Fish Report 10/3/14
Went & Going
Just The Important Fish
Going Sunday, October 5th & Monday, October 6th - 7 to 3 - $110.00 - Keep Legal Flounder/Throw Back ALL Sea Bass Until October 18th When The Closure Ends..
Also Opening Saturday, October 18th & Sunday, October 19th to long sea bass trips - 6 to 3:30 - $125.00 & the rest of October until November 2nd on our regular schedule..
Sailing Only When Weather & Regulation Allow. Saturday's 6:00 to 3:30 - $125.00 – Otherwise 7 to 3 at $110.00..
Reservations Required at 410 520 2076 - LEAVE YOUR BEST POSSIBLE CONTACT NUMBER - Weather Cancelations Are Common - I Make Every Attempt To Let Clients Sleep In If The Weather's Not Going Our Way..
Be a half hour early! We always leave early!
..except when someone shows up right on time.
Clients arriving late will see the west end of an east bound boat.
Dramamine Is Cheap Insurance! Crystalized Ginger Works Great Too. It's Simple To Prevent Motion Sickness, Difficult To Cure.
If You Suffer Mal-de-Mer In A Car You Should Experiment On Shorter Half-Day Trips First!
Bring A Cooler With Ice For Your Fish – A 48 Quart Cooler Is Fine For A Few People.
Bring Lunch & Your Refreshment – No Galley. Bring A Fish Towel Too..
The OC Reef Foundation Aims To Build Its Single Largest & Most Expensive Concrete Reef Deployment Ever This Fall. The Capt Bob Gowar Reef Will Become A Cornerstone Of Our Nearshore Reef Restoration Efforts.
Reef blocks previously weighed 30 pounds apiece. We took 24 each trip. New blocks weigh very nearly 100 pounds each; we load 10 daily. Taking out more tons in fewer blocks..
10,478 Reef Blocks by the rail – 2,958 at Jimmy Jackson's – 2,136 at Doug Ake's – 1,115 at Saint Ann's – 558 at Eagle Scout Reef - 504 at Lindsey's Isle of Wight Reef and, just begun, 42 at the Brian Sauerzopf Memorial Reef..
Greetings All,
Had about half the clients limited last Monday with several fluke over 5 pounds.
The day before three clients fishing around me had limits while I did the Charlie Brown at Halloween thing - I caught a rock..
Both days had a dead spot, a time with no wind or current & therefore no bites. But both days also offered a reward for waiting through the lull..
Despite plenty going on in fisheries, especially for those concerned with striped bass or summer flounder, I want to just quickly offer two new trips with this report.
Going Sunday, October 5th & Monday, October 6th - 7 to 3 - $110.00 - Keep Legal Flounder/Throw Back ALL Sea Bass Until October 18th When The Closure Ends..
Ouch.
In history's grand scheme our efforts of restoration are very young - just beginning.
Among the most curious of artifacts left from the 'pre-management' era is a feeling among many biologists (similar to those most distant from management) that nothing we can do can alter spawning success: "It's a cycle." "It's the lunar/North Atlantic/El/La Nina/solar/salinity/warming Oscillation.."
Yes, we have to attempt to understand these things. We have to investigate from every angle, have to deepen our knowledge in every way possible. Still, it's vital that we not accept management's failing as "natural."
What we've done at sea is not natural.
Responding to statistical catch estimates as if they offered sound scientific guidance takes the entire endeavor and all its participants to an insanely un-natural place.
Responding too with laser-like focus on just the glamour species, like striped bass & flounder, leaves opportunity for new learning as well.
Given the marine environment's long history, this new regulatory era has created the sea's most wholly-unnatural situations. We must understand how to manage for best benefit to humanity. We must learn to provide forage & habitat so that production of one species can be safely increased without undue increased risk of disease & without sacrificing all other species' productivity to support the goals of myopic 'restoration' targets for the 'important fish.'
I believe we are on track to deepen restoration's dark age by diverting everyone's attention solely toward two 'important' fish.
I believe hardbottom reef restoration will create a far better marine/estuarine environment where many species will benefit & production of all species can be safely and more-easily increased.
Clean waters primarily await oyster restoration in industrial scale. The benefit of cleaner water is increased amazingly because species long evolved while having oyster bars available in all life stages would benefit in their repair.
I know many anglers who consider striped bass "Rockfish." A whole region actually. Could have called them 'oyster bass' too I suppose..
It remains that we have no true idea of habitat lost on the ocean floor. I am convinced it's a significant amount. So simple to re-create; increased hardbottom offers nearly instant benefit to all fishers via increased production.
Few think of flounder as a reef species, but for a good part of the year & at spawning their habitat is decidedly reef.
A handful of folks will see that first hand this Sunday.
Regards,
Monty
Capt. Monty Hawkins