Better flounder rules???

[V.B. wells & irrigation]

I hope so.

January 26, 2010: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has voted unanimously to considering lowering the size limit for the 2010 summer flounder season. The Commission agreed to advertise for three options to be discussed at next month's public hearing. The options are for an 18.5 inch size limit with either a five or four flounder daily creel limit, or for an 18 inch, five-fish limit with a closed season from June 7 to July 11. The current size limit is 19 inches with a five fish creel limit. The flounder stock has improved, which permits a loosening of regulations this year. <Meeting Summary>

[Fishboy OV8]

Keep 'em the same as last year, it's a good thing to have an improving stock, don't back backwards now !!!!!

[calpn trayt]

i agree wholeherartedly with you, brian! nobody is hurting that much for a nice flatted thang, that a half inch would make any difference. keep it at 19 inches!!!

[fishhooktoo]

Keep it where it is.

[V.B. wells & irrigation]

It's not us (rec's) that are hurting the stock guys.

[V.B. wells & irrigation]

And, I'm not anti commercial by any means. But, I've got a buddy in the back of Little Neck who's neighbor has a H&L license. He pays money for the license each year. I don't know how much, and I don't give a crap. But, He comes in with a cooler full just about every time he goes out and they're 14 inches +. AND THEY AIN'T GETTING SOLD. I think it's bullshit. The last couple of years, it's not too hard to catch a bunch of shorties. Anyone could do it. It burns me up letting go 18.5's in the river in the Spring.

[magee]

I caught countless 18.5's that I had to throw back last summer, some of which weren't doing to good after I got the hook out. I would agree with the half inch decrease but certainly not a closed season.

[bullisland]

Keep it where it is. Cuz it'll only get better.

[Fishboy OV8]

wouldn't bother me if it went to 20" and 4 fish........ the better the stock, the better the fishin'........ I'm not there to stock my freezer, Farm Fresh can do that....... I like feelin' bubba on the other end

[bullisland]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy fried flounder as much as the next guy. But if it is getting better why mess it up. Someone may break the state record in a couple years if they leave it alone! One about 17 lb. 10 oz. or so.

[Fishboy OV8]

you think :whistlingatu:

[cantgetenough]

Your gonna have to beat my 18 lber Brian!

Rudy Levasseur
Above Average Sportfishing

[OceanViewKid]

Keep it the same. The only change I would like to see is a break for pier and surf anglers. Maybe a 17 inch limit for them.

[Stumpknocker]

Has anyone ever seena proposal to make the limits a slot limit?? Seems to me, that we are forced to keep the breeding stock by keeping fish that are over 19". That is, if the fishery commissions are truely worried about the flounder stocks.

[banjolip]

Keep it as it is. It's retarded to go backwards when they are stocking back up.

[Miss Christine]

I think the flounder fishing was good for the people who live baited but generally not for those who didn't.....

Set a limit from 18 to 22 and everything else goes back if they are so easy to catch...

[gettinbent]

Keep it where it is, I agree, when it was bad about ten years ago it was hard to find 13" fish now I catch many fish at 17 inches.

[Luremkr]

I hope it stays where it is! ( 5 at 19" no closure ) Those little fish will become big breeder fish! House Autry and Wesson oil will sell ME more products!

[Rock On]

Doesn't matter what it is all the ones I catch are 1/2" too small last year all 18.5's if they lower it to 18.5 I'll be catching 18's

[V.B. wells & irrigation]

Doesn't matter what it is all the ones I catch are 1/2" too small last year all 18.5's if they lower it to 18.5 I'll be catching 18's

Me too.

[calpn trayt]

son and i just discussed that same axiom last night. they could lower it to 12 inches, and we would only catch 1 and half inchers. but the 19 inch rule does rule for us... it gives us something to shoot at that is worthwhile...makes it much funner to feesh for them flat thangs!

[Carolina Polar Bear]

Whatever size and creel limits are established for recreational and commercial fishing should be imposed in every state on the Atlantic Seaboard. It makes no sense for one state to have a 19 inch 5 fish limirt and the next to have something completely contrary to that. It seems obvious that a uniform approach will sooner or later have to be developed in order to assess the health of the entire fishery, rather than the current way of doing business. All we can see now is how things appear locally and possibly regionally.
That being said, am I totally off base here or what?

CPB

[Stumpknocker]

Whatever size and creel limits are established for recreational and commercial fishing should be imposed in every state on the Atlantic Seaboard. It makes no sense for one state to have a 19 inch 5 fish limirt and the next to have something completely contrary to that. It seems obvious that a uniform approach will sooner or later have to be developed in order to assess the health of the entire fishery, rather than the current way of doing business. All we can see now is how things appear locally and possibly regionally.
That being said, am I totally off base here or what?


I see what you are saying. These fish have to migrate and move, like other species. Here in Maryland we were allowed one fish per person/per day and we had a sudden closure because we went over our allowed quota. Doesn't make sense to me. Those fish do not live year round in the bay. They have to pass by Virginia to get to the ocean. So we are regulating the same species, in two different states, and different sets of rules. In South Carolina the flounder only have to be 14" for the recs. The reason is they catch summer and southern flounder, which are almost identical. Supposedly there is an abundance of southern flounder, so they keep the generous limits. They would never be able to jump into a multi-state summer flounder reg because it is too hard to tell the difference between a southern flounder and a summer flounder.

The more I think about this, the more none of makes any sense. I still say a slot limit may work, to boost the numbers of breeding fish. It may not need to be in place forever, but for a few years alot of fish would get returned, and would be able to reproduce better than ever.

[MrJsPleasure]

18 or 18 .5 would help us guys fishing up in the rivers like the Rapp. Josh and I found it was about 15 fish to catch a legal flounder last year and from talking to others that was an above average average in the Rapp. We threw back many 18 to 18. 5 fish that I know didn't make it. Alot of my charters caught fish while bottom fishing that had to be thrown back with 6 plus inches of mono and a hook that was cut off as they had swallowed it to thier butt. I see what you all are saying who fish Bay Bridge and other bay big boy flounder haunts but you guys can decide on your own to throw back the under 18 fish no one say you have to keep them. Im not for anything less than 18 though at least for me and Josh as there is no meat or much fight to the 12-14 inch fish we use to keep and keeping those smaller fish years ago did hurt our fishery.

[Skipjack/VA]

Leave it be. Definately against that June - partial July closure. That is prime time.

[BIG EYE]

I say each person who buys a licence should be able to keep 10 fish per year, no size limmit. It's great that some of you studs can catsh 20 inch flounder all the time, but I only got three over 19 last year.

[V.B. wells & irrigation]

There would be no practical way to enforce a rule like that. Without more Govt. B.S., that is. A license (kinda like your deer tags) would have to be implemented. No way.

[Triumph190]

No closure whatever limit they decide, but I don't get down to the bay too many times a year and I don't fish the CBBT. Haven't caught a keeper in two years. Would like to see a little lower size limit. Not trying to start a war, but the same law that requires us to register this year states that the flounder split between the comms and recs is to be fair and equitable (to me that equates to 50/50 not 60/40 and the same size limit not 14"/19"). Why does the VMRC get to chose which laws it follows and which it doesn't? Getting tired of being jerked around so much. Sorry, I just needed to vent.

[cantgetenough]

Why is every post controversy? Whatever it is im happy, at least we are still aloud to fish for them.

Rudy Levasseur
Above Average Sportfishing

[mikec]

Why is every post controversy? Whatever it is im happy, at least we are still aloud to fish for them.

Rudy Levasseur
Above Average Sportfishing

Makes no difference to me but I think every licensed fisherman should be able to keep at least 2 per day over 15". That way he or she can get a meal and keep a couple of gut hooked fish that probaly will be crab bait anyway.

[Capt.Neil Renouf]

I agree still being allowed to fish for them is good! July is busy and takes another chunk of money which is hard to make in the first place. 18'-18 1/2" would help a lot early season in April/May.

[Capt.Neil Renouf]

Against closing the season in July is what I was getting at. No slot the big ones is what keeps people coming.......

[magee]

I am surpsised to hear people say they only caught a couple of keepers last summer, Having no experience flounder fishing I caught my first flounder mid summer last year and then managed to have a lot of flounder landed on my little bowrider and quite a few keepers at that. We never even tried using live bait either, if there was an 18.5" limit we would have harvested three times as many fish at least, as it seems there are a lot of fish between the 18.5 and 19" size out there. I caught countless fish that were just barely under the limit. I did learn however after filleting several flounder that there is a big difference in the fillet size of a 19" fish and one that is a just a few inches larger, which makes me wonder if I really care about harvesting anything under 19"''s anyway. Especially if the current reg is going to give us more of the larger fish in the future, I know for a fact that any reg under 19" will drastically increase the amount of fish harvested, and the last thing I want to see is any closures of the flounder season in the middle of the summer which in my opionion would just suck, now that flounder fishing has quickly become my favorite hobby. I am surprised that they are even considering any changes, wasn't there a month closure on flounder just a couple of years ago? I admit I would like to keep some of these fish just under 19" sometimes but I am a little concerned that this could be a mistake in the long run.

[Fishboy OV8]

Good point Magee :yes:

[bige2]

if you like feeling bubba so bad why didnt you put those two in the picture back to fight again.lower it to 18 and close the season.

[Fishboy OV8]

those 2 fish were 7+ and 8+......... I don't quite understand your statement. The stocks are up because of the size limits that were set over the last couple years, so why go backwards ??

[GATORMAN]

Everybody's got an opinion...
Congratulations to those of you who are able to go out often and catch large whale fluke every time. I'm sure that makes you feel like a great fisherman and conservationist. Question: How many undersized fish did you have to wade through to get your limit or the amount of keepers caught? How many gut-hooked, gill grabbed, rag grabbed (slime lost), and etc to get your biggies? Rec anglers ARE hurting the stock - especially since those targeted larger fish are mostly female. So here are some stats for you to consider:

Males grow to 24"
Females to 37" (wow)
Summer Flounder mature at 10" for male and 11" female
Large females 26+" can produce up to 4 million eggs (never said what the 11" put out but we know it ain't comparable)

So trophy hunters....when you're taking those 25+" fish...congratulations on taking out 3-4 million eggs each time.

Look...we all know a female taken out of the herd is a female taken out of the herd - be it a 14" commercial catch or a gut hooked rec release...so the exception is the amount of eggs put out by a big fish vs. smaller ones. So I'm saying a slot limit may not be a bad thing, though I know some folks can only get their rocks off showing off their big catch. We curently have slots on stripers but you're allowed to keep one big fish. Why not the same with fluke, i.e. one fish over 24" - just in case you get that 17 lb 10 oz'er...

And please don't forget this is a public resource. Someone mentioned giving the pier and shore fisherman a break... I don't have stats on how many legal fish were hauled out of the near shore suds, but I'm all for letting those shorebound folks have a share too...

Okay, I probablyI bruised an ego or two. Sorry...but that's how I feel about this here subject...

Bill

[Luremkr]

When I was a drifter I would catch 5 to 10 throw backs for every keeper, thats 25 to 50 fish a day (many of them went back bleeding) to get my 5. Now in a day of targeting big fishing I catch only an avg. of 7 fish to get my 5. I know I am killing fewer numbers of fish now. But I am a meat fisherman I hate releasing any of them, unless it's in the cooler. This aint about fish huggers, it's about heating the grease man...

[Fishboy OV8]

I think I'll set a self imposed limit for myslf and crew this year....... throw everything back that's under 25"

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