Category Archives: Fishing News

The Obama administration is trying to dash rumors that it planned to ban recreational fishing in marine waters and the Great Lakes in the wake of a series of Internet posts warning that such a prohibition was imminent. Obama Admin Jumps to Squelch Rumors of U.S. Fishing Ban – NYTimes.com

The New Jersey General Assembly’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee this week unanimously approved a bill that would create a free saltwater registry in New Jersey. New Jersey closer to offering free saltwater registry

  The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation’s oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters. This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn’t issuedContinueContinue reading “CULLED OUT: Obama administration will accept no more public input for federal”

  Some fishermen and advocates for the industry voiced concern at a regional summit Monday about upcoming federal regulations they warn could put them out of business, while others suggested the changes were a necessary way to curb overfishing. Fishermen and elected leaders gathered at the New Bedford Whaling Museum ahead of a scheduled MayContinueContinue reading “Fishermen Prepare For Coming Federal Rules”

  The owners of the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier have vowed to reopen the facility sometime in the late spring or early summer, and anglers are helping the effort. The pier was heavily damaged in the November nor’easter, and it will cost the Duff family more than $400,000 to replace about 400 feet of the 1,400-footContinueContinue reading “Commemorative boards offered to fix Beach pier”

  Vehicles would be allowed year-round access to about 40 percent of an Outer Banks beach popular with anglers and outdoor enthusiasts under a proposal released Friday by the National Park Service. The 700-plus-page plan said drivers would be able to use 29 miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with some limits during the breedingContinueContinue reading “Proposal would ease Hatteras beach driving rules”

  The debate over who could best manage Virginia’s menhaden fishery proved to be short-lived. Legislation introduced on the first day of the General Assembly session which would have transferred oversight from legislators to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission was killed in both the House and Senate by the end of January. State Sen. RalphContinueContinue reading “Chesapeake Bay Journal: VA legislators kill bills to transfer menhaden management to VMRC – March 2010”

  It appears that the fishermen’s march on Washington was a huge success. There were close to 4,000 fishermen from as far away as California and Alaska and nearby Maryland and Virginia, as well as many other coastal states. Both recreational and commercial fishermen came together for this one cause, as these restrictions affect bothContinueContinue reading “Anglers march on Washington a big success”

Eight Rock Hall men were charged last week with rockfish poaching, the first arrests under a new system that imposes penalties based on the severity of the crime. On Feb. 23, Natural Resources Police charged William Howard Beck, 43, with possessing striped bass greater than 36 inches and mutilating the tail to mask the sizeContinueContinue reading “8 Rock Hall men charged with rockfish poaching – Baltimore Sun”

Many of us from Virginia Beach and the surrounding Tidewater area hit the road on February 24th, to join thousands of commercial and recreational sportfishing anglers in Washington D.C. to rally for flexibility in the unyielding Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act. Anglers showed up on Capitol Hill for the “United We Fish” demonstration to showContinueContinue reading “United we Fish; a Personal Account of the Day Virginia Beach Anglers Joined in to Make History on Capitol Hill”

  On March 2, the NRP charged Tony Allen Reynolds, age 38, and Benson Albert Jones Sr., age 61, with possession of striped bass during closed season. NRP Officers observed Reynolds’ boat “Sea Biscuit” docked in Fishing Creek in the town of Chesapeake Beach, where Reynolds resides. Officers observed Reynolds unloading crates of fish intoContinueContinue reading “Two Calvert Men Charged with Illegal Possession of Striped Bass – Southern Maryland Headline News”

  Fish oil supplements. They’re supposed to be a quick and easy way to improve your health. But a FOX 5 Investigation shows you how these little pills are causing a big controversy about the future of the Chesapeake Bay. FOX 5 Investigates: Fish Oil, Part 1

  Some oily little fish in the Chesapeake Bay are causing a big stink. The fish are called menhaden, and depending on who’s talking, they either are in big trouble or getting along swimmingly. The answer is important because, even if you never have seen menhaden, they probably affect you in some way. Bony andContinueContinue reading “Some fear menhaden are being overfished in Chesapeake Bay | Richmond Times-Dispatch”

We’ve gathered information on some of the top fisheries for each month of the year in Virginia. Get out your calendars and start planning your fishing season now.     Virginia Fishing Trips

In an escalating war of lawsuits and legislation, North Carolina fishing interests on all sides are reacting with fierce urgency to an attempt to ban gill nets from state waters in order to protect endangered sea turtles Sea turtle and gill net war heats up in North Carolina

  A Maryland commission on saving the Chesapeake Bay’s beleaguered oyster population has concluded that trying to restore both the oyster and the traditional, watermen-driven oyster industry can’t be done. Daily Press archives: How do you save the oyster industry? – dailypress.com

  On Sept. 17, Richard C. Keatley, of Norfolk, Va., USA, landed a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) weighing in at 23.27kg (51 lb 5 oz). He used a clouser minnow fly tied to 10 kg (20 lb), tippet while fishing Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The current IGFA men’s tippet record is 43 lb 12ContinueContinue reading “February Hot Catches”

Fishermen from Maryland and Virginia were among the thousands who rallied on Capitol Hill to protest rules they say are threatening their livelihood. Virginia Eastern Shore fisherman Darryl Lilliston says Congress must ease fishing restrictions or folks like him will go out of business. "We are going to be gone," he says. "We are alreadyContinueContinue reading “Local Fishermen Rally on Capitol Hill”

  Fishermen, anglers, charter and party boat captains and marine business owners from coast to coast gathered here to demand changes in fisheries law that they say is putting them out of work. This year and next, endangered coastal fishing grounds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are to be closed to allow depleted fishContinueContinue reading “Fishermen protest law that closes many areas to fishing”

  The aircraft flew beyond the three-mile limit from shore where striped bass fishing is allowed and spotted a flotilla of fishing boats. When the skippers noticed the helicopter overhead, the reaction was swift and immediate. "It looked like the boat races back to the three-mile limit," said Col. Rick Lauderman, chief of the VirginiaContinueContinue reading “Worries again surface over striped bass”

Thousands of saltwater fishermen, some from as far away as Florida, Texas and the Pacific Coast, plan to rally outside the U.S. Capitol this week seeking reforms to federal policies they view as increasingly hostile to recreational fishing. They plan to march Thursday under a banner of "United We Fish" as the anglers are joinedContinueContinue reading “Saltwater fishermen gathering to catch Congress’ attention”

The General Assembly has unanimously passed legislation by Delegate Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomac, and Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, to prevent nonresidents from getting a commercial fishing license from Virginia if their home state doesn’t reciprocate for Virginians. Fishing bill gains traction | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times

  State fisheries regulators rejected a proposed ban on large mesh gill nets used for flounder fishing, but adopted other restrictions Thursday to reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in fishing nets.Now the state and fishermen are holding their collective breath, waiting to hear if the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will decide theContinueContinue reading “North Carolina Regulators reject ban on gill nets”

  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Kerry and three Massachusetts fishing coast congressmen yesterday urged a halt to all fishing industry prosecutions while an Inspector General’s investigation continues into alleged misconduct by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration enforcement agents and prosecutors. Kerry, along with Reps. Barney Frank, John Tierney and William Delahunt, wrote toContinueContinue reading “Lawmakers: Put hold on NOAA –”

  Members of the federal fisheries board who voted to consider increasing the coastal commercial striped bass harvest had to know they’d just thrown a brick at a hornet’s nest. At its winter meeting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Striped Bass Management Board approved an addendum that could give commercial fishers a larger quota,ContinueContinue reading “Rockfish proposal backs more commercial fishing • Sports”

Virginia has never been known to beat up companies that violate environmental laws, but in the case of Omega Protein Corp., in 2007, the state had just about seen enough. Inspectors had determined that Omega Protein again was allowing toxic ammonia to escape its menhaden-processing plant, the largest of its kind on the East Coast,ContinueContinue reading “Va. Plant Tries To Ditch Fish, Fertilizer Smell”

  Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel combined efforts Tuesday to stop illegal striped bass fishing off Oregon Inlet and found one vessel with illegally caught fish that had more than 2,900 pounds of fish aboard. The economic pressures being felt nationwide and the meteorological conditions driving the striped bass population farther off shore into warmer watersContinueContinue reading “Talking about Fishermen caught with nearly 3,000 pounds of illegal bass”

  Del. Albert Pollard, D-Lancaster, gestures during debate on his bill putting a cap on menhaden fishing during the House session yesterday at the Capitol in Richmond. Steve Helber/ASSOCIATED PRESS The House of Delegates yesterday passed a bill to extend the cap on menhaden fishing–and keep control of the fish in legislative hands–despite some heatedContinueContinue reading “House passes menhaden cap”

  The wily striped bass – admired by New England fishermen for centuries – nearly disappeared from East Coast waters in the early 1980s. A series of fishing moratoriums restored the stocks, and today a Cape Cod scene is not complete without surfcasters trying their hand against the powerful fish. But the number of youngContinueContinue reading “Drop in striper stocks puts recreational, commercial fishermen at odds”

  The second of two ESPN Virginia fishing shows recorded this past summer will air this coming weekend. It will be shown Sunday, Valentine’s Day, at 7:30 AM on ESPN2. The show is George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing. This episode is about catching cobia. During filming, many cobia were caught while sight-casting, running buoys,ContinueContinue reading “Virginia Cobia on ESPN2 Valentine’s Day”

Until recently, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission directed most of that money toward projects that anglers favor: fishing piers, boat ramps, fishing tournaments, and youth fishing clinics.No more.Grappling with million dollar budget cuts from Richmond, the commission plans to use most of the money to pay for its dwindling pool of police officers. Virginia regulatorsContinueContinue reading “Virginia regulators use fishing license fees to pay for marine police”

  The November Nor’easter in 2009 showed no mercy for the man-made Lynnhaven Fishing Pier."My father and four partners built it in 1956," said Barbara Duff, owner of the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier.Barbara and Hoyt Duff are determined to rebuild what nature took away. The storm damage to the pier is extensive and huge portions wereContinueContinue reading “Family takes action to help rebuild Lynnhaven Fishing Pier in Virginia Beach”

  Poaching — a long-overlooked criminal activity given a pass by the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government — is finally getting the attention it deserves.Judges and prosecutors are taking cases seriously. The General Assembly is enacting tougher penalties so that bandits convicted of stealing fish, crabs and oysters cannot continue to consider finesContinueContinue reading “Talking about More than technology needed to help keep poachers at bay”

  The feisty and enormously popular striped bass would be off limits to all commercial fishermen in Massachusetts under a proposal being considered by state lawmakers. The bill would ban the commercial catch of striped bass in state waters and limit recreational fishermen to taking home one striped bass per day — down from twoContinueContinue reading “Talking about Mass. Weighs Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Ban – ABC News”

  The Army Corps of Engineers Lynnhaven Oyster Restoration Project Team received the 2009 Coastal American Partnership Award Jan. 14 for their efforts to restore a 60-acre network of oyster reefs in the Lynnhaven River.These are permanent sanctuaries – free from fishing – creating the second largest such network in the world. This network functionsContinueContinue reading “Army Corps, Virginia Beach Partners Recognized for Environmental Efforts and Oyster Restoration”

  Two lawmakers from Hampton Roads want to change how Virginia regulates the lucrative menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. For more than 100 years, politicians in Richmond have overseen the harvesting of menhaden, a silvery bait fish with major commercial and ecological value in the Bay. It is the only species in state watersContinueContinue reading “Bills Target Oversight of Menhaden Fishery”

  A new law requiring all saltwater anglers to register with NOAA Fisheries is in effect. Anglers are required to sign up for the National Saltwater Angler Registry. The registry is free this year but will cost between $15 and $25 in 2011. The reason for the registry, according to NOAA officials, is to improveContinueContinue reading “Saltwater anglers now must register with federal agency”

  Several miles from shore, Capt. Greg Span radioed for help, panic in his voice. "More flags. I need more flags." At Fisherman’s Wharf Marina inside Rudee Inlet, a dock hand leaped into action, gathering half a dozen plastic boxes containing small blue flags, each embroidered with a white billfish. Span motored into the inletContinueContinue reading “Rudee Inlet’s anglers have blue-flag day for billfish”

  He was pretty sure after his first visit and positive after the second. Bill Dance has fallen in love with Virginia fishing. The Tennessee bassin’ man came to Virginia Beach last winter to film a striped bass show for his new saltwater television series. He came back last week to fish for amberjack, marlinContinueContinue reading “Va. beach fishing to be featured on Dance’s new show”

  The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) supports the reintroduction of legislation (H.R. 718 and S. 1557) that would restore reasonable off-road vehicle (ORV) access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area (CHNSRA). The legislation was originally introduced in 2008 during the 110th Congress. It was reintroduced this year by Representative Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-NC)ContinueContinue reading “American Sportfishing Association Sportfishing Industry Supports Reintroduction of Critical Cape Hatteras Legislation Current legislation is taking its toll on the local economy”

  Atlantic Highly Migratory Species News The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) adjusts the daily Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) retention limit for vessels permitted in the commercial Atlantic tunas General category and the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category for the time period of September 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, from the default limitContinueContinue reading “BlueFin Tuna Quota Change”

Golden Eye Seafood LLC and owner, Robert Lumpkins of St. Mary’s County, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to and violating the Lacey Act, by falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish, that were harvested by local fisherman and checked-in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007, announced UnitedContinueContinue reading “Seafood Wholesaler and Owner Plead Guilty to Conspiracy in the Illegal Harvesting of Rockfish”

  It said that while about 300,000 striped bass are harvested each year in Massachusetts, an additional 500,000 are released and then die from handling-stress and injuries. I was staggered. Gobsmacked as the Irish say. Half a million? That’s a lot of dead fish. Fishing around: Handle stripers with care | CapeCodOnline.com

Early June is a wonderful time to fish for striped bass. The long daylight hours allow us plenty of time to go fishing, while the cool water temperatures fend off the bluefish. Not to say they aren’t fun to catch, but each requires slightly different tackle. It’s simply a matter of the leader material, wireContinueContinue reading “I’ll Have the Striper, Hold the Blues”

  Croaker are in the rivers in good numbers. Jim McDermott and Rusty Thompson launched their boat at the Point Lookout State Park Saturday morning and ventured just outside the pound net stakes in Cornfield Harbor (about a mile from the boat ramp). In about 28 feet of water they lowered their double hook bottomedContinueContinue reading “Weekly So. Md. Fishing Report – Southern Maryland Headline News”

Witnessing history in the making is a cool experience. This weekend, I did just that. I was invited to co-host with Captain Don Lancaster on his radio show “Fishing Tidewater,” as he covered the grand opening of the new Buckroe Fishing Pier in Hampton, Virginia. The original pier was destroyed in Hurricane Isabel in 2003.ContinueContinue reading “Grand Opening of the BUCKROE Fishing Pier”

According to the data, the program’s first year: –recovered more than 8,600 crab pots and 61 abandoned nets. –discovered nearly 5,000 animals, including: more than 3,000 crabs, 19 turtle species, eels, a lobster, a diving duck and a muskrat–some alive, some dead. –involved fifty-eight watermen who covered 1,524 square miles of the bay and itsContinueContinue reading “Crabs, turtles found in Chesapeake ‘ghost pots’ —”

A coastal recreational fishing group is pushing North Carolina legislators to enact a bill that would designate red drum and spotted sea trout, or speckled trout, as coastal game fish and make them off-limits to commercial fishermen Some game fish could soon be off limits to commerical fishermen | fish, fisheries, fishermen – Local -ContinueContinue reading “Some game fish could soon be off limits to commercial fishermen | fish, fisheries, fishermen”

A federal judge sentenced the former owner of a Georgetown seafood restaurant and his son yesterday to three years’ probation for purchasing thousands of pounds of illegal rockfish. Ex-Owner of Seafood Shop, Son Get 3 Years’ Probation for Buying Illegal Rockfish – washingtonpost.com

Disgusted that his fishing spot had been mined of fish, Dubiel hauled up his trolling motor and fired up the outboard. Motoring to several other spots across miles of the sound was just as disheartening. Thousands of yards of gill nets set parallel but just offshore of the same leeward banks he wanted to fishContinueContinue reading “Untangling the truth about North Carolina’s gill nets”

Rescuers are searching for a man after a fishing boat capsized near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.    Virginia Beach authorities say a second fisherman was rescued and was taken to a local hospital. He’s expected to recover. 1 rescued, 1 missing after boat capsizes in Va | WSLS 10

Just three hours before the first of two Nationwide Series practice sessions on Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway, Ryan Newman was still trying to unlock the secrets of what lay in front of him. There was nothing wrong with the Chevrolet that he would drive for Kevin Harvick in those two practice sessions later in theContinueContinue reading “NASCAR’S NEWMAN KEEPS EYE ON TRACK, HOT FISHING SPOTS”

A Virginia waterman was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to one year and one day in prison and a $4,000 fine and was ordered to make $40,000 in restitution for his part in the largest striped bass poaching case in the history of the Chesapeake Bay.With family and friends watching, Thomas Hallock, 48, ofContinueContinue reading “Virginia waterman sentenced in poaching case”

Call them rockfish, rock, stripers or striped bass, but Morone saxatilis is back to spawn in the Chesapeake Bay and area anglers are out in force for the striped bass season that began Saturday, April 18. During the trophy season that runs through May 15, anglers may catch one striped bass per day measuring overContinueContinue reading “Striped Bass Season Begins”

The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament has started publishing all citation catch applications on its Web site with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.It’s a great place to see who has caught what. Virginia Pilot Online Virginia Citation Report Citation catches … Only at The Pilot | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

It all came together as never before. Bay and air temperatures were warming nicely, fuel prices were low enough that fishermen could afford to fill their tanks, stripers were spread out the length of Maryland’s share of the Chesapeake, there was little if any breeze, and it all added up to what was likely theContinueContinue reading “Outdoors: Boats, catch are plentiful as rockfish season opens • Sports – Outdoors (www.HometownAnnapolis.com – The Capital)”

Beautiful day. Boats with fishing rods sprouting from their tops and sides cutting deep white V’s into the water. People smiling and waving.It’s opening day of the spring striped bass season, the end of winter and the beginning of another wonderful run of fishing.So why am I so bummed out? In trial’s dark shadow, openingContinueContinue reading “In trial’s dark shadow, opening day of fishing provides hope”

Bass continue to headline the early spring season, though tautog anglers are out in force trying to land their fair share of whitechins before the season closes on May 1. The first reports of black drum entering Delaware Bay have come in, and the bay has been the spot to find keeper-sized bass as theyContinueContinue reading “South Jersey Report”

The people who know the bay best said there are plenty of fish in the sea – it’s the fishermen who might be scarce this time around. Plenty of rockfish, fewer fisherman • Top Stories (www.HometownAnnapolis.com – The Capital)

Saturday is the big day as Maryland’s spring trophy striped bass season opens in the main stem of the Chesapeake. Courtesy Photo Jim Kasper, skipper of Morning Angel, with a 35-inch striped bass taken on a white Bernie Michael Bullet Nose bucktail with 6-inch Sassy Shad added at the Bay Bridge. The fish was released.ContinueContinue reading “Outdoors: Peak rockfish trophy outlook spawns for Chesapeake”

Jennette’s Pier at Whalebone Junction has escaped another close call, this time with the budget knife. With officials from the North Carolina Aquariums – the pier’s owner – holding their breath, the governor signed legislation late Tuesday that provides existing storm-water funds for construction of a new pier and pier house. Push to rebuild N.C.ContinueContinue reading “Push to rebuild N.C. pier reaches success with state funds”

First the Tiki Bar opens and right on its heels comes the opening of Rockfish trophy season on the Chesapeake Bay. Soon it will be golf tournament season and summer will be heading into full swing, temperatures will rise and fresh home grown veggies will improve local diets.   Rockfish Season Opens on Saturday, AprilContinueContinue reading “Rockfish Season Opens on Saturday April 18”

  NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Brendan Gaughan and Scott Wimmer went from behind the wheel to behind the reel yesterday off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia. In the area to promote the Lipton Tea 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, May 1, the drivers had an adventurous excursion inContinueContinue reading “NASCAR – NNS: Drivers Invade Chesapeake Bay”

There’s a storm brewing on North Carolina’s coast. Fuel costs, cheap imported seafood and the high cost of living and doing business have put a black cloud over the heads of many fishermen. Compounding matters, federal and state fishery managers have been struggling to identify the best way to protect fish that fishermen like toContinueContinue reading “A better way to fish for North Carolina Striped Bass”

Jerry Decatur Sr., of Stafford, Va., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Friday to illegally harvesting and overharvesting rockfish, also called striped bass. Kenneth Dent, of Dumfries, Va., pleaded guilty Friday to one count of trafficking in illegal rockfish. 2 more men guilty in rockfish case • Public Record (www.HometownAnnapolis.com – The Capital)

The 52nd annual Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, which opened Jan. 1 and runs throughout the year, has no modifications in its popular citation program "The Tournament Committee felt the current citation standards were at appropriate levels, so they recommended no adjustments to the program for the coming year," stated Tournament Director Lewis Gillingham. Virginia stateContinueContinue reading “Virginia state fishing tourney is in full swing”

Got Word from Max @ Virginia Beach Contender that all paperwork is complete and waiting on affidavits to be official. Greg Bait Shack has the Fish unitl tomorrow and Long Bay Point will have it after 2:00pm on Sat. and  all day Sunday. Then it’s off to VMRC Research Science Program on Monday.   StillContinueContinue reading “NOW NEW PENDING WOLD RECORD BLUELINE TILEFISH”

FRYING PAN SHOALS, NC – A lighthouse platform complete with living quarters 25 miles off the coast of North Carolina has recently been sold by the federal government to a private company that plans to turn it into a fishing and diving center.   Raleigh Telegram

  The major change for flounder fishermen in the coastal bays area this spring and summer will be an increase in the minimum length for a keeper, from 17.5 to 18 inches. The creel limit of three fish per angler a day will remain the same, but the fall fishing season will be eliminated. ‘Small’ContinueContinue reading “‘Small’ change makes big splash among anglers”

Anglers will get to catch smaller striped bass in the Delaware Bay and Delaware River this year, but there is a rub. The lower size limit, possibly as small as 20 inches, will be legal only in Delaware and Pennsylvania. New Jersey waters will be stuck with the 28-inch minimum fish size that has beenContinueContinue reading “Confusion may be catch of day for striper anglers”

The Atlantic menhaden fishery has been a fixture along the Atlantic coast for more than a century, delivering economic stability to otherwise depressed areas and providing a multitude of products that has helped to improve our lives. Our say: This Week’s Take: Menhaden talk should focus on science • Environment (www.HometownAnnapolis.com – The Capital)

About 600,000 pounds of rockfish with a retail value of $3 million to $7 million were handled by a ring that trafficked fish from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, law enforcement officials said in early February. Chesapeake Bay Journal: Value of rockfish poached from Bay, Potomac set at $3 million to $7 million -ContinueContinue reading “Chesapeake Bay Journal: Value of rockfish poached from Bay, Potomac set at $3 million to $7 million – March 2009”

ROGER SPENCER likes to log on to TidalFish.com every day just to see "where they’re bitin’ and what they’re bitin’ on." Fredericksburg.com – Web site has anglers hooked

Fishing line is one of the most important tools in the sport. Trouble is, it needs to be changed regularly – leaving the problem of what to do with the old stuff. Va. agencies tie into fishing line recycling effort | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

  More for the record books from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for February. From Thailand to Key West, anglers are landing fish they hope are for the record books. NetNewsledger.com – Hot February Fishing Records

THE VIRGINIA Saltwater Fishing Tournament announced that 5,752 trophy-size fish were caught for Citation awards during 2008, the eighth-highest total since the tournament began in 1958. Fredericksburg.com – Citation-worthy fish grow

  A fish wholesaler, its owner and an employee have all pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the illegal purchase and sale of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River from 2003 through 2007, the Justice Department announced today. Cannon Seafood Inc., its owner and president RobertContinueContinue reading “District of Columbia Seafood Company, Owner and Employee Plead Guilty to Federal Trafficking Charges”

Amid growing demand for temporary guest workers nationwide, only one of Maryland’s 21 seafood processing plants was able to get visas to bring the foreigners into the country this year. If Congress does not move quickly to make more available, other processors say they won’t open this spring. And the loss of a year’s income,ContinueContinue reading “A shortage of hands”

The bust of an illegal rockfish ring in southern Maryland has watermen wondering how the bust will impact the local industry. According to court documents, the watermen and a seafood dealer are accused of buying and selling 600,000 pounds of rockfish or striped bass between 2003 and 2007. The fish, if sold legally, would haveContinueContinue reading “Watermen Applaud Illegal Rockfish Ring Bust”

Financially strapped Virginia watermen are a step closer to getting the $10 million in federal funds appropriated for crab fisheries disaster relief. In action taken last fall another $10 million was approved for Maryland watermen. Northern Neck News

John Miller, a Newport News Democrat, has introduced a seemingly innocent bill, SB1087, which passed the Senate unanimously and this week begins its House journey. The goal of the bill is to expand the VMRC from eight members to 10, and to add two watermen to the panel. There is already plenty of opportunity forContinueContinue reading “Don’t let watermen pack the fishing regulation panel”

Eastern District court records under seal until recently show that area watermen fished out of season using submerged nets for striped bass. They also altered and reused fish tags and sold illegal catches on the black market. Kenneth Dent, who owns property at 2014 Cherry Hill Road, and Jerry Decatur Jr. and Jerry Decatur, bothContinueContinue reading “Rockfish sting hits three in Va.”

Let’s get right to the point! The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and New Jersey recognize the importance of protecting striped bass status as a game fish from both a recreational and revenue generating point of view. Legislation is currently pending in Massachusetts to accomplish the same goal. Connecticut has protected thisContinueContinue reading “Commercial Fishing for Striped Bass? – Valley Courier”

More than half a dozen watermen have been snared in what is shaping up to be the largest fish-poaching case ever seen in the Chesapeake Bay region. Rockfish bust could have wide fallout – Environment – (HometownAnnapolis.com)

  The season on the Hudson River for stripped bass fishing runs from March 16 to November 30. No license is needed to fish on the river, but one is needed to fish on any of the tributaries leading into the Hudson. So, it to be careful if you do not have a license andContinueContinue reading “Hudson River for stripped bass fishing runs from March 16 to November 30. No license is needed to fish”

Guides there set a lodge record last week, catching and releasing 95 marlin in a six-day period – breaking the previous mark of 76. Most were black marlin and several ranged in the 500- to 700-pound class.   Mates of the boat help Bryan Teabout, right, with a marlin he caught during a trip toContinueContinue reading “Va. Beach man’s birthday bash was reel deal”

Virginia would spend $3 million in federal aid to buy back licenses from hundreds of watermen who agree to stop catching crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, according to a conservation plan proposed this week. Plan would pay watermen to give up crabbing | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Virginia Beach’s Kelly Williams angler landed a 25-pound longnose gar, measuring 53 1/2 inches in length and 18 1/2 inches in girth, from the Intracoastal Waterway near Coinjock on Jan. 30 while fishing with his neighbor Glenn Cooper. Record fish caught in Coinjock – Sports | DailyAdvance.com

A renewed effort to restrict striped bass to game fish status in Massachusetts is dividing recreational and commercial fishermen. Striped Bass Bill Divides Fishermen – 2/6/09 – Vineyard Gazette Online

New York City subway cars placed on the state’s artificial fishing reef off this resort in April already are showing "unusual damage," a state spokeswoman says, and the program has been suspended. Subway cars in Atlantic City reef see ‘unusual’ damage

  Cory Routh, 35, is the new head of the Mid-Atlantic Heroes on the Water program, which helps rehabilitate wounded military troops. (Martin Smith-Rodden | The Virginian-Pilot file photo) Va. angler picked to head program for hurt troops | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

As if Maryland’s watermen need more tsuris, now comes news that the feds have busted a big rockfish poaching ring that could curtail or even end their ability to make a living harvesting the state fish. Bay & Environment: More woes for watermen? – Bay & Environment is The Sun’s blog devoted to news aboutContinueContinue reading “Bay & Environment: More woes for watermen?”

On the subject of commercial vs. recreational fishing, it is painfully obvious that Virginia state legislators don’t get it. Concerning commercial fishing, Virginia Senate doesn’t get it – Inside Outside – Washington Times – Politics, Breaking News, US and World News

Fisheries regulators who oversee Maryland’s annual striped bass quota should delay any punishment until the conclusion of a state and federal undercover sting operation that broke up a major commercial black market, state natural resources officials said. Fishing infractions to be addressed after sting operation — baltimoresun.com

If you ever want to make a bunch of sport anglers really mad, just let them see gill nets set in what they consider to be their reserved fishing holes. theherald-nc.com | Gill net anglers run afoul of inland fishing laws

State and federal investigators have broken up a black market involving watermen and fish dealers who sold millions of dollars’ worth of striped bass, illegally taken from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, to shops and restaurants across the country, according to court documents filed in federal court this week. Watermen charged in illegal stripedContinueContinue reading “Watermen charged in illegal striped bass sales”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has established eight marine protected areas encompassing a total of 529 square nautical miles in south Atlantic federal waters to shield deep-water fish species and their habitats from fishing. Fishing for snappers, groupers, tilefishes, grunts, porgies and sea basses is prohibited throughout the protected areas, which are located offContinueContinue reading “Deep-water fish get protected areas from North Carolina to Florida:”