This may shock some people but....

23mako

Ten Pointer
How good the fishing was? We have been pounding the founder this year. Limits every day. All depends on where you fish. Several crabbers have been getting a good amount of keepers in their pots. That is saying something. People are not seeing as many when they go gigging at night. Much of that has to do with pressure. Gigging has gotten popular with bow fishermen. I see tons of camo boats rigged out with big lights. Many from the western part of the state. We see people gigging most every night behind the house. Fish learn to stay away from those lights.

I think there are only 1400 pound netters left in NC. Six years ago there were 4,300. NC has a lot of water and people want to eat native flounder. Most of my friends are only rigging out half of their pound nets this year. They are expensive to rig and people are tired of being regulated to death.

Guess the goal is for everyone on the water to work for the government. Hopefully the Park Service, NC Ferry Department and Cherry Point will have more jobs in the near future. People need to spend some time on the water before they go making assumptions.

Is it not reasonable to assume that the flounder fishing this year is good because the harvest over the last 3 years (2016-2018) has been a lot less than what it was in the preceding 3 years (2013-2015)?

Does this not prove the point that if we harvest less there will be more in the future? And that to truly rebuild stocks will require less harvest than what has been done in the past?
 

Wanchese

Twelve Pointer
I also think lower headrope limits inside the inlets would help. Here is what Louisiana regs are in their designated internal waters which could be a starting point: "Regulations permit one trawl measuring 50 feet long or less along the cork line and 66 feet long or less along the lead line; two trawls not exceeding 25 feet each along the cork line and 33 feet along the lead line, with trawl doors no more than 8 feet long and 43 inches high; OR two trawls not exceeding 25 feet each along the cork line and 33 feet along the lead line, with no more than two outer trawl doors no larger than 8 feet long and 43 inches high and no more than two inner sled doors. Each vessel may also pull a test trawl.*"

I think there should me a minimum size and creel limit for croaker. I think there should also be a creel limit for spot.

But we both know that changing the current rules for inside trawling have a snow balls chance in hell of getting changed.
They don't stand a chance of being changed because instead of proposing something reasonable, CCA/NCWF and company constantly push extreme regulations like the latest one that would limit net size and to three days a week with time restrictions. They say we need to get the big boats out of the sound but they go after everyone.

You could set the max headrope at 100' and those big boats would be gone without having much negative impact on any of the day boats.

But because the CCA/NCWF has been non-stop on the warparth with EVERYONE that does any type of commercial fishing, you're not going to get many small boats to go along with any proposed reductions.
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
They don't stand a chance of being changed because instead of proposing something reasonable, CCA/NCWF and company constantly push extreme regulations like the latest one that would limit net size and to three days a week with time restrictions. They say we need to get the big boats out of the sound but they go after everyone.

You could set the max headrope at 100' and those big boats would be gone without having much negative impact on any of the day boats.

But because the CCA/NCWF has been non-stop on the warparth with EVERYONE that does any type of commercial fishing, you're not going to get many small boats to go along with any proposed reductions.

Do you think lowering the limit to 100 foot of head rope would have a decent probability of passing either through the MFC or the legislature?
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
Is it not reasonable to assume that the flounder fishing this year is good because the harvest over the last 3 years (2016-2018) has been a lot less than what it was in the preceding 3 years (2013-2015)?

Does this not prove the point that if we harvest less there will be more in the future? And that to truly rebuild stocks will require less harvest than what has been done in the past?
I says loud and clear that the management plan for flounder is working...contrary to what some of the rabid rec groups are stating.
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
I also think lower headrope limits inside the inlets would help. Here is what Louisiana regs are in their designated internal waters which could be a starting point: "Regulations permit one trawl measuring 50 feet long or less along the cork line and 66 feet long or less along the lead line; two trawls not exceeding 25 feet each along the cork line and 33 feet along the lead line, with trawl doors no more than 8 feet long and 43 inches high; OR two trawls not exceeding 25 feet each along the cork line and 33 feet along the lead line, with no more than two outer trawl doors no larger than 8 feet long and 43 inches high and no more than two inner sled doors. Each vessel may also pull a test trawl.*"

I think there should me a minimum size and creel limit for croaker. I think there should also be a creel limit for spot.

But we both know that changing the current rules for inside trawling have a snow balls chance in hell of getting changed.

Wanchese summed it up to the T in his post above.
 

Wanchese

Twelve Pointer
Do you think lowering the limit to 100 foot of head rope would have a decent probability of passing either through the MFC or the legislature?
I don't know that any of it would pass or not but I guarantee you not much of anything with CCA or NCWF on it will get any support from anyone in the commercial industry.

You'd have a hard time handing out hundred dollar bills wearing a CCA t-shirt.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I don't know that any of it would pass or not but I guarantee you not much of anything with CCA or NCWF on it will get any support from anyone in the commercial industry.

You'd have a hard time handing out hundred dollar bills wearing a CCA t-shirt.
CCA= Cant Catch Anything?
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
I says loud and clear that the management plan for flounder is working...contrary to what some of the rabid rec groups are stating.

The reductions that are being voted on in a few weeks came from the DMF didn't they? Are they infiltrated with rabid rec groups?
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
I don't know that any of it would pass or not but I guarantee you not much of anything with CCA or NCWF on it will get any support from anyone in the commercial industry.

You'd have a hard time handing out hundred dollar bills wearing a CCA t-shirt.

Thanks for the info.
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
The reductions that are being voted on in a few weeks came from the DMF didn't they? Are they infiltrated with rabid rec groups?
If you got that outa what i said...damn
The reductions that are being voted on in a few weeks came from the DMF didn't they? Are they infiltrated with rabid rec groups?
I didnt say anything about the vote or the new flounder management plan. Thats all you trying to lead a conversation off its courseo_O

I simply stated the current flounder plan is working and it shows with increased rec catches, which is contradictory to what the cca crowd has been squeeling since the current plan went into effect.
 

23mako

Ten Pointer
If the current plan is working then why are these new drastic cuts necessary? That is what I'm getting at. Or are you just referring to this year?
 

Wanchese

Twelve Pointer
If the current plan is working then why are these new drastic cuts necessary?
They haven't given any of the current regulations time to show any improvement. Every two years, they keep adding regulations based on stock assessments that are at least one to two years old.

The current proposed changes are based on a stock assessment done two years ago. They don't care if 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000(add as many more 0's as you want) flounders are in the water right now.

I saw a video the other day. It was of Mike Bryant, manager of Alligator River NWR and Pea Island NWR. He was talking about the pines at Alligator NWR dying because of salt water intrusion. Alligator River NWR is 150,000+ acres, every section of it has water control structures. So here we have a government agency with millions of dollars and endless resources at thier disposal that can't keep a freaking pine tree alive. But we are suppose to manage fish we can't count or see as a constant.



BTW, I thought it was pretty ironic that a refuge manager was complaining about rising water killing his trees while the guy managing the refuge next door is doing everything he can to flood his refuge.
 

Roanoke

Eight Pointer
The lobbying groups want the public to think that commercial guys are always killing massive amounts of fish. That is far from the truth. Everyone has days when the boxes are stacked but you do not hit grand slams everyday. I had fiends that made bank offshore long lining They talked me into a few extended trips but I never made any real money. Not fun being way out there working in those conditions day and night. Always made more taking charters and did ok commercial fishing for yellowfins when we did not have bookings. We made great money the first few years they opened commercial bluefins. Even that did not last long before price fell out.
This is why I am totally against ruling that all license holders have to make over 80 percent of their income from commercial fishing. I know tons of people that work in the summer in restaurants, cleaning hotels, etc. They inherited their family’s commercial license and you will see them in the winter out hand catching oysters to sell at fish house. Many of the other restaurant workers/ etc draw unemployment during the winter.
 
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Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It's like most everything else, feast or famine. I've seen guys go down south on shrimp boat and come back with enough to buy a new truck(in the 70's).
I've also seen times they came back and hadn't made much more than the fuel bill...
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
HMMM- i guess all the deer and other critters on the chowan will now die?
See how easy that is. Jump to CNN type heysteria.
 

gangrig252

Guest
HMMM- i guess all the deer and other critters on the chowan will now die?
See how easy that is. Jump to CNN type heysteria.
I have no idea how they died but I can tell you, you can't hardly beach a bout on the river or this end of the sound without seeing deer bones on tr he bank. Never thought to associate the two tho...
 

gangrig252

Guest
What is the cause of the blooms? How long have they been going on in the Albemarle sound area?
About 6 or so years now and there hasn't been a reason giving....no one seems to know. This year hasn't been nearly as bad as it has been but at least its getting publicity now.
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
About 6 or so years now and there hasn't been a reason giving....no one seems to know. This year hasn't been nearly as bad as it has been but at least its getting publicity now.

Whats going on now on the old united piece and dye works property south of arrowhead beach?
Back in the day they were the reason given for the algae blooms on the chowan
 

gangrig252

Guest
Whats going on now on the old united piece and dye works property south of arrowhead beach?
Back in the day they were the reason given for the algae blooms on the chowan
It was cleaned some years back...maybe 10 or so. Holding ponds and all. Now it's a dock for tug boats.
 
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