It’s Full On!! Droves of Striped Bass are here! Along with them are the Bluefish, which are great action on light tackle and actually great in the smoker. All up and down the beach, The Elbow, Great eastern, Porgy lump, the birds are going wild. Just position yourself amongst the birds and cast out the Plugs or drop down the Diamond Jigs. This is some of the hottest spring action in years, and the sheer number of Striped Bass is very impressive. So with all these Striped Bass from the Verrazano Bridge, all down the South shore of Long Island, Long Island Sound, and all around Montauk Point, why is NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) saying the Striped Bass numbers are down and emergency action is required? Proposed new regulation slot size will be 28 inches to 31 inches! That gives you only 3 inches to deal with. Important questions are: How is the size of the Biomass of Striped Bass obtained? Same goes for the Biomass of Black Sea Bass, which just seem to be around every rock pile, wreck, or structure from the sound out to the ocean. These are important questions that need to be addressed.
NMFS is now seeking comments regarding Amendment 23 to the Summer Flounder (Fluke), Scup (Porgy), and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. Comment period is open through June 14, 2023. Submit comments through the e-rulemaking portal (https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2023-0041-0001). Fisherman questions contact: Mark Grant, Sustainable Fisheries, 978-281-9145. Any Input is better than no input!
Regulations for the 2023 season are as such: Fluke (Summer Flounder) will remain the same with the length at 18.5 inches, 4 fish per angler, season runs May 1st through October 9th. Porgy (Scup) Size length is now 10.5 inches for licensed charter/party boats, limit per angler is 30 fish from May1 through August 31, then from September 1 through October 31 it goes to 40 per angler. Anglers fishing from shore the size limit is 9.5 inches, 30 per angler from May 1 through December 31. Black Sea Bass size length is now 16.5 inches, 3 per angler from June 23 through August 31, then goes to 6 per angler from September 1 through December 31. Please pay attention to regulation updates concerning Striped Bass, possible slot size change from 28-35 inches to 28-31 inches.
Wishing everyone a safe, action packed fishing season. Remember, safety first!!
~ Tight Lines, Captain Skip
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