We're a few years into the 28 - 31" inch slot limit for striped bass. I wonder how we're doing with that? It seems it's really more of a fall thing than a spring thing. In the spring anglers are looking "to play" catch and release with overs while in the fall it's fishing and harvesting the slots for the table.
Some would say, by the nature of the slot, that we're killing less fish. Now we may see an uptick in release mortality overall the pure numbers have been reduced. But are we killing "the right" fish? While we have always said that the big girls are what keep the species moving ahead, a striper world without younger and smaller fish can't be good either.
The folks above are just out enjoying a days fishing, keeping their legal limits. Can't blame them and can't fault them. However, if you put a bounty on those sized fish for every boat, because that's really all we have left in New Jersey now, that sails then that biomass of 28 - 31" fish get decimated, picked off one at a time.
I'be been tempted to make the trip across the state to hit the beach, but why? There's really nothing going on there. I remember the days when in the summer you could always count on popping up a resident bass before first light and then maybe squeaking a bass or fluke out casting crab or mole crab flies into the troughs. Things have changed and not for the better. If I had to point my finger at the biggest culprit it would be the beach replenishment along the Jersey Shore which has destroyed the structure and habitat for all things that call the beach and the groins home.
But in a few months the fall will be here and the chance to drive up and down the Jersey Shore looking for blitzes will happen once again. I have a love hate relationship with fishing during a blitz, I love to see it, but are quickly done after a few fish, especially if there's other anglers around.