Big Bend Fishing

[Jsisson]

Yes Lower Alabama. If I was going to
Louisiana . Would sux it up and drive back to Bafin Bay TX
Again

[wishin2bfishin]

My thing is, where do they get their data? Has anyone participated in a stock assessment?
I never have been asked on snapper, grouper, redfish, or trout.
Makes me wonder if they do a lot of SWAGing. Smart Wild A__ Guessing.


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[Oldboat]

3 fish limit! No reductions or control of commercial fishing! 4 hr drive! Very expensive out-of-state licenses! Motel cost!
Yep, Florida has placed itself out of my recreational options! Don't think I'll be the I only one, either.
Sorry to see it happening.

[dombern34]

Louisiana has 397 miles of gulf coast while Florida has 1,350 (General coastline) how can 397 miles support a 12 inch @ 25 per person limit while Florida can't support a 15-20 inch @ 5 per person? I understand we're concentrated to just the big bend area, but to my understanding this will be for the entire state?

this doesn't hurt my feelings as much since I don't keep fish but, for the working middle class guy who works hard during the week to fork up the cost to fish that weekend, that will take the wind out of their sail quick. I understand the concern and the justification, Its certainly not fair for the guides to take a hit like that but the commercial guys never skip a beat..

[ropeman]

I haven't looked at the proposed regs, but that be a 3 person limit for scallops too? I hardly ever limit out on fish, but I have caught a boats worth of scallops several times.

[onefishtwofish]

My guess with LA would be the 2.7 million acre Mississippi estuary plays a massive role. It is also more isolated and less populated along the access points. It is not about coastline or estuaries though. It is about stock assessment and harvest.

Florida: 1,779,030 recreational saltwater licenses sold
Louisiana is not broken down the same way, but is about 400,000 (give or take).

Florida sells more resident licenses than LA sells combined resident and non-resident. And I would hazard a guess that the population of folks that live 1 hour or less from where they fish is crazy high when comparing the two.

But those are just my guesses. Too many differences to really be comparable. Just my thoughts. TIFIW

[silverking]

This is for reef fish, but it does describe some of the methods that are used to assess stocks and effort:

https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fi ... y/science/

[TroutTrent]

3 fish limit! No reductions or control of commercial fishing! 4 hr drive! Very expensive out-of-state licenses! Motel cost!
Yep, Florida has placed itself out of my recreational options! Don't think I'll be the I only one, either.
Sorry to see it happening.

Are you kidding (Very expensive out-of-state licenses! ) what is it now $57? I've been waiting for someone to bring that up. I got a idea let Florida start charging GA what GA charges FL residents to deer hunt which is the up side of $300 I bet fishing pressure would drop instantly which would mean instant relief on big trout and limits of trout --- two problems solved. Don't get my wrong I have many GA buddies and family members----florida brought this on their self and I don't think the License charge or a 5 fish limits is the answer but closer of certain months and size limits is for sure

[Pirate]

That may be translated as three in the morning, three in the afternoon. Hopefully not. The last three or four years we have releasing everything over 20. However when we are trying to feed a few people, including non fishermen, it may take bigger fish to do this. I don't deer hunt but if I could catch one fish that would feed me the whole year $300 might be a good deal. I hope we are all paying for the enjoyment as much as the harvest.

[onefishtwofish]

I don't deer hunt but if I could catch one fish that would feed me the whole year

I know them Georgia deer are big, but they ain't THAT big!

[Pirate]

They're pretty big up this way. How many tags do they give you now. With this whole trout thing, I don't, for a minute, believe that any recreational fishermen that are not breaking the law, are causing any trout shortage. I'm sure that any fishermen, now matter where they are from, will spend their money on something else. That is if they are fishing for food. Just don't get the part about not touching the commercial folks. It is probably sympathy for them since they took netting away from these same people.

[CSMarine]

I have a great view of this commercial fishing deal. I'm an avid sport fisherman who was raised on the Aucila River by my grandfather who was a Mullet fisherman, along with his four sons who also were commercial fishermen.
I've seen first hand what a gill net can do to a school of Reds or how many juvenile trout can be killed in one strike of a gill net or even a "benign" sien net. Sickening!
On the other hand I've also seen what the net ban did to my 72 year old grandfather and the rest of our family who were five generation Florida commercial fishermen. Also sickening! No easy answer. At least an answer that will make everyone happy. I have a different view about it. Like the loss of miles and miles of sea grass. Septic tanks dumping from all big fine coastal houses into the gulf. Cutting the cypress and draining the bays just to plant pine trees.
Lots of reasons for the loss of our fisheries other than catching too many fish.
I've been fishing the big bend for over sixty years and I can tell you. Lots of blame for the fish shortage other than folks that wet a hook or even a net.

[Pirate]

Spot on csmarine. No surprise that BIG money calls the shots and the rest of us are blamed and given the crumbs.

[onefishtwofish]

They're pretty big up this way. How many tags do they give you now. With this whole trout thing, I don't, for a minute, believe that any recreational fishermen that are not breaking the law, are causing any trout shortage. I'm sure that any fishermen, now matter where they are from, will spend their money on something else. That is if they are fishing for food. Just don't get the part about not touching the commercial folks. It is probably sympathy for them since they took netting away from these same people.

I don't deer hunt any more, but last I knew, there are no tags. Just legal to take deer. There is a daily limit and a season limit of 5 I think, but not sure. I was mostly just joking, but when I was in High School, my dad, brother and I averaged about 7 deer a year and did not give any away. Of course, my mom did not buy much beef!

I think that the people that are miffed are the people that drive from farther away and dang sure want to take home a limit every time they come. A high percentage of Georgia fishermen feel that way, since they have a longer drive. I kinda see the fishery as a personal freezer, I just take out what I need. I rarely keep a trout and usually only when it is gill hooked. That big one in my picture was dead, no matter what I did with it and it was legal so I kept it. I 100% would have tossed it back if it was not mortally wounded. I am not judging anyone for wanting to keep what is legal. I just think the Commission should not give a rat's arse about what a fisherman wants to keep, but what the stock can sustain.

I know some folks down south that come up here because there is not much seagrass left where they fish. Due to nutrient pollution. Loss of habitat is a factor as well. As long as the solution is based on science and not on emotion, I will support whatever decision is made. I don't know about y'all but I would rather catch 30 and keep 3 than catch 5 and keep 5 because the fishery is hurting. I know in Feb, you can walk down some of our rivers by going from boat to boat and most all of them are keeping as many as they are allowed. That HAS to take an affect.

If I were the trout dictator, I would:
Close in February
have a slot, like reds, and keep the number the same and reassess.

[Pirate]

Well said. It doesn't affect us that much. We live six hours away but have had a place in East Point since 2006. We just don't eat fish much at home anymore but do like to cook some when in Florida. You mentioned further south. I just got back from a trip to the Keys and made several stops on the way down and back. I wasn't fishing but thought how ALL the boat traffic and congestion has to create tremendous pressure on fishing, not even considering loss of habitat due to all these people. I have fished the rivers very little but have heard plenty of folks say the same as you. I wonder why they reopened it in Feb if there is a shortage? Only time will tell I guess