I'd have to say that so far the fishing has sucked for this season. Still getting 8 t0 12 fish per outing but that's down from 25 to 30 from past years. And, we are working harder than ever for them. I certainly hope that the proposal that the ASMFC has doesn't go through. I can't imagine half of what we have now for next season. EVERYONE--is killing too many fish, commercial and recs alike, it's not an endless, bottomless, pit of fish out there. I had hoped we had learned our lesson last time, but it seems we are doomed to repeat the process all over again. The few reports of fish here and fish there are just that. A FEW FISH HERE AND THERE. One spot, in one place, does not make for good fishing. It amazes me how many people say to me Wow, they are catching fish in the Providence River!!! Really, how about the other 25 miles of the bay long and the other 7 miles in width?? It makes no sense. This is the first year in ten, that I haven't had a bunch of 30 to 40 lbs fish by this time. And most of the guys I know, whom I trust say the same thing. All these people just didn't wake up yesterday morning and forget where, when and how to catch a bass. Everyone better check on those meeting dates for that commercial increase and either go to that meeting or make sure you send an e-mail to voice your opposition to it. When you read that silly proposal it makes two statements. One is for the increase in the commercial harvest by 50% and the other is from the Technical Committee, (the biologists) that mistakes could have, or might be being made on the actual numbers of surviving young of the year. Well, it can't be both at the same time. The fishery is either healthy enough to support that kind of increase, or it needs to be adjusted to allow for a smaller survival rate in the young of the year. You can't have both. You don't need a degree in biology to figure that one out now do you???
