When Capt. Colin Page saw a fin pop out in the wake, he thought it might be a marlin before we identified a six-foot mako shark that had attacked a big Yo-Zuri flat-headed, high-speed plug. I'd never heard of a mako hitting a trolled plug, and especially one trolled at such a high speed

 

Capt. Howard Bogan reported We had very good fishing for jumbo porgies on the Saturday offshore trip. The Ocean Explorer from Belmar had a nice day on the ocean Saturday with good bottom life to keep everyone working at it as two legal blackfish were hooked along with a few shorts, some cod and a jigged pollock.

Stripers Forever, the free internet organization fighting for striped bass game fish status all along the Atlantic Coast, sent the following notice about their fundraising auction 2017 Annual Fundraiser Auction Alert NEWS ALERT From the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate fishing managers are considering liberalizing rules for commercial and recreational fishing of striped bass along the East Coast. AUCTION ENDS Saturday, February 18, 2017 9PM EST STRIPERS FOREVER, A NON-PROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION, SEEKS GAME FISH STATUS FOR WILD STRIPED BASS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST IN ORDER TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE STRIPER MORTALITY, TO PROVIDE OPTIMUM AND SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANGLERS, TO SECURE THE GREATEST SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUE POSSIBLE FROM THE FISHERY AND TO ADVOCATE FOR THE CONSERVATION AND RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF WILD STRIPED BASS FROM MAINE TO NORTH CAROLINA.

The debate about how much protection striped bass require is bout to come up again, after the following was passed at the recent ASMFC meeting ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Initiates Development of Draft Addendum V to Consider Liberalizing Management Measures Alexandra, VA - The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board initiated the development of Draft Addendum V to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to consider liberalizing coastwide commercial and recreational regulations. The Board's action responds to concerns raised by Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions regarding continued economic hardship endured by its stakeholders since the implementation of Addendum IV and information from the 2016 assessment update indicating fishing mortality is below the target.