Corpusfishing.com

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This pretty alarming article came across my browser today regarding flounder. Many of us that were against some of the changes in 2020 asked these very same things 3 years ago. Using facebook posts for science in a govt funded agency is pretty wild. We all told coastal fisheries that the data was not complete during the meetings and comment period, and in this article written by staff literally states it wasn't. Its strange that only flounder guides are targeted by CF, and not the guys going out every day or twice a day with 3-4 people hanging full limits of trout, reds, and drum on the pegs all week long. Im willing to bet from june-august this year, over 1,000 flounder were caught in the baffin area on rod-n-reel. I know a few people with over 100 caught during that period and lots were released. Using social media is super un-reliable to get this type of information. I can post the same fish with different people and put a different date on and they would "count" it twice. Its also really shocking that they think the summer months are "not traditional" gigging times. For the past 12 years, I have gigged during the summer months. Some years better than others, but that's nature for ya. That shows a true real life disconnect they have with the fishermen in the state. Guides offered to take coastal fisheries out on boats at night, but I don't think that happened but less than 5 times. I know very well flounder are hard to breed in captivity and they are very tricky fish, but before regulations are changed, real numbers need to be taken, not partials. Literally everything we said in 2020 and got pooed on is re-stated in this article. I wanted the limit at 15" because the fishery needs more male flounder, but was not for a 45 day shut-down.

Link to article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35657921/

Feel free to bash me Becky because I know you will.

[Prof. Salt]

Monitoring what flounder guides are harvesting with their clients seems important, because that is probably a major part of the overall harvest. I say probably, because we don't know without gathering data. Would there be accurate reporting if it was voluntary for guides? Probably not. Still, that's only one piece of the data needed to really understand what is happening to the numbers of fish. I would guess most recreational folks who pursue flounder with gigs only make a few trips a year (taking a few fish) and would have a pretty small impact on the numbers ...but that's why gathering good data is important, to give a more complete idea of what is happening. I don't have a problem with them using social media to help gather data but that's certainly not the only or most accurate way of collecting it.

I almost never catch flounder on a rod and reel except during that 45 day shut-down. Last week I caught 17 nice ones on rod and reel while targeting other fish, and I would have loved to have taken one or two home for dinner. It looks like I've been missing out by not gigging in the summer.

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[CaptinAcademy]

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Steve-O
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My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. ~Koos Brandt

[CaptinAcademy]

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stupid phone cut me off..
The CCA has lobbyist that work hand and hand with TXPWD. Joey Parks is their main one and he is on the Coastal Resource Advisory Committee. The group that is made up of half TXPWD staff and half "citizens". Most of the "citizens" are tied to organizations with an agenda and want what they want only. The gill net survey is the most in-effective method of trying to survey stock on flounder. If gill nets worked well, then the commercial gill netters in the mid-late 1900s would have wiped them out. It never happened. Anyone who really knows flounder (not just watched a youtube video and considered themselves a expert) knows that flounder are not free swimmers like traditional fish. Why? Because they have no swim bladder. They lay on the bottom and ambush food and sit right back down. I've been in areas where they literally can be seen busting out of the water to eat mullet and shrimp. I can throw a plastic right over them and within a few casts, normally hook up. Getting the ones in a gill net survey is pure happenstance and luck. Those of us that know them well and target them on rod and reel, know the gill net surveys are not in the right locations. We said this also 3 years ago, and got the whole "well, its what we have been doing forever to gauge them". Doing something that is in-accurate for ages does not make it "right". I have been to the hatchery and they have taught me plenty on the science about breeding in captivity. What I would like to see is possibly and larger size of released fish. Maybe a 3" size or so. I went out for a few hours a couple weeks ago just for fun and caught 13 juvenile's in about 3hrs and 1 keeper size fish. The photos on facebook don't account for the next generation of fish already in the works in the bays. Nobody knows how many 6" flounder are around, that data has never been attempted to be seen that I have found. This reactive instead of proactive approach that TXPWD has had lately in the last several years really needs to be looked at. Having a high success rate in gigging and on rod n reel this year would seem to any logical person that the bay stocks are healthy and good numbers of fish are actually out there.

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[Central Scrutinizer]

"SLOWLY Closes the door, and walks away. . . with a purpose"....

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[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[Central Scrutinizer]

[Central Scrutinizer]