[Steve20]

Al

Just curious...
How old would a 30inch striper be? and approximatly how many inches do they grow each year?
Same question for flukes, blues and flounder.. WIth the regulations now, how old are they when they reach llegal size?
I know blues are any size but say when they are about ****tail size and their rate each year..

-Steve

 

[617905]

Striped Bass Length - Age - Weight chart

As far as Stripers go there's a handy chart at http://www.stripersurf.com/ageweight.html The 30 incher that you asked about would probably be about 7 years old, max weight 14 lbs., average weight 12.3 pounds, and minimum about 10.3 pounds. I'm sure that there are similar charts available for other species as well.

Richard
><}}}}'>

 

[615657]

If you contact your local enviromental protection they might be able to send you charts for the most popular gamefish. Here in Connecticut, you can get a whole folder full on most sought after species in the sound by going to the HQ in Old Lyme. Hope this helps.

 

[Crazy-Al]

Hello Steve20,

First of all, I like to thank you for your emails!

The truth of the matter is, most species today are heavily targeted by many parties (Recreational & Commercial) and we finally came to a realization that our natural resources can no longer sustain itself! Therefore, extreme and calculated regulations are necessary to protect our long-term goals.

NightCaster and Tom B are correct! A 30 inch Striper is approximately 7 years old and depending on he season that is caught… it can vary from 11 - 14 lbs…and you can call your local DEC/DEP department for the fish facts.

OK… As for our flounder fishery… The flounder population has been declining (IMO - to near extinction) and we need to take special measures to try to bring back this viable creature. We can no longer blame it on the red & brown tides, El Nino etc…. It is evident that the flounder is having severe recovery problems! I am not optimist for next year… because I saw very few stamps (small flounders) caught… and majority of the keepers were full-grown.

As for the Fluke… This fishery has been in the limelight and we are still struggling with the regulations today… even though the old season is coming soon. Currently, there are several options on the table… but it appear that we might have a May 4, 4 fish limit with a minimum size of 16.5. However, this is not written in stone yet… but stay tune because I will announce it once it is official.

To answer your question how fast fluke grows…. The answer is FAST! I read that fluke grows 1" per month! But unfortunately I don't think it's fast enough because the faster they grow… the more we want.

As for the bluefish… We all know these choppy critters grow several inches in months! Unfortunately some people don't have respect nor appreciation these sea wolves… but the truth of the matter is, they play a vital part of our cycle and are fun to catch!

Let's not forget about our scup and blackfish….
Anybody want to chime in and give us a brief description of these bottom dwellers?

"Crazy" Alberto
[email protected]

 

[seaslug44]

Blackfish grow the slowest...

They take four years or more just to grow 12". A ten pounder is about 20 years old. 16lbs plus are 30 years or older.

Takes a long time for this kind of fishery to recover...

 

[618586]

age of fishes

i say we need to haVE A slot limit on the stripers because its hard to eat 20 lbs of striper

 

[Crazy-Al]

DoctorFish wrote:
Blackfish grow the slowest...They take four years or more just to grow 12". A ten pounder is about 20 years old. 16lbs plus are 30 years or older. Takes a long time for this kind of fishery to recover... ..
________________________________________________
Hello Doctorfish,
I agree with you! Tautog are probably one the slowest growing fish in our waters. Unfortunately they are heavily sorted and now we are taking every measures to preserve their extinction!

Just wondering… How do you feel about the roller gears?

Toadly wrote:
[bage of fishes. I say we need to have a slot limit on the stripers because its hard to eat 20 lbs of striper.[/B]
________________________________________________
Hello Toadly,

Hmmm… That's a very interesting statement you made… Do you think a slot limit will improve the Striper fishery? Please explain ….

"Crazy" Alberto
[email protected]

 

[BD001]

SLOT

CA:

A slot limit would help the bass by preventing overharvesting of fish in the "prime breeding range" which with bass is probably in the 28-40 inch size.

If the limit allowed keeping one fish between 24 and 28 and one over 40, it may help increase #'s.

What I have been alarmed by in recent years is the lack of big fish in the 40 plus pound size range. Any thoughts as to why this is occurring? Could it be that the population needs a few more years to grow to this size, or are we harvesting the fish before they reach this size?

 

[seaslug44]

Crazy Al Wrote "Just wondering… How do you feel about the roller gears?"

Huh?