[Wild Bill]

Capt Aaron Kelly is a top NC charter captain with 15 years of full time salt water guiding for multiple species. He is one of the few winter captains who stayed at OI and did not move to Rudee. He knows every lump, shoal, edge, in the area, plus the effects of the tides, moon, weather and other factors needed to catch fish. He is fully booked even in this severe economic climate. Capt Kelley is very concerned about the diminishing ocean striper population. He puts it at 20% of what it was five years ago.

He is seeing what many of my buds and I have noticed from Cape Cod to Oregon Inlet.

Capt Kelly is so concerned he is considering offering financial incentives to the anglers on his boat who are willing to release the big fish.

Here is an excerpt from his web site fishing reports. He honestly tells it like it is. If you want to check out his site:

Rock Solid Fishing

"The only bummer has been the beach net, drop net, and trawling seasons all have been open. This is the first time ever in NC history to my knowledge that all three are open at the same time. The trawlers have been super whacking them--hopefully they crushed their quota. Everyone wants a piece of the ever dwindling pie. We have to get all this mismanagement in order or in three years there will be no stripers!!! DEPEND on THAT!!! Depend on it!!! Greed is wiping out the stripers.

I do not want commercial fishing out of the picture, but reasonable harvesting techniques and accountable quotas need to be in place. So guys lets try to throw a few back for seed. And to all you high graders... rec and commercial...quit . Seeing floating 15- 20 lb stripers half dying on top of the water because the trawler wants to sell the biggest 100 he can box is wrong. It is good business for him and most of us may do the same in their shoes. Put an observer on the boat, then whack the **** out of em and when the poundage quota is filled, then they go harvest something else. Besides the 15-25 pound fish to me taste better.

I am telling you guys the stock is down, try way down to 20% of what is was five years ago. That is forty million stripers gone. It blows my mind in the year 2009 we are going to finish off the striper stocks to endangered because of greed. Not many in the industry, both commercial and charter, want to admit it openly; but believe me, behind the scenes the consensus is the same--the ha ha ride is gonna end."

 

[Charkbait]

no doubt

 

[Steve F]

I have talked to Capt. Kelly a few times when I have been in NC and we talked about tossing back the big ones. I’m all for it and from the look of things we all might have to do it one day. Thanks for posting Bill very good read :thumbup:

 

[lightman]

I don't keep the big ones just take a photo and back in the water. Beside the smaller ones taste better to me anyway.

 

[shoot-straight]

never understood what someone would do with a striper over say 15-20 lbs... they taste nasty IMHO. i guess its like a large drum, its the photo on the scale that counts.

unfortunately i think websites where you can post pics make the problem worse. lotta beating of the chest that goes on. in case you havent noticed....:bigfish:

 

[Wild Bill]

never understood what someone would do with a striper over say 15-20 lbs... they taste nasty IMHO. i guess its like a large drum, its the photo on the scale that counts.

unfortunately i think websites where you can post pics make the problem worse. lotta beating of the chest that goes on. in case you havent noticed....:bigfish:

I would actually encourage photography as the thing to do. You can take a pic of a big fish and still have it live if you are organized for picture taking. I would rather see a quick pic of big fish than a kill. It can be posted on a board like this one, shared with friends or just kept by the individual for the memory of a good trip. The pics on the scale at the dock are usually poor ones. I actually do not like them at all. The best fish pics are the ones taken as soon as the fish is caught. The color is much better.

I would rather see "lotta beating of the chest" than big fish killed.

Obviously there are plusses and minuses to fishing message boards. I do think over time people can be educated to proper C & R methods and the value of putting big fish back. It will take generations but even in the short time TF has been on line, I can see attitudes changing.

 

[Rumbley]

Thanks for the post! Seems like greed is everywhere!

 

[goose70]

I agree that the dead fish, hanging scale pics look ridiculous. The color is usually all wrong, the fish look more like a cheap rubber prop and also tend to look smaller set against the background of a building.

You should post this on the VA and NC board, but you may want to use an assumed name (e.g.- Wild William). Those boys don't seem to take kindly to having their God-given right to destroy their own resource questioned.

 

[Wild Bill]

I agree that the dead fish, hanging scale pics look ridiculous. The color is usually all wrong, the fish look more like a cheap rubber prop and also tend to look smaller set against the background of a building.

You should post this on the VA and NC board, but you may want to use an assumed name (e.g.- Wild William). Those boys don't seem to take kindly to having their God-given right to destroy their own resource questioned.

I agree Jeff. The boys in NC are well aware of this and more that I did not post regarding the activities of the trawlers down there. I just wanted the guys on the CA board who continue to say everything is just fine with the ocean stocks to see it. This is the opinion of a guy who is out there every fishable day and makes his full time living fishing.

I really appreciate Capt Kelly's honesty. It is far easier to keep telling your customers everything is just fine. I also like his idea of rewarding C & R. If I want to charter down there, he will be the guy I use.

 

[Rattletrap]

Well, apparently the good Capt. Kelly hasn't talked to Zam.

 

[Seahunter]

That's it. I'm convinced.

We need to get rid of all the scientist, marine biologist and statisticians and replace them with chapter boat Captains. Why bother with sceince. We could cut thousands off the Federal government budget shortages. :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[wino]

In todays paper wild Rockfish is being sold down here for 4.99 a lb, Local caught Mahi Mahi is 7.99 a lb.Grouper $9.99 a lb. Rockfish usually sells for $8.99 a lb, the market must be flooded.

 

[Thunnus Amongus]

A 100 fish limit was stupid. Shouldve been based on poundage alone. Stupid laws make stupid conservation practices.

 

[Wild Bill]

That's it. I'm convinced.

We need to get rid of all the scientist, marine biologist and statisticians and replace them with chapter boat Captains. Why bother with sceince. We could cut thousands off the Federal government budget shortages. :thumbup::thumbup:

You know the answer to that Clyde. The last survey was done in 2006 and has been posted many times on TF. The line representing the biomass was headed down towards the threshold at a steep angle. The next survey and data will be available in 2009. Then we will have a better idea what is happening.

Science lags by three or four years what is actually happening.

The NOAA ship made 84 (1/2 hour) trawls from OI to Hog Island VA and has caught exactly three stripers this winter as of Feb 2, 2009. The researcher said it was the worst in the 27 year history of the survey. They are going to now resort to something they have never done before and drag their nets out beyond the three mile line and see if they can find some stripers. The bottom line is that some of the scientists are very concerned. It will take a little time for it to shake out.

Capt Kelly's assessment matches my experience that the experience of many others who fish the ocean fairly often.

 

[Barefoot]

They are going to now resort to something they have never done before and drag their nets out beyond the three mile line and see if they can find some stripers.

I'm sure they know that changing the study will give them more information, but that data cannot be used to compare to previous years.

 

[rocksteady]

All this talk makes me hungry

 

[Wild Bill]

I'm sure they know that changing the study will give them more information, but that data cannot be used to compare to previous years.

For sure Tom.

I am not sure the NOAA ship that tags stripers in winter provides the data used by the ASMFC to chart the striper biomass. It may be just a tagging operation. The point is if they are finding record low stripers this year compared to all the rest, that is certainly not good. It is just one more sign of what is happening. The researcher on the ship also said charter captains and commercial fishermen were saying their were far fewer stripers out there.

I would like to know how the ASMFC numbers are generated but do not have time right now to search it. I am packing the boat for the CBBT. Just came in to warm my hands.

 

[27 sailfish]

Great - in 2010 we will learn that 2007 was not too good and 2008 was even worse.Seems like a long delay in getting the data out.

 

[Barefoot]

I am not sure the NOAA ship that tags stripers in winter provides the data used by the ASMFC to chart the striper biomass.

I'm not sure either, trying to find out.

 

[Flyguy]

I know this will hit a sore spot for some...but is there any reason, based on this Capts assessment of our striper population, to start fishing (catch and release) prior to the April spring start date? Trolling and catching a striper, then releasing...must be some kind of mortality rate to spawning stripers that never get to lay their eggs. I thought I read on here a few years ago, that a striper caught with a trolling method had a pretty high mortality rate when released.