the only fair way to divide the resource IMHO.

If the Conn boats take BSB in our waters.....Aren't they subject to NY regulations?
Do they ever get boarded while in NY waters? If they were then it stop pretty quickly.

 

[OVERBORED]

If the Conn boats take BSB in our waters.....Aren't they subject to NY regulations?
Do they ever get boarded while in NY waters? If they were then it stop pretty quickly.

Good questions and the answers goes back to If, when and where does enforcement take place?

I can tell you that this spring in Jbay, enforcement has been non-existent!

 

[Leprechaun]

That’s crazy. I’d love to hear what @Leprechaun and @captmike28 think. In New York we’ve always taken a conservative approach, cutting back, making sacrifices, doing what we thought were told was right.

What do I think? You've fished with me enough to know how completely disgusted I am with the current NYS regulations - particularly with respect to the inequities between our adjoining States and us.

I've reached the point that if I get any kind of reasonable offer for my boat this season, I'll be thinking real hard about letting it go. Between the physical maintenance, ridiculous expenses, degraded NY Bight groundfishing and crappy NYS regs, I'm bangin' right up against my tolerance limit. Now more so than ever. So, that's what I think.

 

[captmike28]

If the Conn boats take BSB in our waters.....Aren't they subject to NY regulations?
Do they ever get boarded while in NY waters? If they were then it stop pretty quickly.

Of course, the CT boats are subject to NY regulations while fishing in our waters. But, as Overbored and many others have noted enforcement is quite lean.

 

[BoatGuy]

Of course, the CT boats are subject to NY regulations while fishing in our waters. But, as Overbored and many others have noted enforcement is quite lean.

As a professional, you probably would not take out your cell phone and call the DEC to report them.

They do come if called. One or two boats getting boarded and fined would end that quickly as the word spread.