[Thrifty Angler]

Got to thinking bout all the large as well as numerous specs being caught in the local waters. I'm thinking along the same category as the Red Drum issue. Them are some big ole breeding fish being hauled out of the waters.

Do they tend to migrate to the same areas year after year? If so, what type of effect might this season of high angler successes have on the future populations of the species?

 

[blakester]

I would like to think your seeing the big number of fish inpart because nice weather , and bigger crowds than ever. Heres a question do u think u would see all these paper trout if there was no paper,personaly i have fished the southern branch of the ER for 20 winters and springs. Do not know of anyone enjoys eating trout over 5lbs out of a river so high in metals, and pollutions,which leads me to believe theres less killin and eatin and more killin in wastin for the sake of paper. Yes this year will directly effect the nextand yes it will effect future stocks. There is not a endless supply of these breeding stock.. There is also i believe two populations of fish residents and migrators, wouldnt it be nice to know there was a 14lber waitin for u next year because u let a 12lber go this year. Im no fish hugger nor a paper chaser just somebody who is blessed enough to fish alot. I hope this helps u some Thrifty Angler, i believe these fish to valuble to be harvested only once for the sake of a citation plaque thats had the same picture for 50 years not of your great catch... sincerly killem all metallica

 

[AL_N_VB]

Here's what turns my stomach....a very prominent angler from the 757 goes to Bubba's Marina to get a spec weighed for paper.....

I happen to be there too. I was on the way to Lesner to fish...

The fish made paper....10lbs....I heard the prominent anglers story....fish put em in the Master's category for that year...The fish was caught in the ER.

The angler turns around to me and ask," You eat speckle trout"? I happily decline.

The angler goes outside of Bubba's and throws the fish in the dumpster.


I lost all respect.

 

[blakester]

This is exactly what I'm talking about for the sake of a citation, but it doesn't surprise me! People like this give sport fishing a bad name.

 

[hatterasbound]

WOW that's just ******!! not alot of people can say they have caught a 10 pound trout!! and for that guy just to throw that speck away!! that really sucks!! man that terrible to hear!!

 

[hatterasbound]

i hear ya blake those are the people that give our sport a shitty name!!!

 

[Ian]

sometimes change will make you take a depper perspective on things,like twenty years ago a 12 pound speck wasnt anything out of the ordinary,virginia beach ,the great cheasapeke and tributaries were full of fish ,big fish too.Now with more waterfront properties,roads,refineries,and other human influance on the water it deffenently takes its toll on the angler,other people might not notice something is happening,but the experienced angler deffently can see signs of change,with less places,and fish to cacth it makes me wonder what fishing will be like in the next twenty years.

 

[blakester]

People fish there entire life on the eastern shore for a 6 or 7 lber, like the late great Mr. Claud Rogers told me as a teen , if youve told 1 person youve told a 100. This was way befor cellphones and the internet .

 

[dirtyhandslopez]

"it makes me wonder what fishing will be like in the next twenty years."

It will be just like any other place where people have been fishing and over fishing for years-dead. America is a relative new consumer of fish, so there are still some around. Places like Europe and Asia that have had a large amount of indigenous people eating and over fishing for a long time are not generally good place to catch a biggun.
I woulda' been p.o.'d if I had seen that man do that with that fish, but I must admit, I prolly would have pulled it out of the dumpster and used it for cut bait or put it in the compost heap. Ashes to ashes an' all that.
There's plenty of good fresh mullet and spot head in dumpsters if you know where and when to look. If your real good, you can get 'em before they hit the dumpster. Sorry for the small hijack.

 

[surfrebel]

That is a really shallow minded way to for that guy to be about catchin a fish like that.I bet he don't have any kids. If he did he would have stopped to think (man if i let this fish go by the time my kid gets old enough to fish she could have produced a few HUNDRED THOUSAND OFFSPRING). You know what though. If he was a true fisherman he would know karma is one chick you dont want to piss off.Sorry for the rant,but I have been trying to catch a paper trout for the past 5 years with little success.This guy may be an accomplished angler but I dont think he has a clue what the sport of fishing is about. Just my 2 cents.

 

[J_Lannon]

Here's what turns my stomach....a very prominent angler from the 757 goes to Bubba's Marina to get a spec weighed for paper.....

I happen to be there too. I was on the way to Lesner to fish...

The fish made paper....10lbs....I heard the prominent anglers story....fish put em in the Master's category for that year...The fish was caught in the ER.

The angler turns around to me and ask," You eat speckle trout"? I happily decline.

The angler goes outside of Bubba's and throws the fish in the dumpster.


I lost all respect.

Thats BS. I almost wish you posted the aholes name. But I have a pretty good idea who it was.

 

[Thrifty Angler]

To add insult to injury.....

it's been reported that 150 thousand gallons of that 2 million gallons of spilled liquid fertilizer has directly entered the Elizabeth River.
It happened once before... in the 1900's. Don't recall what year it was..but the 1920's/30's sounds familiar. I'll have to check on that data. The earlier spill was nearer the Gilmerton Bridge area.
There was reportedly a mild impact back then. And one is predicted this time as well. But who knows....you never get the whole story til well after the fact. This will definitely add stress not only to the marine life, but to the human lives as well. Lots of older folk as well as children live in and near the site of last week's spill. Lots of uncertainty of both this recent incident as well as potential future ones.

Was thinking about making a joke of how a 12 pound spec may reach 14 lbs well ahead of next year....more like in a couple weeks. But, this disaster is definitely far from being a laughing matter.

 

[Digger]

Just a note on Specks they really don't migrate. They spend their entire life in a relatively small place. Or so the tagging records that I have seen shows.

Also we have release citations for a reason.

 

[surf rat]

elizabeth river

Whatever they are spilling in there must be Trout super grow juice.

 

[FISHBGY]

Release citations

I agree with Digger, i have numerouse release citations,all you need is a camera and a tape measure! . or a witness ,i ,ve thrown back my share of pups ,trout and others mater of fact havn,t kept a pup since my first citation, keep a few trout to eat and most of the spot, catfish or two if i catch and know where it came from.this is a good topic to bring to the table !glad to see it. Dino J Hallmark Sr.

 

[jay b]

Specks are just like all other species and live and breed in cycles, some years are good and some not so good. I think the main reason they're so many right now is the mild winters we've had allows more of them to survive until the next year. I also think the reason everyone sees so many big 'breeders' being caught is not only what I just mentioned but also the popularity of the internet where folks proudly show their catches. Those fish have been caught from all the same places for quite a few years but there hasn't been any way for folks to publically brag until the internet came about.

I've fished for Specks a lot this season as usual from the Eastern shore to Rudee to the Lynnhaven and the Elizabeth rivers and there is a ton of them everywhere from 8" to 12 lbs. so hopefully it'll be another winter that's mild enough to let them survive until spring. Don't worry about the fertilizer spill, it didn't affect the Elizabeth river as bad as some may think. I saw 8 Specks that went over 5 lbs. just this past Tuesday that were caught in that river with a couple of release citations that were caught at the same time. They went home with a happy fisherman that ate some and shared the others instead of being disposed of after a visit to the tackle shop for citations. I have yet to catch a citation that went over 10 lbs. but I know for a fact they taste good up to 8 lbs. but that's just my opinion.

 

[uncdub13]

The angler turns around to me and ask," You eat speckle trout"? I happily decline.

The angler goes outside of Bubba's and throws the fish in the dumpster.


I lost all respect.

I'd lose all respect and then lose some more. It could be a 10 pounder or a 2 pounder, and I'd feel the exact same way. What a waste.

 

[rattler]

got a whole lot of paper from when I was younger. now it works if I know I caught it. ? no word (bit**ing) about OMEGA. did they stop or did they get them all?